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Hello, I'm looking for a little information, recently I've been looking into trying new things with basing on my miniature, I thought that Styrofoam would be a really good way to sculpt the shapes that I'm looking for without having to use greenstuff. The question being is there different types of Styrofoam, are there types that are more dense. I'm ideally looking for a fairly firm Styrofoam that could be cut with a hobby knife and still hold its shape, is this something I am able to get, if so would local hobby stores sell it?

Thanks for any help in advance

The trick is, any type of foam is pretty fragile and crumbly. You might get better results with cork or bark-style mulch, especially for rock. Balsa wood might also work. All three are only a little harder to carve than styrofoam, and a lot more durable to wear and tear.

I agree on foam being too crumbly. I have had good results with Balsa wood, and also basic modeling clay.
Here are some balsa wood examples:
http://edwardmystcreations.weebly.com/sculpts-wood-elf-treant.html
http://edwardmystcreations.weebly.com/sculpts-wood-elves-firesap.html
http://edwardmystcreations.weebly.com/imperial-guard-heavy-weapons.html

Hey, if you give some a try let me see it. Love to see some converted bases!

High density styrofoam is less crumbly than regular ..I use it a lot for terrain covered in a base of house paint then craft acrylics
It is normally available at your local hardware/home DIY store,,
Note most spray paints will still melt it..So it needs a coat of latex or cheap acrylic paint ..(not model paint) to give it a solid base..
Another good source of sculptable material is your local model train store..

I recon that would be quite fiddly and unless you cover it the right way, its abit to porous....sorry about spelling. Just finished a 12hr night shift and im just about hanging on.

I would recomend a product called P38. Its used for filling holes on cars etc. Comes in two part poxy. But you can mix in as much or as little of the red fixing agent to get the right consistency you require. It sets in about 30mins solid. But after the 1st 10mins its still soft enough to shape and carve really easily to wateva shape you require. Then you can add what ever you like. I normally plonk the figure onto it after the 1st few mins. Sticks solid but then you can also mess about til your happy. 1 tin costs about £3-£5 but will last forever and base well over 100 models.