Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So I'm making 2x2x3.25" columns, a variety of walls and attaching all sorts of bits and parts to make a zone mortalis type setup. I'm casting hirst arts sci-fi parts, my own control panels and using some GW terrain kit bits. I'll be using a couple hundred small rare earth magnets so everything can just click together.

Option 1: Foam core.
Pros:
It's easy to cut to get nice sharp corners and clean lines.
All the various bits can be glued with super glue to the card surface.
Cheap

Cons:
Not strong.
Will have to weigh the bottom of pieces as it's so light it can be prone to tipping/shifting.
Lots of building with walls being multiple pieces.

Option 2: Extruded Insulation Foam
Pros:
Cheap
Walls can be a single piece of 1/2" foam

Cons:
Superglue destroys it, so I'd need to find something else to glue all the surface details on
Getting perfect 90 degree cuts without something like a proxxon is difficult.
Getting mitered, dovetailed or some other type of corners will be annoying. Or I'll end up having using filler and sanding to hide the joins.

Option 3: 2mm/.080" (or thicker?) Styrene
Pros:
Super precise for nice corners and cuts
Plastic strips, panels and GW bits can be attached with plastic cement
All the various bits can be glued with super glue to the plastic surface.

Cons:
Will have to weigh the bottom of pieces as it's so light it can be prone to tipping/shifting.
Price. Especially if I go with thicker plasticard for greater strength.
Lots of build time.

Option 4: Extruded insulation or foam core clad in plasticard
Basically taking very thin plasticard (0.25mm/.020"?)and just attaching it to the structure.
Pros:
Super glue can be used
Plastic cement can be used
Imperfect foamcore or insulation corners can be covered and made nice and crisp

Cons:
Additional costs.

What would you do?

These towers and walls will basically be sitting on some foot by foot tiles I'm making:



Grey on cork tiles, Wash black, brown, green and blue. Worked in pigments, sprayed on varnish to fix it all down.

I've been having a good time building necromunda terrain using foamed PVC. Lighter and cheaper than sheet styrene of the same thickness and easy to work with.

Examples here

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/745263.page

Nice! An option 5! I've heard the occasional mention of the stuff. Apparently it's used in making signs.

I'm reading your thread now.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Flinty wrote:
I've been having a good time building necromunda terrain using foamed PVC. Lighter and cheaper than sheet styrene of the same thickness and easy to work with.

Okay, from your thread:



The 90 degree outside corners-- can you actually get a tight join? I've noticed in your thread that there tends to be a shadow there. Is that just because you're going for a more industrial look or is it part of how the material behaves? Can you get a tight outside corner like styrene?

You can get a tight join. The best way I found so far is to slightly extend the wall past the joint and then trim it down flush. I'm not doing it everywhere partly to retain a slightly slapdash look and partly because I'm no too bothered about the result. One thing with the PVC Iis that it is thick enough that the angle you hold the knife at while cutting it has an impact. I ended up with quite a few joins impacted by not fully perpendicular joints.

Also check out lord_blackfang's stuff here

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/60/745259.page

I heard sign makers have tons of scraps of foamed PVC but the three I called said they wouldn't have any off cuts to sell as the manufacturer picks them up and gives credit by weight. They all also declined to sell me a full or partial sheet unless I wanted to pay for it as if I had it printed on, which was not cheap. I found the supplier of the stuff in town, but the lowest quantity they sell is a box 6" (15cm) high with as many 4'x8' (1.2mx2.4m) sheets as fit. So if I was doing 3mm sheets, that's a minimum of 50 4x8 sheets. I could cover my entire house with that. Apparently you have to be a commercial account that buys monthly to be able to add individual sheets or different thicknesses.

Maybe I can find an online source. I'd like to at least try it out. At this point though, it's not a likely route.

I'm going to make a couple of protypes out of foamcore to start. Maybe I'll end up the styene route. I like how precise lord_blackfang got his pieces.

It's also possible that the corners and the wall segments are best made with two different materials. I'll have to think about that. Perhaps something more rigid can be laminated inside two sheets of foam core for the walls or something.

I went to these guys as they sell their offcuts super cheap. If you ask them they might do a cheap international shipping on the proviso that you don't come after them for minor damage.

http://www.bayplastics.co.uk/palight_foamedpvcsheets.htm

I'm going to go ahead building my prototypes/first pieces with foamcore as I can get it a short walk from where I live. Styrene is still on the table if I can't get the foam core shapes as crisp as I know I can with sheet plastic, but hopefully I'll be spared the cost.

I'm seeing the foamed PVC show up in more and more videos, posts and blogs, so it's definitely on my list of things to try once I can get it in a reasonable fashion. There has to be a better option than shipping it across the Atlantic ocean, but thank you for the link none the less.

I'll keep reading your thread and looking forward to seeing all the things you might build in the future.

Yep PVC Foam is some cool stuff.

look around for local plastic shops as well. i got one near by that sells 4x8 feet 1/4" boards for about 50usd which is more than enough for most people.

the 1/8" boards are only 20usd.

and any off cuts they usually sell by weight.

Also if you are going into heavy PVC building, id get some Scigrip cement. its like tamya super thin plastic cement but for PVC. i need to go look at the exact one i got but it works really well.