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If anyone has tips on how to model the polystyrene that would be great.

I am thinking of using papier mâché for the top cover, as it is quite easy to model with and I am hoping it will protect the poly from melting, unless someone knows this wont work, but I will test it first. If this doesnt work I will probably just hand paint them.

They need to be able to be used for both fantasy and 40k, so I will either be going with a field or desert look, no inbuilt terrain other than hills and rivers. I am thinking 4 tiles to start with as a tester. If all goes well it should mean I can make a set of 4 for about £10, which is a bit of difference to GW's prices.
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5914788.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5914788.page GMT Never heard of paper mâché as a top layer, but I see no dramatic problem with it either, good luck on that perticular project.
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Me and a friend made a simple snow field by taking a few polystyrene plates and just glueing a layer of sand onto it.

Add some shallow craters and modular hills and you got a decent homemade plate for under 130$.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5915101.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5915101.page GMT think that was the name, at least - it's a "just add water" mix of plaster and paper pulp) pretty extensively in his rock formations, but those aren't really high traffic areas. Plaster cloth tends to chip and flake at the surface pretty easily, but that's not really the same thing. Model railroaders use paper mache frequently enough, but again, that's not expected to see any real wear. All I can say definitively is "You won't know unless you test it." Less than helpful, but that's all I've got for you.

Actually, one last note on topping the foam with plaster, paper mache, or the like: More than the top material crumbling, I would worry about it separating. Roughing up the underlying foam surface and/or adding anchors (T-pins, little nubs of wire or toothpicks, etc.) before sculpting to keep the mass from shifting might not be a bad idea.

Regardless, surface sealing is going to be as, if not more, important than the underlying material. It will keep plaster-like materials from being abraded, help reduce chipping and flaking of texturing materials, and can steel foam against solvents in spray paint. I heartily recommend hand painting at least the basecoat, using house/latex/emulsion paint (same stuff, different names). This stuff is a bit thicker, more flexible, generally more robust, and invariably cheaper in large quantities than acrylic craft (let alone model) paints. It's thick enough to act as both adhesive and colorant when texturing, if you add some fine grit directly to the paint, or will help lock down glued grit when painted over the top. The thickness also helps soften the edges of the material, slightly, so your rougher ground doesn't actually function like coarse sandpaper.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5915808.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5915808.page GMT well kinda^^]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5916210.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5916210.page GMT
Viktor von Domm, was planning on pva as it is cheaper than wall paper paste and I had not thought of using it as a final varnish as well so thank you for that.

oadie, I am trying to keep it cheap as a test run so plaster is out plus I have found plaster quite fragile on past terrain projects so I am hoping the paper mache will not be as fragile and as Dr Doom has pointed out, mache done with PVA sets rock solid. But lets see how the first set goes as the second set will probably have a river in so I might need plaster to sculpt a nice river bed.

DrunkPhilisoph, ye I am in the middle of doing up the house so I have a few tins left over which will help.

gealgain I am using something like that as a backing sheet so to help strengthen and support the poly.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5916735.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5916735.page GMT ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5916777.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/544259/5916777.page GMT