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As Kilkrazy said, extruded polystyrene foam insulation board is generally the weapon of choice. It's reasonably priced, sandable, carvable, stiff, lightweight, and the faces are surprisingly resilient, especially if coated with glue, sand, paint, and the like. It's not bulletproof, though - corners, especially, are liable to compress and chip with rough handling. Some people like to add thin MDF or styrene (plasticard) bases, even to hills (can be made seamless, with a bit of careful sanding), to help take the brunt of the wear and tear off of the more fragile edges of the foam.

Being a styrene foam, though, you can't spray it directly with most aerosol paints/adhesives. Some people have also reported difficulty finding it (or can only find thinner sheets) if they live in more temperate climes - it is insulation, after all. Sanding, rasping, etc. tend to get messy, as well - static makes the foam dust cling to EVERYTHING, so keep a vacuum handy. That's about all I can think of, in terms of problems with the material. By and large, the pros heavily outweigh the cons, which is why it's such an overwhelming favorite.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/571567/6402082.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/571567/6402082.page GMT