cracked desert groundwork - best ideas?

hmmmmm...celluclay will crack, shrink and curl if not mixed and/or applied properly...but I have spent most of my experience with it trying to AVOID what you are needing for your dio...maybe try straight celluclay (w/o any white glue mixed in) and dry it very quickly...

Just something that might work. Sculpt the terrain size you need with plaster, mixed very thick on top of foil paper so it doesn't run. Then when its hardening but not completely dry, try bending or manipulating the foil paper so the plaster cracks the way you want. Then glue when dry to your base. Top it with sand and deluted wht. glue, then paint and detail it some more. Just a thought since one time I used plaster on a small  wall section repair and just as it was drying I moved part of the repair and it craked in small lines that I had to go back over. I've also heard that joint compound will crack as it dryes if applied too thick. 

Plaster over thinned with water dried under a heat lamp quickly might yield the desired result.  Make sure it is watery though.

Get some crackle-finish paint at a craft store, mix it in with whatever color you want.

perhaps another idea...i inadvertantly found this out paint your terrain in a glossy paint then go back over it with a flat base paint. you'll get all the cracks you need!!

I would fill  Plastic container {flat one} with a thin layer of plaster not real thick so it will settle level, {it may actually have a puddle on the top as it drys, no problems, when it is dry you can pick it up and break it any way you want and glue the pieces onto your board. I have spent 30 years playing with 20 minute casting plaster, the nice part is if your gaps are too large you can always add small amounts of Plaster of Paris to fill in then use the dental type modeling tools to scrape out to the size desired.

 You could also wait until almost dry and use those tools to do the same thing.

 

OH BIG HINT: if you want your plaster to go off like a rocket, pour some table SALT into the mix and be prepared to work REALLY FAST!

thanks for all your replys I appreciate the help!  I will try different things and let you know what works

Once upon a time I used Squadron putty to make stone tile bases for GamesWorkShop figs.I'd spread a thin layer on the base then sculpt/score it with a hobby knife to make the tiles.Worked pretty good.I think the same technique would work for you in this case as well.

Liquitex modeling paste, applied thick and quick dried under a hot lamp will "mud crack".

Wall board compound will do the same thing.

These two things will give you that effect. Experiment a little to get your timing down and adjust the effect. The effect is caused by too thick a coat drying too fast and unevenly.

Have a look at Golden Paints crackle paste. I am pretty sure that this product will give you the results you want.

http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/crcklpst.php

First of all, if you are doing a Tunisia dio, check your references. The campaign in Tunisia was conducted in winter which was the rainy season, which it did alot! Mud was a major factor. During the battle for Kasserine Pass it rained so much that it might be called a deluge. Visibilty was hindered greatly.

Many people assume North Africa equals desert, but there are pockets of Mediterrean climate as well. During the Roman empire Tunisia was the bread basket where most of the wheat and other grains were grown for Rome. It is drier now than it was then, arid but not yet a desert.

You will also find alot of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia). This cactus is a weed and grows on every continent except Antartica (unless Australia was successful in fully eradicating it).

Mike T. 

 

That golden crackle paste posted by Vespa looks fantastic...I'm going to have to find an excuse to use it for something.