Ground materials and bases

renarts

Member since
April 2003
From: Sunny Florida

Ground materials and bases

Posted by renarts on Tuesday, April 1, 2003 8:06 PM

I'm curious to see what other folks are using for ground materials for figure and model displays. In the past, I have used celluclay, plaster with dirt mixed in, and sculpey. But it all seems to be missing something. To clean or out of scale.

Any help or advice?

Mike

Mike "Imagination is the dye that colors our lives" Marcus Aurellius A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

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J-Hulk

Member since
February 2003
From: Tochigi, Japan

Posted by J-Hulk on Tuesday, April 1, 2003 8:44 PM

I've had good luck with Fando and various grades of sand and pebbles.

~Brian

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djmodels1999

Member since
December 2002
From: United Kingdom / Belgium

Posted by djmodels1999 on Wednesday, April 2, 2003 3:38 AM

I use a mixture of plaster, wood glue and water, to which I add a dollop of acrylic paint (usually a brown color). The colored plaster does not require to be painted (which is good particularly when you have to place the model into the fresh plaster and can't reach under it to paint the plaster!). I only use washes and a bit of drybrushing to bring out 'details'.

Because I normaly work with smaller scales, I use the tea found in tea bags to replicate short grass and weeds (added to the base when the plaster is still very fresh). Light drybrushing in green and yellowish colors is all I require to paint that grass without having to worry about my earth tones...

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2000-redrider

Member since
March 2003
From: USA

Posted by 2000-redrider on Wednesday, April 2, 2003 1:58 PM

Check out Woodland Scenics product line. I used their products for some of my bases and the results were pretty good (for me, at least). If you want to see one of my bases, I posted a pic in the testing forum ("test pic").

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renarts

Member since
April 2003
From: Sunny Florida

Posted by renarts on Thursday, April 3, 2003 12:15 AM

Thanks guys, you're sparking my cynapsis into rethinking this base issue. I've used frayed hemp to make grass, and have dry brushed colors onto it to make different seasons or colors of grass.

What got me thinking about this was I went to an IPMS show in Orlando, FL and I saw a couple of bases that just looked great. The ground effect was almost like looking at "scale" ground. With the dry brushing that the builder did, it really made it pop.

Its time to hit the "experimental" work bench I suppose and try some new techniques and recipies.

Mike

Mike "Imagination is the dye that colors our lives" Marcus Aurellius A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

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renarts

Member since
April 2003
From: Sunny Florida

Posted by renarts on Wednesday, April 9, 2003 9:34 PM

Hey guys,

Tried out a recipe of celuclay, plaster and ground materials (pebbles, small twigs etc. ) Got the effect I was looking for. THrow some washes and some dry brushing on that bad boy and it looks great.

thanks for the suggestions.

Mike

Mike "Imagination is the dye that colors our lives" Marcus Aurellius A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

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RonUSMC

Member since
April 2003
From: Seattle, WA

Posted by RonUSMC on Wednesday, April 9, 2003 10:07 PM

Show us a pic renarts!

http://finescalegallery.com Active Kits: 1/48 AM Avenger 1/35 Sd.Kfz 251 Ausf C

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 9, 2003 11:29 PM

I'll second Woodland Scenics products. check out their site.
www.woodlandscenics.com

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BlackWolf3945

Member since
December 2002
From: Pominville, NY

Posted by BlackWolf3945 on Thursday, April 10, 2003 1:35 AM

I generally don't do much of a "build-up" of groundwork, but when I do I use celluclay.

Usually I'm doing flat groundwork for aircraft bases and just use plain 'ole dirt (sifted) and static grass. The trick is in the finishing and painting. Unpainted static grass looks like crap, and real dirt can sometimes benefit from some washes and such.

Fade to Black...

Steve O. Reno Check Out My Photo Sets on Flickr

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 10, 2003 11:55 PM

how could u drybrush static grass?????? wouldnt it stick to the brush?????? Tongue [:P]

how u do it?

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renarts

Member since
April 2003
From: Sunny Florida

Posted by renarts on Friday, April 11, 2003 12:06 AM

I'll shoot some pics this weekend and post for you guys to see.
Kitty litter makes some interesting detail in the ground surface.
I played with a section of celluclay with a heavier mixture of plaster. I layed it out on some card stock and just as it sets to where there is a "skin" on the surface if you flex the card a little the ground material wrinkles. This creates a ground effect of layered dirt with wind erosion or the ripples like a beach at the tide line. Trim it and sand it flat so that it will sit on the base properly and then form and feather the surrounding area so that it "fits the base" and you have an interesting effect.

Mike

Mike "Imagination is the dye that colors our lives" Marcus Aurellius A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 4, 2003 5:26 PM

blimey didn't any of you guys make papier mache at school??
mix up a batch...add a bit of white glue and a spot of wahsing up liquid mix to the consistency you require. lumpy ploughed earth ...or as smooth as concrete..
any old paper will do newspapers are best not glossy mag stuff... add a waterbased colour of your choice ..and bob is your mothers brother....any extra will keep for days if its kept wet ..and you can throw it away if you prefer ...i have never bought any scenic materiels of any kind in all my years of modelling,,i mean why buy celluclay or somesuch when you can make a perfectly good substitute yourself for pennies rather than pounds......

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David Voss

Member since
December 2002
From: Waukesha, WI

Posted by David Voss on Wednesday, June 4, 2003 5:46 PM

QUOTE: Originally posted by DEAKON

..and bob is your mothers brother

Actually my mother's brother is named Bill. Tongue [:P]

BTW, that's good information for the frugal modeler!

David Voss Senior Web Developer Kalmbach Publishing Co. Join me on the FSM Map

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 4, 2003 9:20 PM

for a tarmac effect i use large sheets of very fine gray sandpaper...

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renarts

Member since
April 2003
From: Sunny Florida

Posted by renarts on Wednesday, June 4, 2003 10:39 PM

Went to my folks house the other day and went digging for some of my old dioramas and models, oddly they still had some. I learned a very valuble lesson.

Silverfish, love celuclay. If you use celuclay only, or paper mache, you will have created an all you can eat buffet for the little buggars.

I am hoping that with my new recipe for ground material - 30% plaster, 70% celuclay, white glue, and painted with a flat poly, that they will find this less appetizing.

Mike

Mike "Imagination is the dye that colors our lives" Marcus Aurellius A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

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scotty

Member since
January 2003
From: United Kingdom

Posted by scotty on Saturday, June 7, 2003 10:09 AM

I used Artex for a snow scene, When it drys it leaves little cracks which I made to look like ice with a little thinned blue paint .

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Butz

Member since
February 2003
From: Niagara Falls NY

Posted by Butz on Saturday, June 7, 2003 3:57 PM

Whaz up,
Blackwolf showed me his method a long time ago and BOY does it look great...!!!!!!
It brings the model to life.
Just use good ol mother natures dirt(sift it and let the dirt dry out) and static grass

juniormodeler
As for the painting of static grass, you have to let it dry of course. Once you start to actually apply the paint a little of it my come up but nothing major.
As you go over the grass go over it lightly and build up the tone. Sure if you were to paint it w/ a hard hand yes then it will come off.
Try it you'd be amazed to how good it looks.
Flaps up, Mike

If you would listen to everybody about the inaccuracies, most of the kits on your shelf would not have been built Too Close For Guns, Switching To Finger

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renarts

Member since
April 2003
From: Sunny Florida

Posted by renarts on Saturday, June 14, 2003 2:11 PM

This is a follow up of the ground work. My recipe is 30% plaster, 70% celuclay. Mixed in white glue and debris. i.e. kitty litter, fine sand, little bits of flotsam and jetsum. While wet the vehicle is impressed into the suface to make tacks and rut. Any footpprints are added and then adittional stuff like logs, grass etc. (although not in this one).
Once dry it was given a base coat of desert yellow and some custom mixed acrylics I have that we use when we paint murals or trompe l'oile. A wash of dark umber is then added to give it depth. A highlight color is then drybrushed on to make it pop.

Mike

Mike "Imagination is the dye that colors our lives" Marcus Aurellius A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

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shermanfreak

Member since
January 2003

Posted by shermanfreak on Saturday, June 14, 2003 2:51 PM

Mike - As per your previous post re: silverfish & celluclay

If one or two silverfish move into this dio, they'll probably dislodge your cute little Panzer.

Happy Modelling and God Bless Robert

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Moses

Member since
February 2003
From: Long Island

Posted by Moses on Monday, June 16, 2003 11:11 AM

Looks really good Mike. I love the shading. Mike I have to grab you on MSN tonight, so you can give me a little more of an in depth clinic on how you did it.

Looks like a few lemurs walked through that rocky ground Wink [;)]

Rob

"ZIM FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LATER!!"

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, June 16, 2003 3:27 PM

I find a mix of PVA and plaster of paris with a bit of water and the desired base colour usually does the trick, alternatively papier maché could be used as deakon mentioned above, the classic thunderbird base material(don't worry, a thing amongst us brits) (and expats)

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 2, 2005 3:43 AM

, Good idea!

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PatlaborUnit1

Member since
January 2006
From: Baton Rouge, Snake Central

Posted by PatlaborUnit1 on Sunday, July 8, 2007 12:53 PM

Deakon

I tried this a while back, modern newsprint is so much finer and resistant to water than it used to be, well at least locally it is. I remember using real paper mache I made myself with newsprint in the 80s, but this new newprint, it has a totally different characteristic that just does not do as well.

I have been using Celluclay, which is similar to real old paper mache, but man that stuff is expensive for what you are getting!

David

Build to please yourself, and don't worry about what others think! TI 4019 Jolly Roger Squadron, 501st Legion

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