Advanced Terrain Modelling

As I am sure most of you have done, over the years I have collected a number of tools and materials without which I don't think I could function as a modeller. Although I covered many of these in Terrain Modelling, for the benefit of those brave souls just starting out on the modelling trail I think it helpful to repeat brief details of the ones that I use most often when building a diorama or vignette. The list does not include items necessary to complete the actual model that you are placing in the diorama: firstly, there are any number of good books out there by master modellers that will give you all the help you need on that subject, and secondly, I don't count myself in that class. What follows is an idea of the basics needed for making your groundwork.

The first thing you need for a diorama is obviously a good baseboard, and I've tried a few different materials for this purpose. The most important thing from my point of view is that a baseboard must not warp when I add plaster or 'Claycrete' — at this point the board is obviously going to get wet. For the diorama in Chapter 4, 'A Walled Garden', I used a product new to me that I got from the Micro-Mark company in the USA. This 'Gatorfoam' board is very light but very tough, comprising a layer of foam sandwiched between two layers of veneer, measuring about 12in _ 18in 鵬mm _ 457mm) and 1/4in ƕmm) thick. I have applied plaster, papier maché, liquid glue, paints and stains to this board, and when it dries it does not warp — even when coated on one side only.

Although an excellent product, Gatorfoam is not always the answer, since there are many cases when it will be found too thin to be used for particular subjects. The other material that I use — in the rest of the dioramas in this book — is polystyrene. I get this in block form, about 191/2in _ 13in _ 2in 鸴mm _ 300mm _ 50mm), which gives me a surface into which I can cut ditches, wells, trenches, etc; and if one block isn't deep enough — as for the Western Front trench model in Chapter 2 — then I just stick another on top. I get it from a company specializing in industrial packing materials, and this is probably the best place to look for it. Once the model is finished, you can make up a veneer frame to cover the exposed polystyrene edges.

The material that probably gets the next most frequent use across the greatest number of my dioramas is Claycrete (or 'Celuclay' — I'm not quite sure which name is used in the UK and which in the United States, as I have bought it in the UK under both names). This is an instant papier maché to which you just add water, and then lay it on your model in much the same way as if you were using plaster. I normally add whatever colouring may be needed to the water with which I mix the Claycrete, so that when it is applied to the model I don't get those irritating little spots of white that always seem to get missed out if I paint it afterwards. I know some modellers find Claycrete dries out and loses its flexibility, sometimes cracking after a period of time, or lifting from the baseboard. I must admit that I've never had these problems, but this could be because I also add a little white glue to the mix, which helps it to retain a bit of flexibility. It also lengthens the drying time, but not enough to bother me. Another plus, as far as I'm concerned, is that if you keep your mix in a bowl or container with a lid, it will remain useable for at least a week.

When it comes to making items with plaster, I prefer to use 'Eberhard Faber Ceramic Casting Powder'. This comes in two colours, white or terracotta. It dries considerably more quickly and to a harder finish than plaster of Paris or Polyfilla-type compounds; it also retains its white colour better and longer, if that is the effect you want. I use it for casting parts for buildings (see the 'Motte–and–Bailey' diorama, Chapter 3), for casting rocks, and also as an underlay for snow effects.

For plasterwork actually on the model, as opposed to making separate items in moulds, I use Woodland Scenics 'Lightweight Hydrocal' plaster. This is useful for sealing layers of plaster bandage and for filling in gaps or crevices in rockwork.

Plaster bandage, often sold in the UK under the name 'Mod–Roc', is a coarse woven bandage impregnated with plaster. When making up a section of groundwork that needs to be very irregular or lumpy, I normally use odd scraps of polystyrene as a foundation. (If you ever buy some of the larger electrical items such as TVs or computers, you'll find they are usually packed in enough thick polystyrene to provide you with a generous stash.& #41 Carve your lumps roughly to shape, stick them in place, and then apply the bandage. Simply take a length from the roll, dip it in water, and then smooth it over your 'lumps' to blend them into the baseboard. You can then seal it with a layer of Hydrocal to give yourself a good surface for colouring, attaching 'scatter' and so forth.

If lumps of polystyrene aren't available, then you can simply take newspaper, dampen it, and make it into balls or rolled lengths. Attach these to your baseboard with white glue, and then lay your plaster bandage and plaster over the top.

The adhesive I mostly use on a diorama is Woodland Scenics 'Scenic Glue'. This holds most types of groundcover in place, and has the advantage of drying to a clear, matt finish. If I want a spray adhesive then I use the same maker's 'Scenic Cement'. This water–based adhesive also dries matt; the makers can provide a spray head to attach to the bottle for covering large areas.

Another useful one, which I get from the 4D Model Shop, is called 'Green Flock Adhesive'. This is a fairly thick glue in a tin and — surprisingly enough — it's green. It is obviously meant for sticking down flock, but if you have a large area of diorama to cover with a static grass or other scatter material, using this glue will ensure that green is the only colour that will show through. Unlike the two Woodland Scenics adhesives, however, this one does not dry matt, so you need to be sure it is well covered.

De Luxe are a company who specialize in adhesives, and their range of products can be obtained in the UK from Gaugemaster Controls. (They also make a very good rust–effect product called 'Real Rust'.& #41

There are occasions when you may need to use a cyanoacrylate glue &# 40'superglue'), but hopefully this will be the exception rather than the rule. If the case should arise, it will help the adhesion if you dampen one of the surfaces to be joined before applying glue to the other.

For sticking foliage in place on trees I use an aerosol can of photo–mount adhesive. Some of my friends use a can of unperfumed hairspray for this job (avoid a perfumed one, or you'll get some funny looks when you enter your model in a competition).