Basic Table Terrain

In addition to jungle terrain, I need the usual assortment table top terrain of hills, etc that could work with most any scale.  I used polystyrene to make the basic shapes.  I used a hotwire cutter to shape the foam.  For the crags and rocky edges I used sandpaper to slice vertical and horizontal cuts.  I painted dirt and rocky areas, as painted the entire rest of the base a medium dark brown with craft paint to ensure any area not covered or thinly covered with turf wouldn't show blue foam through it.  I then used diluted Woodland Scenics (WS) scenic glue, approx. 1 part glue to 3-4 parts water and painted it on nice and watery and then sprinkled on some light colored blended turf earth blend in smaller patches, then covered the rest of the area with green blend.  This was pretty messes with the watery glue dripping off.  Once dried, I used the WS scenic cement, which seems to be a heavier dilution of glue, in a spray bottle and resprayed the surface of the terrain to fully adhere the turf.  Once dry it was ready to go.

Jungle Terrain Project

My ongoing quest to eventually host WWII South Pacific and Southeast Asia theaters battles had necessitated my creating jungle terrain.  After watching some good UTube vids of the Terrain Tutor, I delved into getting started.  First you need several supplies... I used Masonite for the bases, polystyrene foam insulation, assorted plastic plants from either fish supplies or from local craft store, plastic palm trees and bamboo, craft paint, hot glue gun, Woodland Scenics (WS) scenic glue and WS scenic cement, which is just pre-watered down scenic glue, and finally a bowl of expired herb spices (basil, oregano, other Italian spices), from the kitchen cabinet.  The latter gives a great scent to the terrain.

I cut the bases to assorted shapes on a bandsaw and beveled the edges with a grinding wheel.  I cut pieces of the polystyrene to fit as needed on the bases as raised plant beds for either individual or small groups of plants, or in longer strips and glued them in with wood glue. 

I used hot glue gun to attach the plastic plants to the polystyrene as I read that regular PVA glues were not good for adhesion of the plastic the plants were made from.  I then painted the bases with brown craft paint.  Once plants were mounted then I could use the scenic glue diluted roughly 50/50 spread across the bases and under the plants to then put on the herb ground cover.  On a couple bases, I put the ground cover on before the plants, and poked holes through the ground cover into the foam and mounted bamboo to make bamboo groves.