I've got these hex cloths, as most of you will know. So far I've been sticking foam underneath then to make hills, but this isn't always satisfactory. I'm having a slight hiatus on the current toy soldier painting project, so I thought I'd try and make some hills to go on the top of the cloth.
It took me a while to get the net for the hexes, as the dimensions I'd ordered were based on the short diagonal, not the circle diameter I could have drawn precisely with a compass. I worked out how to draw them on PagePlus, but I can only get three on a page.
No matter, that will do for now. I was using more old Dominion boxes as the bases, and all I had to do was stick drawing pins through the printout to get a pretty precise cut out.
For height I went with some polystyrene, using packing material from something or other, cut into shape with my GW hot wire thingy.
They were a bit mismatched at first, but then I added some polyfiller and textured paint to give them some damage resistance properties.
It smoothed out okay. Main problem was trying to get them to dry flat. But I weighted the corners and that worked just about.
I painted in my usual green, then dry brushed with a hint of brown and then black, as the cloth is a bit dark.
Not a perfect match by any means, although closer in real life than in the picture, as the paint is a bit glossier and so reflects the light a bit more.
That seems to work as a method of construction, so I just need to get the production line moving now.
I'd probably have started by ordering 2mm mdf hexes from productsforwargamers. They are very useful for custom orders and quite reasonable.
ReplyDeleteI might need to do that eventually, but I'm a bit tight fisted at times, and these seem to work for now. Main problem this time of year is the length of time some products like textured paint rake to dry.
DeleteTurned out really well, nice bit of modelling.
ReplyDeleteThanks. The real test will be if I've got the vertical profile right so that figures stand on them.
DeleteOn the textured paint, an alternative could be to mix white pva glue with the polifilla. I used this to cover some model Roman tents. The idea came from https://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/ who made some model tents. I am really impressed on how it worked. Very hard and dried quite quickly.
ReplyDeleteI use a variety of mixes, depending on what I'm doing. I'm using what is called Polytex in the UK (or at least a generic brand of it). I prefer it on polystyrene as it was originally produced to paint over that , so it adheres really well. It also gives it a firm surface and takes paint really well. And I've got a 2.5 litre tub of it in the garage!
Delete