Jungle ruins and realm gate (aka messing around with polystyrene)

The recent completion of the Mighty Fortress got me rather enthusiastic about messing around with polystyrene. So between other projects I made a few random bits of terrain. With the Skaven sneaking in, Eldar shenanigans and recently Gaslands/Dark Future, this project has kind of fallen through the cracks. As I did not bring a lot of things to completion this weekend, I thought 'lets throw them into the spotlight right now'. So without further ado: here's some random ruins made from polystyrene, Ikea plants, flock and bits.

Meanwhile in the valley of mist...

The project started over a lunch break. I wanted to make some abandoned dusty ruins and decided to fire up the hotwire cutter to make some shapes. This resulted in two wall sections and two destroyed pillars (I had to try my hexagon shape guide). I still had the MDF bases I originally planned to use on the walls and towers of the Mighty Fortress within reach, so I mounted the shapes on those. I slapped leftover bits of polystyrene on another MDF base. This one I prepared last year to use for a building like the Ferry House.

Welcome to the Bloodfire Realm Gate, I'd suggest not falling in, but that's just me.

I was planning to just fill this base with bits of wreckage to serve as 'random terrain that provides cover', but it too ghastly even for that. As I was about to push it aside I spotted leftover bits of a realm gate from a by now destroyed realm gate project and I decided to just glue the bits on. It still looked awful. With terrain the my rule is to keep going until it either looks good or so awful it will make you smile as you bin it. These five pieces looked like polystyrene mishaps with bits of stone and plastic added to enhance their ugliness. I put sand on the pieces and considered going for the 'bin it' option anyway. At that point, more or less unexpected (I forgot I ordered it), a batch of cheap Chinese static flock was delivered. Saved by the mailman! I've recently been playing around with my home made flock dispenser and I needed an excuse to check it out. I decided to paint the ugly terrain so I could do a flock test.

If anyone has an address for large batches of reindeer moss at rock bottom prices, I'd love to hear it. 

The first step in this process was using a ballpoint pen to draw interesting looking stone patterns on the walls. I recently read the advice never to use a ballpoint pen to do this as the blue ink will shine through anything. I can now report that it's very good advice. Next time I'll use a pencil as even after multiple attempts I can still see blue shining through the cracks in the walls. After drawing in the pattern the walls looked slightly better. I followed most of the same steps I followed while painting the Mighty Fortress. With the paint applied, the walls still looked a bit iffy. Here's a WIP shot.

The in progress pictures before this one where even more hideous.

I was starting to take a liking to the destroyed pillars and I still wanted to test out the new flock. Aside from that, I also wanted to try new ways to create a creeping vine look on walls. I was also itching to screw around a bit more with Epoxy Resin (defeating trauma by facing its cause and all that). The evening was still young as well. Reason enough to keep going.

Flock flies in to save the day.

First off I started flocking the terrain. Mostly to try the difference between a home made static flock applicator makes to the grass. The applicator works quite nicely. It actually makes the grass stand up a bit. I used two different colors of flock on the bases (two lengths of Chinese flock (2mm and 5mm) and old GW Scorched Grass (I think)). As I wasn't really taking the entire endeavor seriously, I used bits of reindeer moss to hide mistakes and make it all look a bit more interesting. It also works well to cover the ugly stems of the IKEA fake plant bits (aka the leafy vegetation) and to simulate creeping vines. Note to self: you can make creeping vines by applying a dollop of PVA glue in the vine pattern and following up with small rolled up bits of moss. I think it works (see building in the back on the picture above to make up your own mind).

Yes, I can safely state that Minitaire Ghost Colors and resin epoxy don't mix as nicely as Vallejo Fluo and resin epoxy.

Ever since my Epoxy mishap I've been a bit hesitant to use it again. Time to solve this. I 'waterproofed' the inside of the gateway with cheap wood filler. There's any leakage stopped right there (trauma #1 defeated). I used bits of yarn to make the bottom look more interesting. This I airbrushed with a few shades of red. After the paint dried I (thoroughly) mixed the epoxy and poured it in. At the last moment I decided to add a dollop of Ghost Tint Red into the mix. I'd seen what happens when you drip Vallejo Fluo into resin and was wondering whether this would work with a blood paint as well. As you can see above, it doesn't. In stead it dried up in a nasty looking pattern.

Nothing a second layer of epoxy can't solve.

This turned out to be no problem at all. I simply poured on a second layer of epoxy on the first after it had dried completely. The second layer and the first melt together invisibly and the ugly blood trail forms an interesting (and suitably disgusting looking) pattern in between. I think the freaky looking wool at the bottom scores bonus points.

I've proven to myself that it is possible to apply too much textile hardener. Those walls and pillars won't bruise quickly though.

Last but not least I covered all polystyrene in an ultra thick layer of textile hardener. This has the same consistency as PVA glue but dries up even more transparant and helps protect polystyrene buildings from the gamers that use them. I was wondering if you could overdo textile hardener as the last batch seemed to dry up no matter how thick I applied it. Turns out, you can overdo it. I had to touch up a few of places where the glue was splotched on so thick air could not reach the deeper parts. The hardener (like PVA) stays white on those spots. I'll remember this when I cover more important projects.

If only I could find a nice guitar conversion bit, I would source another one of these Walock Bombardiers.

All in all I with a lunch breaks of hot wiring, a night of painting and a night of flocking I finished a few more pieces of terrain. I'm rather happy with the results and I have to say I'm rather fond of the green overgrown look. There's rather a lot of grey on grey 'I heard you like ruins so I ruined your ruins so you can ruin while you ruin' type of terrain out there. On the one hand that does contrast nicely with models, on the other my terrain adds a dash of extra color to the table.