I would like to make a swamp in HO scale
I would like to have reeds, cattails and bushes
There are no kits so need to make all from scratch
Any help or pictures
Scenic Express has everything you need. Ask for their catalog and order from them online direct. I have several times and have been very pleased.
MANY articles on swamp making in MRR & RMC over the past few years.
Just a few hints, I used thin wire, .010 or smaller painted green & dipped the ends in white glue to make cat tails. Dip & allow to dry until you build up enough to make it look like a cat tail, then paint brown. To make lily pads, use a hole punch & punch pcs. from green paper or dried flower leaves & cut a V notch in them. Try to get a few different sizes ov punches if you can. Light brown or green raffia, bought at a craft shop, can be cut to represent reeds. Jerry
I did cat tails with that plastic clay you bake in the oven. The brown parts are just the brown clay on a piece of wire. The leaves I made out of the green clay. I rolled out a disk about the right profile and then sliced off thin strips the size and shape of the leaves. They stick together easily and then I stuck the wires in holes in a board and baked them. They then went into the swamp. I did bullrushes the same way and did the tall grass with WS grass. I put the water in last. There are some pics of all that in my sig, but I have never bunched them all together. I used scraps of Super trees for the brush. My one piece of advice, put in more than you think you need. Real swamps are way more crowded than I thought.
“Basic Scenery for Model Railroaders” by Lou Sassi (Kalmbach Pub.) has a fine, detailed chapter on this subject.
Sid
I started with a bare section of pink foamboard. First, I scored the area to be removed with a utility knife, and then I scooped that part out with a big spoon.
Next, I used plaster cloth to cover the whole “water” space. Here, I’ve placed a big dead tree (Woodland Scenics) as an orientation marker, and some small Hydrocal rock castings that will become part of the scenery.
Next, I skim-coated the whole swamp with Gypsolite, a gritty plaster. It’s normally gray, so I added brown craft paint to tint it brown. In this picture, I’ve started to paint the lowest depths black.
I did a lot more painting, using a wide variety of acrylic paints and washes to get a varied, non-uniform color pattern across the swamp. I started adding ground foam around the edges, too.
The next step was to start pouring Envirotex Lite for the water. For the first 2 pours shown here, I added brown and green craft paint to the Envirotex before pouring. This gives a murky, translucent look to the lower layers, enhancing the image of depth and making the bottom look cloudy. There are also some plants here, cattails and other from Walthers Botanicals. I used a pot topper (a craft store item) around the edges, and for the interior of what will be the world’s large
If you are looking to buy swamp plants, Busch, JTT, Noch, Walthers Botanicals (all in the Feb Walthers flyer) and others are available. You can also do make your own or mix the two methods.
Good luck,
Richard
A small swampy area on my HO scale modules:
A couple of comments about Envirotex Lite or Water Magic (which I use).
First, these products will find any small hole in the bottom of your swamp and leak out. Check the area carefully before you pour. For a large area, the Water Magic site suggests painting a thin first coat and let it set up. This will seal any pin holes
Second, test the color you want to add before you pour. Some colors are more dense than others. I use Floquil solvent paints. I have used Roof Brown, Grimey Black (industrial area) and some greens with good luck; but when I tried a blue, the color was way too intense. All it takes is a drop or two of paint to tint the clear resin…
Last, your first pour will probably be absorbed into nearby ground foam products. It will make then hard & shiney. After the last pour, you can add a bit more ground foam or paint over the shiney parts with Dullcote