What do you guys do for landscaping and mountains.
We play the Big Guy and we make 'em. [:)]
Oh, you wanted something a litle more specific and instructive? Okay, you can stack pieces of foam and glue them together and onto the layout surface, and you can shape them with a knife. You can crunch up newspaper and put plaster cloth over it. You can weave a lattice of strips of cardboard, maybe using a hot glue gun, and then lay plaster cloth over that…or some guys dip paper towels or newspaper into a plaster slurry and drape that over the latticework. You can cut aluminum window screen and hot glue it into place. Place shopping bags stuffed with newspaper into them under the screen to give it some shape and to keep it from sagging. Then cover the screen with any patching compound, or make what is known as a “ground goop” and layer that over the screen in a shell about 1/2" deep.
Crandell
As Crandell has said there are many ways to make mountains. I suggest you get a good scenery book or two wither at your local library or hobby shop and read up on the basics of each. Over time you will find that some methods work better for some applications than others. On a given layout you may find that you will end up with two or three different methods, due to what works best in that spot. You may also find that you personally prefer one method to another.
Good luck,
Richard
Hey Jacob,
What Crandell says is correct. There area bunch of ways to go about making landscape. I think my best advice to you is to go to your local library and see what they have for model railroading books. I’ll bet you find some Kalmbach books on building scenery. Dave Frary’s books are a good bet, but there are others as well.
Chris
When I started 5 years ago, I tried all the current and old meothods. When I found syrofoam insulation board, I was hooked. Many have worked on this and you can do wonders easily. You can look at the pics in my sig to see what a non artist can make. The floor to ceiling canyon is actually 8 sub pieces constructed on my work bench and then put together like a 3D puzzle.
Another idea is to use cardboard boxes (or design your own) if you have enough dead space to fill. Attach the foam over it with adhesive, cut to shape, or use one or several methods as outlined above for final shaping. I use newspaper to fill in gaps etc. and then I make my own “sculpamold” to finish the shaping. Use the internet to find an article about different methods as this might give you a direction you may wish to do, or as suggested, purchase a scenery book. I like the foamboard as it is fairly easy to cut (with a very sharp knife) and sand with little mess if you vaccum it up as you go along.
Just more options. Have fun!
The basic form is made from cardboard strips glued together with low temp hot glue. Some of the form holding the strips was made with blue builders foam. The flat piece of cardboard is going to be a road.
This covering was done with red rosin paper because I am trying something new, but I could have used plaster cloth as I have done in the past. Rock castings will be added to make the rock surface.