Thursday, February 25, 2010

Modular Wargaming Hills



These hills are designed for maximum battlefield efficiency! Each hill is made to last, mounted on beveled MDF bases, completely textured with sand and light gravel, painted in three shades of latex matte interior paint and flocked with some green stuff.

The hills were cut from pink polystyrene using a jigsaw set at an approximate 30 degree angle, beveled mdf bases ate at 45 degrees. The hills are attached to the mdf via hot glue; I used two hot glue guns simultaneously and you have to work quickly before the glue cools.

The sand and gravel texture is applied by brushing out wood glue then sprinkling the sand over the hills. A roller was used to apply the first shade of dark brown then two lighter shades were dry brushed over the base coat. The flock is applied in the same manner as the sand; glue then sprinkle flock.

A note on angle and texture: I kept the edges of the hills at a fairly sharp angle, as a gaming compromise. Low angle / gradually sloping hills look great, but are nearly impossible to balance miniatures on. I also kept large rocks and pebbles out of my texture so that hills would lay flat on each other when stacked.

Terrain philosophy: I always balance game play with aesthetic value in my terrain pieces. What makes for a great diorama does not always make for a playable piece of terrain that minis can be placed on. I also go for durability as this stuff gets a lot of use and tends to be clunked around during transport and set up.

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