Learning the Basics of Forest Terrain

I realized that the last post about my forest terrain was not very informative. The photo didn't provide any scale and I didn't really talk about the process. Well, I've got a new photo:

PanO Kamau and Auxbot not painted by me.

The original plan was to top off this template with some fuzzy green flock from Penemue, to give it some more character and break it up a little. We've since decided not to do so, meaning the twigs, which I already thought looked kind of awkward, now look extremely bare. I probably won't add twigs in the next template I make, although it was suggested to me to add a large twig to represent a fallen tree trunk.

The reason I didn't have any actual trees on the template to begin with, even though it's supposed to be a forest, is because I've found that trees that are glued to a forest template often get in the way while playing. Perhaps more importantly, terrain left at the LGS often gets worn down pretty hard because a lot of random people will use it, and not everybody cares enough to handle them gently. This means that they'll break off.

My solution is to have separate trees that can be moved if needed, as well as stored separately. These trees are Christmas trees from Dollarama that have had their bases painted brown. Obviously, they look rather out of place but it'll have to do as a cheap solution. Speaking of out of place, after adding the trees on top, I realized that the twigs really do get in the way, so that's another reason to not have them.

As for the process, this is beginner stuff but I feel it's worth mentioning because everybody else just glosses over it. I used Scenics Cement, which is good stuff, but it's very thin.

It's meant to be sprayed, but it's also meant to be brushed on, and this is what nobody talks about. I would actually put on some white glue first, and then brush on the cement while also spreading around the white glue. Because the cement is so thin, the flock/sand/whatever doesn't actually adhere that well to it in one go. Adding in white glue makes it thicker, and of course glue has its own bonding power. I recommend pouring the cement you plan on using into a separate container and brushing from there, because you'll inevitably get some glue in there and possibly also sand or whatever else that didn't adhere properly.

Spraying avoids the messes inherent in brushing, but it also brings some messes of its own. You obviously have less control with a spray bottle, so it wasn't practical for what I was doing. I first put on the sandy path, let that dry, and then added the flock. Spraying for either step would get me cement on places I didn't want it. Spraying can also create a mess simply due to cement dripping.

It is, however, the most logical way to seal your terrain. Despite my problem with the cement's adhering qualities, it's fantastic as a sealer because it keeps the terrain's texture and doesn't create a plastic-like shell. I picked up a small spray bottle at Dollarama in the cosmetics section. It even has a filter at the end of its pipe, which I'm told is key for avoiding clogs with this stuff.

I'm sure I'll learn some more stuff when I work on my next forest terrain template. My plastic sheet better be in by now, because I want to start working on it soon.