very alien looking jungle

[Vet Sgt]

A Kroot squad in its natural habitat!

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1246cropFCEs.jpg

Here are the results of my latest terrain building project. I think that they give a different look to the gaming table, and make it feel like you are fighting over a distant planet and not just on Earth. I was going for a very alien looking jungle, by using all translucent materials when I made these. The plants all have a very Earthlike look to them, but at the same time also have a very different look since they actually glow under normal light conditions.



http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1193crop.jpg

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1090crop3.jpg

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1242crop.jpg

I am interested in your questions, comments, and criticisms. So please let me know what you think.

[inquisitorsog]

Nice. I like the concept and the effect is overall nice. However, the glossiness seems to give it a little of that uncanny valley feel. It seems too shiny for the scale.

I wonder if it would be possible to hit it with a satin spray finish and not ruin the effect? Or maybe add some of the same material as detritus to the bases?

Just wondering how to take it to 11..

[plasticaddict]

Very cool sir, what did you use for materials? I may steal this idea for some terrain for myself.

[Vet Sgt]

Nice. I like the concept and the effect is overall nice. However, the glossiness seems to give it a little of that uncanny valley feel. It seems too shiny for the scale.

I wonder if it would be possible to hit it with a satin spray finish and not ruin the effect? Or maybe add some of the same material as detritus to the bases?

Just wondering how to take it to 11..Thanks for the complement! The problem isn’t so much with the models, as it is with my photography skills. They actually look much glossier in pictures than in person. I’m guessing it is similar to what causes “red eye” when taking pictures of people. I like your idea of adding detritus to the bases, since it would add a lot to the overall look. Unfortunately I just haven’t figured out a suitable material to use for it yet.


Very cool sir, what did you use for materials? I may steal this idea for some terrain for myself.They were made with a verity of clear and tinted plastics, that were then painted.


http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/Pressforming.jpg

My wife found a mold in the cake baking section (for making icing decorations) with some wonderfully detailed leafs, and it got me thinking. Anyway once I had the idea, I just had to give it a try. I started by making a casting with the mold in dental plaster (what I happened to have on hand). I then added some handles to the back side using some dowel pieces, with a little wood putty used to support the odd shape of the casting. I then cut plastic that I got off some old blister packages into appropriately sized pieces. These were then heated over a candle until soft enough, and then pressed into the mold with the casting. It takes a little practice to get the temperature just right, but isn’t too difficult. Basically if you get it too hot you burn a hole in it, and if it’s too cool then you don’t get any detail from the mold. As long as it’s warm enough to be pliable it will work. Repeat the process as many times as necessary, trim, assemble, and paint.


http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1275crop.jpg

[Vet Sgt]

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/Sodabottle.jpg

When I ran out of blister plastic, I then tried several different sources for plastic. I found that this soda bottle was completely useless for the press forming process. It immediately reacted to heat by bending and twisting instead of turning soft and pliable like the other plastic did. However when cut into strips, it was very easy forming it over a candle into organic looking shapes.



http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1259.jpg

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1261.jpg

The long filament pieces were made with fishing line. They aren’t as transparent as some of the other materials used, but they worked quite well anyway I think.


http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1258.jpg

[Dlatrex]

When I ran out of blister plastic, I then tried several different sources for plastic. I found that this soda bottle was completely useless for the press forming process. It immediately reacted to heat by bending and twisting instead of turning soft and pliable like the other plastic did. However when cut into strips, it was very easy forming it over a candle into organic looking shapes.




The long filament pieces were made with fishing line. They aren’t as transparent as some of the other materials used, but they worked quite well anyway I think.




Lovely! Great design, and I agree that it probably looks even better in person than in these lighting conditions. You can try putting it under much brighter lights and white background, and may better be able to represent it in photographs.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

That's a fantastic use of random pieces of plastic, might have to steal it for basing stuff! Good tutorial, too.

[Vet Sgt]

Thanks for the comments guys! Feel free to steal any ideas you get from this, since that is the whole point of posting it. Hopefully you will be able to add even more ideas of your own and make it even better.

I have had a very hard time photographing them. If I use enough light to show off the translucent qualities of the plants, then I also get the shine off the surface. In person they look like they are made of a gelatinous substance. Unfortunately through the lens of a camera all you can see is the shine. Using the white wall behind them as a background helps a little, but I still need the darker ground cover to make an interesting setting. Photographing these is something that is way above my photography skills!


http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/PaperrCutters.jpg

I was walking through the scrapbooking section of my local craft store and found some interesting punches. The punch is designed to cut paper so I had to do a little experimenting to find a plastic that would work. Blister plastic is too thick and wouldn’t cut; a softer plastic also doesn’t work because it rips instead of cutting. I ended up using some sheet plastic that I had leftover from an earlier project. It’s .005 thick and made from PVC. The plastic sheets that they sell at office supply stores for use in printers should work as well.


http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1158crop2.jpg

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1182crop2.jpg


http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1159crop.jpg

[KrewL RaiN]

Defiantly gives of an alien vibe, like the vegetation has some crystalline element.

[Kawauso]

Very nice.
Those Kroot -are- hard to see in there. Just make sure you don't forget about them in any of your phases!

[Vet Sgt]

Defiantly gives of an alien vibe, like the vegetation has some crystalline element.That is actually exactly how I got the idea for this stuff. I did an entire table worth of crystals, and one thing just lead to another. http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=10540


http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/100_6481largecrop.jpg



Very nice.
Those Kroot -are- hard to see in there. Just make sure you don't forget about them in any of your phases!That’s good advice, unfortunately I have never been able to follow it! I lose track of them all the time. Sometimes I could swear that the little buggers are hiding from me on purpose.





http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1189.jpg

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/Bamboo.jpg
To make the bamboo like plants, I started with some coffee stirrers (a few regular straws for the big ones), and a paper punch that I got on sale for $3. I cut each straw into about eight pieces (just make sure that they are about twice as long as the desired length of each segment when finished). One end is flared out using a candle to melt the plastic. The other end is then tapered in by pressing and rolling between your fingers. If you cut a slit about half way down the straw this tapering process is much easier. Then simply stack one inside of another till you reach the desired height of plant. I used a little hot glue on each joint, and inserted a leaf stem into the joint. The straws are very flimsy on their own so I used a lot of glue to support them internally.


http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af50/gartheng/Alien%20Looking%20Terrain/GEDC1192.jpg