Rocks and the like
- Thread starter Corvus
- Start date
For base the most realistique loking rocks you wil ever get are real rocks 
Then just paint them so that they don\'t look out of place. To make bigger rock I just sculpt them in extruded polyester (polyester without those anoying little balls) Then I put a mixture of sand, white glue,and water. Then paint.
Then just paint them so that they don\'t look out of place. To make bigger rock I just sculpt them in extruded polyester (polyester without those anoying little balls) Then I put a mixture of sand, white glue,and water. Then paint.
QuietiManes
New member
Insulation foam is great for rocks, might be a little thick and out of scale to use for mini dioramas/scenery for the average wall. Unless you are doing a great castle wall or something...
I, as many others, like foamboard. It is 2 pieces of paper sandwiching a foam core between them. Comes in widths anywhere from about 1/8\" to 1/2\". You can get it from some office supply stores, Office Depot, Grand and Toy, or most craft/art/hobby shops, Wallacks, Michaels are some local names. Typically I\'ll only be able to find 1/4\" and 3/8\" in stock, which is fine cause that\'s all I\'d want anyway.
Anyway, it\'s great stuff, much more rigid than it sounds, cuts with scissors or a scalpel/hobby knife easily and can be glued or taped. The only danger/problem is that the foam melts like all other foam, so you have to tape the exposed ends if you wanna spray paint it or use anything that would melt any other foam. It\'s fairly cheap too, I think last I bought it, I got 1/4\" 3x4 foot sheet for $5 Canadian at Wallacks? Something like that anyway.
Cheers.
I, as many others, like foamboard. It is 2 pieces of paper sandwiching a foam core between them. Comes in widths anywhere from about 1/8\" to 1/2\". You can get it from some office supply stores, Office Depot, Grand and Toy, or most craft/art/hobby shops, Wallacks, Michaels are some local names. Typically I\'ll only be able to find 1/4\" and 3/8\" in stock, which is fine cause that\'s all I\'d want anyway.
Anyway, it\'s great stuff, much more rigid than it sounds, cuts with scissors or a scalpel/hobby knife easily and can be glued or taped. The only danger/problem is that the foam melts like all other foam, so you have to tape the exposed ends if you wanna spray paint it or use anything that would melt any other foam. It\'s fairly cheap too, I think last I bought it, I got 1/4\" 3x4 foot sheet for $5 Canadian at Wallacks? Something like that anyway.
Cheers.
freakinacage
Well-known member
i agree with quietimanes, foamcore is cool and suprisingly strong but over here in england it about £10 for 2\'x2\' which is pretty expensive i think
Captain of Moria
New member
Yesterday I made my first rock for a base and it turned out really well. I used really small garden much, stacked a couple pieces on top of each other, primed it black, basecoated with a mix of codex grey and black and then did a few drybrushes on it. Heres the link ( the mini is still \"waiting\") http://www.coolminiornot.com/?id=23482
vincegamer
Active member
cheap foam core/foam board
If you want cheap foam board, go into a picture framing shop.
Ask them if they will sell you foam board scrap. If you don\'t offer to buy it but just ask if they have small pieces of scrap they may give it to you. They always end up with lots of stuff that\'s like 2 inches wide and useless to them which they\'ll just throw out but would be plenty big for miniatures use.
Or if this doesn\'t work for you you could always go digging in their garbage bin when they aren\'t looking.
I only know this because I used to frame pictures for a living.
If you want cheap foam board, go into a picture framing shop.
Ask them if they will sell you foam board scrap. If you don\'t offer to buy it but just ask if they have small pieces of scrap they may give it to you. They always end up with lots of stuff that\'s like 2 inches wide and useless to them which they\'ll just throw out but would be plenty big for miniatures use.
Or if this doesn\'t work for you you could always go digging in their garbage bin when they aren\'t looking.
I only know this because I used to frame pictures for a living.
Temperance
New member
If you use real rocks, use rough rocks and not smooth pebbles. When I last put my fish tank together, I purposely chose a rock base that I thought would look good on my miniatures, and bought a bit more than I needed -- I will never run out.
Beelzebrush
Active member
You definitely can\'t beat real stones for realism (as long as it\'s painted, looks weird if not)
My wife\'s been altering the garden by putting in a stone border
Now I must ask myself should I?
(Yeah!!) Tee Hee.
Now I must ask myself should I?
(Yeah!!) Tee Hee.
I\'ve learned that if I wanted a stone base, I\'d have to make sure the base has to be heavier than the miniature itself.
Which is why I prefer to use real rocks. But finding the perfect shape is a real pain at times.
If you\'re not careful, your mini could topling over without a proper anchor (expecially wolfens).
I wouldn\'t recomend using foam for a base on a large mini unless you could squeeze in something heavy in the center of it.
Which is why I prefer to use real rocks. But finding the perfect shape is a real pain at times.
If you\'re not careful, your mini could topling over without a proper anchor (expecially wolfens).
I wouldn\'t recomend using foam for a base on a large mini unless you could squeeze in something heavy in the center of it.
