Alright Lads!!! Ready for some pictures????
Ok, so I'm almost done, but I couldn't resist posting these pictures:
I like to display my models on a simple base for three reasons - sense of scale, sense of setting, and it keeps peoples hands off it during transportation.
I purchase my plaque bases at a local trophy store. I also purchase trophy bases for smaller models to mix it up a bit. I also get her to create a plate with whatever information I want to show. Let's start with some inspiration - Operation Southern Reach - Cultana training area 2007. Enjoy!
I painted the ground work burnt umber, them mud brown then straight orange to give it some contrast. I played around with the Aves Master Mache by adding sand and wood glue to vary the consistency. Some areas look more like dried mud whereas other spots look like sand.
Now onto the fun part!! I was surfing youtube and came across a bunch of videos where thee model railroad guys had built their own Grassmaster. It's a static grass applicator.
http://www.ztrains.com/pages/tech/grassinator/grassinator.html Basically what it does is make your static grass stick straight up like real grass. I didn't want to put down tuffs or grass mats and this application method was my solution. This device sells for ~$280 USD on the Scenic Express website, but I build mine in less then 2 hours for under $40 CDN. Here's a picture of mine:
The link provided above gives the parts list as well as a detailed construction process. I also used Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage for the small shrubs. The static grass was winter tan which was a light gray with a small amount of brown in it. Here's my final base:
Here's the plate I got made up for this project several months ago.
