Hello all,

I am working on my first large 1/35 dio and I used pink insulation foam to carve out how I want the terrain to look. I understand wall spackle can crack in thick layers, but I only need a thin coat over the foam because I don't need to build up the terrain. Do you guys think A thin coat mixed with some water or glue and sand would work?

Thanks for the help on my first post, Drew

Drew,
Your best bet would be to cover it or "encase" the rough work with either plaster cloth or plaster soaked paper towels.

Thanks for the reply, but wouldn't that leave me with a cloth texture on my dio? Or would I sprinkle sand on the cloth?

Yes, I would paint it with an underlying color close to what your groundcover will be then apply your groundcover over it, you can sprinkle it into the wet paint. then add more as needed after the original layer dries. I prefer to layer the groundcover in a couple different steps to give it a little texture. It depends on what he finished Dio is supposed to look like, even a light sand base will cover the texture in plaster cloth.

Ok, so after the cloth dries, paint it a base color and sprinkle sand on that?

What is the Dio going to be? Is the sand a road?

It is a Kursk dio with a road/path in the center. I want to sprinkle sand/dirt just to add some ground texture even though most of it will me covered by grass.

If you go the paint base first, I would paint the whole base with cheap latex earth color paint, sprinkle your sand into the wet paint where the road/path will be, (sand will make it look like a very dry road that has been there not an earth type road) let that dry then go back and start your groundcovers, spraying with matte medium as you go to secure, eventually going back and adding more sand/earth to layer the road. Even flat area's usually have some kind of texture and depth to them. You can go right over the plaster cloth but its white and more difficult to hide.

I have some bomb/artillery craters in the foam carved out, will the cloth be able to follow those contours?

yes, make them a little larger then what they will be in the end and when you apply the cloth use an old brush and work it into the hole, stipple it, as the plaster is drying you can smooth it around with you finger to contour it.

And why is it better than spackle or celluclay?

because the cloth is very thin, strong and dries quick, spackle will crack. There are many options, it comes down to personal preference cost and ability, for me I have tried just about everything out there over the years and the plaster cloth method is by far my favorite.

Plaster of paris! Works great and covers thin or thick. Just mix as stated, add white glue and a shot of liquid dish soap and the paint you want for ground color. Spread and let dry. I use it for all my ground cover and never had it crack or shrink. Nice thing is if you chip an edge, you don't have to touch up because the color is in the mix. If you want, like I do, I add baby sand to the stuff before it dries for dirt effect and put a wash over it. Just watch out for your dry time, the thicker it is the less time you have to work it.