I KNOW THIS WILL SOUND COMPLETLY MAD...BUT MANY BIG 5 STAR HOTELS AND THE LIKE PRODUCE SCULPTURES MADE FROM, AMONG OTHER THINGS, BREAD.
NO ITS NOT A TYPO...I DID SAY BREAD.
APPARANTLY IF ITS BAKED LONG AND SLOW, SO IT GOES REALLY HARD, IT LASTS INDEFINITELY WITHOUT DEGRADATION ESPECIALLY IF ITS VARNISHED.

I JUST WONDERED, WITH REFERENCE TO CHEAP MODELLING, IF FORMING THE BASIC LANDSCAPE OF A DIO WITH BREAD DOUGH AND THEN BAKING IT, IS WORTH INVESTIGATING?

WHAT PRICE FLOUR AND WATER?
(JUST HAD A THOUGHT...IF THIS WORKS MAYBE WE'LL SEE "ARMORAMA RECIPES PAGE") AND (NO...I DON'T KNOW IF WHITE FLOUR IS BETTER THAN WHOLEMEAL)

MODELLING SHOULD BE FUN!!!
CHEERS
PETER :-)

Not april the first yet mate!!
#:-)
If you want really cheap buildings try this link below.... cardboard and glue to give very cheap buildings using scrap cardboard. Its on the Milton Keynes Scale Model Club homepage.
There are two quick dios built and they both look very effective. Probably cheaper than dough!

HI PLASTIC BOTTLE...
NO IT'S NOT APRIL 1ST.
I WOULDN'T HAVE BELIEVED IT MYSELF IF I HADN'T SEEN IT.
I'M NOT SURE DOUGH WOULD BE GOOD FOR BUILDINGS, BUT FOR THE GROUND ITSELF WITH CONTOURS AND DITCHES ETC.....WHO KNOWS.
NEXT TIME I'M BAKING I'LL TRY IT...LET YOU KNOW THE RESULTS.
TA TA FOR NOW.
PETER

I believe you... My sister used to make small animal sculptures out of bread. She would do it a bit differently. She would take a piece of white bread, remove the crust and pour white glue all over it then start folding and kneed it over and over. She work it until it was a tough workable consistancy. Then mold it and let it dry. Rock hard and never cracked.
My kids also make dough at school from flour and (I think) salt and water.

Would I use it as base material - I probably wouldn't, I personally shy away from food products in my dioramas (I do use parsley as leaves). Coffee grounds, beans, gum, etc have all been mentioned but I can't get over the idea that they are food....
if you are adventurous try it on a small diorama and see what happens.

I remember the salt, flour, water clay from my school days. Cracked when it dried if I remember right. Tasted lousy, too, not near as good as the paste.
I did use split peas to make a cobble stone road once. Glued them flat side down, bushed dry plaster of paris into the cracks and hit it with water from a spray bottle. Painted it up. It looked nice until a critter in the basement ate half of it. True story...

Shaun

hehehe.... so not a good idea to use dough then....

I remember the bread (don't know the recepie) but it did get ROCK hard... The problem with dough is how to form it, I just don't see myself make a ditch or so from the dough, and what if the dough starts to work... (it probably won't rise much, but it would look kinda silly if it does, and you see your dio rise to the top of the oven....)
Better stick to plaster... cheap and much better to work with....
Just my 2 cnts.
Jurgen

Ps Flitzer, yo might wanna turn your CAPSLOCK off...

?
HI JURGEN
I CAN ONLY TYPE ONE FINGER...HENCE ALL CAPS.
MUST TRY HARDER.
CHEERS
PETER
| |)

Mmmmm........paste. :-)

You could type "caps lock" first with the one finger! #:-)

HI ALL
Well.... considering tHIs topic was SUpposed to be about neW revolutionery materials for mAking inexpensive dio bases, it's Not bad as a typing lesson.
See Already an improveMent.
THANKS TO ALL.
Cheers
Peter

Lol, i like the idea, what next, marzepan tanks! hey they sound good...mmmmm