Pond’s add an interesting feature to any gaming table, in game terms they vary between game, some Infantry can enter but not tanks and stuff. so the use of them is as much as for area denial as well as a feature a cleaver commander can use to aid themselves in the mission on hand.
Part three of the terrain series is all about Ponds, lakes, swamps. Ponds like rivers create and interesting problem for the type of terrain I would normally create. I want modular piece terrain so I can create different environments all the time, I am not really after full table setups that are hard to store and harder to transport. So to do a river we have to build the edges up, in this case we have to do the same.
Process
First of all I did the base, which in these cases are 3mm MDF cut to a shape on the band-saw and then sanded the edges. I then put down a bead of Milliput, I could have used any other filler, like auto body filler or even spakfilla for walls or even plaster of Paris, but this what I have on hand so that is what I will use.
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x78/thefloppy1/Minatures/Terrain/20150902_140937_zpsrqcsx7eq.jpg
Once dry and I have sanded anything I think needs to be sanded I apply a coat of PVA glue and the coat in my Ballast and sand mix.
A spray of black undercoat and we are good for paint. For the outside edges I use the same Black brown that I mix up for all terrain with some lighter brown parts of the edges. for the water it’s self, I start with a dark blue and I mix in some of the lighter browns around the edges so give the impression that it gets shallow at the edges.
I also now start to add all the plants, as I want some of them in the water when I add the water later. The static grass around the edges is again a number of different lengths and colours. and the long grass in the water is there for some extra depth. Add a willow tree as a common water side plant and the vegetation is nearly done.
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x78/thefloppy1/Minatures/Terrain/20150828_100541_zpswm5bgyqp.jpg
The water is Still Water by Vallejo which is poured in to the middle and pushed to the edges and let dry for 24 hours. It is not a great product, it has alot of shrinkage, and it reacts with the PVA holding the edge weeds in place. It also comes in 30mm bottles, and one bottle has only filled one and a half ponds. One Pond has two coats of the Still water the other only has one coat.
I really wanted to add ripples and other features to the ponds but the problem is the Vallejo Still water comes in such small bottle and is very expensive for the size it is not worth it. It would have added some nice variation to the pieces. I have more ponds to do some started and are in 28mm but it is not worth it unless I can get these water like products, in volume or a reasonable price. I also wanted to do a feature hill with water tumbling down a river on it, that is not going to happen just yet.
What’s next?
Impassable terrain, cliff faces, big rocky out crops etc. Again something important to have on the the table top, some area that nothing can cross or only a few things can cross. This will add good features and really start to add that character to the battle field that I am looking for. I am also in the process building some Vineyards.
