How to Make Scenery in Games Workshop

The gaming community of Games Workshop places a high value on board scenery because different scenic elements bring a special challenge to each contest. The scenery creates new obstacles for players to work around, and also serves as shelter or shields for the gamers' pieces. It takes a bit of creativity to make the pieces since they have to be small but sturdy.

Things You'll Need

• 2-inch thick polystyrene
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue
• Exacto knife
• Exacto blades
• Utility knife
• Games Workshop paint set
• Paint brush set, various sizes
• Tree foliage clusters
• Thin wire
• Plaster
• Plastic baggies
• Elmer's glue
• Pebbles
• Sand
• Polyurethane
• Ruler
• Wire brush
• Wire cutters

Instructions

Rocks

1. Cut two sections of 2-inch thick polystyrene into 4-by-4 inch squares. This is to create a rock that stands around 4 inches tall.

2. Apply hot glue to one 4-inch by 4-inch side of one piece of polystyrene, and press the top section to form a tight bond. Allow the hot glue to dry completely, which will bond the two sections together to create a 4-inch by 4-inch block.

3. Set the block on a flat surface and carve away the exposed five edges to create a rock appearance. Leave one side flat so it can rest easily on a game board.

4. Paint the entire rock structure in a dark gray paint. Allow the paint to dry completely and highlight curves with light gray and white paints.

Trees

1. Cut a 2-inch square section of polystyrene wide enough to support the weight of the tree model as well as the branches.

2. Wrap wire together to form a tree that is 1/2 inch thick and 6 inches long. Pull the wire in ¼-inch wraps at various lengths out of the tree's main area to form branches. Create four to six branches beginning at 2-inches from the top of the tree and work towards the top.

3. Wrap the wire back around the body of the tree. Continue to wrap until you reach the base, and cut off excess wire with wire cutters. This will complete the interior structure of the tree and will be used to support the plaster applied to it.

4. Cut away a ½-inch wide by 1/2-inch deep section in the center of the polystyrene base using an exacto knife, and fill the cut out hole with hot glue. Press the tree into the polystyrene and let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully carve away at the base to create a more realistic appearance trunk.

5. Wrap your hand in a plastic baggie and clump plaster to the tree body and branches. Apply a thin layer of plaster to the top of the polystyrene. Completely cover the wire so none shows through.

6. Brush the plaster over the tree and base with a wire brush to give it a bark-like texture. Allow the plaster to completely dry before continuing.

7. Coat the tree and base completely with brown paint.

8. Apply Elmer's glue to the tree branches and dip the tree in a container filled with tree foliage clusters to serve as leaves.

River

1. Cut one 2-inch thick section of polystyrene into a rectangle 6 inches wide and 8 inches long.

2. Measure in 1 inch toward the 6 inch wide center along each edge. This will create a "river" with a 4-inch wide water base running 8 inches long.

3. Carve out from the 1-inch marks toward the outer edges of the polystyrene. This will create what appears to be a steep river bank.

4. Carve down from the 1-inch marks toward the center of the river with the Exacto knife. Carve a steep slope toward the center, leaving the center depth of the polystyrene at ¼-inch thick.

5. Paint the outer banks of the river with browns and green to create grass and dirt along the bank. Glue some pebbles along the banks for more detail.

6. Paint the river stream area dark blue and highlight the water with a light blue and white paint. Glue some pebbles and sand along the river bed for more detail.

References

• Miniature Scenery

Resources

• Games Workshop