how to make Fuel Depot

This fuel depot by severian makes use of a material that we don't often see on TerraGenesis, namely floral foam i.e. the green stuff you can get from florists for flower arranging.

 


The first step was to gather together the various other materials including the bottoms from two drinks cans, some plumbing fittings, wire mesh, corrugated cardboard, and bits of electronics salvage, and to work out an arrangement that would make good use of the 8 x 12 inch baseboard.

The next stage was to add the brick texture and battle damage to the floral foam. I use floral foam because: a) it is dirt cheap, b) it is really easy to sculpt and c) it gives a great texture. However, floral foam will squash and break quite easily so after sculpting I cover the foam in watered down PVA wood glue (regular white wood glue). I get the foam nice and soaked and then leave it to totally dry. It takes a day or so but it makes the foam nice and hard. I've a few terrain pieces made this way which have lasted through some pretty rough use, storage and travel for a few years now.
Watered down PVA glue (consistency of milk) is also used in texturing the ground. The glue is applied followed by a light sprinkling of fine sand, bought really cheap from building supplies. As soon as I've covered the surface I lightly tip off the excess and let it dry thoroughly before painting. Before applying the watered down glue to the base, I usually seal it with a layer of paint to help prevent warping.

  

The fence is made with corrugated cardboard from a craft store. It is only textured on one side so I cut 2 strips and stuck them back to back. Black undercoat, then Boltgun Metal, then a wash with watered down black (either paint or ink works), a touch of vermin brown here and there, some touches of Blazing Orange, and finally a wash with thinned (not too much) brown ink. Make sure the previous layer is dry before starting on the next one. If it looks too dull just do a few more highlights with the orange. There's a surprising amount of orange in real rust when you look at it.