An Opportunity For Reflection

Hi, All!

A steam launch patrols the river...

Work has continued on my cellophane river this week and I'm finally happy with the impression of depth.

Six coats of paint later, the river finally looks deep enough.

The banks have been blended in and (apart from a couple of creases which I hope will stretch out) it's rather a nice result. So:

On to the next bit...

I decided I wanted something of a backdrop for my table, so I started on cliffs. And what is a cliff without a waterfall?

A piece of board is roughly sketched to join onto the river. This is about the extent of my draughtsmanship for most ideas.

There is little practical need for such scenery on a wargaming table, but then, there is little practical need for a 35cm long steam-powered walker with 3,630 rivets, towering above even the tallest buildings...

Foam is carved to form a lake and riverbanks.

C'est la vie!

Cliffs are hacked out of foam.

The piece starts to take shape.

Cliffs were carved from more green foam and layered together. They were then over-sculpted with DAS to hide joins and solidify the look. I used a whole packet of DAS on this one piece.

The unfinished cliffs reflect beautifully in the river.

The Bazalgette Light Armoured Perambulatory Contrivance and officers of the navy, shown before the undercoated cliff.

Big Mike's Wagon Train at the base of the finished cliffs. Now to finish the waterfall and lake...

Following this, undercoats of grey and brown were painted on, before highlighting the rock face up through light grey to white. This was followed later with occasional patches of green and brown to imitate plants clinging to the cliffs.

You will note that I have only added grass - no larger plants. While it was tempting to add tree stumps, foliage, ferns and what have you, this would dictate the flora for the table in general and I want it to be adaptable.

The Bazalgette Light Armoured Perambulatory Contrivance admires its reflection.

Once the cliffs were done, the waterfall had to be constructed. This was relatively easy for the most part. I painted Woodland Scenics Water Effects onto a piece of clingfilm and let it set before draping it over the fals and gluing it into place. The lake had to be painted in the same manner as the river, including white 'foam' under and over the cellophane...

The waterfall is glued in place and foam is added with water effects and white paint. A couple of rocks add bulk to the top of the falls.

The lake section flows into the river section.

So far so good: this is starting to look like a pretty good table.

The two sections together.

A view from the waterline...

Next up:

The ruins of a lost civilisation start to take shape...

Sikh-ing lost treasures...

All the Best!