From the Vaulted Realm of Pluto

Ok, it looks more like an artisinal bread roll at the moment than a hill. Due to a fall the statue was pulled from the top and is currently in the process of being repaired. In the meantime I can say that I’ve had fun sculpting the rock as a departure from my conversion work on figures. I have already done the base to my Phix and, having used quite a lot of my Milliput, I switched to use another material so I can save some.

As a mass of DAS airdry clay that rings the foam core this is pretty light. Really it boils down to me bulking out the mass of space around the original disc with more foam chunks. Before I got layed off (made redundant-for you silly English types) back in November I was doing new construction on the HVAC duct and systems for a supermarket. As the build progressed I snagged some dried chunks of the spray foam insulation used on the exterior walls. I got a question about what I was doing from a coworker but it was settled when I explained about wargaming. The “natural” texture of the dried foam lent itself to build on easily and carved without much fuss. I’m most proud of the texture sculpting using regular clay tools. Its a little “softer” than I wanted but hard edges are probably a level up from my efforts right now and better served by 3D printing. I also see that things change with the drying process.

I do enjoy the heft as a single piece of terrain. Further work is planned but all the bones of this are stable. The rest is almost all cosmetic with a few figures planned to top the hill. I might refine some textures but not by much. I never intended to do this for Terrainfest but it is appropriate for the time frame.

I will take the experience from this and its material for another large build I’ve had sitting for too long. Hopefully it comes out as well as I imagine it in my head.