#foam terrain

[sovenasark]

So, I started building foam terrain today...

[akaluan]

Tanya the Evil always gives me Emotions when I try to read it, which does make it harder to get thru each book despite how much I love it, but I think I've made a Mistake by trying to read it while listening to Sabaton's "The War to End All Wars" album.

Y'all, I hit the song Versailles while reading Tanya's internal monologue about the cost of war while she was in the mop up of Operation Lock Pick. Y'ALL, when I say I had Too Many Emotions to continue reading, especially while on an airplane surrounded by strangers, I mean I had SO MANY EMOTIONS.

[rocjaws-curated-collection]

Did a little more work on the terrain tiles, but they came out a touch janky due to struggles with carving the foam with a bread knife.

Not bad, but a little harsh lines and some odd looking bits where the foam isn't smooth, so I finally decided to cough up the cash for a decent hot wire foam cutter.

With a little luck, I should be able to start creating some more consistent shapes and smoother slopes. I've also been watching videos on other implementations of this, and I'm going to try some new tricks for the dirt on the next one. Wish me luck!

[maniakminis]

My neighbor's throwing away like $40 worth of insulation foam. Time to root through his trash like a goblin!

[river-bird]

Newly completed rock sculpture.

Which side looks better?

[sunni-stuff]

Three days had passed since Jellybean, your rescued stray, vanished. Though an outdoor enthusiast at heart, she'd never missed a meal. Now, your phone tracker beeped, signaling proximity. The crafty runt had escaped, but you were closing in. Jellybean's street-smart ways usually brought her home, yet this time felt different. As you followed the signal, hope and worry battled within.

You traveled alone as none of the townspeople were brave enough to help with your search. The mere mention of the North Woods shook them to the core, earning your request swift declines and slammed doors in your face. Whispers and rumors follow you with every interaction 

Secluded and untraceable, his cabin lies tucked away, invisible to prying eyes.

Rumors swirl of his territorial fury. Trespassers beware—this hunter stalks from afar. His domain is unforgiving, and his presence is a constant threat. The lucky ones spot the warning sign; others never see him coming.

Even the butcher, renowned for his toughness, said no, unwilling to even hear you out.

“There’s a man in the woods,” he said, voice unwavering. “You’d be smart to forget the idea.”

The boom of the door closing makes you flinch, jumping back a bit. A man in the woods? Surely not.

Even more absurd than some creep in the woods was the thought that the big, bad butcher was scared of him. This was a man who walked you home at night, who sneered at men and pulled you close to his side when you became uncomfortable. You knew him for a long time and you’d never seen him so much as flinch, but suddenly he was all squinted eyes and hushed tones at the thought of even stepping a foot off the beaten path. It couldn't be true, right?

Well, there was only one way to prove him wrong, and it was the only way you were gonna get Jellybean back. You’re going in that forest, urban myth or not.

Shadows lengthen as you exit your truck. The door closes with a hollow thud. The townsfolk's warnings replay in your mind, urging caution. You scan the area, heart racing. Drooping leaves cast an ominous veil over the forest. The murky depths seem to whisper, both alluring and forbidding.

Anxiety grips you as you take a step further. "Bean?" You whisper, voice trembling.

Silence answers. Twigs crack underfoot, and each snap creates an ominous echo. You cringe, the sounds amplifying your unease. Yet you press on, searching the quiet forest.

Minutes stretch like hours as you quietly call Bean's name, doing your best not to attract any unwanted attention, as the woods loom, hiding unknown dangers. Glancing down, your phone shows her location, unchanged, since she first wandered off. Jellybean's absence at this late hour is unsettling. She never stayed out of the house this long, and not so still, either. You can't help but think the worst, deciding to hurry closer to her, praying to find her safe.

Venturing deeper, the terrain grew wilder. Massive leaves parted, revealing fallen trunks and tilted trees. The more you looked around, the more it became clear that the uncharted wilderness wasn't made for humans.

There was no possible way.

The forest gave little leeway to those travelings through its domain. Predators strayed barely out of sight, lurking in hopes you'd be their next meal. A howl in the distance has you on edge, skin crawling, the feeling of being watched running anxious edges.

"Just keep walking. It'll be okay. The tracker says she's near." You reassured yourself under quite murmurs, trying to will your heart calm.

Then it appeared without warning.

A wolf lurches from the woodland gloom, baring his jagged canines, poised and ready to pounce. He circles you in a slow, menacing loop, foam pooling from his parted jaws. His eyes blaze with a frenzied gleam, wild and driven by something beyond hunger. Some dark, unseen force propels him, and you feel it tightening around you.

You turn and run.

Run as fast as your legs can carry you, tearing through the thick underbrush. Foliage slaps your arms and face, and the weeds clutch at your ankles like skeletal fingers desperate to drag you down. You ignore the stinging scratches, the pounding in your chest. If you fall, if you falter for even a second—you know it’s over.

Run.

The untamed beast snaps its jaws inches behind you, hot breath searing your calves, each bite narrowly missing as he hounds you with ruthless, single-minded determination. You crash through a thicket, branches clawing at your arms, tearing through your clothes, until you stumble onto a barely visible trail where weak shafts of light seep through gaps in the trees.

There’s no time to think. No time to process the sting of cuts or the burn in your lungs, nothing beyond the raw, primal instinct to get the hell away from the rabid creature on your heels.

Then you see it.

A cabin.

Really, a dilapidated shack, its sagging roof overrun with twisting vines, looms before you, barely held together by rotting beams and splintered boards. The whole structure looks one hard gust away from collapse, yet it’s the only shelter in sight. You don’t hesitate, heart hammering in your chest, and charge toward the door.

In your frantic rush, you miss the glint of watching eyes, shining like dark coals from the shadows behind, tracking your every move.

You burst inside, slamming the door shut with a desperate shove, then lean your back against it. Your chest heaves, each ragged breath scraping your lungs as you struggle to catch your breath, the weight of dread pressing down on you even harder than the beast’s pursuit.

The aroma of simmering soup wafted through the air, warmth enveloping you. A cozy scene unfolded: a bubbling pot atop a wooden stove, a modest desk tucked away, and a solitary lantern casting a soft glow. The space exuded an unexpected warmth, soft light pooling over worn furniture and the faint scent of old wood calming your frayed nerves. Your pulse slowed as the familiar coziness settled around you. Then, a gentle brush against your leg pulled you from the haze of adrenaline.

You glanced down—and there she was. Jellybean, her eyes wide and radiant, a few telltale crumbs clinging to her brown fur from some long-forgotten snack.

A rush of tenderness overtook the fading remnants of panic. You reached down, catching the elusive little troublemaker as she gave an indignant squirm. “You little—” The half-hearted scold fizzled, replaced by a sudden, overwhelming need to hold her close. “How—How did you end up here, huh?”

Holding Jellybean close, you feel the weight of your situation settling over you—a stranger in a cabin far from familiar ground, with the last of the sunlight slipping away, trapping you inside until dawn. Outside was darkness thick and impenetrable, the forest itself a living maze you dared not attempt at night.

“Shit,” you mutter, voice barely above a whisper as if speaking too loudly might stir something in the shadows.

Slowly, you move deeper into the space, eyes sweeping over the bare walls and spartan furniture. There’s something unnervingly sterile about the place—no photos, no knickknacks. Not a trace of personality or life. Who would live here? The rumors of some reclusive figure haunting these woods flash through your mind.

No. You shake your head, brushing off the thought. This was probably just some hunter’s shack. Or a place someone from town stayed now and then, just a shelter, nothing more.

Your foot presses down on a loose floorboard, and a loud creak echoes through the stillness. You freeze, heartbeat stuttering. Jellybean’s ears twitch, but she remains calm. Before you can step back, a low groan seeps from somewhere within the cabin, rolling through the floorboards, shivering up your spine.

Your grip tightens on Jellybean, and you hold your breath, listening.

“I-Is anyone there…?” Your voice barely steady. The words hover in the silence, as though the shadows themselves are holding their breath, waiting.

Then, clear as day, you hear it.

“Help… me…”

The voice is thin and broken, barely more than a whisper. Instinct screams at you to ignore it, to sit tight until morning. But something tugs at you. The sound is weak, desperate—human. The cabin feels suddenly smaller, its walls pressing in, urging you to run.

“Please… someone help me…"

A shiver races down your spine. Curse your altruism. You clutch Jellybean tighter, swallowing back the fear rising in your throat.

“U-uh, where…?” The question slips out before you can think, shaky and uncertain.

Silence stretches taut, pressing against your ears. Then, faint and low, a whining sound rises from beneath the floorboards, almost like a wounded animal. Every instinct screams at you to turn back, to stay safe. But you find yourself edging closer to the noise, heart hammering against your ribs.

Your gaze lands on a small, almost-hidden door near the far wall—the entrance to a cellar.

The pleas are louder here, wavering but persistent, each whisper curling up from the depths. “Help… please…”

You should walk away. This is a bad idea. A terrible idea. But, against every sliver of common sense, your hand reaches out, fingers trembling as they brush over the handle.

It turns with a rusty groan, and you pull the door open, revealing a narrow staircase descending into shadow. At the bottom, you catch the flicker of ember light, glowing faintly as if from a dying fire.

The cellar stretches out before you, a vast, dimly lit space far larger than should exist beneath such a modest shack. Shadows cling to the walls, the only light casting a faint, sickly orange glow that barely cuts through the murk. You step cautiously, heart-pounding, but then you glance to your right—and freeze.

The scene hits you with a nauseating force. Men hang suspended from thick meat hooks, bodies bruised and broken, some barely clinging to life, others unmoving, their faces blank and eyes empty. Their battered forms twist slightly in the air, like grotesque puppets left to dangle and rot. You swallow hard, stomach twisting as bile rises in your throat.

But then the horror deepens—recognition dawns. One face after another, familiar, each one seared into memory. The delivery driver who refused to take no for an answer, the lawyer from the pub whose relentless advances wore you down, the pizza guy who loitered outside your job, watching, waiting. All here. Hung like slabs of meat in this nightmarish cellar.

Your mind spins, the details piecing together in a sickening realization. The butcher. He’d warned them off, told you they wouldn’t bother you anymore. But this? This was something beyond any threat, beyond any punishment you’d ever imagined.

How? How had they ended up here? How did any of this exist beneath an unassuming cabin in the middle of the woods?

You weren’t supposed to see this. This was something that should have remained buried, hidden in the depths where secrets go to rot. The enormity of it presses down on you, making it hard to breathe, hard to think.

But then, one of them stirs. The pizza guy, his head lolling weakly to the side, lifts his face. His eyes, clouded and bloodshot, light up with recognition—a desperate spark of life in his hollow gaze. “Help! Please, before he comes back!” he rasps, voice cracking.

He.

The word rings in your mind, cold and jagged. He? Who could do this? Who would do this?

Your voice trembles as the question slips out, a thin whisper in the oppressive silence. “W—who… who are you talking about?”

The cellar door slams shut behind you, the echo reverberating off the cold stone walls, trapping you in the silence that follows. Heavy, methodical footsteps descend the rotting stairs, each step creaking beneath his weight. His breathing is deep, ragged, each inhale and exhale marking his slow, purposeful approach.

Don’t turn around.

Your body locks up, instinct screaming to flee, but your legs refuse to move. You clutch Jellybean tightly to your chest, but suddenly, she squirms, thrashing in your arms in a way she never has before. Confusion twists through your terror—Jellybean has always clung to you, never trying to escape. What was she doing?

With a leap, she slips from your grasp, landing soundlessly on the floor. She pads past you, moving behind you, and the silence is filled with soft, delighted purring.

You don’t want to look. You hold still, desperately hoping that if you don’t move, you’ll disappear, fade into the shadows. But you can feel him standing just behind you, the weight of his presence pressing down like a storm cloud.

And then, a voice. Familiar. Deep, smooth, and thick with a British lilt, edged with something that both chills and soothes you.

“Good girl,” he murmurs, a note of affection clear in his tone as he addresses Jellybean.

Recognition strikes you like a blow. That voice—you’ve heard it a thousand times. The same voice that always offered a warm “good evening” when he walked you home at night. The same voice that laughed as he handed Jellybean her treats at the butcher shop. The same voice that warned you, with a peculiar intensity, to avoid these woods.

The butcher.

---

A/N: I don't usually do long writing stuff... but I've had this one in the drafts for too long and wanted it out. I kind of like how it turned out but I can def improve!

[porblegames]

I've gotten some requests on how to make my trash terrain for 6mm sci-fi or modern miniatures. So I made a little tutorial. Enjoy!

The stuff you'll need: - Plasticard - Brass rod - Air drying clay foam - Bits of 6mm miniatures

Start by making a plasticard footprint, cut into an organic shape. Can't go wrong with kidney bean!

Gather some miniatures to use in our junk pile. We're not gonna cover the whole pile with them, just sprinkle them throughout. This is a good use for your misprints and broken minis, so don't throw them misprints away; use them for terrain.

The trash pile needs a "spine" of brass rod. Attach the brass rod with some glue and let it dry. If you don't give the plasticard a sturdy spine, the plasticard will bend and curl as the glue dries and you'll be super sad.

This is the kind of clay to use. Its super light and dries rubbery, not brittle like regular clay.

Attach some clay blobs onto the plasticard with glue and smooth them out. You'll need less clay than you think because the miniatures are gonna go into it and make it expand.

Sink your miniatures into the clay. I like to add cut up rectanlges of platicard to help cover the edge where it isn't smooth. Let the whole thing dry overnight.

Prime it black.

I usually paint it in sections. Base coat with a dark color. I'm going with purple, but you could brown or blue or gray too.

Free hand some geometric shapes with black. The shapes should be of very irregular. You can let the lines be messy at this step, we're just mapping out the freehand portion. Color in some of the shapes with black to imply negative space.

Base coat the shapes between the black lines in a couple different colors. I mix a little orange into the purple to make a warm brown. I base some of the shapes with a gray blue. A few others I pick out by mixing green or grey with the purple. This is the step where we want our lines to be (relatively) neat and tidy. Let the shapes expand a bit beyond their black line borders from the previous step.

Add another layer to the shapes to raise the intensity. Some shapes get more coverage than others, to make it more random.

More layers, mixing in more orange into the purple. I brighten the slate blue by adding a light pink.

Finish with some highlight layers. This is done by adding light pink to the blues/oranges/greens.

Add some dots of random colors in the remaining black space.

Go around the whole pile like so, until you cover the whole dang thing.

Then paint the miniatures in it. I paint the miniatures a bit brighter and with different colors than the freehand to make them stick out. And there you go. Trash time! Thanks for reading!

[jellykoala]

I've been making cave terrain with my new best friend Fiber Paste

I can't believe these are finally done! Took forever lmaoo

Some of the stalagmites are just scrap polymer clay I mushed up and painted and they match fine enough I think. I used various foams for the rest- the flat ones are cheapo craft foam i glued together in layers and the chunky ones are packing foam I chopped up and stabbed skewers into.

I coated everything in (white) gessopodge then added the fiber paste- gives them a stone texture and fills in all the holes, and I could also make little peaks in it for some extra stalagmites.

After it dried I primed them in black and did the basic dry brushing.

The hardest thing was definitely the cave pools cus I kept trying other mediums and fucking it up, but in the end I bit the bullet and bought some casting resin. (Used that on my swamp too)

Will probly make some scans of the DM screen I'm working on (painting in the background) as soon as I get some hinges for it

[cinnamontoastcroonch]

ok i feel like Laurance’s skill level is so overlooked/forgotten in MCD fr. like let us not forget that he was Meteli’s head guard… and he was LITERALLY IN LINE FOR A SPOT ON THE JURY? HELLO?! not to mention his definite enhancements after his transformation. I NEED TO READ A GNARLY LAURANCE FIGHT SCENE. i know he is more lean and not as burly as Garroth, but i have always felt like he has a nimbleness and unique and clever fighting style. like give me Laurance using speed and agility and stealth and the terrain to his advantage RIGHT NOW. I need it. somebody write it. i beg. i’m rolling on the floor foaming at the mouth and barking and dying.

like you cannot tell me that man doesn’t fight dirty but in the most graceful way possible. HE WASNT A JURY CANDIDATE FOR NOTHINGGGG. like give me Laurance surprising the enemy by dropping down from a tree. give me a Laurance that is renowned for his ability to catch people off guard with his attacks and fighting methods. i will die on this hill.

[beautifulmars]

HiPOD: The White Cliffs of Rover

This image reminds us of the rugged and open terrain of a stark shore-line, perhaps of an island nation, such as the British Isles. A close-up in enhanced color produces a striking effect, giving the impression of a cloud-covered cliff edge with foamy waves crashing against it. 

The reality is that the surface of Mars is much dryer than our imaginations might want to suggest. This is only a tiny part of a much larger structure; an inverted crater—a crater that has been infilled by material that is more resistant to erosion than the rocks around it—surrounded by bluish basaltic dunes. The edge of these elevated light-toned deposits is degraded, irregular and cliff-forming.

Dunes visible below the cliff, give the impression of an ocean surface, complete with foam capped waves crashing against the “shore line,” demonstrating the abstract similarity between the nature of a turbulent ocean and a Martian dune field.

Meridiani Planum has an overall smooth terrain, which starkly contrasts with the more common boulder- and crater-laden landscapes observed over much of the rest of Mars. This makes it relatively younger in character than many other areas of the planet. Meridiani is one of the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites, and, is known for its layers and sediments. The orbital detection of hematite was one of the main reasons for sending Opportunity to this area. 

Salt-bearing rocks—also called sulphates—were observed in the very first image from Opportunity, so perhaps it’s apt that this HiRISE image reminds us of the turmoil and rugged beauty of a cliff-face, a coastline, being worn down by a relentless sea. 

ID: ESP_050282_1820 date: 18 April 2017  altitude: 271 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

[fuxuannie]

Sampo Koski has me foaming at the mouth. Please I will literally bark for this man.🫶😩

I need a really stupid love confession from this idiot. Like he tries (and fails) to set up the most romantic moment which is just spoiled by the Silvermane Guards and Sampo ends up confession while you’re trying to run like the idiot he is.

↳ pairing : sampo koski x gender neutral reader

↳ synopsis : request

↳ authors note : this seems like smth that would happen in canon im ngl to you LMAO

For months, SAMPO would be saving his money and shield to make a perfect date for you somewhere in the snowy terrain outside the boring Underworld scenery. Where there was a perfect view of the city, a picnic blanket to save you from the cold floor, flowers and a basket of all your favorite things. Yes, it did hurt him financially, but his heart was this close to bursting from excitement to finally be able to tell you.

He had the speech ready, the most important parts scribbled onto his hand incase he forgot. And so the last part was to just wait for you there, a jacket in his hands incase you'd get cold as he knew you weren't as used to the cold as he was.

Once he hears footsteps, his face lights up until the realization that there were multiple, he seemed to have guests that weren't invited arrive in your place. At first his intentions were to get rid of them swiftly before you would come, but when he sees you awkwardly laughing in their restraints, the plan was now turned to a rescue mission.

"Hi!" You say sheepishly, as one Silvermane Guard held your hands behind your back. "S-sorry I'm late? It's a lovely set up, really. I just so happened to be followed-"

"Sampo Koski, you're under arrest!"

He smiles innocently and raises his arms up in the air, a signal you were all too familiar with. He sees you hold your breath and that's his sign to drop his smoke bombs, a mist surrounds you two and as the hold on your wrist loosen, a hand grabs you by the waist and pulls you out of the smoke.

You're about to thank him, but he effortlessly lifts you up into his arms in a bridal style and runs, absolutely ignoring the protesting yells of guards behind you both. At first, you're in a daze of confusion before laughing as he ran. "Not exactly how you wanted this thing to go, is it?" You say, casually leaning on his chest as he would be tiring himself from the chase.

"Not exactly how I wanted to confess, but I guess this works!" He says within his messy mind and pants for air, your once closed eyes widen and you look up at him slightly. "WHAT???"

It's Sampo's turn to laugh, though a little breathless due to the running. He looks down at you with the most genuine look anyone has ever seen from him. "Did you think I wouldn't like you?" He'll smile, but trip over his feet with how much of his attention shifts to you.

You two land in the snow, one left speechless and the other breathless. Both with nothing to say, or too much that it makes it hard to form into sentences.

The guards take you both away, but Sampo gives you a knowing look. Maybe he'll get another chance to do it properly, it was never hard breaking out of jail anyway.

[cal-1maf]

Finally finished my terrain piece for photographing my 'Mechs! The biggest challenge here was mental... I had so many options for type of terrain that I froze for the longest time. Yesterday I decided, screw it, and dusted off the unpainted piece I had built. The entire piece is shown below

It's just XPS foam from the hardware store and the texture paints/flocking/tufts I already had on hand for miniature bases. Standard acrylic hobby paints for terrain, don't waste your nice miniature paints.

[official-megumin]

you don't see a lot of mega bloks destiny stuff.

So I made my own!

fully custom painted figure(as well as a good bit of custom sculpt by yours truly)

I've been working on the base all day but did the all the foam work last night.

All made with just some cork and xps foam, as well as some terrain paste and plastic stock. Of course also some fake mega bloks pieces I had left over after getting a tank from aliexpress

That is of course not counting the paints and pigments.

I have been experimenting a bit with building bases over the past month or so. And Mars, especially Mars in destiny. Has been tickling my brain awfully for as long as I remember.

So I have steadily been doing more and more complex bases(of course this is still rather simple) and I just really wanted to capture the feeling of Mars in the game. I tried just doing Mars with the rocks and sand. But it felt too generic, too standard Mars.

So I tried doing a ruined building, because that very much dominates the environment in game. But that wasn't feasible with the size of the base or with the materials I could afford.

So I waited until I had money again, and splooged a bit on materials, like plastic stock and xps foam. And I got to work, the mega bloks I had on hand were also just a coincidence, and I just lunched at the opportunity.

Either way, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and kinda proud with how good it looks.

I hope it inspires at least one other person to grab their tools and start working on this toyline that is so near and dear to my heart.

[rocjaws-curated-collection]

I liked the openforge system enough that when I decided to make some more natural terrain, I carved up the foam board and attached individual squares to the bases so I could attach them with magnets and rearrange the battlefield to be different each time. After that, just followed a basic guide to grassy mini bases.

While the lines between tiles are quite distinct, I've found I rather like that as it's easy to judge distance without having to mark a grid or pull out a tape measure. Keeping tiles from 2x2 to 4x4 inches makes it easy to tell how many squares across it is without losing room for detail within the lines.

[maniakminis]

Update to my new terrain project. I glued the first Hab unit onto a big piece of pink foam and started building up from there. I lined up the bridges where I wanted them and then glued in the platforms they would be connected to, before stacking more foam and going further up the mountain.

Once all the foam was in place I used my hot wire cutter to shave the foam down into a more mountainy shape. Next I need to Mod Podge and gap fill with Sculptamold.

I am so full from eating fiberglass, yum!

[roguefive81]

Primed a terrain piece using a can of citadel rough coat I've had for awhile and never used. I learned it won't devour pink foam, so that's a game changer for my homemade terrain.

But my biggest take away is that rough coat doesn't do anything drastic. It provided a uniform sprue grey finish and a fine grit texture. I'd hate it if I was just doing regular brush strokes, however a lot of my terrain painting tends to lean into drybrushing and I think this grit will really benefit that technique. We will see.

My next step is to do something like a slap chop layer with a cherry red 🍒 spray paint I have, as well as a black and a grey. I want to get a base coat of colours down so that my drybrushing to make the terrain look rough and rusted has something to build off of.

I've done that before with other pieces and hope it'll really pop here. I want the tanks to look like they used to be bright red and the rest of it to look like it was originally a gun metal finish.

I'll share pics of the next step as soon as I do it. And let me say that the positive feedback from the community as I start posting about my work again has really helped me out.

Quarter century and I still love this hobby