Some day lad, all this will be yours...

What, the curtains?

Ah, Python. 40 years old, and still some good gags. I bring this up as it relates to a King showing his rather dim son the terrain he will one day be master of, as this article kinda does too. Ahem.

Anyway, rummaging about in the club terrain boxes can at times be a disheartening experience. Amongst the innumerable 40k 'Gothic Ruins and ugly foam hills there is a lack of variety or well made pieces that would stand up to the general abuse of cramped storage boxes and regular usage.

Still, there was no point moaning about it and doing nothing. I used to make all my own terrain, barring the odd nice, bought piece. A quick word and a quick rummage in the bottom of the boxes and I had a bagful of sad looking remnants to work with.

The fields rescue a dozen or so sections of hedgerow (the sort railway shops sell for £1 each and GW sell for around twice the price) by fixing them to a cheap base of hardboard coated in wall filler.

I played around with the surfaces on the two and though the latter looks nicer, its' ploughed effect is not so likely to withstand careless use, still by fixing the terrain to a sturdy wooden footprint, it should survive storage and make for an attractive centre piece to a battlefield.

I also rooted into a supply of plastic palm trees which had regularly been appearing in Flames of War games stood around on large white plastic bases. What an eyesore! Nothing more filler some tester pot paint, a drybrush of acrylic and some scatter cant fix!

Not having to buy the terrain itself meant I just dipped into my pocket for a couple of quid for the hardboard. Though attempting to cut this stuff with just a craft knife is setting yourself up to pay in a different way, a small saw would have helped no end!

In general the quality of scenery at our club is improving, as is the storage (better sized and tougher boxes which stop overloading); and I'm pleased to note I'm not the only member contributing quality scenery, a pile of attractive near future buildings having recently appeared.