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<td>Salvatore has a bit of a thing about Mars. Which is good for
us, because he has made some Martian game boards and themed
terrain. I have collected all of Salvatore's Martian items
together into one project.</td>
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Why 'Martian' terrain? I have always been a space exploration
enthusiast (I was born in the same year as the first manned lunar
mission) (Sadly I wasn't - Gary). Mars is a planet shrouded in
mystery. Richard Hoagland's "The Monuments of Mars" has been
a great source of inspiration for this project. If you haven't read it
yet, please do so! It is a fascinating discussion of the enigmatic
structures of Mars. These structures are not geologic anomolies and
seem to be the result of 'intelligent' design. Check out the <a href="http://www.enterprisemission.com/index.html" target=_new>Enterprise
Mission website</a> for some mind-blowing satellite photos of Mars!
Martian Terrain Boards
I wanted to reproduce the blasted, jagged terrain of Mars with
these terrain boards. The key elements are texture followed by color
in order of importance.
Materials<br />
# Two 2'x8';x1" sheets of pink insulation board (trade name='Foamular')
# lightly colored latex paint (that's emulsion to Brits)
# 1 gallon PVA glue
# rough sand
# very wide and stiff brush
# 3 cans of 'ruddy brown primer' spray paint by Krylon (I suggest
you try car spray primers, such as lead oxide aerosol, if you
can't get this brand - Gary)
I chose foam insulation board for its light weight. Caution-this
stuff WILL warp if left in the sun! I found that out the hard way. The
foam is usually sold in 2'x8' sheets, and as one would imagine, it is
not easy to transport in your car. The solution is to cut the boards
right there in the parking lot! After measuring carefully and using a
large carpenter's square, I cut them down to four 2'x4' panels, making
them easy to store in the backseat.
Some of the best terrain is constructed with leftovers and junk.
These terrain boards are no exception. I put leftover cans of latex
house paint to good use and concocted an improvised texture medium by
mixing together equal parts of latex paint, PVA glue, and sand.
Liberally spread an even coat of this goop with a 4" stiff brush.
Lay the boards flat to dry. Drying time is at least 48 hours, perhaps
longer if there's a lot of humidity in the air.
Once dry, coat the opposite sides and edges of the panels with a
50/50 mixture of PVA and latex paint. This seals the boards against
stray blasts of spray paint (You'll get an unwelcome surprise if spray
paint touches the bare foam!). Drying time may take another 48 hours.
Once dry, spray the roughened surface with two coats of Krylon 'ruddy
brown primer'. It has just the right balance of red and brown for
Martian terrain. Next, drybrush the panels with rust red lightened
with yellow. Build up several layers of incresingly lighter shades.
I plan to use the opposite sides of the panels for jungle terrain,
my next BIG project! (Arrg...lock up your socks...Gary)
Pyramid
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<td>What would a Martian terrain project be without pyramids?
Several four-sided and five-sided pyramids can be seen in NASA
satellite photos in a region of Mars called Cydonia.</td>
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Materials
# corrugated cardboard
# heavy-duty postal paper tape
# 1/2" thick rigid white foam board (not the beaded kind)
# PVA glue
# thick craft glue
# joint compound
# medium ballast
# cat litter
# old 1" brush
This pyramid is made with four 8" cardboard triangles joined
together with postal tape. Cut a 10" square out of the white foam
board (edges rounded off with a knife) and coat both sides with
watered down PVA to seal it. Mount the pyramid onto the dry base with
thick craft glue. Use an old brush to texture the pyramid with joint
compound (make sure the tape is covered). Texture the base around the
pyramid with what I call 'Martian Ground Texture': medium ballast, cat
litter, PVA, and water. Once dry, spray the whole thing flat black.
Drybrush with rust red lightened with yellow.
Artifact ES712
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<td>'ES712' stands for 'Enigmatic Structure #712'. The Adeptus
Mechanicus of Mars is unable to discern the purpose of this
strange artifact.</td>
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It is impervious to drilling tools and gives off a powerful psychic
aura. In actuality, it is made from the cardboard/cellulose form that
my cellular phone came in! I didn't have to alter the shape one bit. I
simply glued it to a carboard base, applied Martian Ground Texture,
gave it a blast of flat black spray, and drybrushed it with rust red
and yellow.
Fusion Reactor
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<td>Inspired by the carbon-60 molecule 'buckminsterfullerene'.
Although a C60 molecule would be a soccer ball (pentagons +
hexagons), this structure is made with twelve 2" pentagons.</td>
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materials
# corrugated cardboard
# thin, smooth card
# heavy-duty postal paper tape
# drinking straws
# one popper stud
# one tank bit for an access panel above the doorway
# PVA glue
# Testor's 'magnesium' metallic lacquer spray
Top portion: Using a protractor, make a template for a pentagon with
2" sides out of thick card (plasticard works best for template
making). Each inside angle should be 72 degrees. Trace 12 pentagons
onto corrugated cardboard and cut them out with a sharp knife. Join
the pentagons together with heavy postal tape. The angle of the
pentagons will automatically give you the spherical shape. Trace 12
more pentagons onto thin card. Cut them out and glue on top of each
pentagon to hide the tape. This also gives the structure a more
angular appearance.
Bottom portion: Make a trapezoidal template with 4" verical
sides and horizontal sides 2" and 4" respectively. Trace and
cut 5 trapezoids out of corrugated cardboard. Join them with heavy
postal tape and mount onto a 5" pentagonal base for structural
stability. This forms a five sided, flat-topped pyramid. Trace and cut
5 more trapezoids out of thin card. Glue these onto each side to hide
the tape. Glue one 4" drinking straw to each corner. Glue the 12
sided polyhedron onto the pyramid. The doorway is made with thin card
triangles and a popper stud. You may use whatever bit you have for the
access panel. I happened to have an extra Imperial tank plate. For the
finishing touch, I sprayed it with Testor's magnesium laquer. Testor's
makes a brilliant series of metallic lacquers. Check them out!
Martian Hill
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<td>This is a stacked hill made from three pieces of 1" rigid
white foam (not beaded). I shaped them with an electric foam
cutter. I added no texture to the hills, but instead allowed the
flat black spray paint to eat away at the foam for a pitted
look. Drybrush rust red and yellow.</td>
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Pyramid & Crater
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<td><img src="http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/tgpix/infopages/14/239e.jpg" alt="" border="0" usemap="#rhinoegg" ismap width="334" height="225"></td>
<td>The pyramid was made the same way as my 8" pyramid,
except this one is 4". The base is 1/2" white foam
board (not beaded) with the edges rouneded off and a 2"
crater cut into it. Glue the pyramid onto the base, apply
Martian Ground Texture, spray flat black and drybrush with rust
red and yellow.</td>
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<td><img src="http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/tgpix/infopages/14/239f.jpg" alt="Martian Rocks" border="0" usemap="#dreadegg" ismap width="335" height="226"></td>
<td>Rocks Mars has countless boulder plains. These are real stones
glued onto a cardboard base. Martian Ground Texture was added
around the base of the stones. Spray flat back and drybrush rust
red and yellow.</td>
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Rocky Hideaway
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<td>A great ambush spot for my scouts!</td>
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Materials
# scraps of 1" thick insulation foam
# cardboard
# Bondex 'popcorn' ceiling tile patch compound
# PVA glue
# 'ruddy brown primer' by Krylon
I simply glued and stacked some scraps of 1" insulation foam
board onto a cardboard base. I applied an interesting compound called
popcorn ceiling patch by Bondex. It is like joint compound with
pearlite added to it. After it dried, I noticed that this compound is
not too sturdy. Therefore, I coated it with a protective layer of
watered down PVA. I sprayed the whole thing with and undercoat of
'ruddy brown primer', and drybrushed with rust red and yellow.
Storage Shed
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<td>I am planning to make some Martian pieces with a colonization
theme.</td>
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Materials
# thick card
# 1/2" rigid foam board (not beaded)
# small capacitors from a junked stereo
To make this shed, refer to my Top Tip for making 'curved
structures'. It is a laminate of four 3.5" x 6" rectangular
pieces of thick card and PVA. Spray the shed flat white and washed it
with a dirty mixture of rust red and brown. To prepare the base after
cutting it to the desired shape, seal it with watered down PVA on both
sides. Allowing the base to dry sufficiently, apply Martian Ground
Texture minus the cat litter on one side. Spray the base flat black
and drybrush rust red and yellow. Glue the shed to the base and add
all sorts of colorful bits that look like storage containers. In this
case, a handful of painted capacitors did the trick.
Water processor
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<td>In my never ending crusade for terrain pieces that utilize
golf balls (see my Psychic Permutator), I came up with this
water processor used by the Martian colonists.</td>
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Materials
# four golf balls
# tin can
# one rubber hose gasket
# rubber sprue from the hose gasket package
# household adhesive
# Testor's 'magnesium' metallic lacquer spray
Glue the golf balls to the tin can with strong adhesive (like
epoxy). Use super glue to affix the rubber hose gasket and rubber
sprue to the can. Spray with Testor's magnesium lacquer. A very easy
and cheap piece of terrain to make!