Foamcore or Cork or…

[Noel]

As I contemplate getting off my butt and making some terrain for Judge Dredd, I wonder which materials I should use.

Foamcore is easy to get a hold of and seems like it will work well.  I see a lot of people choose it.  However, poking around the net, I notice some are using cork tiles.  I am not sure how available these are to me, but they hold a certain appeal in being more eco friendly and perhaps sturdier.

What else is out there?

Not really sure if anyone has opinions they’d like to share, but I would love to know if you do.

[Norm S]

Foamcore will warp if used as a base with basing materials that dry out such as pastes or glues or air dry clay, but is very good as a material for structures such as buildings.  Plasticard is useful and rail model shops sell plasticard sections with roof tiles and ground paving embossed into them. Cork chips make good rubble and cat litter can be useful for stone walls and rubble effects. Bird cage sand (cheap) can be used as texture. Artist modelling paste can also be used to give texture to walls or bases. Rail model shops also sell plastic lengths of rod and angles, which can simulate drain pipes and exposed iron girders etc.

[MartinR]

Foamcore and cork are OK for making buildings, but not much good for terrain basing, cork in particular is dreadful as it falls to bits. I base all my stuff on plastic card or 2mm MDF.

 

 

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[Mike]

Foamcard is light, cheap and comes in big sheets so you can make good  sized Blocks.
However it is easy to dent and bash and as noted can warp.
But the killer for me is that being a layered material, the edges of your buildings will have the edges of the foamcard exposed, which will IMO look naff.

Cork tiles are not as cheap and can be crumbly unless you cut with a proper sharp knife.
They will not have edge issue like foamcore will have.
But they can bend under their own weight unless you support them.
Also you can use superglue on cork, but it will dissolve the foam insides of the foamcard.

I would go plasticard.
There is a foam/plasticard hybrid material that I use for my buildings but the site I buy it from is offline after some massive IT error.
I am not sure what it is called or I would look for it elsewhere.

I will see if I can dig out the name later for you.

 

[Noel]

I hadn’t considered plasticard.  What tools would I need to cut it?

[Mike]

Just a normal craft knife assuming you don’t buy thicker than  2mm

[Author]

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