I'm going to use this thread as a repository for my various upcoming terrain projects.
Before I get too deep into things, I'll make one note: Doing this stuff should not be done around small children or animals and always in a well ventilated area. Like power tools, you should have tons of respect with the gear you're working with. Some of it is dangerous because it gets hot, others because they're toxic. I'm not going to write a huge safety manual. I expect those that do this are adults or under some kind of adult supervision. If you aren't either, doing things my way are not for you and you should not do it.
Tools of the trade:
3/4" and 1 1/2" Styrofoam sheets that you can get in multi-packs.
Get these at Home Despot err... Depot, Lowes, Rona, Millwork or whatever passes for a DIY store in your neighborhood. I also use on occasion GHQ Terrain Maker 4 inch wide hexes that come in a bunch of thicknesses. As the GHQ stuff is expensive for me to get, I've either made my own knock offs or gotten them made for me, at allot less cost but if you live in the USA, GHQ might be cheaper for you. I'll probably have a few posts that focus on the GHQ style stuff but for the most part I'll focus on more conventional stuff.
Craft Plywood in 1 foot by 1 foot sections or 1 foot by 2 foot sections.
I use Midwest and Revell craft plywood bought at Michael's, but they should be also available at finer craft, hobby and modelling stores. I don't think there's any major difference between Midwest and Revell save that both claim to be 3/8" thick but Midwest is 9mm and Revell is 9.5mm thick... side by side, I don't see any difference. You can also buy larger panels and cut them to size at the previously mentioned DIY stores BUT the wood will almost always be thicker (1/2" or 5/8" is typical) unless you special order it and special orders can be expensive. Alternatively you could even thinner MDF boards if you can cut them yourself but for myself I prefer the weight and rigidity of craft plywood. It strikes the right balance of weight and strength even if I pay a little more for it than standard wood products
Carpenter's Glue, Gorilla Glue, White Tacky Glue and White School Glue. Other glues as neccessary.
Get them in bulk as you'll use tons of various glues over time. The glues you use for miniatures generally doesn't get used for terrain except perhaps when getting involved with special cases. Spray on glues CAN be useful, but you have to be careful which ones you buy or use them on under certain circumstances as they can dissolve your foam.
Hot Knives.
I use the Hot Wire Foam Factory hot knives. I have the 4 in 1 kit, which includes a power supply, a 4" hot knife, an engravers tool, Freehand Router and Sculpting Tool. I mostly use the 4" hot knife and Sculpting Tool but the other two have their uses. What these do, is heat up and allow you to cut foam neatly, quickly and accurate in ways a normal knife could never do. You can the cheap-o battery powered hot wire cutters for $20 plus batteries anywhere where craft supplies are sold, especially flower arrangement stuff but they SUCK compared to the plug-in, heavy duty variety. If you're doing LOTS of terrain, go for the good stuff. It may not be cheap but it'll last longer, do the work better and most of all, be way less aggravating to use. There are other hot knives out there, but I have not used them so I can't recommend them. HWFF also have other, handy and exotic tools, but they aren't cheap so I won't talk about them right now.
Paint/Flock
. I use cheap stuff except for flock, because for some reason I like Citadel's flock but Woodland scenics stuff is just as good... just not my preference. Of course, that's mainly for "standard green" terrain. Exotic terrains, use all sorts of things. As to paint, for now I use mostly crap bought from the dollar store, craft store, wal-mart and delta creamcoat. They all work for terrain. I prefer medium greens and browns, but I have everything. Black and white are also musts. Much more on this later.
Exotic Materials
Other woods. More on this later.
Plastic Card. More on this later.
Polyfilla - useful for spackling things such as smoothing out rolling hills, though I generally prefer other products because it has a bad tendency to crack over time.
Woodland scenics water products are my go-to stuff for water effects. More on this later. Ditto for trees. Oh hell, just download the catalogue and see all the wonderful things you can waste money on.
Gypsum Cement or more commonly called Hydrocal White, though there's a good half dozen at different but similar cements by the same manufacturer. Use it with molds to make rocks or like plaster. More on this later.
Resin structures and assorted high end products from Forge World and other manufacterers. . I LOVE etched brass razor wire from Secret Weapon miniatures. More on this later
Power tools
Dremel or other rotary tool. More on this later.
