I don't have a lot of in-progress photos after the initial assembly, so let me lay out the process in text:
1. The foam boards were 2'x2', so I cut one in half and glued a half on each 2'x3' chalkboard along with a full 2'x'2 foamboard.
2. The mountain was built with increasingly smaller layers of foam board cut out using a hobby knife, and then Gorilla Glued down (and clamped) overnight.
3. The two seams in the foam boards were covered with bug-catching glue strips courtesy of Orkin. In one place, I carved out a portion of a seam to represent a crevasse.
4. Small hills were cut out of foam board and glued to the board.
5. A thin layer of modelling paste was applied to the whole board to prevent spray paint from eating the foam.
6. Rocks (yes, real rocks) and additional paste were added for further texture. The additional paste is definitely notable to help cover the glue strips' transition.
7. The frickin' mountain was fleshed out using modelling paste....definitely the most labor-intensive part. Of note: modelling paste takes on a flowing finish naturally. You have to rough this up as it dries (and becomes less malleable) to get a realistic natural finish. Also watch out for "points" where you finish a stroke with your sculpting tool. I went back with wire cutters and cut off literally hundreds of them.
8. Shell holes were added using small amounts of modelling paste and the blunt end of a paint brush to push the paste out in a circular pattern.
9. The entire board was painted in a base coat of a dark gray spray paint, with a chalky finish.
10. Using the dropship as a measuring tool, and an IWM resin model for engine layout guidance, I traced the exahust pattern on the board where the dropship would be, then used various dark gray and black paints to create a scorched effect.
11. I expanded the trace to where I thought snow would've melted from the landing.
12. Using a single layer of crackle paint, I put down a layer of "ice" to represent the edge of the melted snow around the dropship landing site.
13. Using painter's tape, I marked out the dropship landing site, and I covered the shell holes with old pill bottles.
14. I then put down a layer of matte varnish (Krylon's IIRC) across the board, and sprinkled the whole thing with scenic snow. I let the flow of the terrain help determine how much I sprinkled where (picture which way the wind would blow, etc).
15. I then sprayed the snow with the matte coat again, including some forceful spraying up close. Some snow left the table. Most balled up or stuck to nearby built-up areas, giving it a real natural-looking variance.
16. I removed the painter's tape and pill bottles, and used my finger to touch up a few places. Where I thought extra snow was needed, I used Vallejo matte varnish and a brush to add some extra sticky and then sprinkle on more snow.
