It's a jungle out there...in the garage! - Covering Fire revisits his jungle terrain

[Covering Fire]

So, with my ice world terrain finished (see my sig) it was inevitable that a new terrain project would soon loom on the horizon.

This log will detail my effort to update my old jungle terrain pieces:



These were made back in 2005 and mounted on cardboard (yes, it's all warped by now), so I will switch to hardboard bases among other things.

Using this litte bag of tricks I hope to give my terrain a more crowded feel:



The aim here is to add a lot more vegetation and make the junge lusher.

Let's see how it works out!

[EmperorNorton]

Looks nice.
Where'd you get the plants?

[Covering Fire]

Looks nice.
Where'd you get the plants?

The plants are from pet shops and furniture/interior design stores (they often have a section with plastic plants).

[EmperorNorton]

The plants are from pet shops and furniture/interior design stores (they often have a section with plastic plants).

I'll have to check that out, as I'm currently looking for plants like these to base my Lizardmen with.

[Covering Fire]

So, thus far I have mounted the palm tree pieces onto hardboard to make them sturdier. I decided to keep the cardboard and just glue it on top of the new bases. This way I also saved most of the grass. Now I have to figure out how to make the transition between the old and the new base smoother. Spackle or plaster bandages perhaps?



I've also dusted off my old jungle village and added a lot more greenery to it:

[Maglok]

The plants really do add to the feeling quite a bit. Nice.

[Covering Fire]

The plants really do add to the feeling quite a bit. Nice.

I was aiming for an overgrown look, so I didn't hold back on the plants!

The buildings (if anyone is interested) were built in 2005 I think. The inspiration came from a White Dwarf article series called "Jungle Fever" back when Nick Davis (whatever happened to that guy? he was one of the better writers in WD I think) made a lot of jungle terrain for his Lizardmen. This series featured in WD 223, 225 and 232 back in 1998-1999 (you know...when White Dwarf had ACTUAL content!). In one of the articles there were some ideas about building barrios for the skinks to live in, and this gave me a good starting point.

I used thick cardboard which I covered in spackle to give it texture. The thatched roofs were made out of tall grass taken from the garden. The roofs are detachable (except from the thatched ones) so you can place miniatures inside.

[N810]

Looking like a decent jungle board.

[Covering Fire]

Looking like a decent jungle board.

Oh, I'm just getting started! I have more stuff coming up...

BTW, inspiring terrain you've got in there N810!

[Maglok]

They don't really look overgrown so much as just nice additions. With overgrown I'd imagine vines going up walls and roofs and stuff.

[Covering Fire]

They don't really look overgrown so much as just nice additions. With overgrown I'd imagine vines going up walls and roofs and stuff.

Well, maybe not that overgrown then. I'd like to think that someone still lives in the houses...

[Orcdom]

just try and get the trees off the old cardboard, PLEASE.
i think would be a waste of time trying to glue the cardboard down to the hardboard.
ive redone some old terrain myself and learned to just save the important pieces screw the base.

Steve

[Covering Fire]

just try and get the trees off the old cardboard, PLEASE.
i think would be a waste of time trying to glue the cardboard down to the hardboard.
ive redone some old terrain myself and learned to just save the important pieces screw the base.

Steve

No worries, I've already glued it down and the cardboard stuck very well to the hardboard base. The benefit of doing this is that I saved most of the grass and I'll be able to use the cardboard surface to stick stuff (like plants) into for more stability. I'm just waiting for some spare time to turn up so that I can even out the edges with some spackle.

[Covering Fire]

I've moved to the next phase of the palm tree refurbishment operation and applied some spackle to even out the rough edges on the base. So now I've got a slightly sloping base, which looks good I think.



The next phase will involve painting the spackle green and then flocking it.

[Orcdom]

perfect island if the whites painted sand XD but keep goin.

Steve

[N810]

Looking better.

[Hideous Loon]

I agree with Orcdom, it does look a bit like a classic comical shipwrecked-person island.

The buildings look cool, too, the greenery will make them blend in on the battlefield a bit more I think.

[Covering Fire]

I agree with Orcdom, it does look a bit like a classic comical shipwrecked-person island.

The buildings look cool, too, the greenery will make them blend in on the battlefield a bit more I think.

Hey, maybe it could be used in an expansion for Dreadfleet? "Leave the Galleon's Graveyard behind and sail into the Sea of Giant Palmtrees on Small Islands (TM) in the new expansion for Dreadfleet!"

Hm, but I guess my palm tree islands wouldn't work...not enough SKULLZ!

Anyway, on a more serious note I've finished spackling all of the palm tree sections:



Next I'll use some sandpaper to smoothen the spackled areas and then it's time to paint it green.

[Covering Fire]

Some progress today - all the bases painted green:



2 of them flocked:



Just 3 more to go!

[Covering Fire]

It has been a while since my last update, but here's an update. I've added some more plants to two of my old terrain pieces - a small patch of jungle with a log and a ruined temple. I experimented a bit by using green tea as old leaves and branches fallen from the jungle canopy. After all, jungle floors aren't grass lawns! I'm not sure how it will turn out, but I'll take a new look at it once the glue is dry.