What's on your workbench?

[Paul]

This week I have mostly been building Angola...

Looking good! What size tiles have you cut, I tried to work it out from the ruler in the foreground but wasn't sure?

[RMD]

This week I have mostly been building Angola...

Looking good! What size tiles have you cut, I tried to work it out from the ruler in the foreground but wasn't sure?

I've bought 2-foot squares from Ecclestones, who manufacture the stuff. They'll do it in any size & thickness you like, in a variety of density grades, so I've got 10x 25mm-thick boards and 10x 12mm-thick boards, to make a 3x3 6-foot square, plus a couple of spares. They've also chucked in two 10mm-thick boards on each end of the pack as 'buffers' to help prevent damage during transit. which will also come in handy.

Total cost was £111, which included £25 for p&p, which is fairly expensive but it is bulky and the p&p doesn't appear to increase if you buy more or buy thicker boards. In fact, thicker boards are only marginally more expensive. I went for two thicknesses, so I could cut trenches and rivers out of the 12mm boards and then stick those onto the 25mm boards (it's a lot easier than carving such things out of boards).

The grade I went for is called MD-FRA, which is a fire-resistant material with a good density and ideal for modelling and carving. It's apparently what's mainly used for carving 'fake' statues, creating templates for industrial moulds and the like. I'm finding it to be A LOT better than Wickes or Homebase boards - a lot easier to sand, as it doesn't break up as easily.

[RMD]

I should add that the boards are actually 23 3/4 inches square rather than the full 24 inches. I suppose they lose that 1/4 inch during the cutting process.

[Essex Boy]

Very useful. Ta.

I had some tiles cut for me back in the eighties. Never did anything with them because storage became an issue. I've been wondering about having another go at making my own tiles.

Iain

[RMD]

Very useful. Ta.

I had some tiles cut for me back in the eighties. Never did anything with them because storage became an issue. I've been wondering about having another go at making my own tiles.

Iain

Yeah, likewise. The plan this time is to make something that, while not quite 'modular', could mostly be incorporated into another future project.

[Count Belisarius]

So how does this stuff compare to the blue stuff everyone uses?

[Paul]

It seems a bit more expensive than blue/grey extruded (It's all moving to grey now as Dows stopped making the blue stuff).

[RMD]

It's coming along nicely. That's the topography finished:

[RMD]

So how does this stuff compare to the blue stuff everyone uses?

I only know the white stuff.

[Paul]

So how does this stuff compare to the blue stuff everyone uses?

I only know the white stuff.

I think you're using the high density expanded Polystyrene?
The benefit of that over the blue/grey foam is that it's slightly softer and easier to cut and sand...but that's also its downside as it's less hard wearing and more susceptibl to accidental damage. If you're using a modelling compound over the expanded poly it probably negates it's downside a bit.
I'd always go for the blue (extruded) polystyrene as i'm used to it and am a clumsy sod. i didn't realise that it was also cheaper.
RMD is totally right though in that the DIY grade expanded poly just is not worth spending money on as it's much softer and too easily broken up into irritating beads that you'll still be finding long after you forgot you'd ever built the terrain!