making rocky terrain/caverns/canyons?

[Jawafive]

Being inspired by hasbro's display at SDCC this year I was wondering what would be the best way to make a rocky terrain/catacomb/cave/desert-ish style diorama. I'm thinking something big here because I want to display the AT-TE in it. I'm looking for ideas from start to finish.

 

[syldar]

Ok i can help get you started - You are going to need a wooden baseboard to build upon. It can help if you use a couple of boards that way it is easier to transport later on if need be. a good thing to use here for the base would be plywood as it works well for basing although you will need to brace the edges as it is prone to warping.
Polystyrene is really good for terrain making as it is quite durable and easy enough to dig into and shape. The trick to working with polystyrene though is plenty of sharp blades or a hot wire cutter - can be usually found at hobby stores or a games workshop.
Polystyrene can also be melted using a dropped matchstick (procede with caution here) to create explosion scorch effects in the terrain.

Ok thats me for now i may be back later if i have the time. There is a good book on this from games workshop that details how to create terrain and such you simply have to ask and the people should help out there.

Good luck on this endevour it does sound like a rad idea

 

[BlindSquirrel]

Hitting the foam with spray paint will eat it away and give you a pretty convincing stone texture.