"6mm alien plants/terrain ideas please" Topic

I am going to continue my resin making adventure by making some terrain suitable for alien worlds.

There seems to be little choice currently, with many people using regular Earth terrain and or fish tank decorations.

I want to make something that is generic enough to be used on many alien planets but also something simple enough that my limited modelling and casting skills can handle.

I have one idea that I think is a winner but would like to see other suggestions.

So, fire away please>>

Michael.

I don't know that you're going to be able to beat taking fish tank plants and chopping them up for alien foliage. For other types of terrain, typical earth terrain (perhaps with a different paint job) is usually good for me. I have liked what I've seen of the crystal stuff Acheson has been putting out lately – something like that (rock formations that defy earthly geological norms) might be interesting.

Doug

A few really off the wall suggestions:

Silicon sealant in the tube – squirt out a small blob and then "pull" tendrils out from it. Can leave clear or paint.

Use bits from nature – paint, stain, or leave as is. Seal with acrylic spray. Seed pods are particularly useful, such as the ones from the sweet gum:

link

Something that is similar to the mound hills from insects in Africa, but perhaps on a larger scale:

link

where you might have a base with a number of these, or stalagmite looking projections up from the ground.

Make "tree-like" objects from twists of tissue paper – then "paint" with white glue and water mixture.

Make "ponds" from CDs with growths coming up out of the water.

Make "mole holes" where you have a tunnel like entrance, and a slight raising of the terrain as the tunnel progresses, the slope gradually diminishing as the borrower of whatever sort goes deep.

Thanks Terrement, not sure the sealant or that intricate pod or the bits of paper are castable though.

May not be… but still usable terrain for you if you are so inclined. I've never worked with resin. Could the same effect of "pulling" tufts / tendrils be achieved by doing so either in larger/thicker/shorter forms work for you, or in either event, do so as tendril pieces that you clump together afterward? They wouldn't have to be doable as a single piece, nor even designed to fit together, just a random handful of "fingers" sticking up for the modeler to join together at the base or use as separate items?

Hi there, I'm thinking three themes; crystalline as mooted above, fungoid and termite mound/insectoid hives…..

Crystalline would be clumps of crystal formations that could be painted up in various shades – might represent anything from ice formations to kryptonite deposits….

Fungoid would be not only 'shrooms but also other grotesque organic forms – think tendrils/putrescence/bursting carbuncles……

Mounds would be mud chimneys, beehives, ant domes, ribbed and smooth….

Just my tuppence worth! :-)

You could try your hand at exposed tree roots (like a mangrove tree). Each leg cast separately might work better, but I don't know how much work it would be.

Ponds with bubbly bits might be interesting.

I like Steelonsand's ideas, but am also having trouble thinking of plants/terrain that couldn't be done from scratch or with re-purposing other items.

Some things on my to-do list for 6mm would be blasted forests, lava fields, crater fields, and weirdly coloured fauna, but I think I can make by hand.

I have more ideas for buildings though, like "city of the future"/Jetsons/Epcott Centre/Golden Age sci-fi sort of things. Even as low-rises, rather than skyscrapers, those would be fun to have.

Coral.

Triffids, we neeeeed Triffids.
And they would be handy go with certain figures in your scifi figures pack….

Some kind of Bug related terrain, maybe as mentioned above mounds, openings based on a honeycomb design?

or something similar to this on dakkadakka maybe:
link

I'd look for pictures of deep sea animals and plants, as well as coral,anemones, and anything else that lives on or near a reef. Really anything that lives on or near the ocean floor whether that's 4 fathoms or 4000. James Cameron got many of his ideas for the plants in Avatar from those plants and animals and they looked good on screen.

Relatedly, I've seen some really nice effects done with the leg and claw shells of crabs and lobsters.

I am working on nests for these:

"Drill Worms are flying parasites that make nests in rocky outcrops.
They hollow them out and lay their young inside.

Inside, the young incubate in egg sacks which as they grow push out through the nest and can be seen externally as what looks like giant sacks or blisters on the surface of the rock.

When the young are ready these sacks burst and spew out the ravenous flying drill worms.
The drill worms will then seek out living animals in which to grow, they will attack and overcome the victim and grow inside them.
When the drill worm has reached maturity it will leave the host (killing it in the process) and return to the nest to lay more eggs.

The nests of the drill worms are covered in strange markings which to date no-one has deciphered the meaning of, it seems however the older the nest the more markings it has.

One of the few predators of the drill worm is the flak worm (which actually is more like a worm).
Flak worms have armoured like carapace shells which are immune to the burrowing of the drill worms and as such they are virtually impossible to infect.

Flak worms can be found near the drills worms nest around the time the young are due to hatch."

Some good ideas here !!!!

And here they are:

Yo!
Love the Nests :D

If you're still thinking about expanding your Resin stuff;

How about some Crystal "Trees" or rocky outcrops.

Ridge lines with Crystals or rocks could be easily painted up to make any world, and provide a gaming table with LoS blocking thematic obstacles? [+1 to Steel on Sand]

Floating rocks or islands? A bit 40k Chaos perhaps, but look at Avatar! And would add a 3D element to a game.

Maybe some resin Tree armatures? I'm using Nails atm, but something different [maybe Palm tree style] would be really useful: Bang some foliage on and voila!

Tentacle style "Wibbly" trees??

Lava geysers / flow? Boiling mud?

Cracked / fragile ground?

How about trying to sculpt Fog? :D Wisps / lines of smoke / cloud / fog 3-4" long and ~0.5" wide.

OK, I think I'm all out of nonsense for now!

Whatever the weather – keep up the great work :D

Ben.

Cracked / fragile ground?

Hmmmmmmm interesting..

I was thinking pools/ponds/ next but maybe not….

Those are great and will be ideal for my Skyth bug armies :)
Although I'll paint mine martian(ish)red.

Any time frame for when you will have them for sale?

On my site now, waiting for Bill to post on here!