Creating something from nothing...

It has been a long while since I last blogged. Real Life has a way of derailing playing time. I've been gaming, just haven't been posting.

I'd bought a Skylanders: Trap Team portal for the kids, but it was a dud.  Since I'd only spent a couple of dollars on it used, I wasn't too upset.

Looking at it, I really liked the icy surface and immediately thought "I can use that". I decided I'd see how much terrain I could build with what would otherwise go in the trash.

I spent the time taking the portal apart (they're well-built!) and wound up with two components: The "icy" plastic surface and three hollow, open-sided rune-etched rocks.

Build #1: Pools

Your party quietly crept down the corridor, ears straining to hear the sounds of enemies or...anything. The passage opened to a vast room. In the center of the room was a pool, its liquid placid, but emitting a glow that illuminated the entire room.

I've long had a thought of creating pools from small picture frames. I didn't know if it would work or not (i.e., I didn't want players saying "Hey, that's a picture frame!").

1. Buy the frames.  I bought two, 2"x3" frames from Dollar Tree.
2. Cut out the surface. I used my rotary tool and cut out two 2"x3" rectangles to replace the glass in the frames. The plastic is thick, so I had to deburr the edges with a sharp blade and my rotary tool.
3. Create, print and cut out liquids. I chose two types of water, ice, lava, and swamp patterns to place inside the frames. These I resized in MS Word and then printed and cut out.
4. Texture/paint the pools' edges. Both pools needed to look like they were made of blocks, so I used either a sharp blade or my rotary tool to cut out the patterns I wanted. The first pool was made to look like gray stone. I used stone texture spray paint and then repainted it. The second pool was painted to look like white marble.

I am happy with the results. I think they are passable as small pools, and with the different liquid options, are very versatile.

Build #2: Way Markers

The path through the Dwarven tunnels was illuminated by large stone way points. The runes etched into the stones glowed with an inner light; illuminating your way through the catacombs.

1. Fill the Sides. Since the sides of these things were open, I cut out egg carton and used a hot glue gun to attach pieces to the markers. I made sure to feather the edges to maintain a cohesive stone look.
2. Buy the lights. Again, Dollar Tree to the rescue! I originally was going to use the larger tea lights that flicker, but didn't like the aesthetic. DT carries a second line of tea lights that are smaller in diameter and are LED. 
3. Alter the lights. I used egg carton to warp the sides of the lights, being careful not to glue the two halves together. The tops were already textured, so I didn't apply carton to them. I then used Sharpies to color the bulb covers orange, purple, or green.
4. Attach the pieces. I used Goop! glue and attached the markers to the bases.
5. Paint. I painted all three to look like gray stone. 

I like these, although they are taller than I'd really wanted. I can't get around that, as the lights I used are what give them their height. The lights are a little dimmer than I'd like, but workable.

Build #3: Ice Walls

The wizard's breath plumed in the frosty air, the words in an almost forgotten, long dead language. The snow-covered ground shook, then split. Jagged pieces of ice erupted from the fissures and grew in front of the wizard. Soon, a wall of thick sheet ice separated him from the Polar Bear. It rammed against the barrier, but was unable to penetrate its layers. It soon gave up with a final, frustrated roar.

I had leftover platform bits, so I decided to make ice walls.

1. Break up pieces. Using pliers and force, I broke the pieces into shards.
2. Create foundation. I used EPVC (Extruded PVC) for the bases and rounded the edges. EPVC is as thick as foam board, but is more dense and won't flex as much. It also takes paint very well. Scraps can usually be found at sign-making shops. I get mine for free.
3. Attach ice. I hot glued the shards to the base, making sure the pieces overlapped.
4. Flock. I used snow flocking for this. The EPVC is white, so I simply spread PVA glue (i.e., Aylene's or Elmer's) over the surface with an old brush and applied the flocking. Make sure to get flocking in between the ice layers to make it really look like they erupted from the ground.
5. Seal. Making sure to not get too much on the ice shards, I sealed the flocking to the base with matte spray sealant.

These are tall enough where they should provide "full protective coverage" (the Heroclix minis are on extra thick/tall bases), but there are some slightly lower points. You can discuss it with your mates on how they can be used in whatever rules with which you're playing.

Final Takeaway

I'm happy that I made three terrain projects from one broken piece of electronics! As an added bonus, I feel that all three are table-ready. Not bad for spending roughly $5 and using supplies I already had around the house. I really don't have a use for any of them at this point, but someday...maybe.