First, Ed designed the track layout using a
computer-aided design tool. Then we built
the table, using the "cookie cutter" method.
The entire table is covered with 1/2-inch
particle board. (Plywood tends to warp.)
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Then we cut the outlines of the areas to be
elevated, and supported them with vertical
braces, as seen above and at left.
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Next, we cut cardboard strips and used
them as framing for the terrain. Here a
small hill is under construction.
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Then we covered the cardboard stips with
paper towels torn in quarters and soaked
with Plaster of Paris. Then we let it dry.
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Next, a thick coat of River Rock base color
(a shade of beige) was applied. Here I'm
painting three newly plastered hillocks added
to the sides of a raised stretch of track.
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While the paint was still wet, various colors
of finely powdered foam rubber were sprinkled
on the paint. For vertical surfaces, we poured
the powdered foam on a v-shaped piece of
paper, then blew the powder onto the wet
paint, as Ed is doing here.
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By varying the density of the powdered foam
rubber, we could achieve different effects.
The denser areas here look like grass; the
less dense areas show more of the under-
lying paint, and look like rock strata.
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Finishing touches included rocks (molded
plaster), bushes (solid foam rubber and lichen
torn into different sizes and glued in place),
trees (from kits of 10 or 20), buildings, people,
and a mural glued to the wall. The end result
is a realistic scene in miniature.
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A look at the whole table under construction.
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Bit by bit the layout began to take form.
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