Terrain out of Packaging Inserts?

[Sobriquet]

Hey guys!

I was curious what sort of experiences people have with scratch building terrain features out of plastic / styrofoam / cardboard packaging inserts.  I've got a pantload kicking around... but I'm wondering just how much the hardcore grognards like/dislike this sort of on-the-cheap building.

I've seen some stuff online that to my eye looks fantastic -- even made some skyrise husks out of small milk crates that look wicked (inspired from http://www.skankgame.com/Highrises.html)

I'm specifically going for sci-fi, so it can look weird/alien/futuristic.

If people have pics they've taken of their stuff, that would be an added bonus!

Cheers

[dampfpanzerwagon]

Most of my terrain is built from recycled scrap material.  I would heartily recommend you try it.

Tony
http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/

[Hammers]

Clever idea, that there beer crate hirise husk.

[The_Wisecrack]

im working on a PA factory out of a BT home hub card insert. i will post pics by Wednesday.

TW

[HerbyF]

I have done a number of terrain peices from old packaging. The plastic stuff i basicly the same a vacuformed terrain pieces. I have made a number of strongholds from the styrofoam forms. And I have some adobe buildings made from the fromed cardboard that id becoming more common. Slap on plenty of paint & a few craft sticks and suprise yourself.

[bandit86]

I love the recycle cardboard stuff and the second one is a plastic package

http://bandit86.blogspot.com/2008/07/wip-my-1st-quar-house-trash-to-treasure.html
http://www.quarinvasion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=451&highlight=

[myincubliss]

Indeed, one of the bits of card that came holding my ps3 looks like an armoured bunker, complete with crenelations (is that the word I was looking for? A piece of architecture functioning like a mini-mantlet) - All it needs is a bit of glue and a door cutting in. Which doesn't explain why it's still sitting on my desk taunting me...

When I was a student, I spent a couple weeks papier-macheing up some weirdly shaped packaging material to make a mud-hut fort, complete with watch towers... which I left in the airing cupboard when we moved out. D'oh...

[Troll]

I made a temple out of the cardboard insert for my cell phone. It work well for me. Check it out at http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=2990.0

Troll

[The_Wisecrack]

my recent wip factory




TW

[Bako]

I like to use the packaging as well. I'm a trifle bit picky though, as I look for pieces that actually look like part of a structure or something of the sort. I've no pictures currently as most is either no longer in my possession or still a pile of styrofoam and plastic. If the time is taken and details added it will look great, so please do try this cheap, but good method.

[Sobriquet]

Wow, this stuff is awesome -- I like a lot of the little details, the doors and whatnot... really makes them look legit rather than just a pile of painted recycling. 

At the moment I'm trying to think of a simple way to add a slight bit of texture to smooth plastic.  I usually use black gesso for my priming, which offers a tiny amount of texture, but not enough to really suit my needs.  I've been eyeing those spray paint cans that make stuff look like rock/stucco/whatever*... anybody ever use it?  Good or bad experiences?

* Krylon "Make it Stone" textured paint, I think it's called.

[Bako]

I'm not sure about that thin plastic but some kinds of plastic (and the styrofoam packing material) can melt from the aerosol texture paint. I don't know what brand of texture paint I have (the label is gone) but that stuff needs some distance between the surface for the paint and the can itself otherwise it is waaaay to textured and looks like really icky/lumpy I dunno what. But it doesn't create a very good concrete-type surface. I'd suggest around four feet distance.

[Glitzer]

I use white wall paint for concrete-effects. Mix it with black acrylic paint or ink for the desired shade of grey. The downside: you have to test it first, because the colour looks darker when wet. Therefor I use a sealable small bucket (ex-mustard-bucket in my case) to mix the colour and keep it wet while testing).

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

I want to go one further and make inserts for Nuclear Renaissance that are terrain!

What I need is somone who can do vacforming. ANyone know such a company?