How much rubble is necessary?

[Deathwing]

Greetings all.  I am currently working on my super secret Fallout project, to be revealed at Fall-in in two weeks, and I’ve hit a bit of a snag.  I managed to build about four feet of destroyed overpass, but now I am not sure if I like the results.  The question I have for the assembled terrain gurus of this forum is what should one do with the destroyed parts of the overpass that sit on the ground.   I have three pieces of terrain that are essentially horizontal road sections sitting atop dowel road supports, all of which are mounted to a hardboard base.  Now between these sections I made two collapsed sections that are meant to sit diagonally from the upright section.  These pieces are unbased and are to simply be placed against the horizontal pieces.  Now the whole shebang runs over road sections that are already built and painted, which means I don’t wish to modify them. What bothers me is the lack of rubble around angled pieces.  I have modelled some light rubble around the based pieces, but this is nowhere near the number that would normally be there, especially if you have ever seen the destroyed overpasses in Fallout 3.  From a modeling perspective this bothers me, but from a time and gaming standpoint, I’m wondering if it’s necessary to add that much detail.  I’ve also seen people use loose rubble (rocks, sand, etc) to good effect, but I will be using a flocked mat and I fear that the lose stuff will chuff up the mat.  So my question is how much rubble is necessary.  I know it’s a little vague now, but I will try to post pictures later.  That’s for the help on this one.   

Joey

[fastolfrus]

If you don't want to scuff your mat, make some loose standing piles of rubble that are flat bottomed. Perhaps plaster (builder's plaster or plaster of paris) with assorted stones, grit gravel, rubbish piled onto/into it before it sets. Do it on a non-stick surface (shiny plastic sheet or glass) and then slide it off after it has set. Paint the underside with a thick coat of (cheap household) gloss paint or varnish to keep it smooth and hopefully it won't scuff your mat.
Whether you have time to do that is another question.....

Alternately look for cheap $ store bags of toy soldiers etc, they usually come with a pile of plastic rubble (or a flagpole base)

[Deathwing]

That's not a bad idea Fastolfrus, not sure I'll have time for that.  To help people get a visual here's some pics.

Shot of a based piece

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/azrael2305/PA210182.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/azrael2305/PA210184.jpg

Rubble pile on base

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/azrael2305/PA210185.jpg

Diagonal piece

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/azrael2305/PA210188.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/azrael2305/PA210186.jpg

Lack of rubble

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/azrael2305/PA210187.jpg

I hope this provides a better visual.  So is rubble really necessary or are the larger pieces enough?

Joey

[Alfrik]

Here is how I did my rubble piles:

http://armoredink.blogspot.com/2009/06/finished-rubble-pieces.html

plenty of loose bricks in the rubble, window frames, wall secitions shattered.

[Deathwing]

Those are interesting Alfrik.  I though of doing oblong shapes along the same principle.  Maybe I throw some together this weekend.  I really can't wait to show off my project.  It's my biggest project to date and has stolen several months from me.  I'm not the most prolific of builders so my build is of course modest. 

Joey

[archangel1]

One thing you might try is to pour a slab of plaster roughly equal to the area of the overpass that has collapsed and then smash it.  That way, you'll have the 'exact' amount of rubble that would have been created when the structure broke apart.  You can then arrange the pieces on the ground or in small piles on thin bases, however you wish.  You could insert short lengths of rebar and other types of debris for extra detail.

[Belgian]

Here a some of my piles of rubble for 15mm.

http://wargameterrain.blogspot.com/2009/08/stalingrad-15mm-part-iii.html

I hope you like them,

Greets the Belgian,

[tima113]

Joey,

Try this link for rubble ideas.

http://www.skankgame.com/SlagMaking.html

Not sure there's enough time before fall in, but figure it shouldn't take more than a day for the plaster to dry. Aluminum cookie sheets from the dollar store would make a cheap mold for the plaster plus provide a thin layer easier to dry. It will be a mess so plan on acheap ground cover if you use it loose, otherwise can glue piles to bases.

Tim