Slag or Lava Mounds for Sci-Fi

I have been casting miniatures with pewter for a while now, and I usually use a spoon to remove any impurities, slag, and ash that are floating on top of my crucible before I pour anything into the molds.  Up to now, this material was useless to me.  As I am now working on creating retro sci-fi units for Combat Patrol™ games, I came up with the idea of repurposing this material for needed terrain – like old lava flow mounds or industrial slag.

To finish up for October, I created four CD-mounted slag/lava mounds using three regular size CD’s and a smaller one.  I used five slag piles, gluing each to the CD with wood glue and letting them sit overnight.  I also applied a coat of wood glue to the surfaces of the CD’s  for better paint and flocking adhesion down the line.

 

 

I then primed the group with Krylon “Ultra-Flat Black” matte spray paint.  I took Reaper Master Series Paints “Grey Liner” and coated the slag and the CD’s.  After this, I applied a coat of Citadel “Nuln Oil”.  To bring out the highlights, I used Americana “Zinc” to dry brush the pieces.

 

 

I then let the pieces dry.  Then, I used white glue to affix two types of flocking from Army Painter – “Ash Grey” and “Battlefield Black” in a random pattern.  I applied two coats of Testors “Dull Coat”, allowing for adequate drying in between each.

 

 

 

 

 

I am pretty pleased with the results.  It was not a difficult process at all.  Of course, I will need to acquire a dark cloth for covering my tabletop battlefield with these.  I thought about adding some grasses or tuft, but in the end went for a more wasteland look – devoid of life.  I look forward to having figures use them as cover in a Combat Patrol™ game!