# Mountain retaining wall project



## Theamazingswal (Dec 14, 2017)

I started a mountain and retaining project yesterday.

















George


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## Theamazingswal (Dec 14, 2017)

With limited art skills I finished the painting of the wall.







today.

George


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Limited art skills? Looks pretty good to me.


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

Looks good to me too! Nice job on the weathering/streaking.

Mark


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## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

Dayum, son, you do some good work!


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Looks great to me!


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## Theamazingswal (Dec 14, 2017)

Finished the retaining wall project today.

















George


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## SP Shawn (Mar 13, 2017)

looks real nice 
what did you build it with ? have a PEFECT spot for something very similar on my new layout


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## Theamazingswal (Dec 14, 2017)

I hope this helps Shawn?









George


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Great job on the wall and the scene behind it. Looks very good. Thanks for showing.
When you guys show your work it helps motivate others (me). Your layout is awesome.


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## Theamazingswal (Dec 14, 2017)

Thanks Mopac. Your right motivation for everyone. It's going to be a long winter. I have a lot more projects to get done before golf season.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

Excellent work! It looks like my layout is going to require some rather extensive retaining walls and you made it look very do-able.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

Nice work on the portals


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## Panther (Oct 5, 2015)

Absolutely great work.
Dan


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## rwslater (Oct 25, 2017)

Excellent work and thanks for sharing what you used.

Rob


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## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Well done!


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## rfernald (Nov 3, 2014)

Could you please describe how you built the mountain? What am I looking at for materials... my last one was hardware cloth and plaster but I like yours better.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

There are almost as many ways to build terrain as there are modelers, and there's no one best way. The key is finding one that allows YOU to produce convincing terrain.

From his photos, it looks like he uses cardboard strips (or torn chunks) covered with plaster cloth. His foundation looks like foam, but it might be a wooden lattice.

I have used several methods (in the order I tested them):
1) Wire screen covered with plaster (only minimal support structure is necessary). Shape the screen to the desired contour and fasten it in place (I stapled it to wood lathes). Slop on the plaster; make sure it's thick enough not to run through the holes in the screen. This sounds similar to what you did.
2) Balled up newspaper covered by plaster cloth. Use newspaper balls (make a "pillow" by repeatedly folding the edges under. Cover with a damp sheet of newspaper to even out the "chunkiness" caused by the edges of the balls. Apply plaster cloth over the top and shape it into the desired terrain. Apply a thin layer of plaster to hide the crosshatched look of the plaster cloth.
3) Cardboard strips covered by plaster cloth. Same concept as above, but using the strips hot-glued in a lattice form. The newspaper sheet isn't necessary.
4) Extruded foam boards stacked wedding-cake fashion, then shaped with a mini-hacksaw and a rasp, then covered with about a 1/4" thick layer of Sculptamold. Sculptamold is a mixture of plaster of Paris, shredded paper, and dry white glue. It's great to work with.
5) Woodland Scenics Shaper Sheet covered by Sculptamold. Shaper sheet is a thick metal foil backing a fuzzy surface. Shape it as desired and apply plaster product, which binds to the fuzz, making a good surface. 

While #5 was an interesting experiment and worked well, I still prefer #4 because it's so easy to get the contours just exactly how I want them. Your mileage may vary.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Love the mountain backdrop behind the bridge.


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## Theamazingswal (Dec 14, 2017)

Hobo maybe this will help.









George


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