After my decent success with the smaller molds I decided to try making casts of larger parts.  I created the containers for the molds using sheet styrene.  I scored and snapped the pieces into strips, and then hot-glued them into place.  After gluing the part to the bottom of the container I used BB’s to estimate the amount of material needed (rice would probably be more accurate but I made use of what was available).

I mixed the molding material according to the directions and poured it into the containers after I had sprayed them liberally with mold release.  Based on what I have learned from previous attempts I made the pour and then left them undisturbed for about 5 days.  The overall results were favorable so I will be letting them cure for up to a week before removing the molds from the container.

As you can see in the picture, I have added quite a few trees on the hill and in the tow yard.  I built most of them using various Woodland Scenics products.  I still need to add underbrush (maybe should have done that first, not sure) and a sprinkling of ground foam to some of the trees.

All that I can say is that it takes a lot of trees to cover a small hill.  I found that I like the fine leaf foliage product for the best realism (the olive green trees lower on the hill).  The ones here are just large pieces that I picked out and glued into place.  I realize now that I probably should have went for a darker color, though I should be able to fix it with ground foam.

I decided to try my hand at casting parts.  After talking with the staff at the local TAP Plastics I decided that urethane molds were the best choice for my desired results (I was also considering silicone, but this looked a little bit easier).  I followed the directions in creating the mold, making sure to use plenty of spray release on the original parts.

Here is a picture showing my first attempt at casting parts.  Note how only a part of the closer cast is white – this picture was taken right as it started to change.

I ended up doing two practice pours so far.  As you can see the results were slightly better on the right hand part.  Also in this picture you can see that I cut the mold in half; the mold sitting on the edge of the cork board apparently did not get enough mold release before I poured – causing major “stickage”.  I think that for the next molds I make I will only cast one part at a time.  The different masses of material needed in the parts caused wildly different curing times between each of the parts.

This technique was rather fun, though fairly expensive.  The level of details that you can get in the parts is amazing, though it takes a little practice to get it right.  If you ever decide to give it a try make sure to start on a relatively easy part until you get the hang of it.

After the epoxy had set I used Woodland Scenics Water Effects.  The instructions were extremely limited on this product, at least what was contained on the bottle and what I could find on their website.  The stuff went on like caulking – I used a paintbrush to shape the product.  Luckily I made the correct guess and found that it was water-soluble and was able to clean the brush after the application.  According to the instructions it should dry clear.

Here is the picture of the area after I added the first layer of ground cover.  I used the Woodland Scenics scenic paint to color the rock castings after they had been glued in place.  Diluting the colors by at least 50% allowed me to wash the rocks in layers, creating a very natural look.  I tried some clumps from the pot topper for the grass, though I still need to fill in around the edges.  I am not sure of the results on these yet – they might work better in larger patches rather than this size.

After allowing the ground cover to dry completely I mixed up several batches of epoxy resin from my local TAP plastics (which I recommend as an excellent source for anything plastics related, they have a lot of information available for free).  I tinted the water lightly, alternating between blue and green in the batches.  Using the resin tints provided for very clear water, I think I will do my next water area trying Floquil paint instead of the tint.  I did get some creepage up the sides as you can see in the picture.  On the bank I will add a little ground cover to hide it, and the edge can be sanded down easily.