The Mountain Pass

Creating the Mountain Pass

This was one of the sets that I feared the most. I knew it was possible with the right amount of know how, I’d seen so many of those large Electric Train displays with the trains going through the mountain and passing through the village filled with tiny people and I knew from past sets that I had built using the grass and dirt materials that it would look in scale with the Joes but I thought it would be a lot harder than it actually is.

First is to sculpt the mountain into the shape you want it to be. Pick a large stable surface to be your base to work on. Now grab any kind of filler you can find, meaning packing Styrofoam, cardboard boxes, Popsicle sticks but whats most important is grab a nice big Sunday paper and have it handy. What you are looking to do here is to use the large pieces to create height and width on the mountain but then you want to use crumpled newspaper to give the details of the mountain itself. Use Painters tape to hold everything in place where you want it.

The company that produces the majority of supplies that you will need is named Woodland Scenic, they are without a doubt the number one distributor for these kinds of materials. The first thing you will need is Plaster Netting, this net is covered with a small amount of plaster, that when quickly soaked in water, allows you to place the net over the newspaper / Styrofoam sculpture you created and form a surface that will dry and harden. Keep the pieces small because they dry quickly and become hard to use (About 1ft to a foot and a half). Overlap each piece by at least an inch and use your fingers to spread the plaster over the netting so that you end up with a surface that is almost completely solid. (There will be small holes that will need filling). Just think about the texture of the earth you are trying to create, it may take a little practice but you will get the hang of it quickly.

Allow it to dry and harden for at least 24 hours. You could technically use this to start building your surface on but I choose to go a step further to really give it more realism. Cobra Island is supposed to be a volcanic Island, and so I wanted the rock to really look like lava rock. This required it to be smoothed out and I did it with Plaster of Paris, a powder you buy that when mixed with water can be applied and shaped onto the Sculpture you created and in this case gave the rock that smooth texture. This must also dry for at least 24 hours.

Painting the rock is easy. You can use any paint you like, just remember that rock has many different shades that give it the color you see when looking at it. Take a rock and give it a good look, notice all those colors? This is easy to replicate with various shades of gray. Or just grab some Woodland Scenic paints that are conveniently labeled, like Slate gray, Stone gray and such. I applied a base coat of one dark color gray and then, sparingly (Dry Brush method), used two lighter grays over it. It is amazing how quickly it starts to look like real rock.

Before you know it, you've got a set that's starting to look extremly realistic. Just remember to use a good mix of colors and blend.

Now the really fun part. Picture in your mind what the end result should look like and make sure to put out some drop cloths because this does get a little messy. The first thing you apply is the scenic cement, it should come in a spray bottle, but if not, wash out any old spray bottle and use it with the mist icon showing on the nozzle. Give the entire area that you want to have grass or dirt on a good spray, soak it, but don’t spray any area that you don’t want to cover with turf, it may stain (Like bare rock).

Again, Woodland Scenic, sells different turfs to cover your sculpture with like Dirt, Slate rock, Lush grass, Burnt grass, clump grass (as shown) and many more. Grab a bunch to help form textures. Most come with a lid that doubles as a shaker and that’s really the best way to get good results. Start with one in the dirt category, because we don’t often think of it but you can usually see dirt poking up through most grassy fields at certain points. Then for the road, I found the Rock categories to be good, like Slate rock or coal. (You see, in a model train set this stuff might look like pieces of coal but in Joe scale it’s great for dirt roads and such.) Let this set and dry over night.

Next day, re-spray the entire surface with more scenic cement but this time be gentle with it or you may start spraying away some of the unglued particles from the previous day. Now add grasses and also give the road a second coat. Remember as you add the grass colors to rotate between the different kinds to give it texture and different colors, no grassy field is just one color. Once you’ve achieved your desired result let it sit again over night. Almost done, I promise.

Next and last day of construction. Give the entire surface another spray to seal. Make sure everything you wanted to cover is covered and make adjustments as necessary. Now is the time to add some foliage, just like my description of creating a jungle from the first Operation Creation, use rocks from outside, twigs, branches. Plastic leaves from a local arts and crafts store make great backdrops and your done.

I know this is a process, plus it is messy and I know it takes days but I can assure you that the finished product is unbelievable. The sculpture itself is light in weight because its sculpted from newspaper, which makes it very easy to move around. The colors of the turf can always be changed and touch ups are simple and when you place a figure on that grass you will be blown away by how really it looks.

Click to view this Diorama in Chapter 6: Dance with the Devil