This procedure can be used to make realistic stream, swamps, ponds for any scale of miniature wargaming. Materials needed: Woodland Scenic brand flocks, grasses, stones, and "Realistic Water", Latex or acrylic paint - earthtones, enamel paint - blue or brown to your preference for the water, heavy duty aluminum foil, Woodland Scenic brand rubber mold latex. Tools required: Scissors, ruler, paint brushes Scale: Decide what scale you want to build these pieces and set the width of the streams accordingly. Generally you are not going to make the width exactly to scale. For example a big stream 5 yards across would have to be 1/10 inch width in 15mm scale(where 1 inch=50 yards). I generally make mine between 1/4 and 3/4 inches wide and can use them for either 15mm or 25mm gaming. Design: Determine how many and what kind of pieces you want. The exact length will be determined by how you will store these pieces when finished( to fit in the box, drawer, etc). You'll want some fairly straight pieces, curves, S-curves, sections with a ford, Y-splits, etc. Construction Steps: 1) Take a section of aluminum foil about two feet long and wrinkle it up to desired waviness. Then flatten it out again on a table with the dull side of the foil up. 2) On the dull side paint paint on the "water" whether blue for clear deep water or brown colors for muddy or shallow water. 3) Cut out shapes...curves, straight pieces, etc. Be sure to leave at least 1/2 inch on each side of the water edge for land edge effects. 4) Detail fords, currents, etc in the way Back to Table of Contents -- ACW Newsletter # 3 Back to ACW Newsletter List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Marc Shefelton. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com