I recently made some modular hedges for various games, primarily Chain of Command, but they'll see use in my Dark Age and ECW games (when that project finally gets off the ground. Some buildings have appeared, but they're not ready to show off yet). I posted some pics of them on the Bolt Action Terrain Makers facebook group, and they got a ton of interest. Quite why, I don't know. There's much more impressive stuff on there that deserves the attention more, but the masses are fickle and enjoy a good hedge, apparently. Tutorials were asked for, so here they are.
I made three types, you can have photo tutorials for two of them, and a description of the other one because I haven't got pics.
The first type is really simple and cheap to make. Low hedges / bushes.
They are made from reconsituted chip foam. I get mine from ebay here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352161463785?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=JNeTN5AqTI6&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=uQAQ4z_8RJ2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I get the samples, which are 99p for something roughly A4 sized. It comes in a very neat cut slab, so I rip it in half across the face, ending up with two flat faces and a rough and knobbly top. Then I rip that into roughly the sized pieces I want. It ends up looking like this:
I then spray it (and my fingers) brown with the cheapest brown spraypaint I can find. The foam doesn't melt to aerosols like some others do, so go nuts. Once that is dry, which can take a while, I coat it in spray adhesive. Don't use spray adhesives from DIY stores. They're thick and stringy and will ruin your terrain. Use stuff like the 3m spray adhesive (https://amzn.eu/d/cxEbjUo) which is good but expensive, or the spray mount from Hobbycraft (https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/repositionable-adhesive-spray-400ml/6335741000.html) which is cheaper. I'd advise avoiding the one described as movable, as it doesn't give a very good hold. Quickly, before the glue dries, give them a good covering of your favourite flavour of fine turf flock from Jervis Countryside Scenics. Your foliage mixture of choice will be fine, though. I hear good things about noch, for instance.
No basing needed as the foam sits nice and flat.
Type two hedges require some rubberised horsehair. Again, ebay is your friend. The grey stuff works better than the rubberised coconut fibre, but it's a bit of a crapshoot which you'll recieve from the ebay sellers. Ultimately it doesn't really matter as they both work.
Start off with a 1 1/2" x 6" strip of foamcore, and bevel the edges. This is your base. You'd think it would warp, but it doesn't. Don't ask me why. I'm as surprised this worked as you are. Anyway, paint it with a mix of cheap brown acrylic and PVA to seal the foam edges because these buggers are going to get spray painted later.
If they do warp at this point, paint the back with the same mixture when they're dry and they should go back to their original shape.
I got fancy, and hot-glued on some woodland scenics bases from their tree armatures, because I wanted to be able to slot in trees if I wanted, but this is entirely optional. If you do this, make sure to mark the underside of the bases with an x where there is an armature slot, because they are surprisingly easy to lose in the foliage.
Next I took a pair of scissors to the rubberised horsehair mats and cut into strips of the height and length you want. Then put a squiggle of hot glue on the strips and glue the horsehair down. You will burn your fingers here. Just sayin'. Keeping a 28mm figure handy to guage the height is useful.
You can mix it up with some chip foam if you like. Whatever.
Then follow the same steps for spray painting, spray adhesive, flock, and sealing. Bob's your mother's brother.
The last type is the bocage style with a mound under the hedges. I made these ages ago before I started photographing my process, but basically it's the same theory as type 2. Make some foamboard bases, this time 2" in width, but also make some foamboard strips 1" width. Pile two thinner ones on top of the thicker and secure them hot glue. At this point, you'll need to smother them in either sculptamold or modelling compound from LGGS. Same stuff. Form them into nice mounds and let them dry before hitting them with brown acrylic. Your table will now look like it's covered in large, very regularly shaped turds. Take a moment to consider what you are doing with your life.
The keener amongst you may want to add rocks and roots and other details, or bases for woodland scenics tree armatures like I did above, or magnets, or anything else you desire.
From this point on it's exactly the same steps as type 2 hedges; hot glue on rubberised horsehair, burn fingers repeatedly, spray brown, spray glue, Jervis fine turf, seal.
So there you are. Loads of fairly cheap modular hedges. Your biggest expense here is probably going to be the spray adhesive, but it's worth it for the convenience. About 25 feet of type 2 and 3 should probably be just enough for a 6x4, fairly dense bocage table.
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