Throwback Project - Games Workshop Moonscape Craters

These are Game Workshop's Moonscape Craters. This product appeared around the time of Warhammer 40K's Apocalypse expansion. Big holes in the ground are a fair representation of the damage that super-heavy units could do to the surrounding landscape. Maintaining a nice lawn isn't much of a priority in the grimdark future where there is only shooting, screaming, and stabbing. The reception the Moonscape Craters received at the time was mixed. They are long out of production.

Turning my table into a lunar landscape.

These have been on my "unfinished project pile" for awhile. Like many folks in this hobby, I have a fair number of miniatures and terrain pieces that have barely seen the light of day. I've owned some of them for so long that they have fallen out of production. In mid-2020, I started on finishing some of them just to get them done. Warsenal's Planters, Reaper's Kaladrax Reborn, other Bones miniatures, and Bombshell Miniatures' Bug Spray were a good start. I'd like to get as many out of production products done as possible in 2021.

With something down the road needing crater terrain, I decided to use these rather than purchase a new product. This project also gave me a chance to experiment with the techniques I am considering for another terrain project later this year. I painted up a couple of these back in 2011. Those were stripped and repainted with the rest. I felt that I could do a better job now and wanted a uniform appearance for the whole set.

Texturing
The edges are smooth plastic with no detailing at all. I glued on some sand to provide texture. I almost wish I didn't bother - those areas stand out from the lack of texture on the craters themselves. I did sprinkle some sand on the craters before priming to add some texture there, but the effect is too subtle to stand out when the craters are on the table.

Close up of crater interior. Sand was added for extra texturing.

Primer
Spray primed with Krylon COLORmaxx Flat Black Spray Paint and Primer In One. I went for complete coverage to provide shading.

Base Color
Spray painted with Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Brown. When Krylon puts "Ultra-Flat" on a can, they mean no reflection at all. Which is desirable for a paint intended to help conceal the surface it is applied to. Also sprayed for complete coverage, but some black showing in the deepest recesses would have been acceptable.

Highlight Color
Spray painted with Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Khaki. I sprayed this at an angle to avoid filling in the recessed areas.

Close up of a crater piece. Note the contrast between the added texture on the outer edge and the rest of the piece. Also note the visible warping - the piece does not sit flat on the table.

The plastic used for these craters is thin enough to have warped. None of the craters sit flat on the table. I'm not sure if they were always that way or if storage took its toll on them.

I considered applying a wash to bring out more details, but decided against it. Close examination revealed that a wash wouldn't make much difference - the details are too muddy. Even the best applied wash can't really bring out details that are barely there.

Overall, I'm kinda regretting the $17 USD (retail price) I spent on these back in the day. They'll do the job of representing craters at a variety of scales, but I can't help but feel that there must be a better product out there.