After my last game, I realized I needed some fallen trees to serve as linear obstacles and break up the ground a bit. I made these from balsa.
I used some 12"long pieces of 1"square balsa. I cut each into two pieces with an angled cut, and trimmed the other end to a similar angle. I then used a small block plane to shape the tops of the pieces into a suitable log shape. The bottoms I only rounded slightly to give the impression of a curve while making sure they would not roll around on the table.
After rounding the pieces, I scrubbed them lengthwise with a wire brush to add a bark texture to the wood. Just keep at it until you like how it looks.
Then I used an old pair of wire cutters to cut and tear out the ends of the logs as if it had rotted away. Don't worry about breaking the edges, that adds to the effect. If you break off too much, you can easily glue the piece back in to place later.
I painted them with a mix of dark brown and grey paint. Once that dried I gave them a heavy dry brush of grey.
Last I dabbed on some glue and covered it with green flock. With that dry, they are ready for play.
And last, an action shot of some Navy boys getting into trouble in the jungle.
