Reddit reviews Hercules Hot Knife/Hot Pen Styrofoam Cutter - Hot Wire Foam Cutter and Styrofoam Sculpting Tool (1 Pen)
We found 1 Reddit comments about Hercules Hot Knife/Hot Pen Styrofoam Cutter - Hot Wire Foam Cutter and Styrofoam Sculpting Tool (1 Pen). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Professional model, heats up to 400°F within 10 seconds.Easily cuts, shapes and sculpts styrofoam smooth and fast. Seals edges clean and leaves no debris! You can cut the foam board or foam block from any angle and craft into your desired shape.LED Power indicator and on/off switch mounted on the handle instead of fumbling with the cord like other modelsIncludes metal safety stand for resting hot needlesSturdy 2mm needle remains rigid when cutting and carving.
You could use layers of styrofoam, which you can cut to shape with a hot wire cutter, like [this.] (https://www.amazon.com/Hercules-Hot-Knife-Styrofoam-Cutter/dp/B06Y2H64P7/)
When you have the basic shape, you can cover it with something that will take paint, like DAS modeling clay or drywall grout. Anything that dries out will likely crack as it does, because it shrinks. You can fill the cracks with more of the same.
You can paint it with acrylics and add various forms of model railroad scenery (shredded foam for bushes, various grades of sand or ballast for the scattered gravel, etc.).
There are a million tutorials out there for building scenery. Look for model railroad scenery, wargames terrain, or scale model diorama tutorials.
This is the closest thing I have made to what you're describing. I did it with styrofoam and modeling clay.