Terrain for Southeast Asia, Part 2

One of the things that defines the Vietnam War, as far as I'm concerned, is the Mekong Delta and the riverine forces that fought there. I find that this area makes for fascinating wargaming.

As such, a fair bit of the terrain I work on represents the Delta area and rivers are a major portion of that. As I've said before, I use GHQ Terrain Maker hexes, despite not being all that happy with it as a product. There's far too much variation in exact size and shape from hex to hex and it's way too much trouble to try to alter every single hex. But, I've yet to find a better, but still affordable alternative. 

So, we begin with a 1/4" hex, which I smear with a liberal coating of Flexpaste

I then tap gently with my finger all over the wet paste to raise small "wave" ridges, to simulate current, etc. Then let it dry well and we end up with this

Rivers in Vietnam are rarely blue or blue-green as they are in the US or Europe. Generally in Southeast Asia, they're an opaque mud color, and in some areas, with a noticeable olive green tint. I went to Home Depot looking for a "muddy water" house paint and what should I find for $2 in the mis-mixed bin? 

Enough to last a lifetime!! So after giving my hexes two coats for even coverage, I then add a generous coat of Vallejo Gloss Varnish and here's the end product

When strung together and banks added to both sides, I get something like this

As you can see, the GHQ hexes don't fit together as seamlessly as I want, but it'll do until I find a better alternative. 

Ok, back to the work bench!!