Construction Methods for Rice Paddies

Among the projects that I'm piddling with right now, is the design of a "system" of modular rice paddies. I've been looking at the work of others on here lately, and have been inspired to finally get something done for my Vietnam gaming. So this is all you guys fault.

I'm hoping to create a modular, expandable system of rice paddies that can vary in overall area and arrangement for different scenarios. The individual paddies wouldn't vary in size, just the footprint occupied by the group of paddies, through adding or removing indivual paddies.

The basic construction will be bases of thin sheet styrene (either .04 or .06 inch, not sure yet), with the berms or bunds (not sure what the typical term for the containment walls for rice paddies actually is) made from extruded polystyrene insulation foam, and finished with the usual landscaping materials. I'll be making them primarily for use with the Grubby Tanks/Britannia 20mm figs that I bought years ago.

My first thought started with the idea of making the paddies such that they would be split in the center of the berms, but this would inolve a series of narrow berms pieces that would frame the paddies to complete the berms. In laying out the design specs., that involves a rather complicated set of berm pieces that would be likely to be jostled about during play. Additionally, different berms would have to be made to accommodate all of the possible arrangements of different sized paddies. In the end, too tedious to manage, I think.

So right now, I more or less have settled on the idea of building a couple single and double paddies that are complete units, and a few additional two or three sided paddies, i.e., missing one or two berms that could be layed adjacent to the complete paddies to expand a single or double paddy unit into a group of three to five or more. The paddies missing a berm could be a little smaller or have an irregular shape to give some variety to the overall arrangement. On the partial paddies, one or two sides would end at the water's edge, with the berm cut on a diagonal, such that it would almost seamlessly butt up to the berm of any other paddy.

This second configuration will minimize the seams between the paddies, which would exist down the centerlines of all of the berms in the first design.

I figured i'd throw this out here, in case anyone had come up with a better method for doing something like this, or in case anyone had any other thoughts to share regarding making rice paddies.

Not me.  I still haven't made any yet.  I keep entering design paralysis.  Do I want to try this... or try this... and that's where I have been stuck.  I'll be interested to see what you come up with.  I have been trying to think about how to make them modular as well... and making some that would fit next to small hills to give that layered look you see in the more hilly regions.

I can't say my method is any better, only that it has worked well for me. 

I have:
4 that are 5 1/2" x 10"
2 that are 8" x 8"
2 that are 10" x 12"
2 that are 16" x 16"

All are complete paddies, with paddy dikes all the way around. I find them to be very flexible and all are useable independently. I normally arrange them in groupings by butting them up against each other. Then, of course, the dikes will be double width and there is a seam. "No sweat, GI."

Sometimes I will have an "island" between where several join with a hooch or two, and trees  and nipas.

I truly like the fact that I have no piece that will not stand on its own, and that they can be put together in countless ways.

Tom

Various of mine are made from picture frames from a $2 shop, with a bit of filler over them to rough them up - cheap and quick.

Thanks for the replies.

I started a couple of them a couple days ago, just the free-standing units, not the ones that will be able to butt up against them. I'm waiting for some supplies to arrive, and will start a terrain thread and share pics as soon as I have something to show.

I appreciate the dimensional info above, I was kind of wondering how big some of the examples were that I saw pictured on the forum.

Thanks again.

Looking forward to seeing what you do.

Tom