The board itself is built upon a single 4x4 sheet of 9mm thick MDF. This seems to be a good compromise between size, weight and rigidity i.e. it fits in my car, isn't too heavy and doesn't flex to any great degree. It can also be stored standing on edge in the garage without taking up too much space.
Upon the board we glued (with a lot of PVA) two sheets of 50mm pink foam, side by side to form a square. It's best to weigh down the foam once glued, and leave overnight to stick properly. We set about carving the foam before the glue was set, and ended up having to re-stick it.
Upon the foam we drew the outline of the island coastline in pencil, and began carving away at the foam with a breadknife to form the slope of sandy beach into the sea. A hot wire cutter might also work here, but may be tricky to use in the areas where the foam meets the board.
Once the rough shape of the island had been carved we applied ready mixed filler to the gaps between foam sheets, and to the base of the foam where it met the board i.e. where the sand would meet the water. Once the fillter is dry then both it and the pink foam itself can be sanded. Medium grade sandpaper seemed to do the trick, and leave a smooth finish to the foam. We sanded the beach into a smooth curve rising from the water to a plateau at the top of the island. It's advisable to try and get the finish of the filler as smooth as possible during application, as this will make sanding to a consistent finish much easier.
Next: apply more filler to areas requiring it, and finish the sanding.
Upon the board we glued (with a lot of PVA) two sheets of 50mm pink foam, side by side to form a square. It's best to weigh down the foam once glued, and leave overnight to stick properly. We set about carving the foam before the glue was set, and ended up having to re-stick it.
Upon the foam we drew the outline of the island coastline in pencil, and began carving away at the foam with a breadknife to form the slope of sandy beach into the sea. A hot wire cutter might also work here, but may be tricky to use in the areas where the foam meets the board.
Once the rough shape of the island had been carved we applied ready mixed filler to the gaps between foam sheets, and to the base of the foam where it met the board i.e. where the sand would meet the water. Once the fillter is dry then both it and the pink foam itself can be sanded. Medium grade sandpaper seemed to do the trick, and leave a smooth finish to the foam. We sanded the beach into a smooth curve rising from the water to a plateau at the top of the island. It's advisable to try and get the finish of the filler as smooth as possible during application, as this will make sanding to a consistent finish much easier.
Next: apply more filler to areas requiring it, and finish the sanding.
Figures painted in 2016: 4 
"What this game needs is a panda with a chaingun."
"What this game needs is a panda with a chaingun."