Hey, all; in case anyone here might not know, I'm working on a pre-Earth Cybertronian battle scene using figures from the WF Siege line (focusing on 1984 characters). I've gotten all the characters that I want from the line, though I wish we had gotten pre-Earth versions of Jazz, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee. In any case, in these photos, I've got the players in their spots and poses on the field. The big thing missing now is the atmosphere, aside from a few blast effect pieces as tentative markers.
Now since I've never modeled a full diorama scene before, everything about this will be completely new to me, so I'd probably mess up badly using advanced techniques with no prior practice. In any case, if anyone here has any experience with or knowledge about building diorama model sets, I'm looking for ideas and suggestions to create a set representing a Cybertronian battleground; primarily, how to "mimic" a metal planet's surface. This could be anything; from artistic materials and techniques to create such a scene from scratch, to ready-made sets like those often used for making mecha displays (a la Kotobukiya and the like). I'd even accept a proper technique of safely charring a sheet of aluminum foil to make the surface without burning myself (with the scorching effect staying on the foil without being prone to rub off).
Fire away with any suggestions you may have!