Terrain is everything - a solution to an age old problem part 2

More work on my man-made hill. The original plan was to make this as simple as possible but you know these things are fluid, always in flux. It's at times like these where new ideas and directions become apparent and so the end result can be dramatically different than the initial concept. So they end up being less simple but more functional in the process. Here's the 'basic' hill.

The downside to this is the STC production. I could deliver about half a dozen new .pdfs of my STCs to 'my followers' and the community as a whole now [if they wanted] but the kinks may not have been worked out and I've not constructed them enough to show step-by-steps or put any instructions on the pages so it's a little clearer what goes where. However I've tried to stay on top of the template with this construction so who knows, this may leap-frog some older STCs and be in your hands before you know it! Here's a Dread for scale.

You can't tell but I messed up on the cutting for the bottom step, it's 5mm longer than the other ones but I kind of like it, the STC will be fixed to accommodate this error and there should be a cool little construction technique where interlocking bits of foam core should make that bottom step reall solid. As this hill will not have a board base it'll need to take the strain at this join. It also needed a bit of extra card under the front step, apparently my vertical measuring was out by about 1.5 mm so your average cereal box is too thin, and mounting card too thick, however the sort of card used to back A4 writing pads was just right!

Next up is mounting card edges on the top of the hill and steps with Granny Grating mesh on the top. That's right I come up with an idea for a simple hill in case you can't get hold of foam and use another material that not everyone can get their hands on! Of course you could do without or just use card squares with a tile pattern... Oh and the hills going modular [in a way]!

The Five-O

Just a little fanfare for my 50th follower, you win a 'no-prize' and a heads-up that I've been 'building'. The ad-mech dendrites have been stirring and I've started a new project to solve a common problem with sourcing certain terrain materials. I wanted a simple solution and of course in the process of execution I've started to over complicate things as usual...

Have I teased you enough? Don't worry I'll reveal all shortly.

Terrain is everything - 40k Hex tower 2.

Here's one of my oft delayed terrain pieces. You can probably tell reading through it that there was a lot of improvisation going on and as the piece developed ideas about how to make this even more versatile cropped up, hence the delay because I never got round to creating the STC. I'll get there in the end don't worry but meanwhile you'll just have to enjoy the process and the inspiration.

After I made the 40k outpost, that got bigger and it's attendant tower the next addition to my scenery collection [way back when] was inspired by 'found materials. We get large scale plotter paper at work and these rolls have plastic endcaps as shown below

So I wanted to build a platform based around this end cap, here's the sketch:

A hexagonal base was made and stuck to a CD [no warping card this time]

Then, foamcard was used for the walls and granny grating for the base. A hole was cut in the centre to allow a lift to come up from the base [still to do]

In the process I realised if I split one of the walls I can create walkways to connect more of these babies together. Here's the removable section

 

I have some different sized end caps which will add some variety and I may add some variety in height so I could potentially stack some of the platforms [if they come without CD bases]. Alternatively the hex tower can fit in the centre, but it'd look kind of odd.

I've still to prepare the walkways but I will be using foamcard and granny grating for the base of those and walls with the same pattern.
Here's the slightly smaller one

A view from above which shows that the smaller printer end cap is not closed, so you get a nice see-thru effect through the granny grating.

A possible layout using the removable wall plates. Still need to complete some walkways but it's quite versatile already, although probably too much for my small table.

Here's a figures eye view showing the completed doors.

Quite a lot of pics there, so I'll post the painted ones another time. As I mentioned before the STCs for these are still in development. I wanted to add an internal hexagonal column that would be the same height as the corner pieces. This would allow the stacking of the platforms. Additionally I have the advantage of the printer end caps, providing extra bits for you to make your own floorplate within the template is another thing to consider. I'll get there though.

Terrain is everything - Standard Template Constructs - FREE Terrain Templates

Standard Template Construct (STC) systems were advanced computers created during the Dark Age of Technology, which are said to have contained the sum total of human technological knowledge. An STC system was possessed by every group of human colonists before the Age of Strife, allowing them to build all of the equipment necessary for survival on an untamed colony planet. It enabled the colonists to build efficient shelters, generators and transports without any technical knowledge and using almost any locally available materials. The user simply asked how to build a house or a tractor and the computer supplied all the necessary plans.

One of the primary goals in this blog was to formalise any tutorials and templates that I had, to help other hobbyists. The 'STCs' I've created so far for my buildings have received a lot of hits on the articles, although I'm not sure how many new structures have been built but I'm appreciative of all the good vibes coming my way, thanks. In the 10 years since I first posted this article some of the links have been misplaced. I'm working through editing it to be up-to-date so people can access both the original page and the .pdf of the STC.

 

Here's the STCs for what I've created so far, if it's BOLD then it should be up-to-date [Oct 2021]. But, if you have any issues or the link doesn't work please comment below, I will always respond even if it takes a while to do so:

• 40k Tower Page | STC
• 40k Outpost pg1 | pg2 | STC
• 40k Container pg1 | Scatter container search | STC
• 40k Hex Tower 1 | STC
• 40k Ruins | STC
• 40k Vulcan Plateau | STC
• 40k Hex Tower 2 [now reclassified as the Spyrle Forward Observation Platform] | STC
• 40k Single Storey Ruin [Caffeine Plaza] | STC
• 40k Mercury Plateau | STC
• 40k Standard Manifold Coupling, aka the Modular Plug Socket | STC
• 40k Cetacean 'Vent' Tower and Baleen Roof Extension | STC

'Adeptus Mechanicus unapproved plans' - STC's liberated by the Free Radical Collective that don't contain quite as much detail, instructions or corrections but it's better they're available to you so you can tinker with them. Then one day I may get around to fixing them:

• 40k Dawn of War Plasma Generator | STC
  Build tutorial: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
• 40k Targus Assault Blockade | STC
• 40k Cathedral Tower | STC

Print and Play STC building templates - a variety of pre-textured simple buildings to quickly populate your battlefield. Just print and stick to foamboard, cut out and stick together [be fair warned these templates are all considerably large filesizes - 40-90MB due to the many textures added to the templates. Please do not download if you are unhappy with this. I prefer to spend my time making FREE templates, not working out why one file is bigger than it should be]:

• 40k Administratum Tower 1 [2 storey] | STC
• 40k Administratum Tower 1 [3 storey tall] | STC
• 40k Administratum Tower 1 [2 storey wide] | STC
• 40k Administratum Tower 1 [3 thin and tall towers] | STC

• 40k Black Tower 1 [2 storey] | STC
• 40k Black Tower 1 [3 storey tall] | STC
• 40k Black Tower 1 [2 storey wide] | STC

• 40k Green Marble Tower 1 [2 storey] | STC
• 40k Green Marble Tower 1 [3 storey tall] | STC
• 40k Green Marble Tower 1 [2 storey wide] | STC

• 40k Generatorium [2 storey] | STC
• 40k Generatorium [3 storey tall] | STC
• 40k Generatorium [2 storey wide] | STC

Terrain is everything - 40k Ruins.

I've already shown a ruin off in a previous post. I didn't really need a sketch for these, I'd already got the Illustrator files to retain consistency in the shapes used. As I was hoping to use bits cut out from the extra cereal box reinforcement this would speed things up and keep the aesthetic going, oh it was recycling too, it's nice to be green!

However, my plan did involve creating two panels, joining them in a corner, then 'ruining' it so that I could create another corner piece with the bits cut off. That way doubling up on my terrain and allowing the corner pieces to be stretched to create as large or small a ruins as I wished.

These were my first attempts at battle damage which initially is heartbraking but then quite rewarding, didn't know if I could bring myself to do the same on the hex platforms... but I managed it.

Here's the two corner pieces, so you can see how the ruin could be expannded. no floors as yet

Here's the painted version with floors and base. An undercoat of black household and craft paint mixed with PVA glue and a small amount of plaster is an ideal base for the Red Oxide spray paint. Further shading and highlights still to go.

I've prepared a .pdf template for this in case you want to try one. I've another template to prep for a smaller ruin, I'll get onto that as soon as I can.

40k future container scatter terrain - UPDATE, AGAIN!

As promised in my last update on 40k future container scatter terrain here's an update on the 7 further containers I produced. Before I begin though lets remind ourselves of the wonderful Mentos Cubes donor skeleton.

And here's the first tutorial that showed how to make them.

First up is my liquid container encased in wire mesh.
Firstly I removed the lid and used a poster tube cap to create a new lid. I got some circular 'granny grating' to go on the top. Two corners had brass picture hooks for lifting, the other two corners had some crafting gems, octagonal shaped, they look like ornate rivets/bolts. Then I got some 'granny grating' and judiciously removed chunks of it to get a mesh size suitable to fit the cube.

As you can see some of the grid that was cut out leaves behind stubs but I like this, it makes it look more like rebar, it's more texture at least. I also added some corrugated cardboard on the base so it looks like it's on an integral pallet. The mesh had to have some bits of wire tied round it to ensure the mesh box stayed together but plenty of PVA 'welding' is holding it together. There are also corner supports on the base. Still got to finish the painting, silver on the mesh and rust effects. Not overly keen on my semi transparent plastic with stagnant green liquid inside but there's not much I can do.

Below is the Dark Angel Container, reinforced at opposite corners with some more octagonal shaped crafting gems for rivets. First level of rust applied, orange still to add and metallic scrapes. Also DA chapter markings.

Here's the Biohazard containers. The two with caps on are obviously the right way up. I removed the lid and used a poster tube cap to create a new lid. I used a template to cut out the Biohazard symbol for one lid and used the blank for the other. Two corners had brass picture hooks for lifting, the other two corners had some crafting gems. The third container is the usual upside down reinforced version with 'granny grating' on the top. Not 100% convinced on the yellow, but as it's not finished yet hopefully the orange rust still to add,  metallic scrapes and markings should tone them down a little bit.

Lastly a group shot with the two OOCL containers. Again the rust is a bit overpowering and it's not quite as beige as I'd hoped but we'll reserve judgement until they're complete. Still not sure if keeping them to fewer colours would have worked better, time will tell.

There's still a little something missing in the paint-jobs, they certainly don't have the realism of my turquoise containers, but I have to recall my fundamental law of painting - 'reserve judgement until complete'. So many times I've been unhappy about a model's progress only to be overjoyed at the final results. The original containers themselves went through this process and came out alright, their siblings deserve the same chance.

.pdf templates for the reinforcements if anyone wants to give it a go.

Terrain is everything - Because you asked for it - 40k outpost, that got bigger Pt 3 'big pictures'

Warhammer39999 asked for some bigger pictures of the '40kOtgB'. Here's some straight from the camera at 2MB each click for the embiggen. Ignore the Trygon, you haven't met him yet, don't worry you will. If you still want the plans for the tower are here.

Terrain is everything - 40k outpost, that got bigger Pt 2 'the tower'

So here's part 2 of the '40k outpost, that got bigger'. Having realised the outpost on it's own took up far too much 'real estate' for no vertical space I felt I had to tackle this issue. I've always been one to use height to double up on available space.

Back in my early gaming days I made a number of walkways out of U shaped polystyrene that had protected the edges of some new wardrobe doors my parents got and part of an 'Arielator'. The Arielator was the new thing for washing powder, a netted bag that was attached to a fan shaped ring and support cradle. You put the powder inside and in with the wash and your clothes came out dandy.

Now a bit of jimmying with a screwdriver and you could separate the fan, the cradle and the bag. The fan was the perfect size to fit on top of a Pringles tin - instant cooling tower and the cradle, turned upside down was the ideal support strut for my over head walkways. Some of the walkways were travelators, back then figures only moved 4 inches and I thought passing an intelligence test would allow you to get the travelator to work, you'd move further and heavy weapons could fire and move 4 inches. Nice house rules but really it was about doubling your real estate, battlefield below and above.

Anyway back to the tower. A lot of it was thought of on the fly. Of course I started with a template in Illustrator. I had the dimensions for the outpost and the reinforcement cladding so I could match the decoration and try to fit it roughly the space available but as the model had also been 'adjusted' in construction things didn't always line up. As you can see the roof side wall template was way off. luckily a dry fit showed this wouldn't be right before I cut it down to size, 'remember measure twice cut once'. I think the template has been fixed but just in case ensure you only trim down the cladding once you've checked it'll fit. Also the buttresses have 5mm nicks cut into the inside to support the roof and I may have trimmed them down a bit so there was more space available.  I don't think those changes are on the template but it's not too hard to shave 4 or 5 mils off.

Once I had it constructed, elastic bands and pins really help hold the structure together while the PVA dries, I placed it in the outpost so I could work it's footprint out. As you can see the outpost entrance bulkheads got in the way so a bit of snipping with scissors allowed the tower buttresses to lock into the bulkheads which not only makes it quite secure it prevents any nonsensical gaps between tower and outpost. In actual fact that view in the 5th picture I think works the best.

Anyway plans for the tower are here. Any issues or questions if you decide to give it a go let me know.

 

Terrain is everything - 40k outpost, that got bigger Pt 1 'the outpost'

This was the first piece of terrain I started. I'd just joined TerraGenesis and I saw a guy called BugbaitNZ creating a planetary defence platform for a competition. The tower he was making for the gun emplacement wasn't going to get finishe din time so he made a hexagonal base which is what I decided to copy to just see if I could do it.

And it turned out OK, only the problem was it was much bigger than I expected and totally dominated our small battlefield. I had to do something to make that real estate worth more than the low level cover it was representing. So I started on my modularity complex and hacked at the rear wall in such a way that i could position a 3 storey tower into the out post. This can be detached to form a separate tower if needed or leave the outpost on it's own or joined together.

As you can see the tower was a considerable jump in detail and complexity but I'd been convinced I could do it following the success of the outpost. My only regret is the use of a lever arch file cover for the base. I thought it was the moisture in the PVA that warped card and as the cover was plastic coated it wouldn't warp. WRONG! It's just PVA shrinks. If it's not dimensionally stable your base will warp, FACT, so deal with it.

   

   

Plans for the outpost are here. Tower plans to follow...