Stone and steel warhammer 40k pdf download

2

HOW TO MAKE WARGAMES TERRAIN

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION

3

DESIGNING THE BATTLEFIELD

4

MODELLING TOOLS

8

MATERIALS

10

SAFETY

17

THE WORK AREA

18

MAKING BASES

20

WARHAMMER SCENERY

23

HILLS

24

WOODS

28

RIVERS

32

BRIDGES

34

WATER

36

MARSHES

37

BURIAL MOUNDS

38

ROCKS & STONES

39

STONE CIRCLES

40

WARHAMMER 40,000 SCENERY

57

ROCKS

58

CRAGS

59

JUNGLE

60

CRATERS

63

SPACE SHELTERS

64

ORK BUILDINGS

65

BUNKERS

66

RUINED BUILDINGS

68

INDUSTRIAL SITE

70

STEPPED PYRAMID

72

SPECIAL FEATURES
SPECIALIST TOOLS

WARHAMMER BUILDINGS

41

HUTS

42

WATCH-TOWER

43

PEASANT COTTAGE

44

RUINED TEMPLE

50

WALLS, FENCES & HEDGES

52

PYRAMID

54

STATUES

56

AND EQUIPMENT

70

SPECIAL PROJECTS

76

THEMING YOUR TERRAIN

77

CRASHED SPACESHIP

78

MAKING A GAMING TABLE

79

MODULAR TERRAIN

80

INTRODUCTION
This book is all about how to
make terrain for the battlefield,
using simple tools, easily found
materials and basic techniques.
If you've never tried making
terrain before, or don't have
much experience, start with
something simple and as you
master the techniques, try
something harder. If you are
already accomplished at making
terrain, then by trial and error you will develop the
ability to create whatever items of scenery you want.
This leads on to more advanced approaches to
planning scenery and designing battlefields.

You don't need a lot of expensive tools or materials to make terrain.
Nearly all the terrain in this book was made from cheap, readily
available components, using a few basic tools and a number of
straightforward techniques.

WHY USE TERRAIN?
Scenery is an important part of any battlefield. If you
choose to play your game on a completely flat, open
tabletop, don't think that you have got away without
using scenery, because you haven't. What you have
done is chosen to fight on a flat open plain!

This impressive fantasy cottage was made from cardboard and balsa
wood, stuck together with PVA glue.

After you have fought every possible opponent and
tried very possible tactic on a flat open plain, what
next? The answer is make some terrain. With a few
items of scenery you can transform this barren open
plain into a different battlefield for every game you play.
Terrain makes the battlefield interesting!

Nigel is an enthusiastic
terrain maker, and turns his
hand to all sorts of scenery.
Above: The cornfield is made
from a coir doormat.
Left and top right: The wattle
stockade and fence were
made from wire wrapped
round cocktail sticks.

4

DESIGNING THE BATTLEFIELD

DESIGNING THE BATTLEFIELD
Terrain is an important part of any battlefield. Hills, trees,
woods and buildings not only make the wargames table look
attractive, but they also provide invaluable cover, give troops
different levels to shoot from, or force troops to move through or
round specific areas. Terrain can even be incorporated directly
into the game - troops could be sent to capture a building, or
hold a hill, for example.
COLLECTING TERRAIN

A Gently Sloping Hill

When collecting an army it is useful to have the
relevant Warhammer Armies book to hand. Each
Armies book concentrates on a particular Warhammer
race - Orcs & Goblins, Skaven, High Elves, for example
- and contains lots of details about the different troop
types as well as a complete army list. Using this
information you can start to plan and collect your army.

The easiest hill to start with might have only one or
two steps, or smooth slopes if you prefer. Start with a
fairly small oval or round shape. Later on you can
experiment with different shaped hills as you add to
your terrain collection.

The same is true for collecting terrain: it is useful to
work to a plan. When you have decided roughly what
kinds of scenic items you want to make you will know
what materials to look for and stash away in your bit
box.
A 'terrain list' can be drawn up by looking at the Terrain
Generator Chart in Warhammer or the list in
Warhammer 40,000.
A terrain list derived from the Warhammer chart looks
like this:

A hill is the most useful item of terrain, and it's a good
idea to have several different sizes and shapes of hill to
choose from. It is hills that do the most to transform a
flat tabletop into a realistic battlefield.

A Wood
You could make a single terrain piece or opt for several
small 'clumps' of trees which you can place together in
groups with 'paths' in between for moving the troops.
The advantage of having several clumps is that you can
vary the size of your woods easily and continue adding
to your woods by making more clumps from time to

DESIGNING THE BATTLEFIELD

time. The wood is second only to
the hill as the most useful terrain
item. Woods on their own can
transform a flat table into an
interesting battlefield. It is worth
making several woods.

A Section of River or Stream
The most useful river section to start
with is a curved bend which can be
placed to run across the corner of a
table. It should have somewhere for
troops to cross, like a ford or a
bridge. Later on you can add further
sections of different shapes without
a crossing point. When you have
three or four sections, or enough to
go across the width of the table,
you will have all the sections you
need.

Using two steep-sided hills to make a ravine.

An Area of Difficult Ground
This can be a marsh, tangled scrub or boulder strewn
ground. You will not really need more than two or three
features of this kind in your collection.

A Steep Hill
The easiest steep hill to start with might have three
steps, or if you like smooth-sided hills, make a steep
cliff along one side. The first hill need only be fairly
small in size and simple in shape. Later on you can
experiment with different shaped hills featuring
whatever crags, cliffs and scree slopes you like.
It is good to have at least one steep hill to add
character to the battlefield. If you want to create
mountainous battlefields you will need several different
sizes and shapes of steep hill. Two steep hills can be
placed facing each other to create a mountain pass,
gulley or ravine.

Walls, Hedges or Fences
These features are best made in short sections about
10 or 15cm long. This allows them to be placed on the
table in different ways to create long boundaries or
fields or to go around or between buildings.
Make about three to start with then add more sections
as you feel like it. You can mix together walls, fences
and hedges when placing terrain. Three sections can
easily be all that you will need, but it is always worth
making several of such simple and versatile terrain
features.

A Single Big Building or Several Small Buildings
Start with a single small, easily made building such as
a hut or hovel. Later on you can add more buildings of
the same kind, or vary the shape and size slightly. This
will give you enough for a village.

When you feel ambitious, tackle a big building, such as
a tower or temple. This can be used on its own or as
the centrepiece of a village. You won't need more than
two or three simple huts or houses, so start
experimenting when you have enough for a village.
Varied designs can be made by adding two basic
houses together to make an 'L'-shaped building or by
just making a basic house twice as big or by putting a
wall round it. If the model goes horribly wrong, think
about changing it into a burnt-out ruin!

An Area of Very Difficult Ground
This can be a patch of boggy ground, a pond or a
swamp. You do not really need to make more than one
item of this kind to complete your collection of terrain.

TERRAIN
FOR WARHAMMER 40,000
A terrain list for Warhammer 40,000 would include
many of the same scenic items listed above. Even so, it
is fun to interpret them differently and think about the
form they might take on the various planets of the
40,000 universe. Warhammer 40,000 is a game with
the emphasis on individual models rather than
regiments, so models can move over and around items
of terrain more easily. Indeed, the models benefit from
plenty of small items of cover.

A Gently Sloping Hill
Even for a Warhammer 40,000 battlefield it is still true
that a hill is the most useful item of terrain and several
hills will transform a flat tabletop into a realistic
battlefield. Once again, you can interpret the idea of a
hill in several different ways depending on what kind of
planets you want to fight your battles on. On a desert
world, a hill might be an enormous sand dune or
outcrop of smooth weathered rock. On an ice age
world, it could be a huge snow drift.

5

6

DESIGNING THE BATTLEFIELD

A Steep Hill
Everything already said about
steep hills in the fantasy list
above is relevant here as well.
The main opportunity for
making a futuristic steep hill is
in the weirdness of the crags
and cliffs. Something volcanic
springs to mind!

Walls, Fences, Pipelines

The use of crags, rocks, river sections and trees has created a detailed and complex battlefield for this
Warhammer 40,000 conflict.

These are just as versatile as
items of terrain for the
Warhammer 40,000 battlefield
as they are for the fantasy
battlefield. Fences can be used
to create compounds around
buildings and pipelines can run
across the table, link up
industrial buildings or end in
sludge pits of effluent!

A Wood

Buildings and Ruins

This is where you really have to think about what kind
of planets you expect to be fighting your battle on. You
could ignore woods altogether and opt for scenery
portraying rugged, barren desert worlds or volcanic
terrain. Even so, a few clumps of cactus, fungus, tough
man-eating plants or stunted trees wouldn't go amiss.
If you want to be able to make a jungle landscape,
then you will need several clumps of tropical trees.

Start with small, simple items such as space shelters,
bunkers or Ork hovels. Experiment by varying the
shape and size of the buildings. This will give you
enough for a settlement. Think of a theme for a group
of buildings such as an industrial complex, for
example. Your idea may call for a big building as a
centrepiece surrounded by smaller buildings. You could
interpret the idea of a group of buildings around a big
building as the hull of a crashed spaceship surrounded
by engines and other bits of the spaceship which have
broken off.

A Section of River, Stream, Crevasse or Ravine
Just as with the fantasy river or stream, the most useful
section to make to start with is still a curved bend •
which can be placed to link two table edges. A ford or
bridge is not as important and unlikely to be found on
most planets. Also, the armies of the 41st millennium
have more troops that can sweep across such
obstacles.
If you opt for a crevasse or ravine, the ends of the
section can be tapered into a point so that the section
can be placed anywhere on the table like a big crack in
the ground and doesn't have to link up table edges.
To make a ravine just make a river section without the
water! Leave the 'river' bed as dry sand, gravel and
boulders.

An Area of Difficult Ground
This can be a marsh, tangled scrub, soft sand, boulder
strewn ground or craters. Apart from craters, the main
difference to the equivalent fantasy item is in the
vegetation or the weirdness of the boulders. You might
opt for tropical plants, big crystals or stalagmites.

If you want to make some ruins, how about working to
the theme of a ruined Imperial colony which has been
fought over time and again so that all buildings are
reduced to burnt out shells. The advantage of working
to a theme is that when you know how to make a
building, it's easy to make several more in the same
way, and it's fun to experiment with slight variations.
Also, any that go wrong can be re-worked as ruined
versions of the same kind of building.

An Area of
Very Difficult Ground
This might be a patch of boggy ground, a slime-pit full
of industrial effluent, a swamp or a multitude of other
possibilities in the vastness of the Warhammer 40,000
universe. While you might not want more than one
such item of difficult terrain in a fantasy battle, in a
Warhammer 40,000 battle these items are more
useful, especially if they are small and grouped
together in clusters.
So, let your imagination go wild! Things that spring to
mind are stalagmites, boulders, wrecked vehicles,
stacks of oil drums, lava pits and sludge ponds.

DESIGNING THE BATTLEFIELD

COLLECTING TERRAIN TO A THEME
Whether you are making Warhammer or Warhammer
40,000 terrain, there is already a theme running
through your collection of scenic items. The broad
theme in each case is either a fantasy landscape or a
science fiction landscape, perhaps set on other planets.
Why not take the idea of a theme for your terrain a
stage further and make scenic items specially go with
your army. You can build up your collection of terrain
as you build your army, so that the two blend into a
single great project.
If you are collecting a High Elf army for example, think
about the High Elf realm of Ulthuan. What is the
landscape like in Ulthuan? Are the forests mainly oak
trees or pine trees? What are Elf houses like and how
can the basic method for making a building be adapted
to make an Elf house? Does the army belong to a
mountainous realm, and if so, why not make most of
your hills as steep hills with crags and cliffs?
If you follow a plan like this, and introduce the theme
of your army into your terrain, when the project is
finished, you will have created 'Ulthuan' or wherever
else you like. Then, when one of your regular
opponents turns up for a game with his Orc army, you
say "Welcome to Ulthuan!". Anyone who fights your
army on your table must have invaded the home of the
High Elves and so the battle is fought in the landscape
found in your realm!
If you encourage your opponents to do the same thing,
then you will find yourself fighting in the Dwarf
mountains or the Wood Elf forests when you play them
on their home table. If you meet an opponent for a
game on neutral ground, or perhaps if you both want a
slightly different battlefield for a change, you can mix
up items from each of your collections.
Now you are fighting on the frontiers of your two
realms, or in a wilderness region between them. On
this battlefield the landscape blends from one type to
another, so if Wood Elves are fighting Dwarfs, the
landscape must be the foothills of the mountains,
where woods and steep hills occur together.

landscape. So, if you both come to the conclusion that
the battle occurs in the Chaos wastes, leave out the
village! If generating the terrain randomly, re-roll the
score that generates a village. If the battle occurs in the
mountains, then consider having at least half the hills
on the table as steep hills.
Supposing you both agree that the battle takes place
on an Imperial planet that has been devastated by
alien invaders. You both want to fight among buildings.
We can already say two important facts about this
planet: firstly, all the buildings will be Imperial style
buildings and secondly, most of them will be in ruins!
So, we end up with a battlefield featuring a group of
several ruined Imperial buildings. The objective of each
side is suddenly made clear: capture the ruined
settlement, claim the city for the Emperor!
Perhaps you both decide to fight a battle on a feral
world, but fancy mixing buildings and tropical forest. A
little bit of thought and imagination can make the
battlefield believable. Once again, we can deduce two
facts about this world: firstly, it's feral, which means
'untamed wilderness' so there can't be much settlement
on it, if any. Maybe there was once, but now the ruins
are all overgrown. Secondly, why are the two armies
fighting here - there must be a reason. Perhaps they
are looking for something?
So we come to the main theme of the battlefield! The
two armies have met at their final objective, a ruined
settlement or crashed spaceship lost in the middle of
the jungle on a feral world, and there is something very
important in the ruins or the wreckage! The battlefield
is set up with this scene in mind. The armies must
fight their way through the jungle to the central
clearing, then fight in the ruins or the wreckage. Thus
there are three zones of terrain on this battlefield: a
central open area, a group of ruins or wreckage in the
middle of this zone and woods scattered all around the
edges of the table. The theme has provided the ideal
battlefield. No need to generate terrain randomly, or set
it up symmetrically as in a competition, or place it in
chequer-board fashion. None of these approaches
would have produced such an interesting or
challenging battlefield.

Designing the Battlefield to a Theme
When setting up the battlefield, give some
thought to where the battle is being fought.
Battles don't just happen in the middle of
nowhere! Perhaps one player's realm has been
invaded by the opposing player's army. Perhaps
the armies clash on the frontier, or encounter
each other in some faraway land. Maybe they are
both rivals on the same quest, perhaps the
search for a magic item.
Just a few moments' thought and discussion will
set the scene, then you will have a clear idea of
the kind of landscape in which the battle is
fought. When choosing and placing terrain, both
players keep in mind where the battle is being
fought and try to create the appropriate

The gate and the tower were made specially to go with this High Elf army.

7

8

MODELLING TOOLS

MODELLING TOOLS
The modelling tools described on this page are all you'll need to get
started. Some of them - like scissors and pencils - you'll probably
already have at your disposal. Of all these tools, a good quality
modelling knife is the most essential.
MODELLING KNIFE

Be very careful when you are using
a modelling knife. The best kind of
knife is the type with a retractable
blade so that only a short amount
of angled blade appears out of the
handle. When you're not using the
knife, the blade can be retracted
safely into the handle. Always cut
away from you and never get your
fingers in the way. Use the knife by
scoring along the edge of a steel
ruler to ensure a straight cut. Cut
by scoring several times pressing
lightly until the material is cut
through.
On the whole it is better to limit
the use of the knife to a minimum
and avoid using it at all if possible.
Scissors are safer and more easily
controlled. There is not much that
you need a knife for except cutting
neat holes through cardboard for
windows and doors or for cutting
card that is too thick for the
scissors.

STEEL RULER
Steel rulers can be bought in
hardware stores. When using a
knife, cut against a steel ruler
rather than a plastic or wooden
one or the knife will shave the
edge of the ruler spoiling the
straight edge. The ruler is also
used for measuring and drawing
shapes on cardboard for making
buildings.

PENCILS
To make a good model, especially model buildings or stepped hills, you will
need to measure and mark the cardboard. You will often want to draw the
sides of buildings onto cardboard before cutting out the shapes. Pencil is
best for this, because ink from biros and felt pens will sometimes stain
and seep through the painted surface of
the model after it is
finished, spoiling the
effect.

SCISSORS

PAINT BRUSHES

You can use scissors for most of
the cutting jobs in making scenery
if you are using thin cardboard as
your main material. The best kind
of scissors are those which are big
enough to cut cardboard but not so
big as to make it difficult to cut
detailed shapes.

You will need several
different sizes of paint
brushes. The small
sizes used for painting
miniatures are fine for
the later detailed
painting of finished
scenery, but in the
earlier stages you will
need big brushes
which would be too
big for miniature
painting.

MIXING POTS
Yoghurt pots are
ideal for holding
water and for
mixing up PVA
glue and sand, or
mixing quantities
of paint. You
could also use the tops of old
aerosols.
Use mixing pots to shake flock or
sand over surfaces to be textured
in this way.

These big brushes
are used for painting
PVA glue, base
colours such as
green and
drybrushing over
large areas and
rough surfaces.
Cheap hardwearing bristly
brushes are best.
Brushes used for
painting PVA need
to be washed thoroughly after use
or the bristles will dry into a solid
mass. Brushes used for this kind of
work will inevitably wear out
quickly.
A big brush like this is
useful for painting terrain.

MODELLING TOOLS

OTHER USEFUL TOOLS
While not essential, the tools described below can prove very useful,
especially for more ambitious projects.
SANDPAPER

CLOTHES PEGS

Sandpaper comes in sheets and is
quite cheap to buy. There are
various grades ranging from coarse
to fine. Any of these will do for
smoothing down scenery. Coarse
grades are probably better because
fine grades soon clog up with
plaster dust or sawdust.

Clothes pegs are useful when
making cardboard buildings. Use
the pegs to hold the card in position
temporarily while the glue dries.

MODELLING VICE
OR CLAMPS
A small modelling vice or
woodworking clamps are useful for
holding materials while they are
being sawn. You can also use them
to hold items together while the
glue dries. Vices and clamps can be
bought from hardware stores.

PLIERS
AND WIRE CLIPPERS
You will need these if you want to
use wire. Some pliers are able to
cut wire as well as bend it. These
have a wire-clipper built into the
design and so are a good all round
tool. Otherwise you will need a
small pair of wire clippers. It is
virtually impossible to cut wire
with scissors unless it is very thin
and trying to do so will often blunt
or ruin them.

SPATULA
A spatula for applying PVA glue
and smoothing plaster or modelling
clay is very useful. Such tools can
be bought from art shops or toy
shops which sell modelling clay. A
flat lolly-stick provides a good
spatula.

MODELLING SAW
Small, handy modelling
saws can be bought
from model shops and
hardware stores. The
saw is only really
useful for sawing
balsa wood or
twigs and only
the smallest
teeth will do
the job
neatly.

MODELLING TIP

If you're sanding a flat surface, or want to sand a large area, you'll find a sanding block
useful. A sanding block is simply a flat-sided piece of wood or cork, with a piece of
sandpaper wrapped round it. There's no need to glue the sand paper to the block, just
hold it on with your fingers as you work.

9

MATERIALS
There are a number of essential materials for making terrain cardboard, glue, flock, filler etc, but as you get involved in
modelling you'll quickly discover that almost anything can be
used. In fact, finding new uses for ordinary household items is an
enjoyable and rewarding aspect of making terrain.

R

eady-made model terrain
suitable for Warhammer
or Warhammer 40,000
is not easy to find, so most of
the scenery you use in your
battles you will have to make
yourself. Making your own
scenery is good fun, and is as
much part of the hobby as
painting miniatures.

Every terrain feature that you
make yourself can be
specifically designed to suit
your games. This gives you the
opportunity to tailor your terrain
to the size of your table, or to
make special pieces to fit in
with your armies. It benefits
Wood Elf armies to have access to
plenty of woods, for example.
This section describes what
materials you can make terrain out
of. We've concentrated on materials

that are readily available, cheap
and easy to use. They will give you
virtually the same results as
specialist modelling materials, and
will often be better and stronger.

The studio terrain pieces are made
first and foremost to look impressive
in photographs. They are not strong
enough to survive extensive
gaming, and often need to be
repaired after they've been used for
playtesting.
When you make your own
terrain for gaming it's best to
construct it from simple,
strong materials rather than
specialist modelling
materials. As you make more
and more terrain, you'll make
your own discoveries and
develop your own ways of
doing things.
Here is a selection of the best
and most easily found
materials for scenery making.
Each material is described,
and we tell you where to find
it, how to use it, what you
can make with it and its
advantages and
disadvantages.

MATERIALS

THIN CARDBOARD

THICK CARDBOARD

Thin cardboard is readily available
in all kinds of packaging, such as
cereal packets. You can also buy
cardboard sheets of various
thicknesses from art shops, large
stationers and other shops that sell
paper, pens etc.

The best kind of card to use for
modelling, especially making bases,
is the thick cardboard that brown
boxes are made from. This is the
sort that has one or two layers of
corrugated cardboard in its
thickness. It is easily cut with
scissors or a modelling knife.

Thin card can be cut with scissors,
and is easy to glue and paint. Thin
card is quite strong enough to
make small model buildings. It can
also be cut into all kinds of shapes
and strips which can be stuck on
model buildings to make planks,
doors, tiles, hatches and so on.

Cereal packets are ideal for modelling, and
are particularly suitable for making tiles,
planks and hatches for model buildings.

This cottage was made entirely from
thin cardboard. Read about how to
make it on page 44.

Thick brown cardboard is very
useful for modelling. Use it for
making bases, rivers, hills, and
many other things. Best of all,
it's free!

The best place to get cardboard
boxes from is supermarkets, which
usually have piles of empty boxes
by the checkouts. The boxes
themselves can be quite useful for
storing terrain pieces in or as a tray
for modelling materials and models
which are not yet completed.
Another source of good quality card
boxes is packing boxes for electrical
goods such as televisions, videos,
fridges etc.
The sides and base of the box can
be cut out to provide panels of thick
cardboard that can be used as
bases for models, terrain sections
such as rivers, or it can be built up
in layers to create hills. If you use
cardboard to make hills, it is easy
to prick holes in the layers to 'plant'
trees in them.
Cardboard can also be used to
make big, thick-walled buildings
such as towers and fortress walls.

GLUE
PVA GLUE

OTHER GLUES

PVA is a white glue which can be
applied directly from the nozzle or
be diluted with water and painted
on with a paintbrush. It is often
called wood glue because it is
mainly used for bonding wood. It
dries clear and takes several
hours to dry completely.

There are various other glues, such as
superglue, which are used more for sticking
together miniatures than for making terrain.
Their main advantage over PVA for making
scenery is that they
dry rapidly, but the
job will often require
large quantities. For
making terrain,
these glues are
best used for the
detailed work
rather than the
basic
construction.

PVA glue can be bought from
most DIY supermarkets, hardware
stores and from Games Workshop
stores. It can be used for an
amazing variety of tasks, will
stick most things and is very
strong. PVA is the main type of
glue for making terrain.

11

BALSA WOOD
Balsa wood is traditionally a popular modelling material because it is light,
easily cut and sawn with modelling knife or modelling saw and easily glued
with any kind of modelling glue. Balsa wood can be found in most model
shops and is used for making model aircraft because it is so light. The
bundles of offcuts which are sold in many model shops are good value and
contain assorted shapes and sizes. Balsa wood is most useful for making
buildings, especially timber buildings, bridges and fences.
It can be filed into shape and can be painted and
drybrushed to good effect.

CORK TILES

EXPANDED
POLYSTYRENE

Large sheets of polystyrene can be bought from DIY
supermarkets.

Chunks of expanded
polystyrene are
commonly used to
package large electrical
appliances such as
televisions and fridges.
Large, flat sheets of
expanded polystyrene
can be bought from
hardware stores and doit-yourself supermarkets.
Polystyrene is
lightweight and fairly
easy to cut with a
modelling knife. Its
main use is for building
up the layers of hills.
However, polystyrene can be
messy to work with, and is not as
sturdy as other materials. If you
want to use polystyrene, you will
have to be careful to use only
water-based paints and glues,
because other sorts of paint and
glue can melt it. Thick corrugated
cardboard is a good alternative to
polystyrene.

Chunks of polystyrene come in just as useful
as large flat sheets.

Cork tiles can be found in hardware
stores and DIY supermarkets. They
are sold in packs of about four or
nine or depending on thickness.
The thickest ones are about 1 cm
thick and the thin ones are about
4mm thick. The tiles are about
30cm square, and can be smooth
or coarse surfaced.
The advantage of using cork tiles is
that they are easy to cut with a
modelling knife or even with
scissors in the case of the thinner
tiles. The cut edges are very neat,
so the tile can be cut into various
shapes very accurately.

COCKTAIL STICKS
These can
be bought
in supermarkets in
packs of
about fifty
which is more
than enough.
Matchsticks
could also be
used for the
same jobs, but
cocktail sticks
are better because they
are pointed like miniature stakes
and can easily be stuck into
cardboard, cork tiles or
polystyrene. Cocktail sticks can be
used for fences, stakes, logs and
various details on models.

Cork tiles can be glued with any
kind of glue and holes can be
pricked into them for trees. The tiles
can be glued together in layers to
make hills that will be stronger and
better than cardboard or
polystyrene. Thick tiles can be used
for the walls of big buildings such
as fortresses and the battlements,
gates and windows can be cut
through the thickness of the tile.
Thick tiles are also good for bases
for models and hills or woods.

Cocktail sticks were used extensively on this
Warhammer 40,000 fortified tower.

This sort of
sand can
be bought
from pet
shops, and is
used for the
bottom of bird cages.

SAND
Sand is readily available from pet
shops where it sold for fish tanks
and bird cages. There are various
types and grades but the most
useful is shell sand, which is pale
yellow with fragments of shell in it.
Similar sand can be found on
beaches. Gritty sand is also useful
because it gives a very rough
texture and drybrushes very well.
Sand is used in combination with
PVA glue to texture bases and flat
surfaces. PVA is painted onto a
surface and sand is scattered over
the sand to create a rough texture.
When the glue is dry, the sand can
be painted and drybrushed to look
like grass, desert, snow or rough
concrete. Sand can also be mixed
with PVA glue to make a thick,
viscous paste. This can be spread
with a spatula over built up
cardboard, cork tile or
polystyrene to create a smooth
surface for gently sloping hills.

MODELLING CLAY

CARDBOARD TUBES

This kind of clay dries hard when it
is left exposed to the air at room
temperature. There are several
different kinds (such as DAS)
which can be bought in art, toy
and model shops. Clay as used for
making pottery is no use for
making terrain since it will never
dry properly and crumbles.

Cardboard tubes
can be
scavenged from
packaging, the
most readily
available being
toilet rolls and
kitchen rolls.
Biscuits, crisps
and other foods
often come in
thicker tubes.

Modelling clay can be shaped,
smoothed and scored with your
fingers or modelling tools or even
the end of a paintbrush to get
many interesting shapes, surfaces
and effects. You can use it to shape
boulders, crude ruined walls,
carved stone monoliths, tree
trunks, stone walls, banks of rivers,
slopes or crags on hillsides,
thatched roofs, craters, ruts on
roads and many other things.
Modelling clay dries hard if left in a
dry place for a day or so. Try to
avoid letting it dry too quickly or it
may crack. When completely dry
the clay can be carved, filed or
smoothed down with sandpaper.

STICKY TAPE

Cardboard tubes
provide the
basic shape for
a wide range of
futuristic
buildings. Fuel
tanks, oil
refineries,
bunkers and crashed spaceships all
spring to mind and you can let your
imagination run riot.
Tubes could also be used for round
towers whether these are part of
futuristic or fantasy buildings. If a
tube is cut into sections these can
become the circular walls of
primitive huts. A tube cut
lengthways becomes a long canopy
suitable for a bunker, hangar or
tunnel. Narrow tubes can be used
as huge pipes linking buildings
together.

This paste can also be used like
filler for a variety of tasks, such
as building up the banks of river
sections or the edges of craters.
If small stones and bits of wood
are mixed into the paste it will
dry into a realistic-looking
rubble to pile up around the
walls of ruined buildings and
craters.

STRAWS
Drinking straws can be bought in
packs very cheaply from
supermarkets and kitchen shops.
They can be stuck in rows on the
outside of buildings to represent
logs or as pipes on futuristic
buildings.

The best kind of tape for modelling
work is masking tape available
from hardware shops and
stationers. It is mainly useful for
holding things together while they
glue, but can be used instead of
glue to construct cardboard
buildings.

Plastic straws are ideal for pipes in
Warhammer 40,000 terrain.

14

MATERIALS

READY MIXED FILLER

CORKS

Ready mixed filler is used for filling
cracks in walls, ceilings, steps etc.
It can be bought in hardware
shops and DIY supermarkets in
tubs. Ready mixed stuff is better
and more convenient than mixing
your own from plaster powder and
far less messy. Usually the quality
of the ready-mix is finer and better
for modelling. You can also get it in
squeezy tubes.

Corks as used in bottles can be
bought from chemists where they
are sold for in bags for home
brewing. Corks can be used for
pillars and columns in buildings
and ruins, or as oildrums.

Filler is easily applied with a
spatula or strip of cardboard and
can be smoothed over rough
surfaces or built up layers of
cardboard, cork or polystyrene to
create hillsides. It can also be built
up into river banks or crater edges.

PLASTICENE

It dries within a few hours if left in
a dry place and can be painted or
textured with flock or sand and
PVA glue.

Plasticene can be bought from toy
shops and art shops in quite big
slabs. It can be used to build up hill
slopes, river banks and craters and
can be given a hard surface by
painting it with PVA or covering it
with PVA and sand mixture. Unlike
modelling clay it will always remain
soft under the surface.

FLOCK
through the flock. When the paint
is dry, paint the surface with
PVA glue then scatter flock
over it.

Also known as scatter, flock
is fine coloured sawdust. It is
sold in various colours, usually
shades of green, brown or
yellow, of which green is the
most useful. You can buy flock
from Games Workshop stores
and most model shops,
especially model railway shops.
Flock is used to cover terrain
with a natural texture
representing grass or earth. To
cover a surface with flock, first
paint the same colour as the
flock so that the original colour
of the terrain does not show

The model should be
placed on newspaper before
scattering the flock to avoid a
mess. It will also make it easier to
retrieve the surplus flock to use
again. When the glue is dry shake
or gently tap the model to make
the excess flock fall off, leaving you
with a textured, coloured surface.
More than one layer of flock can
be used to ensure complete
coverage and diluted PVA can be
gently painted over the flock to
stop it gradually rubbing off as the
scenery is used.

The best use of flock is for
covering the bases and hills. You
can also use it for foliage on
trees and hedges. A very basic
tree or hedge can be made by
cutting a piece of sponge or
polystyrene into the shape of tree
and painting it dark green, black
or brown. When the paint is dry,
paint it with PVA and cover it
with flock. When it's dry, the
flock will look like leaves. Sand
is not very good for this, though
you could always try fine
sawdust and paint it green
afterwards.

Putting flock in an upturned
box lid keeps it tidy when
you're using it.

Instead of flock, you could use PVA
scattered with sand, paint it, then
drybrush it in a lighter shade.
This will give you a similar
result to flock, but is more hard
wearing.

Electrostatic grass can
be used for adding
grassy-looking detail to
terrain bases.
Green flock

Brown flock

Electrostatic grass

MATERIALS

PAINT
Making terrain uses up large
quantities of paint. The
colours that you will use most
are green in various shades,
brown or sandy yellow. Since
it is also a good idea to
undercoat scenery to
completely disguise the colour
of the cardboard etc so that
the final colours are bright,
you will need a lot of white or
black paint as well.
The best paint to use is
acrylic because it is soluble in
water, will cover almost
anything without melting it or
reacting with the glue or other
materials. Acrylic also gives a
very tough surface that does not
rub off easily or scuff off rough
surfaces. Citadel paints are all
acrylics of this kind.
One way to obtain a large quantity
of green paint for painting a
gaming table or huge piece of
terrain is the method we use. Take
a pot of Goblin Green paint into
your local hardware superstore and

Spray paint is
perfect for
painting large
areas like hills
quickly. Do not
use spray paint
on polystyrene
as the solvents
in the paint will
melt the
polystyrene.

ask the staff to mix you a pot of
emulsion paint (preferably water
soluble) to the same shade as the
Goblin Green. Most stores of this
kind have a machine for mixing
special colours to order and will
know what to do. Alternatively, you
could look for a premixed shade of
emulsion that is approximately the
right colour.

TWIGS
Twigs can be picked up virtually
anywhere. the best twigs are the
most twisted and gnarled ones that
look like miniature tree trunks.
These can be used as trunks for
model trees, dead trees, fallen
trees, piles of logs or even rough
and primitive timber beams for
huts, fences and bridges.

SMALL STONES AND PEBBLES
Pebbles and small stones can be
bought in bags from pet shops
where they are sold for aquariums,
or just found in the garden. The
best stones are rough, irregular
ones that look most like rocks
rather than smooth round ones.
These can be stuck randomly on
scenery to look like rocks and
boulders and often look better
when painted and drybrushed.

Gravel

Coral sand

The Citadel Colour Paint Set is an ideal way
to buy your first paints. The box contains ten
pots of water soluble paint, a brush, two
Citadel miniatures, and the tray incorporates
a handy mixing palette.

This clump of rocks was made from real
stones painted with texture paint. The base
has been textured with sand and flock.

Granulated cork

15

THICK STRING
Thick string or rope can be bought
in hardware stores and stationers.
The strands are thicker than the
hairs of a paintbrush and are
usually creamy-white in colour.
The best sort of string is about 1
centimetre thick.

TREES
Trees can be made from scratch
but this can be quite timeconsuming. It is certainly worth
trying though, and the trees which
are most likely to be successful are
tropical types such as palm trees,
outsize ferns and huge plants with
broad leaves which can be cut out
of paper.
By far the quickest and best
solution is to buy ready-made
model trees such as those sold in
Games Workshop stores. They
have a wire trunk which can be
stuck into a cardboard, polystyrene
or cork base, so a hill made up of
layers of these can be covered in
trees to be given an impressive
wooded slope.
Ready-made trees come in all
different sizes, shapes and shades
of green, from tiny round bushes to
tall pine trees.

THE BIT BOX
Keen modellers always
have a bit box - a box in
which they keep all the
useful 'bits' they have
accumulated. Useful spare
'bits' of various materials
and bits of models can be
kept in the bit box until
needed. Whenever you
find something you think
might come in useful
one day - put it in your
bit box!

Thick string can be cut into short
sections about 2.5cm long and
unravelled to create tufts of grass.
Dip the end of the tuft in glue and
stick it on the scenery. You will
need to use very tacky glue for this
or do not unravel the string until
after the tuft is firmly glued down.
Paint the tufts green when they are
dry and they will look like big tufts
of long grass. They are especially
effective between rocks and around
the bases of trees and fences.
Bristles from old brushes also
make good reeds and patches of
tall grass.

PLASTIC SPRUE
Plastic sprue is the rods and frame
of plastic which comes with a box
of plastic models. When you break
off the models and parts off the
plastic kit, the sprue is what's left
behind. Don't throw this away!
Instead, look at the sprue to see
whether there are any bits that can
be used for making terrain. Short
lengths of plastic sprue can look
like timber posts, iron girders or
metal pipes. When painted up,
these can be used to add detail to
buildings and ruins.

Thick seisal
string can
be frayed
and used
for grass
and reeds.

THIN WIRE
Wire can be
bought in
hardware
stores and
gardening
shops. A
pack of fuse
wire is a
good start,
as they
supply you
with several thicknesses of wire.
Wire must be cut with a pair of wire
cutters, or pliers that can cut wire.
Do not use scissors or you will ruin
them.
Wire is useful for detailed work
such as making tropical trees,
wicker fences, barbed wire
entanglements and wires on
futuristic buildings.

SAFETY
Modelling is not a dangerous hobby, but we suggest you read the
precautionary advice below. So long as you are careful and sensible you
shouldn't have any problems.
USING AEROSOLS

USING KNIVES
You can use scissors for most of
the cutting jobs in making
scenery if you're using thin
cardboard as your main
material. The best kind of
scissors are ones that are big
enough to cut cardboard but not
so big as to make it difficult to
cut detailed shapes.
For more detailed work it is best
to use a modelling knife. The
best kind of knife is the sort that
has a retractable blade so it can
be stored safely when not in
use.
When using a knife, remember
to make all cuts away from
yourself, so if the knife slips you
don't cut your fingers.

Cut by scoring several times,
pressing lightly until the material
is cut through. Do not press too
hard on the blade or it may
snap, slip or cut through into
the table.
Blunt blades are more
dangerous than sharp ones, so
change your knife's blade
regularly, and dispose of old
blades carefully.

Storage
If you use modelling knives, or
any other potentially dangerous
modelling equipment, store it
safely somewhere when you're
not using it.

When not in
use, the knife
is stored with
its cap on.
When in use,
the cap is
taken off and
the blade
extended.

There is no danger in
using aerosols
provided you follow a
few basic precautions.
Read the instructions
on the can and follow
them while you use it.
Before use, shake the
can thoroughly.
Spray the model from
a distance of about
30-40cm. Several thin
coats are better than
one thick coat.
Never use an aerosol
near a naked flame.

Where to Spray
Always spray outside, or in a wellventilated undercover site like a
garage or a car port.
Place plenty of newspaper on the
ground before you spray so you
don't get paint on the floor.
Alternatively, place a large
cardboard box on its side and spray
your models inside it.

Storage
Do not store
aerosol cans in a
hot place, or
somewhere where
they could become
hot - like on a
windowsill.

USING GLUE
Be careful when using glue, and
read the instructions on the
packaging.
Keep the cap on glue when you're
not using it. This will stop the glue
drying out, and prevent any
spillage if you accidentally knock it
over.
If you are gluing polystyrene, only
ever use PVA glue, as other types
of glue will melt it. See page 71 for
more tips about working with
polystyrene.

Dispose of empty
aerosol cans
responsibly - never
throw them on a
fire.

Spraying into a cardboard box helps stop the paint getting all over
the place.

18

THE WORK AREA

THE WORK AREA
Though you can do your modelling work anywhere, it's best to have a
permanent area that you can use whenever you like, and where you
can safely leave your equipment when you're not using it. A table next
to a window is ideal, and you'll find it helpful to have some shelves
nearby that you can use for storage.

I

f you don't have a special
modelling area, it doesn't
matter, you can use any
suitable table, but you will have to
clear away all your stuff after each
modelling session.

If you're using the kitchen table or
the dining room table, make sure
it's well protected before you start
work. Lots of newspaper will
protect the table against minor
spillages and accidents. If you're
planning to do any cutting with a
knife, you will need to use a piece
of wood or a cutting board to
protect the table's surface.
There are a few things you'll find
handy to have for your work area
such as newspaper, kitchen paper,
a cutting mat or board and a table
light, if you planning to work in the
evenings.

STURDY TABLE
You will need to work at a fairly
sturdy table, desk or bench. It
should be big enough for you to
spread out your tools and models
comfortably.

NEWSPAPER
You will need plenty of newspaper
to spread out over the working area
to avoid making a mess when
painting, gluing, scattering sand
and flock, sawing and
sandpapering.

Bits of modelling material can be
swept into the tray to avoid making
a mess and some messy jobs can
be done in the tray to catch the
sawdust, excess flock and other
bits.

CUTTING BOARD
A thick, flat piece of wood is useful
to saw and cut on. An old
breadboard would be suitable, for
instance. The modelling material
can be held down firmly on the
board to be cut accurately and
safely without scratching the table
or desk.

TRAY
It is a good idea to have a tray to
keep your tools, materials and halffinished models on. This enables
you to keep things up together
when you finish a session of
modelling and have to pack up.

KITCHEN PAPER
A roll of kitchen paper is endlessly
useful for cleaning and drying
things, and mopping up the odd
accident. Paper tissues will also do,
but aren't as strong or as absorbent.

LIGHTING
Good lighting is
essential for all
modelling and painting
work. Natural daylight is
best, so if you can
position your work near
a window so much the
better. If you can't work
near a window, or want
to work in the evenings
or at night, you will
need a suitable light
source to illuminate
your work. Anglepoise
lamps are ideal, and
come in a variety of
shapes and sizes.

Daylight bulbs cast a light that is
almost identical to daylight, and
won't distort colours the way
normal lightbulbs do. Although
they are a little more expensive
than standard lightbulbs, they are
excellent for painting and
modelling.

Anglepoise lights like these are great for modelling and painting.
Most are free standing, but you can also buy lights that clamp
directly onto the table, like the ones pictured above. This gives
you more room on the table, and means there's no chance of
knocking the lamp over.

THE WORK AREA

19

20

BASIC TECHNIQUES

MAKING BASES
Almost every project in this book requires a base. This section tells
you how to make bases - what to make them from, and how do it.
A good strong base allows you to move a piece of terrain around
easily, and makes the model stronger.

M

ost scenery models will
need to be mounted on a
sturdy base. The base will
need to lie firm and flat on the
playing area and withstand a great
deal of use.

MATERIALS
There are several ways of making a
good base for a piece of terrain.
The best, strongest and most
durable bases are cut from
hardboard or a similar wooden
material about a quarter of an inch
thick. Such materials can be found
in a hardware store or do-ityourself supermarket.
The big drawback with wood like
this is that it comes in big sheets
and is very hard to cut into shape
with simple tools. Wood bases are
really for the experts!
There are other ways of making a
good base which are easier,
simpler, quicker and probably
cheaper. There are three basic
materials which can be used to
make bases: cardboard, cork tiles
and expanded polystyrene.

Cardboard Bases
Cardboard is very easy to get hold
of. The thicker and smoother the
cardboard the better. Good quality
cardboard of this kind can be
found in packaging, at the back
of pads of drawing and writing
paper, or can be bought from art
suppliers or stationers.
Thick cardboard is quite hard to
cut. It may be too thick to cut with
scissors and will require a
modelling knife. Much easier to
find, and much easier to cut, is the
brown corrugated card used for the
sort of packing boxes you find at
supermarket checkouts. This kind
of cardboard makes reasonably
good bases.
Thin card, such as cereal packets,
can be used for very small bases.
If you want to use it for big bases,
then it can be strengthened by
gluing several layers together to
make the equivalent of thick,
dense cardboard.

Other Base Materials

Thick brown cardboard like this is easy to
find, costs nothing, and is ideal for making
bases with.

To make a base in this way, draw
the shape of your base onto
polystyrene, cut it out with a knife
and stick it down with PVA onto
thin card, thick brown box
cardboard or a cork tile. This will
give you a strengthened polystyrene
base.
The edge of the polystyrene layer
can now be sanded or shaped to
give the base a sloping edge. Trees
and other things can be easily stuck
into the polystyrene and the upper
surface can be shaped to look like
rugged ground.

Cork tiles are generally less rigid
than cardboard, but can be
cut with a modelling knife
or even scissors if the tile
is thin. Several tiles can be
stuck together with PVA
glue to make a more rigid
and very thick base.
Alternatively a cork tile
could be stuck onto thin
card or brown box
cardboard to make a base
stronger than either
material on its own.

Cork tiles can be used for making bases.

Polystyrene tile can be
stuck onto a base of
cardboard or cork tile to
create a thick, raised base.

Sheets of expanded polystyrene can be bought in
different sizes and thicknesses. Interesting, chunky
shapes can be found as part of packaging.

BASIC TECHNIQUES

MAKING A BASE

Cutting out a base made from two layers of thick brown cardboard.
Note how the top layer of card has been glued at right angles to
the bottom layer. This helps to prevent warping. The card layers
have been cut at an angle, so the edge of the base will slope
slightly.

SURFACE TEXTURE
The final treatment of the base is
to give it a realistic ground surface.
There are several ways of doing
this. The quickest and simplest is
just to paint it green. If you use the
same shade of green for all your
terrain it will all match up nicely.
At the Games Workshop studio, we
always use Goblin Green for our
terrain and for the bases of the
models so they look good together
on the wargames tables.
After painting the base you can
cover it with flock to make it look
grassy. Flock is fine, coloured
sawdust. To cover a base with
flock, paint it with PVA glue,
scatter plenty of flock over it, then
gently shake the excess flock off. It
helps if you do this over a box or a
sheet of newspaper!

A layer of polystyrene sheeting glued onto a
piece of cardboard makes a thick base. The
straight edges of the base will need to be
sanded or cut into more natural-looking
slopes.

Using a small piece of stiff card, the edge of the card base is
covered with filler.

Alternatively you could paint the
base with textured paint, which is
emulsion paint with sand and grit
added, used for painting the
outside of buildings or for ceilings.
When dry this can be painted and
drybrushed to look almost as
realistic as flock. Many modellers
do this before covering the model
with flock! Instead of textured
paint, you can paint PVA glue over
the base and scatter sand over it.
When dry wash over it again with
diluted PVA to stop the sand
rubbing off. When completely dry
paint and drybrush for results
almost as good as flock.

Sand, flock and coral sand were all used for
the sides and base of this crater.

The best sand to use is very dry,
absorbent yellow or silver sand,
often called 'Shell-Sand', available
from pet shops or from the beach!

MODELLING TIP - Gluing on Flock
When you're flocking a base
or a large piece of terrain,
it's best to glue on the flock
a section at a time. If you
paint the whole base with
PVA, by the time you start
putting on the flock some of
the glue might already be
dry! The best way round this
problem is to paint an area
of the terrain with glue, then
flock it immediately. For a
really thick layer of flock,
repeat the gluing and
flocking process when the
first coat has set and dried.

21

22

BASIC TECHNIQUES

SAND & PVA PASTE

WARPING

PVA is a thick plastic glue which
bonds very strongly and dries clear.
It can be thinned with water and
mixed with paint to achieve various
effects. It can be mixed with sand
to make a gooey paste which will
dry rock hard with a rough texture.
This stuff can be used like filler but
is much stronger and has much
less chance of cracking as it dries.

The biggest problem
you can encounter
when making a base is
warping. This is when
the base bends slightly
as it dries and will not
rest flat on the tabletop.

You can use fine sand, gritty sand
or a mixture of both. Mix the sand
and PVA in a yoghurt pot then
apply it to the model with a
spatula. The amount of sand you
mix with the glue will determine
how runny or stiff the paste will
be. It is easier to apply paste
which is not too runny nor too stiff
and crumbly. To help the paste
stick on, paint a little PVA onto the
surface before applying the paste,
especially if the paste is quite stiff.
The paste will dry in a few hours
and will be solid in about a day.

Making a mixture of sand and PVA.

Warping is caused by
painting or soaking the
cardboard or other
absorbent materials as
you make the base which then
warps the material as it dries out.
Basically, as the wet surface of the
material dries out it bends the dry
surface and distorts its shape.
Some materials are resistant to
warping and others may not warp
because of this reason, but may
warp under their own weight
because the base has not been
stored on a flat surface.
The best way to guard against
warping is to choose your card or
other materials carefully and to try
not to saturate the base. Another
way is to paint the bottom of the
base first, before applying paint
and glue to the top surface. This
can help to counteract the tension
caused by the drying of the upper
layers of paint and glue. PVA glue
can be painted on as a sealant to

prevent moisture penetrating the
cardboard and making it soggy.
Cardboard is most susceptible to
warping, but corrugated brown box
cardboard tends not to warp
because of its structure.
Larger bases are more liable to
warp than small ones. As a general
rule it is better to make several
small terrain pieces and place them
together to make a bigger feature
than to try and make a very big
piece of terrain.
When sticking down any flat piece
of card, cork tile or polystyrene onto
a flat surface, place a weight, such
as a telephone directory, on top of
the upper surface. This will hold it
down firmly as it sticks and avoid
the edges lifting up or warping.

MODELLING TIP - Drybrushing

This base was first painted green. When the
paint was dry, diluted PVA paint was applied,
then flock was scattered over it.

Drybrushing is a painting technique that accentuates the texture of a model's
surface. Paint the model in the basic colour you want it to be - dark grey for
stones, for example. When the paint is dry, mix a lighter shade of the same
colour. Using an old brush, wet it in the paint, then clean off nearly all the paint
by wiping the brush gently on a tissue. Flick the brush gently over the model,
leaving a trace of the lighter colour on the raised parts of the model's surface.
If you drybrush in progressively lighter shades, you can make this effect more
pronounced.

The base of this statue was painted with PVA
and sprinkled with sand. When dry, it was
drybrushed in shades of brown.

Before drybrushing

After drybrushing

WARHAMMER SCENERY

WARHAMMER SCENERY
The fantasy battle rages amid the rugged and fantastic
scenery of the Warhammer World. There is only one way to
cover your table-top battlefield with scenery fit for such
awesome encounters: you will have to make it yourself!
HILLS

24

WOODS & TREES

28

RIVERS

32

BRIDGES

34

WATER

36

MARSHES

37

Stone circle

Burial Mound

Rocks

BURIAL MOUNDS

38

ROCKS AND STONES

39

STONE CIRCLES

40

River

Wooden bridge

Woods

23

24

HILLS

HILLS
Hills are one of the most useful sorts of terrain for any gamer. A
few hills placed on the field of battle can make all the difference
between two armies dashing towards each other over an open
plain and an interesting battle full of the tactical options that
different levels of terrain afford. Hills are easy to make, and can
come in all shapes and sizes. The more hills you have the better!

Y

ou will usually need at
least two or three hills to
make an interesting
battlefield. Troops can hide
behind hills and archers and
war machines can be placed
on them to shoot over other
troops.

Line your missile troops up on hills so they can see over the heads of friendly troops in front.

Hills can be made in various
shapes and heights with either
steep or gentle slopes. The
three most common and useful
shapes are a simple oval hill, a
long ridge and an oval hill with
a straight side for placing
against the table edge.
The most important thing about
hills is that it should be easy to
stand models and units on
them. The hill slopes should
not be so steep that models fall
over when placed on them. If you
want the hill to have steep slopes,
then it is a good idea to make flat
areas between the slopes for
placing models on the hill.
Hills with 'steps' offer the best
possibilities for placing troops, and
steps that are wide enough to
accommodate two ranks of troops
- about 6cm - are ideal.

STEPPED HILLS
A stepped hill is the easiest sort of
hill to make and is the best shape
for placing models on. It is also the
basic shape for making a sloped
hill. A stepped hill rises up in
several steps like a series of two or
three flat platforms of diminishing
size placed on top of each other.
Models can be placed on any of
the flat steps. Models on the higher

steps can see over and shoot over
models on the lower steps.
To make a stepped hill you will
need thick cardboard, cork tiles or
polystyrene sheeting. Decide what
material you are going to use and
what shape you want the hill to be.
Draw the shape of the base of the
hill, for example a big oval about
30cm across, on one tile or sheet of
cardboard and cut it out. This gives

MAKING A STEPPED HILL

1

The base of this hill forms the first
'step'. The base and the top layer were
each made from two sheets of thick card.

2

The hill has been sprayed green,
ready for flocking.

3

The hill has been painted with diluted
PVA, and scattered with flock.

HILLS
you the bottom step. If you want
the step to be higher, cut out
another identical step and stick it
on the first to make a double
thickness step and so on until you
have the height you want.
If you leave it at that you will have
a basic, flat-topped hill. If you
want to add a second step, draw a
similar shaped but smaller oval on
another tile or sheet of cardboard
and cut it out. Repeat the process
as described for the first step if you
want to make the step thicker and
higher. If the first step was about
30cm across, the second step
could be 20cm across giving
plenty of room around it on the
lower step to place models. Stick
this step on top of the first step.
You now have a two step hill.
You can leave it there or continue
adding smaller and smaller steps
until you have a three step or four
step hill. A three or four step hill
would count as a high hill, while a
one or two step hill would count as
a low hill or gentle hill.
The stepped hill is finished by
painting it all over with green
paint. You can leave it at that for a
very simple hill, or improve the
hill's appearance by painting it
with PVA glue and scattering green
flock over it.

HILL SHAPES
Hills come in all shapes and sizes. Here is a selection of basic shapes to get you started.

The difficult bit will be making the
edges of the steps look good. If
these are polystyrene, they can be
smoothed with sandpaper. If they
are cork or cardboard the rough
edges can be smoothed and
disguised with filler or PVA mixed
with sand applied with a spatula.
The odd stone could be added here
and there as a boulder to disguise
any bits of basic construction
material which still show through.

SLOPING HILLS
A stepped hill constructed as
described above is the basic shape
for a sloping hill so make the basic
structure of the hill the same way.
Next you will need to build up a
surface over the steps, so that the
hill slopes gently and the steps
disappear.

Filler or plaster can be used to
cover the steps and build up the
sloping surface of the hill. If you
use plaster you will need quite a lot
and you may need to apply it in
several layers to avoid cracking as it
dries. It might be worth painting
PVA onto the hill immediately
before applying plaster so that the
dry plaster doesn't flake off.
When the filler or plaster is dry you
can paint the hill green. When the
paint is dry you can paint the hill
with PVA and scatter flock or sand
on the hill to give it a very realistic
look. If you use sand you should
paint dilute PVA over it afterwards
to help stop the sand rubbing off.
To finish the hill, paint the sand
green, and drybrush it lighter green
or yellow to give an effect like flock.

A straight-sided
hill, designed specifically
to go along the edge of a wargames table.

This wedgeshaped hill has been
designed to fit neatly into the
corner edge of a wargames
table.

One end of this straight-sided hill has been modelled into steep crags.

25

26

HILLS

FINISHING TOUCHES

A cave has been modelled into the side of
this hill. Note the loose stones round the
entrance.

You can leave your finished hill as
it is, bare and windswept, or go a
stage further and add trees, scree,
cliffs or boulders. If the hill is made
of corrugated card or polystyrene,
you can push model trees into it to
create a wooded hill.
Boulders are easily added, just
select a few rugged looking stones
and stick them on the slopes. The
stones should be painted a dark
rock colour and drybrushed a
lighter shade of this to really look
good. Trees and rocks clustered
together look realistic and can be
used to create rocky slopes on part
of the hill. Trees and rocks can
provide cover for troops positioned
on the hill.

the edge of the spatula when it
is partly dry to give the effect of
cracks in the rock. Modelling
clay can also be used for even
more detailed effects. When
dry, the cliff face can be
painted a suitable rock colour
and drybrushed a lighter shade.
Patches of green flock can be
stuck on here and there to
represent moss and grass
clinging to the rock face. You
can embellish the cliff even
further by shaping a cave at the
base of the cliff. This is best
done with modelling clay. The
cave does not have to go back
into the slope, the mouth of the
cave can be painted black to
give the illusion of depth and
darkness.

The upper part of this scree slope was made by
carving a small section of exposed polystyrene to
represent rocks. The scree was made from tiny
stones and coarse sand.

The shrubs on the hillside can be bought ready-made from Games Workshop.

Scree slopes are scatters of rock
fragments which tumble down the
sides of hills. These can be made
by painting an area of the hill with
PVA and scattering grit or small
pebbles on it. Paint these in the
same way as big boulders. Scree
looks particularly good around
boulders or on very steep slopes. It
can represent an impassable or
very difficult slope. Paint the scree
dark brown, black, grey or purple
and drybrush with light brown or
light grey.
Very steeply sloping hillsides and
steps can be textured with filler or
plaster to look like cliffs. To do this,
smooth filler over the steep part of
the slope or against the edge of a
high step. Then score the filler with

A rocky cliff face goes up the side of this hill. The hill itself was made from layers of expanded
polystyrene. When the sides of the hill were smoothed with filler, one area was left bare. The
exposed polystyrene was then carefully cut into rocky shapes with a craft knife.

HILLS

Two sets of hills placed opposite each other create a deep valley - an ideal place for an ambush!

You'll be able to use the hills you make for your Warhammer battles for Warhammer 40,000 too. Steep, craggy hills with lots of places for models to
hide in and shoot from are ideal.

27

28

WOODS AND TREES

WOODS
After hills, woods are the next most useful terrain. In fact, you
could make a very good battlefield with only woods and no hills.
Woods provide cover for troops, slow down movement and can be
used to hide troops from enemy shooting or line of sight. They are
one of the most useful and most attractive pieces of scenery.

T

o make a wood follow the
procedure for making a
stepped hill as described in
the preceding section, except that
you only need to make the one
step. This provides you with a
suitable base on which to mount
your trees. If you intend to stick
trees into the base, it will need to
be quite thick in order to hold
them securely. Polystyrene is good
for tree bases, as it's thick, and
easy to stick the trees into. Finish
off the base as described for the
hills, with paint, sand or flock.
Now you're ready to add the trees.
You can make trees from scratch
but this can be time consuming
and tricky. It is far easier and

quicker to buy ready-made model
trees. These are very good, look
realistic and are usually a lot better
than any attempts at making them
from scratch. They come in several
sizes and are either deciduous
trees or conifers. Small trees can
be used to represent bushes in
conjunction with larger trees. A
wood looks most effective when it
contains a variety of trees of
different types, shades and sizes.
When you have chosen a selection
of trees you can plant them in the
base. The trees usually have
twisted wire trunks which can be
pushed into the base. Put a blob of
PVA onto the end of the trunk so
that it will stick firmly and not fall

Ready-made trees like this one are ideal for
making woods with. Just stick the wire trunk
firmly into your hill base, and there you go!

It's well worth making lots of woods - they'll always come in handy, and make your battlefields look great too!

WOODS AND TREES

out. Some model trees have a
plastic base to the trunk which can
be stuck down onto the base.
Metal tree bases can be bought
from Games Workshop for use with
the wire trunk trees to give the
effect of gnarled roots gripping the
ground.

MAKING A WOOD
Start off with an unfinished base,
made as described in the Making
Bases section. Stick the trees into
the base, and, when you are happy
with the positions, glue them into
place. If you want to add any extra
details, such as clumps of grass or
small rocks, now is the time to do it.
The base can now be painted and
flocked as usual.

Arrange the trees on the platform
with one or two tall ones in the
centre and shorter ones around
them. Put the shortest and any
bushes near the edges. This will
make the wood look realistic.
Another trick is to put the darker
shaded trees in the centre to make
the wood look deep and dark.
Trees should not be placed so close
together that models cannot be
moved through the wood.
Alternatively you can make several
small woods which are really
'clumps' of trees and arrange two
or three of these to make a wood.
Troops can then be moved
between the clumps.

FINISHING
TOUCHES
The wood is now more or less
finished but you can embellish it
further with a few extra
details. Stones can be stuck
on the base among the trees
and painted to look like
random boulders or rocks
poking up out of the ground.
Twigs can be stuck down to
look like fallen tree trunks.
These should be used
sparingly and blended into
the base with small amounts
of green flock. Grit and small
stones can be glued in small
areas to look like patches of
bare earth. These details will
make the wood look more
rugged and realistic and provide
extra obstacles and cover for
models.

You can add all sorts of detail to your woods
to make them look more realistic, like clumps
of grass and plants, tree roots, stones and
stony ground.

A tight stand of trees made
with Just three trees and a
relatively small base.

29

30

WOODS AND TREES

MODELLING MASTERCLASS - Making Your Own Trees
I have been
spending a
lot of time
making a
collection of
scenery and
soon
discovered
that I needed
trees... lots
and lots of
trees! I wanted trees to add to
bigger features such as crags, trees
to add to hedges, clumps of trees
to make forests and plenty of
individual trees to put here and
there on the battlefield.
Model trees are very good, and
technically well made, but they
tend to be made to a standard
shape: either conifers of the spruce
variety (Christmas trees) or
deciduous trees which look like
chestnut trees. Real woods and
countryside include lots of different
sizes, shapes and species of tree
and I wanted to create the same
effect in my model landscapes. I
also wanted to make coniferous
trees which were not fir trees, such
as yews and Scots pines. I started
making trees myself, experimenting
with different methods.

Tree Trunks
The starting point for making a tree
is to find something that will make
a suitable tree trunk. The first, and
easiest, way is just to pick up
twigs which look gnarled enough
to resemble miniature tree trunks.
Often bits of root are exactly right
and are also tougher and less

brittle than ordinary twigs. The big
problem with twigs is that they
snap, so short, knobbly ones are
best. Twigs will need little or no
painting, perhaps just a quick
drybrushing to bring out the
texture.
The other method of making tree
trunks is to use wire. This has to
be copper or steel wire of the sort
bought on a roll in hardware
stores, so that you can bend and
twist it into shape. Cut short
lengths and twist them together to
make a thick trunk. Splay out short
lengths at one end to be the roots
and longer ends at the other to be
branches. Some of the wires for
branches can be twisted together
to make thick boughs. Arrange the
branches into a realistic tree
shape.
The wire can be left as it is and
painted to make a crude tree or
covered in some sort of texture or
tape. Masking tape or bandage
dipped in glue or plaster will do
well, or you can use plaster,
milliput or plastic wood filler
applied with a spatula. When this
is dry it can be quickly painted and
drybrushed to give a very gnarled
effect. At this point you could even
try to indicate the species of the
tree such as painting a slender
trunk to look like a silver birch with
black and white blotches, or
painting yews and redwoods with
reddish brown bark and ash trees
with greyish brown bark.
With a wire trunk, you can take
the opportunity to make really
interesting tree

shapes,
such as
trees
bending
over
because
of years
of gale
force
winds!
Each
model
tree can
be given a unique character which,
when combined with other trees,
makes the whole terrain piece look
less artificial and more natural.

The Base
It is a good idea to stick the trunk
onto a firm base before dealing with
the foliage so you can stand it up
while you work on it. I stick the
wire trunk onto a base before I
texture the bark. I just use an
irregular disc shape cut out of card
for the base. It just needs to be
large enough to stop the tree falling
over. I texture the base with the
same stuff I put on the trunk and
add flock and also stones to help
weigh the tree down.

Foliage
The most difficult bit of making a
tree is to find a way of giving
volume and shape to the foliage. I
use sponges, loofahs, moss and
green scouring pads. These things
can all be found in hardware stores
and domestic supply shops (apart
from moss, which you can find
anywhere).

WOODS AND TREES

The sponge, loofah or scourer has
to be chopped up into chunks,
which benefit from being clipped
into rounded shapes. If the chunks
are quite big you can push them
onto the wire or twig branches and
fix them with glue. If you make lots
of very small chunks, or want to
use the offcuts from the big
chunks, mix these up with PVA
wood glue and apply them to the
branches. This takes a bit of skill
because the sloppy mess will try to
slip off and it dries into a hard
mass. You can do exactly the same
with certain kinds of moss:
smother the branches with PVA
and squeeze the moss onto it
firmly. At this stage the tree must
be left to dry so that everything will
be firm for the final stages.

black or dark green.
This will make the
canopy look deep
and dark. When this
is dry, you can
drybrush with lighter
shades of green, or
even yellow or
autumn browns to
give the tree its final
unique character.
When you have lots
of trees with various
shades of green,
they always look
amazingly like a real wood when
arranged together. This is a great
opportunity to experiment with as
many shades of green or other
woodland colours as you feel like!

If you have used moss, or green
scouring pads, you will not need to
paint the foliage at all, or perhaps
no more than a bit of drybrushing
with a lighter green. Otherwise,
paint the foliage a base colour of

Leaf Texture
Before painting the base colour, I
sometimes add some sort of texture
to resemble leaves. There are
several things you can use such as
cork granules (from model shops),

MODELLING TIP - Using Reference Books
You will find a
good selection of
reference book
invaluable for
modelling terrain.
Well illustrated
books about the
countryside,
geography,
woods and trees,
mountains and
hills, and travel
books with photographs of foreign lands are all useful and will serve as a good
source of information. If you want to make a specific sort of tree for instance,
a book about trees, especially one that shows trees with and without their leaves,
will be a great help.

flock or sawdust. Paint PVA over the
canopy and dip it into a saucer full
of the sawdust or flock and then
leave it to dry. You may need to do
this twice to get good coverage.
There is always some that falls off,
but a good thick coat of base colour
tends to fix it, or paint over it with
diluted PVA or spray varnish.
Whether or not you texture the tree
in this way, you can add a further
layer of green flock on top by the
same method. Sometimes I just
keep going, adding flock
and dry-brushing until the
tree looks right, or I get
fed up and start another
one. Sometimes I leave a
tree after the first few
stages because "It will
do". Either way, I have
just created a different
type of tree. When they
are all mixed together in a
wood, the effect of a lot of
them together does the
trick and looks like a real
wood.

31

RIVERS
Rivers are a useful addition to any terrain collection, and will complement
your hills and woods perfectly. Make lots of river sections, designing them so
they all fit together, and you'll find endless uses for them. Rivers do not
block line of sight, but have a significant effect on troops' movement, as it is
difficult to cross a watercourse except at a ford or over a bridge.

T

his section describes how to
make a section of shallow
river or stream. The section
is curved so as to run across the
corner of the battlefield. It will
therefore be a complete piece of
scenery in itself and can be used
on its own. Once you've made one
section you can repeat the process
to make more sections to lengthen
your river.

Use a sheet of thick strong
cardboard to make the base for the
river section, and draw the shape
of the curved river section onto it.
The river should curve almost at a
right angle. Alternatively you could
draw an almost straight or slightly
curved section and arrange it on
the battlefield diagonally across
one corner. The section should be
about 10cm wide for a shallow
stream or river.
Cut out the shape you have drawn.
You may find it useful to stick two
or more layers of cardboard
together to make a really sturdy
and stiff base. If so, use the
original shape as a template for the
others.

When you have made the base for
the river section you will need to
build up the river banks along
either edge of the base. The
simplest way to do this is to stick
strips of cardboard, cork or
polystyrene tile along the edge.
These not only raise the edges, but
you can also build up the river
banks against them. Cover the

strips with filler, or you could use
modelling clay, plaster or plasticine.
The banks could also be made by
sticking a row of stones along the
edge of the river section with
plaster, modelling clay or plasticine
between them to give the effect of a