Sunday Terrain Piece: Derelict Firing Position

Has it been a week already? Well, sorry about the product review I was supposed to do yesterday. Packing took up most of the day. Today, however, I was able to put together a nifty firing position. I think this will be the new standard for my firing position pieces, I will have to make a few more of these after I move.

You can see it unpainted in the picture above. The design is inspired by a tower-topping piece utilized by a fellow named Bugbait over on Warseer forums. I had to modify it, though, to make a more stand-alone version of the piece.

I didn't get any WIP photos, but I'll try to walk you through it. It was pretty simple, so you shouldn't have any problems.

Materials you will need:

5mm Foamcore (I haven't tried corrugated cardboard yet, but it might work. I suggest Foamboard though).

Sharp Utility Knives or Hobby Knives (and a parent to go with them if you are a yung'un.)

My Templates (See pictures above, print out with no modifications to size)

Gluestick (For adhering the templates to the foamboard)

Hot Glue Gun- Low Temp (For the adhering of pieces)

Masking Tape (For sealing edges)

PVA Glue, some fine sand or ballast, and black craft paint (For the texture and basecoat)

Granny Grating (Optional: used for flooring in the firing position)




Step 1:
Print out the templates and glue them to the foamboard. Using the SHARP utility knives, cut out the pieces as precisely as you possibly can. !!!Ignore the corner pieces!!! I thought I would need them but I ended up not needing them. Save yourself some time and don't cut them out. Also, you don't need to cut out the piece on the left of the second page. The center piece from the first page's base, as well as the center piece from the second page's piece will be sufficient. The 2nd piece on the 2nd page is there just in case you mess up the 1st page's base cutout like I did.

Step 2:
Glue the pieces labeled "Long Side" and "Short Sides" to the INSIDE of the base, not on the top. Align them so that they are standing on the piece's long side. Use the tape to seal any edges that you can. Glue the angled supports to the beginning and end of each of these boards, with the notch fitting over the boards. On one of the long sides, cut a gap appoximately 1" wide (25mm) and glue the angled support pieces to the inside edges of these shortened pieces (still facing outward).

Step 3:
Use the long, rectangular pieces that were unlabeled to create baseboards for each short wall. Cut them to fit in between the angled supports. Use the hot glue to glue them down, then use masking tape to taper off the baseboard to the short wall, as well as any exposed edges.

Step 4:
Glue the top (on page 2) to the angled supports. The supports may stick out some, but not too much to be noticeable. Fill this gap with hot glue or tape if you desire. Glue the center of the roof piece to the center of the base piece to create the removable roof. You may need to trim down the roof center piece to make sure it fits properly after texture is applied. Continue to tape edges. Place the entire piece on a base now. For my base, I just cut out an equal-size piece of foamboard.

Step 5:
Mix up a solution of glue, plaster patching powder, paint, water, and fine sand/ballast in a disposable container (like a whipped cream or butter container). Using an old brush, glob the stuff on there. I did the roof separately, to cover both sides. Refer back to my old foamcore building tutorial to see an example of what the consistency of the mixture should be. It should be almost wet enough to run, but not quite. The black paint is really just there to darken the mixture and eliminate the need for a basecoat of paint. If you prefer, you can skip the paint and apply a separate basecoat later. Glue down the granny grating into the bottom if you desire.

Step 6:
Wait for it to dry! After it is done, you may need to sand the removable roof in order to make sure it still fits in there. You may also paint it easily with a drybrush of grays that successively go to white. Some Modge-Podge for sealant will help keep the piece looking the same as the day you painted it!

If you don't follow this tutorial to the letter, don't worry about it. I didn't. Have fun with it.

Until next week, FoxPhoenix signing out!