WH40K community years ago when he built a Thunderhawk Gunship, an iconic vehicle in that game universe, which, at that point, had rarely been seen in three dimensions. His version of the ship took three months to build and used hundreds of parts, including Star Wars toys and models, other sci-fi and army toys, sheet plastic and lead, clothes pins, belt buckles, and spent printer cartridges.

Mark Zimmer is another master of the terrain maker’s art. Like Patten, he got on board with WH40K in 1987, but wasn’t that interested in terrain until he got back into the hobby years later and discovered amazing online resources for terrain crafting, such as the venerable TerraGenesis. “Discovering Gary James’s excellent do-it-yourself site got me really excited about the idea of building my own terrain.”

Zimmer now runs Parasitic Studios, a site where he shows off his work, offers pointers, and sells his terrain. Like most accomplished builders, he sells pieces via eBay and does commission work. “My original goal was to get this hobby to pay for itself. Over the last few years, I’ve done considerably better than that,” says Zimmer. Like Patten’s Thunderhawk, Zimmer also has at least one project that got away from him. “I built this massive, modular, 35-square-foot Space Hulk table (a WH40K game that takes place on a derelict spaceship). It was comprised of 88 individual pieces. The rooms and passageways could be arranged in different layouts (like a big puzzle). It was insane.”

wargame miniatures, etc. Buy any and all models at yard sales. It may be a car or a plane or goofy Battlefield Earth toy now, but repurposed and painted properly, it can become almost anything.

Learn the way of the blueboard. Blueboard (aka insulation foam, or pink insulation foam) is used in construction. You can get it at any home/building supply place. It is, literally, the ground upon which most terrain projects sit. You can cut it with a hot wire, sculpt it, sand it, paint it, and turn it into nearly any shape you want. Take a few pieces of this board, tape them together, cover with glue and dyed-green sawdust, and you’ve got yourself a gaming board.

Get some specialty tools. Besides the usual building and hobby tools, you’ll want a hot-wire foam

Look carefully at what goes

into your trash can. A metal

can, turned over, becomes a

storage tank. A cut-up egg

carton becomes a field of

alien gestation pods.

Terrain Making Tips

Here are some words of wisdom on getting into making tabletop terrain, gleaned from my own terrain-making experience and that of Patten and Zimmer.

Start a collection of plastic and metal containers and packaging rescued from the trash. Save stuff that looks even mildly interesting.

Keep a “bitz box,” a collection of smaller parts, pieces from old scale models, jewelry, junked toys,

cutter (you can get these cheaply at a craft store), a hot glue gun, and a Dremel rotary tool.

One of Patten’s secret ingredients for great terrain is Pre-Mixed Concrete Patch (found at building supply stores). “You can use it for adding texture, filling gaps in terrain pieces, and building up ground surfaces.”

Zimmer is partial to kitty litter. “By mixing kitty litter with white glue, you get a chunky, spreadable cement mixture that makes incredible-looking rubble/debris when it dries. Be sure you buy the cheap clay litter.”

Zimmer also recommends what’s known as “ granny grating” in the trade: “These lightweight plastic grids are actually designed for use in cross-stitching, but are excellent for making fencing and floor grating.”

More resources at makezine.com/08/terrain.

Gareth Branwyn writes about the intersection of technology and culture and is a member of MAKE’s Advisory Board.

82 Make: Volume 08