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I found this cardboard furniture shipping thing recently, and it really caught my eye since I've recently started playing Warhammer.

This thing looks like it could be used to make something really cool, but I have no experience with making any terrain whatsoever. So I figured I'd ask you guys for some help.

Here is the... thing. It's about 38 inches square, with a bunch of larger pieces glued loosely inside.



The cardboard block pieces on the side aren't glued to the sides themselves, and can hinge.



I also found a bunch of these extra block hinge things. They stand up 12 inches tall and can fold into a brick or a slab shape.



I'm unsure how to proceed from here, since I've never done this. I think I want to make like a military installation or indoors type terrain. How should I proceed? Any tips or guides I could read, or examples to look at?

Looks like a gladiatorial arena to me . . . Go for it!
Other than that, I'm afraid I don't know many guides.
However, you could just try and try again. It's only cardboard, you won't be ruining anything precious.

from what i have heard, cardboard is not good with paint, so there might be a need to have something to cover it up. for something this big i would also suggest buying a spray can (GW sells some white-black-primer)

thats all i know, hope this helps!

Yeah, I'm not that enthusiastic about cardboard either. It would make a decent square-shaped defensive perimiter, though, a la Zulu.

Painting cardboard is a bit of a pain. Perhaps you could look into covering it with modeling clay or light plaster(like plaster of Paris). however you would need to be pretty set on what layout you would want. Still it looks like a pretty good find.

Oh, yeah, I had no intention of leaving it as cardboard. I wanted to cover it in... something. Not sure what. Maybe some heavy paper or some of this plastic stuff my buddy recommended. Plastic card or something along those lines? Give it a hard-edged cold metal feel or some such.

Yeah, if you basically coated it with plasticard, you wouldn't have as many problems. That said, why wouldn't you want to just construct a new terrain piece from scratch using plasticard? That way you're still using the same amount of plasticard, but you're not building it around a rottable core.

I dunno, it never occurred to me, haha. Like I said, I've never done this.

I'll probably use a simpler base, like poster board or something, and give it a go with that. I'd like to get some clean-cut edges, though, so I'll have to figure that out.

That, and putting the details I want onto such a material. This is just a test, of course :p

That would make a great Special arena for Blood Bowl if its the right proportions. Or maybe a Vehicle bay.

coat the parts with platser of paris, or you paper macha....

I wold go with a vehicle construction/maintenance bay or maybe a starship compartment for some serious cityfight style close combat

I happen to know that cardboard brick stuff looks like an amazing giant bee hive when you remove one of the flat surface pieces.

I would advise a kind of cave/biological hive using papier mache and plaster of paris.

Use automotive or house spray paint rather than GW spray (it is much cheaper). Don't spray too thick a coat as it will make the card all soggy - use several thinner coats.

That would be the coolest arena showdown. Bring 500 points of any army and have at it. I could see assault marines and raptors.. terminators and ogryns. MARBO v All. Greater Deamons vs Avatars.. Get textured plasticard or wood glue and sand, maybe that will save the cardboard.


I want to make one now.

With the high cost of plasticard, I strongly recommend going against that idea. Better to make your own design if you're going to use plasticard.

That said, you have the makings of a great gladiator arena, or Underground warehouse, or Bunker.

I second CJsuner's recommendation about Plaster of Paris or Paper mache. However, I've never coated cardboard with it. Plaster or paris is fairly cheap, though. Try some on another piece of cardboard or box before going after this guy.

Great find, man. I hope it works out for you.

Go down to your local craft store or home depot. Ask for stuff called bar-cote or an equivalent. It will be described as a two part polymer resin pour on coating. Should be about 50X thicker than polyeurethane.

Stuff will come to about $100 for two half gallon bottles that one of which is the resin and the other is the hardener.

Read all of the instructions completely. And MAKE SURE TO MIX THE STUFF THOUROUGHLY. I can not stress that enough.

You can do this in several coats but make sure you work in an a well ventilated area and that the pieces are perfectly level before pouring.

This stuff is expensive but when your done you will have a board and peices that will out last cock roaches and cheese whiz.

Please don't paint over the made in the USA part!