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Hey Dakka,

I'm starting an Urban Combat themed Guard army, and I'm looking for some cheap but effective materials to base them with. Things like Razor Wire, concrete blocks, rubble, ruins, tank traps, and all that jazz.

Thanks guys!

That sounds like a fun project.

some simple way of making rubble is to take a sheet try pour in some plaster. let it harden and then crack it.

you can do the same with baked poly clay if i recall,

they also sell pre made bricks on secret weapon IIRC. otherwise you can cut up some plastic sprue to do the same.

If you have them those pour sprue from forge world make nice tank traps.

i know there is a few tutorials on here for razor wire but you can easily twist some electrical wire to make em.

Sand and slate should be your go-to materials. You can also use bits of sprue to represent twisted girders, or chunks of rubble.

An egg carton, cut up, covered in plaster and suitably weathered can function as a tank-trap.

Check out Eileen's Emporium for all sorts of misc. bits to decorate larger bases with- stairs & railings, bits of chain, window frames. She's got the works.

I really like the idea of cracking plaster, I hadn't thought of that!
I saw those Secret Weapon bricks, they looked pretty good, and cheap, I'll have to try and find a worked example.

How have I never seen Eileen's Emporium before?! I feel like a kid in a sweet shop

When I did my urban bases, I found a bag of broken seashells at the local craft store for about $2. They made for nice, jagged pieces of concrete. If you have extra CD cases, you can also crack the plastic covers - it's thinner, in case you don't want to add height to your base.