Build This Huge Building for Wargaming & Dioramas - Perfect for Warhammer, Bolt Action, Walking Dead

This video covers the complete scratch build of my biggest building yet (The only exception being @TheArmyPainter Grass Tufts, which are optional for this build). This wargaming terrain tutorial shows you how to make this building from the ground up using simple, easy to find materials and tools. The building fits most settings and has plenty of elements that can be used elsewhere in your terrain or table top constructions. This fits perfectly with modern or sci-fi terrain setups and is perfect for 28-30mm scale. The tutorial this week is a little longer, but I wanted to avoid having a 2 part release, I have added chapters and timestamps for you if you would like to easily skip through to parts that are more relevant or interesting to you as well. I'd love to know what you think about this build, so please feel free to leave your questions or comments below, and I'll be sure to answer them as quick as I can. Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe if you'd like to see more terrain building tutorials in the future.
SUBSCRIBE:
/ @rfdhobby
OTHER VIDEOS FOR THIS BUILD TUTORIAL:
Miniature Concrete Pillars for Wargaming Terrain - Really Easy to Build Concrete Terrain in Minutes
• Miniature Concrete Pil...
Miniature Scratch Built Windows for Wargaming Terrain Buildings - Balsa Wood Window Frames
• Miniature Scratch Buil...
How to make wargaming terrain playlist:
• How to Make Easy Warga...
PATREON:
/ rfdhobby
DONATE:You can donate to the channel via Paypal and I'll send out my Patreon posts via email as well (this helps to avoid sales tax), just remember to send me an email via [e-mail] to ensure I add you to the mailing list:
paypal.me/RFDHobby
DISCORD:Join me on my RFDHobby discord server to share your builds, ask questions, or just chat about hobby. I'm active on there frequently and happy to discuss all aspects of the hobby.
/ discord
0:00 Intro :
1:00 Start Building :
1:46 45Degree Cutting tool :
3:00 Prepping the windows :
5:48 Building the front wall :
17:03 Building the sides and rear walls :
24:28 Main glue up :
28:01 Making I-Beams :
29:38 Adding the base :
30:12 Final Details :
33:54 Finished building :

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks everyone for watching. If you enjoyed this build but might like to tackle something a bit easier for a terrain building, you can check out my previous Ruined building video kzbin.info/www/bejne/boLKoGChgp2EY6c

[@pollyg562]

im loving this trend from youtubers were they show the finished product or highlights right at the start of the video, saves me watching it

[@RFDHobby]

Well, I'm just glad you're here clicking and commenting, so thank you very much.

[@OldManRogers]

Glad to see you live and kicking :-)

[@RFDHobby]

Me too! Thanks Joe. I'm still going, got some new videos on the way finally. Thanks for the comment mate, take care and all the best.

[@SleepyDragonArts]

Glad to see more people seeing and commenting on your videos 😃😃

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks, me too. I have been very lucky with the success of my channel so far. Really grateful for all the people that have found something helpful in the videos and let me know, always happy to hear about people having success with something they've seen here. Thank you for the comment.

[@MrJoshuakirk85]

Brilliant use of that woodblock for the 45-degree cuts.

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you. For something so simple, it works perfectly. Thanks for the comment.

[@idiotluggage]

Really great ideas for making your own tools. Thanks for sharing this.

[@RFDHobby]

Your welcome. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@timhyland6834]

Amazing build. Fits in perfectly with the fallout table im working on

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you again mate. I was just looking at this today actually, wondering if it would be possible to build another one to be set on top to increase the height and playable floors. It's always hard to call a project 'finished' haha.

[@dmmomma]

You weren't kidding when you said that you had some tips and tricks to share. I learned a few good things by watching this build. Thanks for sharing! But seriously, after all that you had to buy tufts? TUFTS? LMBO JUST KIDDING! GREAT BUILD!

[@RFDHobby]

hahaha. Thanks so much for your comment. Yeah, I had these on hand, but honestly they work great, and towards the end of this build, I was happy to throw on something that didn't require me to make it. :) Glad you enjoyed it!

[@DevsDice]

Jesus freaking christ man! It's really impressive how all of the small bits suddenly come together to a ruined building. Masterful mate! 🤘

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you Leif. Really appreciate the comment. I have to stop myself sometimes as I tend to just keep going with details and the builds go on forever, but this one feels about right. :)

[@ninjamel_official5730]

Wow! Just amazing!

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you!

[@machinegundevildog5097]

Looks pretty good you got some talent I like it

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it. I'm glad you like the build, lots of little projects in this one that were firsts for me, but I learnt heaps and still love to look at this project :)

[@proficyink2114]

Wow that was awesome

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks mate. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@CCGlazier]

Very excellent. Very helpful. Very much appreciated.

[@RFDHobby]

You're very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it mate.

[@CCGlazier]

@@RFDHobby I'd like to crosspost this to Stalker7, the FB Group for Zona Alfa (and more) That OK with you?

[@RFDHobby]

@@CCGlazier please do, anytime. I'd appreciate that very much.

[@paulofreire7520]

Great job! 👍🏻

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks very much Paulo! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@50plymouths]

Wow 😮

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Robert.

[@GannonYoutube]

These are fire bro 🔥

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks 💯

[@mr.m1703]

Brilliant work, and great tutorial! You have got a real talent for teaching, especially the way you point out how to avoid pitfalls with careful layout and "common sense that's none-too-common" (your "don't cut it too close/leave a little extra" advice really hits home)! Thanks for sharing your creativity and being an inspiration to tackle new terrain projects!

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks so much for this comment mate. It's great to hear that you're finding these videos helpful and enjoyable. I'm always looking to improve any where I can, so don't hesitate to share anything you think might need improvement in the videos as well. Really appreciate your comment. Cheers.

[@MarcinEstkowski]

Excellent work, and a great video!

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you so much!

[@Swampsong117]

Subscribed. Really good stuff man. How have I only just discovered your channel?! I’m going to watch a few more now.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks so much. I hope enjoy them.

[@Malgor00]

Holy cow bro! This is a quantum leap to your other builds and vids, and the were awesome. Colour me totally gobstopped.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks so much! It was bit more time in this one, but absolutely worth it.

[@BrendanPace]

I'll definitely be sure to use this tutorial to level up my gaming table.

[@RFDHobby]

This is one of my favourite builds. Took ages to complete, but still worth it. Thanks.

[@skyehenderson8869]

Thanks so much for the ideas!!

[@RFDHobby]

You are so welcome Skye. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@NatesMiniatures]

I was so excited that I was going to be first to comment... I will find you Jirhon Armstrong!!! lol

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks for the comment Nate!

[@linusgerbsch374]

Thank you very much! Really cool! :)

[@RFDHobby]

No worries mate. Glad you enjoyed it, let me know if you have any questions. All the best.

[@fantasticsworld2557]

masterpiece !

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks so much! I appreciate the comment too mate.

[@ericdrain4684]

Top !!

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Eric!

[@borakistbenoit6583]

That’s rather impressive dude. By far one of the best things to come out of 2020.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks for the comment mate :) . Glad you enjoyed it.

[@ProfessorCharlesPorterfield]

A very detailed, carefully conceived, and excellently executed build. Well done!

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you very much for kind comment. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jhall1980]

Looks awesome! I love the longer videos & the bigger builds.

[@RFDHobby]

Awesome, thank you! This was such a huge project, but I'm still really proud of this one. Large builds are such a cool thing to have around once they're completed, a great sense of achievement even now when I look at it haha. :)

[@WePaintMinis]

This looks ace! I love that 45-degree cutting tool you made, very useful.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks mate, it works great for something so easy to put together. Appreciate the comment.

[@felixsteiner6479]

Fantastic tutorial. Love the adhoc hot wire set up. Cheers!

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks so much. I appreciate the comment!

[@jirhonarmstrong4107]

So epic

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you mate. Appreciate the comment.

[@guilliman1990]

just found your stuff fantastic work really good stuff.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Nick. Glad you're enjoying it so far mate.

[@echodelta2426]

Awesome build. This is a great tutorial specially when combined with your earlier I-beams and concrete pillar tutorials. Excellent detail both inside and out.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks. I'm really glad you enjoyed this one too.

[@marcshaman7984]

Fantastic precision, you certainly know how to knock a bit of foam board about. Really enjoying your builds , it’s familiar but fresh at the same time a great over the shoulder view point. Keep up the good work .

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you very much mate!

[@PepSoundZ]

really cool! awesome!

[@RFDHobby]

Cheers. Thanks for watching!

[@RollforDamageRFD]

Fantastic work man! This is a great piece.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks so much mate. Appreciate the comment.

[@mattkent1958]

Epic build!

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Matt. It was a lot of fun to build this one. Glad you like it, and thanks for the comment mate.

[@rwcowell]

Amazing techniques and methods used to build one fantastic multi-story ruin building. You really explain each step so well! I really enjoy your channel. Keep the great videos coming!

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Rick. Really appreciate the comment mate. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Take care and all the best.

[@calebeluz3123]

Very Nice!!! Very awesome!!! Great work indeed

[@RFDHobby]

Cheers. Glad you like it, and thanks for your comment!

[@BudgetSceneryWorkshop]

That turned out awesome.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks mate. It was a really fun build.

[@angelabialek579]

Very nice build. I love how simple all the techniques are, but the result is absolutely amazing. Going to give this one a crack with the kids.

[@RFDHobby]

Awesome, I hope it goes well. Thanks for the comment and the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@jesdaniels]

Subscribed because this is legit !

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you! Really appreciate it, I hope you enjoy the channel mate.

[@jesskennedy5755]

AMAZING! So many awesome tips in this build that are really clever and explained so well. Love it!

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you very much!

[@miksstudio]

Impressive and a lot of useful tips.

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you very much Mik.

[@Karlmakesstuff]

Excellent build and tutorial! I agree re. those grass tufts, they're incredibly handy.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Karl. Glad you enjoyed it mate.

[@Vormvood13]

Just stumbled upon your channel and all i can say is fantastic !! A few of these will work great for Fallout / the walking dead terrain

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks so much. My next video actually comes specifically from wanting to improve my walking dead setup, I hope you enjoy it, should be out this week. Thanks for the comment.

[@johnkelley9877]

This is very impressive! I learned a lot from watching this tutorial and the building looks fantastic. You have a lot of great tips in this and I especially the 45 degree knife blade. Thanks for making and sharing this.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks again John. I'm glad you're enjoying so many of the videos, I really appreciate you letting me know in the comments too. That 45 degree tool has come in handy a lot already, makes doing things without a pro foam table a bit easier, nice clean cuts too. Cheers mate.

[@onkelgroen]

I'm very tempted to do large builds for Necromunda. You'd only need a few pieces to form the basis of a table, but my main concern is it'll become stagnant with too little variety. On the plus side it looks awesome, and a building like yours is much more realistic in relation to size, compared to a lot of buildings in wargaming terrain.

[@RFDHobby]

Yeah, these big builds are tough, but I like that it has multiple angles to play from, and the interior is playable (mostly). But it's a tough call between 1 large build and 3 smaller builds which can be moved around a bit more. I think 1 large piece like this is enough for a table though, surrounded by smaller more modular type builds. Acts as a bit of a center piece.

[@alrethianscraftsbattles]

This one is perfect mate, seriously awsome stuff! I love the walking dead, i play it with my wife & kids, so much fun. I'm defenitly going to make this ;) Thank you.

[@RFDHobby]

You're very welcome. There was a bit more work in this build than usual, but I love this one a lot. Walking dead game is the first game my wife has shown interest in painting the miniatures with me, and we're going to be giving it a go as soon as we get the minis painted up. Looks like a blast, and we love our board games. I just made a game mat for The walking dead game as well, it turned out really really good, worth having a go at as well if you have the time. Thanks so much for the comment, good luck with your build mate!

[@alrethianscraftsbattles]

@@RFDHobby we have alot of fun with the walking dead 😁...1st game my wife played and i also got her intro Aos & warcry along with my daughter and out RPG group. Loads of fun with the family & friends. I will be sure to try making the game mat aswell. You have great content mate, really appriciate it 👍

[@RFDHobby]

@@alrethianscraftsbattles Thanks again. I have recently got myself Warcry as well, really looking forward to giving it a go. Really appreciate the comments. Good luck on your build and take care mate.

[@goosel8955]

What is the walking dead game you guys are referring to? Would u let me know? Thanks.

[@alrethianscraftsbattles]

@@goosel8955 we play the walking dead all out war made by mantic games. We have added several house rules to it. But it is a great game

[@YoutubeEnthusiast1000]

Awesome build! I see a lot of things this size done on MDF for a base. Do you not have much warping on the big painted foam base?

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks. Actually no problem with warping here at all. I find the warping to be no issue if you have the main build on top set relatively close to the edges as it seems to hold the foamboards flat shape quite well. I have found some of the warping I've had on previous test builds was able to be minimized with watered down paint on the underside of the base, it tends to bring the base back to flat in the end. The other thing to reduce warping is to make sure you take off the paper from both sides of the foamboard before using it, removing from only one side seems to make everything worse. But so far I'm having good success with the foamboard bases on these projects. Saves having too much weight on one end and potentially breaking the foam structure when moving it and stuff. Thanks for the comment mate.

[@benjaminredacted4472]

Way cool !! Is there a reason why there's windows on just the front? Just curious in case you had a specific purpose, if you mentioned it I must've not caught it. The build turned out awesome, I'm excited to get a version of it going here! Thanks, keep it up!

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks for the comment Ben. No real reason other than I suppose it's meant to be more of a commercial building, rather than an apartment building, so windows on the sides and rear don't feel necessary (Haha, I'm not really sure tbh, but that's what I told myself at the time :) ). I did have other planned details for one of the sides, which I might do a video on down the track, but this one could have gone on forever if I didn't stop myself at some point. Thanks for watching mate.

[@suzywandless8488]

So amazing and resourceful. I am an Art teacher in England and one of my students wants to build this kind of thing for part of their A level course work. Do you have the net or measurements for the building? Happy to pay for it. Thank you again for these great vids! super helpful

[@roblindsay3422]

Wondering how strong this is? looks amazing but the foam looks very floppy

[@RFDHobby]

The foamboard on it's own is not the strongest, but once glued in place, and supported by the other pieces, it's really quite rigid and fairly strong. It's not mdf strong, but i think the trade off is worth it given how easy it is to work with.

[@alistairbain6149]

Great build! Thank you 😊 Could you give more details on the 45 degree cutting tool? It wasn’t clear on the vid what the tool looked like, how you made it or how it’s used. TIA.

[@RFDHobby]

No problem. The 45 degree cutting tool is just a small piece of wood with a 45 degree angle cut on one edge, I use a standard craft blade and screw to attach the blade in such a way that you can move the blade before tightening it down with the screw (this just allows for deeper cuts). The wood for this was a simple piece of 30x45mm pine wood offcut. You can see the tool at around 1:47 & again at 7:50 in the video. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for watching mate.

[@shaynetreasure6080]

Mate enjoy your videos, obviously your Australian . Which State you in. Looking at supporting.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Shayne, glad you're enjoying the videos mate. I'm in Queensland.

[@Berserkerworks]

epic

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks man!

[@LDLSTUDIOS]

What thickness of chipboard do you recommend for the beams?

[@RFDHobby]

I believe this was 1mm thick board for these.

[@williambermas5833]

What's the music that plays during Prepping the windows & Building the front wall? or just for the music that plays through the whole video?

[@RFDHobby]

This music is actually from a friend of mine, Craig Allen. He produces all of this music himself, there is usually a vocal track on these as well, but they've been removed for these videos. He's an amazing musician. Thanks for the comment William.

[@antitheist2000]

@@RFDHobby nice 70's prog feel to the music 😊😊 👍

[@smudgemarx]

Amazing! Fellow Aussie here, which brand do you use for the foamboard? I cannot seem to find any that has a peel-able backing!

[@RFDHobby]

Hi mate. Thanks. I feel your pain there, I can't find peelable foam either, I have a video showing how I get the paper off using just water. I've got most of my foamboard from Spotlight, but I see Officeworks has some now as well, and I think it's a different brand. Might be worth a try. I hope this helps.

[@smudgemarx]

@@RFDHobby how did I not see that video! I have some of the officeworks stuff and it is fairly similar to the spotlight stuff, same thing for dollar stores like ronnie's. Legend!

[@RFDHobby]

@@smudgemarx no worries. I hoped the officeworks stuff would better but oh well Pretty sure it's cheaper though, so that's something. Good luck with your builds mate

[@smudgemarx]

@@RFDHobby just watched the other video, I tried all the same things EXCEPT hot water! Appreciate it, keep up the awesome builds!

[@RFDHobby]

@@smudgemarx thanks mate. All the best.

[@x.davidwilliams83]

Huzzah

[@RFDHobby]

Cheers mate!

[@cheynewellington]

So where in Australia did you get the chip board? I've struggled to find it

[@RFDHobby]

You can get the chip board from Officeworks in Australia. It's usually in large a3 sheets, but it's fairly cheap. I hope this helps.

[@cheynewellington]

@@RFDHobby yes greatly. I don't know why when I was looking for it 6 months ago it never came up as a selling option

[@Biscuitchris7again]

I'm thinking about making my own ruined building(s), but storage is an issue. What would everyone think of using rare-earth magnets along the frames and foundations of the walls to make them buildable and break down flat for storage? Anyone have any experience with this? Do you think 6x2mm magnets are strong enough to keep the building solid while playing?

[@RFDHobby]

This is a great idea. I don't think I showed it in the video, but the upper floor pieces of this building are in place with magnets (small 2mm round), this was mainly to be able to play and mess around inside the building, and change the configuration of the floor, but it works great. Small magnets will work fine to hold it together, it'll just be trying to move it around that will present any kind of problems with these, as they will more easily come apart than larger magnets. If you build it with the magnets in mind, and plan it out, you should be able to get this working without too much trouble, maybe a bit of extra time involved in the building phase, but being modular would be awesome if you could change the buildings configuration whenever you wanted. Let me know how you go if you try this, very interested to hear about it if you do. Good luck mate!

[@Biscuitchris7again]

@@RFDHobby Awesome, will do. Thanks for the reply. Keep building!

[@user-ez5fg7ml1w]

What is black material?

[@RFDHobby]

The thin black material here is EVA foam. Found it at the craft/art supplies store. Cheers.

[@alillost8069]

testing that promise

[@RFDHobby]

Sorry it took so long to get back to you mate. Thanks for the comment though. :)

[@alillost8069]

@@RFDHobby I can say with confidence you won my subscription.

[@RFDHobby]

@@alillost8069 appreciate that mate. Hope you enjoy the videos.

[@alillost8069]

@@RFDHobby No worries, i do :)