DIY Atomic Heart Wargaming Terrain: CHEAP & EASY!

Huge thanks to Atomic Heart for sponsoring this video. Find out more about the game, and grab your copy here: bit.ly/3YS85sf
Join Guy and discover some super-secret, cheaty wargame terrain techniques, inspired by the world of Atomic Heart!
Music by Midwinter Minis, Sebastian Kling, Choirgiant, and Ollie Turbitt, made exclusively for the channel.
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Here are some useful links for stuff used in this video. Amazon gives us a few pennies if you buy using these, at no extra cost to you!
Multi-temperature glue gun: geni.us/150wgluegun
A nice steel ruler: geni.us/steelruler
Holographic nail flakes: geni.us/nailflakes
The voiceover microphone I use: geni.us/PodcastPro
The painting lamp I use: geni.us/DaylightLumi
The “hobby cam” I use for livestreams: geni.us/LogiBrioWebcam
My favourite headphones: geni.us/BeyerDT770Pro
The camera I use: geni.us/SonyAlpha728-70
How I mount my camera to my desk: geni.us/SmallrigDeskClamp
A great model paint starter set: geni.us/VallejoPaintSet
A great beginner paint brush set: geni.us/RLTaklon
Cheap brushes for detail work: geni.us/RLDetailTaklon
00:00 Intro
01:53 Modular concrete tiles
07:00 Abandoned vehicles
12:00 What is Atomic Heart?
13:19 Foamboard structures
18:17 Polymer blobs
21:35 BONUS: kitbash MFU68 robot

[@MidwinterMinis]

What other game would you like me to build terrain from? Find out more about Atomic Heart, and grab your copy here: bit.ly/3YS85sf

[@frogjog8822]

I absolutely love the terrain tutorials, Guy! They represent the old british slogan: "Make do and mend!"

[@adamrobson9173]

I really like your terrain build videos its what got me back into the hobby a few years back. I would love to see some Fallout inspired stuff, I know its maybe a bit on the nose but the old Relic Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War terrain bits, and don't know weather you have ever played Destiny but the Fallen, Cabal, and Forsaken have some really cool stuff you could design around. Hopefully this helps and thank you for your content and keep up the good work!

[@StackingLimit]

Love to see you do some Half Life 2 terrain!

[@dirtfrosting]

Hi guy, I would like for you to do more research on your sponsors in the future. Atomic Heart is known to be directly linked with the Russian government/military and also has incredibly shady policies. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKSagnilaLGgjKc

[@MalcIgg]

This great, so many cool insprational games we can steal bits from, Im going to be another voice for looter shooter, Destiny - so many great environments in that game :)

[@andrewironwelder2419]

24:21 I’ve always wondered what a Dreadnought made for a hero of the Guard would look like and now I know…

[@MidwinterMinis]

Pint sized hero ;)

[@PureMetalDragon]

LOOK AT THIS. DA HUMIES ARE MAKING KILLA KANS TOO!

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

You can avoid the leaks by stippling the base color after applying masking paint, and then painting the target color over top of that. The bleeding will occur with the base color instead of the stripe's target color.

[@MidwinterMinis]

That's.... actually very clever!

[@Moonlighter_TV]

What a valuable tip hidden in the comments. Gearing up to paint some imperial knights and I need to try this

[@B.O.S.H_music]

I don't play 40k anymore, but still absoluty love your videos. so relaxing and enjoyable

[@noahthepetrolhead]

Same 👍

[@tethys17]

I've never played 40k before but I still like to collect and paint them

[@theyoungfool.1895]

@@tethys17 I don’t play but like the books and incredible in depth lore of the universe, there just seems to be something for someone with war hammer.

[@JMcMillen]

If you still have you mini's, there are other rulesets out there where you can use them. Kinda surprised someone didn't already reply suggesting One Page Rules.

[@Shrek40K]

What made you quit?

[@freddywilliams9837]

Probably something you've already considered but I'd love to see some Fallout themed kitbashes! Busted planes, apocalyptic settlements, all the weird robots, the mutants... Plenty of potential.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yessss, I'm usually worried that I aesthetically link everything I build or paint to Fallout in some way.

[@LordJusticar]

A good excuse to paint up some of the Fallout minis too, for display and scale purposes. Would be interesting to see more tutorials regarding soft plastics.

[@CawmeKrazee]

@@MidwinterMinis Fallout minis from Modiphious are great for their skirmish game Fallout Wasteland Warfare! definitely taking a look at!

[@ddynamite3835]

@@MidwinterMinis I think something like the classic fallout games would work quite well rather than the newer ones, like some areas on the top of my head I think would look quite cool the base terrain off might be things like the cathedral, vault 13, vault city, new reno, arroyo, camp Navarro and the enclave oil rig. some of the more uniquely designed places in the fallout series

[@bigbrawler3080]

My frostgrave table has been a labor of love trying to recreate the steam fantasy of Thief II: The Metal Age. My favorite Game of All time

[@Bluecho4]

Soviet Brutalism is a cool style. Glad to see it being used more. Especially melded with Art Nouvou, another unappreciated style.

[@RyanEdwardsVA]

Absolutely lovely stuff. These cheap and easy terrain builds you do always hit the spot for me.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Glad you like them!

[@Plushiesquisher]

miniatures aren't even my subject matter (yet???) but all these are transferable skills and your videos are just awesome to watch

[@MidwinterMinis]

Hope you find them useful! :)

[@angelsoffurtitude]

definetly would be interesting to see you tackle some anomalies from s.t.a.l.k.e.r, it would be perfect for zona alfa

[@lordhamster9452]

Yes! Another chiki classic. Even the more mundane elements of the game would fitting for a dystopian, cold war or post apoc themed boards.

[@undeadch1cken523]

Loving the Red Dwarf reference at 18:19 "betray your family and friends. Fabulous prizes to be won"

[@Mistheart101]

funny that you mention system shock 2, i started replaying that yesterday. amazing that it still holds up over 20 years later.

[@Tinblitz]

So, for what it's worth, another way to make concrete tiles that I learned from the Night Shift modelling channel is to use cork sheets covered with a thin layer of some sort of paint or putty (He uses acrylic wood putty, but I don't know if anything else could be used). They're not too expensive, and you can harvest cheap old tablemats for the cork.

[@thickasmud]

I will be making the "polymer" bubbles with LEDs inside to use as anomalies in games of Zona Alfa. I'll pop some pics up on the Facebook group when they're done.

[@mustardtitsthemurdermaster]

A buddy of mine recently got an imperial knight and really wanted to spice up the base. This video couldn’t have come at a better time! Great video as always

[@bicskeiz]

Great bulids! I love these kind of videos so much more, than the endless waves of Space Marine painting tutorials... 👍

[@carrie4910]

They all look great! You’ve given me a couple of new building techniques I can’t wait to try 😁

[@tiberiumnp8030]

These look mindblowingly good considering how easy you make it seem, especially the painting!

[@Bobdd0]

Terrain is where my interest in miniwargaming truely lies, and your videos have been a steady touchstone over the past few years when i need references and ideas! Thank you Guy

[@MrDynamite2002]

I gave up on trying mini painting about a year ago when I realized I was awful at it, but I still love watching it. These terrain videos are always some of the most interesting to watch, keep them coming!

[@sundowner8326]

If you haven’t already, you should check out the beginner tutorial on this channel, if you keep at painting you’ll get it eventually. And don’t ever compare yourself to professionals, they outdo all us regular lads

[@bagel_guy9495]

I never knew chipboard was warp resistant. I guess anti chaos forces use it alot

[@MidwinterMinis]

Especially if you paint both sides!

[@breadstick4458]

THE CHIPBOARD FORTRESS! Abbadon’s greatest weapon!

[@colinmatter4697]

This was an awesome video, Guy! Definitely makes me want to make some scatter terrain for my own tabletop games. You gotta do some terrain for Outer Worlds for the next one of these.

[@miket2789]

Yes Guy! System Shock (2) is one of the pinnacles of gaming

[@MidwinterMinis]

Honestly though, I went down a deep rabbithole "researching" that game again prepping for this video, haha

[@backlogbravery653]

Mordheim! Give us some Mordheim! :D Would love to see your take on a Warband :)

[@MidwinterMinis]

Noted!

[@benjaminduperreault4447]

Okay, I'm not the only one who would love to see a "Midwinter Miniventures" games channel or possibly some twitch streams

[@MidwinterMinis]

I mean... not "no"

[@onpatrolpodcast]

This is a great tutorial video. Thanks for making it!

[@Tony.Montana..]

Very very helpful! Both in a historical aspect and for me as a total rts-noob. Much appreciated 👍

[@knockedgoose4206]

7:30 yikes, what did that feel like? Great video! Can't wait to get to work with my own custom terrain for me and my pals

[@simonandresbonilla]

Very nice terrain ideas! I'm looking about make my own DIY Kill Team board and terrain, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to use some of the crafts from your video.

[@Jediand]

These are fun! I'll have to give them a try! Especially the bonus build; I've been putting together a Killteam of Men of Iron using Necron Rules, and it's great to see humanity's technology come back to fight them again!

[@orric77]

Nice video mate. certainly food for thought for future terrain work. Be kinda cool to see you're taken frostgrave or stargrave stuff.

[@sirtophattingson8946]

A video game sponsoring miniature painting is definitely a bit surprising, but it produced quite the interesting video in this case.

[@slyer0]

That bottle terrain looks fun to do and make some weird allien crystals might even place some small LED's in them and make them glowy.

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yeah, I think on a larger scale, with integrated lights, they'd look really awesome on a full table.

[@Thomas-tt4gz]

I picked up some cheap LED tea candles from the dollar tree I think I might use them to do just that!

[@pmastroeni79]

Nicely done!

[@samuelcompton3021]

If you're making VG terrain, I'd love to see some Disco Elysium! Great retro design in that game, I love it.

[@nics3lbow]

This is everything I needed for a few new projects! I can add battery powered tea lights to those blob thingies and make them glowing crystals!

[@logicforfirstgraders]

A tip from edge painting when renovating a house: When using masking tape to keep an edge, initially painting the under colour and letting it dry before then painting the detail colour can prevent the bleed under the tape as that space is already filled by that base colour layer.

[@hazloner117]

very impressive integration. This is what sponsored content should be and i commend your creative approach to monetizing your content, well done.

[@OmegaLittleBob]

Mmmm this takes me back to the Blackstone Fortress days. Good Vibes ☺️

[@SurfaceDweller]

Great video! I would love to see some XCOM builds or Mutant: Year Zero!

[@ralphhathaway-coley5460]

I liked those translucent terrain pieces. I did think that if you cut a hole in the bottom you could add one of those cheapo led flickering tea candle parts to give it a very interesting lighting effect.

[@danieljvanrensburg]

He got as at 6:11 with the 👌

[@MidwinterMinis]

Mwahahaa

[@yikeswazowski9838]

Never did I think I'd see metro on this channel! Love it

[@MidwinterMinis]

I aim to please, haha

[@tracerouser5694]

I love these kinds of videos. Thanks midwinter crew

[@kosachilles2504]

Loved this! Would love to see more videos like this!

[@baalgar5530]

These are your best kinds of videos imo. Love that tractor piece.

[@bensaunders9623]

These tips look great for something like Zona Alfa.

[@nuazak]

Love your terrain builds!

[@johnlittleton8117]

Great Red Dwarf easter egg there.

[@brianeno608]

Really love everything here, love the cheap and easyness of everything. I was not a fan of that giant corrugated wall thingy, not sure why I just thought it looked a bit odd (sorry wish I had a better way of describing it) But I love the techniques that went into it especially the corrugated steel effect that went on the foam board. I think maybe its just the paint or colour for me, everything else though is great and a fantastic use of things that may just be laying around, e.g. the broken toys and so on. edit: Just rewatched the video, the yellow arrows help sell the paint effects on the terrain, it just looks a bit...cheap? or flat maybe? like it looks like something that COULD eventually be terrain not something that currently is terrain. I really don't want to be mean I just wanted to post some feedback. I understand how hard it is to paint bigger terrain and make them, I understand that this is for individuals who are on a budget or want to try something new. Again, I love everything in this video and its very well put together.

[@MidwinterMinis]

For sure, I know what you mean. I try my best to strike a balance between making things look great, but also being achievable. . not too super detailed and advanced that it would put off beginners from even trying.

[@NotOnLand]

It's funny to me when 70 grit is referred to as "medium," when I can't remember the last time I used anything coarser than that

[@longrdp]

Great work MWM team! This was so refreshing to see such a different genre of terrain builds. The amount of new techniques reminded me of watching your Blackstone Fortress tutorials.

[@AccidentProneHobbyist]

What a silly little guy 23:41

[@frogjog8822]

1 minute in, LOVING the videogame choices!

[@EryxUK]

Another thing I like to do is put 40K ruins and the like on a "foot print". I use those sticky backed kitchen tile that you can buy in reasonably priced packs. Paint them to match your table top so they match. I like to glue mine in place. You then get a nice foot print your terrain. It's so easy to use nice cheap DIY tools and bits to make great terrain bits. I also bought some cheap garden hose attachments that when painted up go nicely with industrial terrain pieces.

[@SomeDudeOnYouTube]

Video game build suggestion: Battletech/Mechwarrior. Or Fallout/Skyrim.... maybe Kerbal Space Program? Oh, now I've got it: POSTAL! 8)

[@MidwinterMinis]

I've got some Battletech ideas up my sleeve!

[@SomeDudeOnYouTube]

@@MidwinterMinis Nice

[@coldhotpocket8226]

If you enjoyed making the little robot squig, you need to check out Generation Zero. Their robot designs are amazing. Also, the design for the robot outposts could make some mean modular terrain

[@Hobbyrepubliken]

Terrainbuilding ♥️♥️♥️ AND kitbashing? 😍😍😍

[@simonmunstermann-zimmerman8360]

You could stick a litte LED light in from below (even small simple LED tea lights) for some self illuminated polymer things

[@MidwinterMinis]

Yeah! It was only after I built them that I thought of that. Definitely next time.

[@jaypeejj]

Thank you

[@LatinATSax]

Those translucent pieces could make some sweet icebergs for a snow map!

[@theLohan]

Borderlands terrain could be fun! Thanks Guy!

[@euansmith3699]

Oooh, the Outro Music continues to sooth my soul.

[@justarandomredhead48]

Those polymer blobs have just given me some iceberg ideas, might stick a spare model in there too

[@41HecMav]

Love the terrain!!!

[@tylerlawrence1997]

Love the aesthetic of atomic heart. Super fun game

[@gianni7074]

Wow. Astonishing !

[@icycoatl3185]

For anyone readin, there’s a not as cheap but zero skill or effort option for terrain in pet aquarium/terrarium scenery bits. Especially appropriate if you play those newfangled deep sea elves from AoS or lizardmen or space bugs, and you can find the occasional cool generally useful rock formation too.

[@CultistRat]

Excellent video! I'll definitely be trying out your concrete tile method. A useful tactic to deal with bleed when masking is to paint on a thin layer of acrylic medium after masking off the area. It'll seal the tape edges, and pull away cleanly when peeling your mask!

[@goforitpainting]

Cool as always.

[@smoke264]

the uneven line on the tractor could also be left kinda incomplete or diluted to show the "abandoned" look

[@nettrawler1202]

I think I'll try the polymer blobs and put spare tyranid bits in them like they're hatching

[@carrera4966]

Gratefull

[@primepanda9855]

thanky for this nice video

[@anthonywaggett9317]

Love this vid Guy, always looking for cheap methods, I keep the more expensive stuff for display pieces. I have used the plaster and 'Granny Grading' reinforcement in the past, you can get a resin additive to add strength to the plaster but I have also used professional PVA (Carpenters wood glue from a building supply shop) as an additive plus add some craft paint, saves base coating and any future damage is still coloured. I made a few foam pieces and created silicon moulds so I can cast these anytime I want. I have a grey xps foam that has a wonderful surface texture for roads (sort of a negative of the sandpaper) but the company I bought it from has either gone bust or changed its name. Keep up the good work, I may be nicking these ideas for my Necromunda.

[@doctorspecter4165]

I'd absolutely love some STALKER themed terrain and bases! I'm making a Night Lords army with heavy slavic / STALKER vibes and could use some ideas for how to make that work lol.

[@spice6828]

"Sorry kiddo's, it's Daddies toy now". Priceless.

[@thomaswilliams5005]

So amazing. Thanks

[@philipschorr5145]

Might be a cool idea to make the clear ones on a ring base so you could put an electric tea light inside it on the tabletop

[@CraigSteele12]

Agreed! They came to life with light shining through. Definitely need a colour change LED inside

[@elmolen79]

I'd love to see your take on one of the HK series from KOTOR

[@sasserine]

Put a battery tealight inside the translucent goop lumps, see how that looks.

[@karstedt9987]

While they already made models for it, would be cool to see a kitbashed Bioshock Big Daddy

[@LyricsVideo4U]

00:36 Nice, keep it up! 🔥🎵🔥

[@MrTpimms]

To guard against the bleeding under the masking tape does it work to put down the base colour first, in this case the green, before the red so the base colour does the bleeding rather than the accent colour?

[@GooglyEyedSkull]

Nerd and Carpenter/Maker. You can buy sandpaper in 6" rolls which will save an awful lot of cutting. Also drawing on the back with the biro and then folding a couple of times is an easy way to 'cut' the scratch (chippy chat for sandpaper). :) Pro tip! Masking lines. Paint the Gauss blaster green/base colour in the masked area and Then the deep red/stripe colour. Any of the gauss/base colour that bleeds under the tape will then block any of your red/stripe colour! you can also use a varnish if you like rather than two of green/base colour. Try it it fiendishly good. I might do a short actually...

[@FrqYgr]

I was just thinking "is this that guy on reddit who stepped on his kid's tractor?" Then you immediately confirmed it.

[@mikesmith2905]

I make up toy soldier sets to give away and some are sci-fi themed. I use 1:32 for youngsters and 1:72 for 7 and older because those are the cheapest but sci-fi in 1:32 is hard to source. I picked up some cheap remaindered 'bobblehead' daleks, (about 1:28 ish) and a year later found some cheap remaindered 'Fortnite stampers' figures which seem to fit the Daleks for scale. I'll make some hills alien plants and buildings and a shuttle craft thing with possibly a land vehicle using Lego wheels. Throw in a de-winged toy dragon as a 'Lost in Space' style monster and it'll entertain a youngster with a sci-fi bent. So sci-fi themed (any backstory) would be of interest.

[@SummerfulRoot]

If you were longing to maintain Soviet style of Atomic Heart, you definitely should go for blue on the tracktor, it is the classical thing.

[@TheSorrowOfTheReaper]

This was lovely! Guy is a national treasure in Warhammer world.

[@stonkotron319]

I love salt bay guy

[@rugbymeat]

Great video - XCOM PLEASE!

[@annaleas2091]

yo, that Atomic Heart promo, with Jensen Ackles?? Plus that little dig at harry potter? got me interested int eh game for sure

[@disposable_income_andy]

thinking Guy waited years for atomic heart makes both his hope and this video all the more sad

[@skipspik1571]

Of all things, I'm quite impressed by that light effect at the end.

[@lawrencekent7076]

anyone else notice the Red Dwarf reference on the terrain posters? :P

[@gutbucket6184]

Some of those in the bottom left at 6:45 remind me a ton of doom.

[@fireblase7194]

Love the content

[@inglover]

Those look great. Could you do a video on advice for how to organise your bits box? As a comparatively new hobbyist I've kept bits on the sprue for ease of seeing what's there but that's beginning to take too much space and not sure what useful categories if I start snipping and grouping (have the same problem on a bigger scale with Lego but that's another story 😀).

[@MidwinterMinis]

I mean, I tend to throw things in with stuff that's vaguely related. "Human arms, human heads, imperial vehicle bits, alien vehicle bits" etc. There's not much more to it than that for me. I am quite disorganised though D-:

[@Dylan-er9ji]

Ever impressive

[@the_arcanum]

Great video Guy ! I hope it does well, it was packed with building and painting tips. I'm picking up the toothpicks one for precise glueing perpendicular foamboard walls. One minor recommendation about using corrugated paper in model building for shacks and containers. In real life, corrugated sheets have ZERO structural strength if you place them horizontally, weight force being applied vertically, the folds only help rigidify the metal sheets when placed the same way. I know you alterned orientation for visual appeal, but you'd never build a container that way. Yeah, i know, i should build more models and not watch as many engineering videos... oh well...