How To Make Concrete Walls For Wargaming // Terrain for Warhammer 40K and Necromunda

Well, hello there! In this video I'll show ya how to plan, build and paint concrete walls out of XPS foam for Warhammer 40,000 and, if you're crazy enough, for games like Necromunda and Kill Team.
In my last game of Warhammer 40K I tabled my opponent's assault army with my shooty army. Strangely, he felt that we needed more line of sight blocking terrain.
Kidding aside, I prefer a table loaded with terrain and we did indeed not have enough terrain. An easy way to make some line of sight blocking terrain is to make walls. It's simple enough to make a basic wall out of XPS, but I've been wanting to upgrade my terrain, so I thought I'd challenge myself to do a better job.
So, I hope you find something useful in this video.
Have fun! :-)
//Michael
Oh, and here's the link to the barbed wire tutorial:
• How to Make Barbed Wir...
Social Media thingies (Slow and steady wins the race):
/ thecultofcra. .
/ thecultofcr. .
/ thecultofcr. .

[@Centinull]

If you add screws into the bottom of foam terrain it adds enough wait to keep them from blowing away and makes them bottom heavy resulting in less toppling over.

[@thecultofcrafting]

I gotta try that at some point. :-)

[@nexus01gr]

Or you can try some birdshot (the smaller the better) mixed with epoxy or PVA. You can practically make sheets with the stuff and use it to weight down any base, or fill the bottom of columns or towers.

[@catalinhaldan8296]

Came to the comment section to say exactly this :). You can also add a washer to the screw and glue it with pva glue to the foam. Adds more weight over a bigger area -> more stability

[@culturedrogue1929]

Lead ballast or lead fishing weights would do the trick too

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

... or a tuppence.

[@rDunfee]

I gotta say, the spin of the wall with all the different minis during your ending monologue was super well edited. Awesome video all around!

[@thecultofcrafting]

FINALLY someone comments on that. It took so much time! 🤣 Thanks, mate.

[@RedDesertPhoenix]

@@thecultofcrafting It took me a bit to notice it. Thought I was imagining it to start with.

[@thecultofcrafting]

@@RedDesertPhoenix 😁

[@michaelstarcher3104]

The fact he creates and does a test piece is an invaluable lesson. I went through a lot of pain and suffering before I learned that

[@IshanDeston]

To do large area speckling, get a cheap, small sieve, like for tea or one of those mason jar lids for sprouts. Then take an old toothbrush. Dip the brush into the paint and brush it over the sieve. Instant, large area speckling. The larger the sieve mesh, the larger the speckling. Using green and brown oil paints to make a wash with some thinner, will get you some lichen speckling option and if you thin it even more, it will make a nice grime wash, when mixed together. Also when you make an oil wash for the rust, you can use an atomizer and spritz it onto the wire, and let it drip. You will get natural looking streaking effects, since the oil wash will stain the whole thing and not just pool as acrylics would. Then all you have to do is reinforce them a little with acrylics once they are dry. If you do this while the black wash of the concrete hasn't set yet, you will wetblend them together ;) Oh and you can add a bit pva glue to the black wash for the concrete, to harden the foam. Makes it a bit more durable and less likely to come off.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Oh, that's brilliant! Gotta try that out. :-)

[@hansburton8447]

3:26 Use something thicker than a steel ruler, maybe a small water level or an aluminiumprofile as a guide for your blade for the first few cuts.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Oh yeah, that's a good idea. I'll have to try that out. Thanks! 🙂

[@rugbymeat]

Another great tutorial, I really enjoy that you're trying to keep the tools to the basics and exploring techniques. Keep up the good work!

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, I'll do my best. :-)

[@lilcwa]

Your thorough presentation of the details and all of the experimentation in your process really helps bring this simple, elegant project to life and boosts viewer confidence in attaining similar results. Thanks for this thoughtful video on such useful terrain.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Wow, thank you! That's very nice of you. :-)

[@czgreg5065]

Excellent end result!!

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thank you! :-)

[@bendushane7882]

Wonderful in depth video!

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks again, Ben. :-)

[@creaturescavernscrafting2929]

Excellent barriers! Love the weathering and details.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! Glad you like it. :-)

[@alrethianscraftsbattles]

This was a great video man. I loved it. Looks fantastic 👍

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, man! That's good to hear. 🙂

[@danroberts007]

Very nice final result! Thanks for sharing your work. :-D

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, you're very welcome! 😊

[@jonathanglass7076]

Great build and some top tips especially the Jack plug! The choice of colours looks brilliant

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! 👍

[@Renigade16]

These tutorials are super helpful and easy to do I hope to see more videos from you in the future

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying them. There's plenty more on the way. :-)

[@jayj6287]

Great work and looking forward to more amazing videos

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! That's good to hear. :-)

[@Zodd83]

One of the most practical and honest tutorial about concrete I've ever seen. Ammiro.

[@Zodd83]

oh: about replacement for cardboard try the 1mm forex/airex instead of mdf!

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, man! That's great to hear. :-) I think I actually have some foam PVC (like Forex) lying around somewhere. Might try that out.

[@Artmesa]

I really like your discovery process. They worked to some fantastic results in the end.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Great to hear. :-)

[@mr.m1703]

Great results and a great tutorial! Your technique for the grime streaks is really excellent!

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! Yeah, that went surprisingly well. :-)

[@johnroy2567]

Exactly what I'm looking for to make a compound for my KT Moroch terrain pieces....when I get it... already got ¼ of a Table Tennis table ready for construction

[@timdefreitas1470]

I love how clean your pieces are.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, glad you like it! :-)

[@Fanroghscorner]

An other good way to get a nice concrete texture is by putting glue on the foam and dust the glue with tilegrout , gives it a slightly rough feeling texture 😊 another benefit is that the glue also seals the foam 😊

[@thecultofcrafting]

Ah yes, good suggestion. Years ago I used tile grout mixed with water and glue and then brushed it on the foam to make concrete texture. Haven't tried your way yet, but I certainly will. :-)

[@PatGilliland]

Those are excellent! Really look the part.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! Glad you like them. 😊

[@JohnGunter_Johnprime]

Those look really great! Fantastic simulation of concrete walls! I'm going to have to use your tutorial to make some of my own.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, man! Go for it! :-)

[@ArtJeremiah]

Very nice! Love the size of the wall as well as all the details you included (rust stains, etc)

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! I'm glad you like it. :-)

[@10urion]

A nice little craft!

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! :-) Looking forward to getting them on the game table.

[@adventuresincrafting2022]

You're basic techniques look masterful. I definitely need to build some concrete walls now. Very inspiring work.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, go for it! :-D

[@johnbeaudoin7820]

Great job on the build, and as others have said, the appearing/disappearing models at the end is a delightful trick!

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks. I really appreciate it. :-) That's probably the most difficult shot I've done. I just kept nudging the wall when I swapped the minis, so I had to start over again and again. 😆

[@bevsartsandcrafts715]

Looks brilliant I think 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! :-) Glad you liked it.

[@mattialarocca8914]

The quality of the weathering is stellar! You gained a follower today.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Excellent! Welcome to the cult. I see you've brought you own hooded robe. :-)

[@andrewwheat9819]

Simple but realistic. Great tute

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thank you! 😊

[@timalder8940]

great video

[@samuels1123]

Something to consider in wallmaking is general design, though fancy wall designs may look cool some of them compromise the wall by being so detailed that they can be climbed over using the detail. Realistic barriers are vertical with concrete surface sometimes painted, in weird cases they are barred walls but thats very climbable with practice. Some systems of wire applied to walls is to make it a series of straight cables, this is more expensive but makes it very difficult to just pull down the wire to use as a rope or to push out of the way.

[@t0k0l0v3r]

This looks fantastic. I'm gonna have to make these for my at-home board! Will make an excellent military base wall.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, good luck and have fun! :-D

[@buzzedaldrin7316]

A very nice result. I have a couple suggestions which I think would work well, though. Some modelling putty could be placed between the panel joins to represent the caulking of the expansion joints. Some texture paint could be used in a few places to represent patched areas of the concrete which had been chipped. And if you wanted to go for a more distressed look, you could cut into the panel and place a toothpick or something similar, to represent concrete cancer and the exposed rusted rebar. You could also stab some holes into the surface to represent the air bubbles which sometimes feature in precast panels.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, great suggestions. :-) Funnily, I did actually do a broken section with some cracks and rusted rebar. Forgot to press record on the camera, though. :-D

[@lynnkortleven6488]

I just stumbled onto this acount. And i think its lovely. The way you talk is calm and kept me hooked. The technics used in the construction are simple wich is nice to see. The way you edited the end was awsome and the entire video just feels great and helpfull. Loved it.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thank you so much, that's awfully nice of you to say. :-)

[@smoessmee]

Looks great, just the type of thing I was thinking about for my STALKER games :)

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! Go for it! :-)

[@OldManRogers]

They look really great and its good that you documented the stuff you tested but didn't work so we can all learn from it. They look great and imposing too.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Hope you find some of it useful. :-)

[@howieb4217]

Thanks man, this helped a bunch! I'm planning on doing concrete walls for Necromunda and the biggest issues I was facing was breaking things up to look interesting and how to get some texture - both of which you tackle. Much appreciated! 👍👊🤘

[@thecultofcrafting]

Ah, cool! :-D Good luck with the project!

[@michaelstarcher3104]

A small piece if lava rock gives a great texture and it does not wear out or flatten out like a foil ball. It's my go to for texturing xpf foam.

[@lokepoke1337]

you could remove bases in the last inch or so in the ends so the walls could touch.

[@Sage-Thyme]

Excellent tutorial, I've been trying to work out how to begin constructing scenery for Necromunda and while having an idea of the style I've been stuck on materials. I've got a tonne of foam from packing material from work and I'd stupidly ignored it as a way to make the walls. Thank you so much for passing on this info and helping direct and inspire others.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! I'm glad I could help! :-)

[@MarcinEstkowski]

I would use more color variation for the wire and the posts, but I love how the concrete came out. Thanks for sharing!

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! You're very welcome. :-)

[@nicdieterle8950]

Looks great! My only suggestion would be doing the layout for the “snap tie” holes on quarter points rather than corners and increasing the amount by 25% or so, depending on the scale you’re after. Still brilliant work, though! Everything else is perfect!

[@primafacie5029]

Another good tip

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! Glad you liked it. :-)

[@GB-yt9sn]

To help get a straight cut I place a short piece of wood on top of my foam when I'm cutting it. The wood is about an inch thick, while I'm cutting the foam with shallow cuts I put pressure on the side of the blade so that it is flat against the wood. This helps prevent the blade from bending and gives a nice almost 90° cut. Although you're restricted on the thickness of the foam you can cut due to the extra thickness from the length of wood

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to try that out! :-)

[@michaelstarcher3104]

Embedding rare earth magnets will help get things to lock together works for me....

[@ScytheNoire]

You can buy a metal Combination Square at a hardware store to get right angles. They come in various sizes, such as 8", 12" and 16". Good for 45 degrees too.

[@thecultofcrafting]

For making cuts through foam? I think the blade will still flex and make the cut crooked. Still, thanks. 😊

[@ScytheNoire]

@@thecultofcrafting Oh, I thought you meant for a straight right angle, not about the flexing knife. Ya, only way I know to get straight cuts is to use a hot wire foam cutting machine, and they are not cheap, so want to make sure it's worth the investment. Haven't looked, but I'm sure there are some DIY versions.

[@jasonadams4321]

I love your projects. I think you would really enjoy having a small scroll saw to make your life easier

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, that's very kind of you to say. 😊 Yeah, that'd be nice.

[@harbl99]

7:12 -- Oil-washing the ice lolly: a vital stage in the eisverksaufer's art.

[@thecultofcrafting]

It truly is a lost art. :-)

[@bobbrown6389]

Great build, I have worked with concrete blocks/walls in the dimple there is a solid bolt, or a small toughen reo bar which is a U bolt in the dimple so a hook can be used to lift into position so it can be lifted by a crane your colours are nearly spot on but I have used mod podge to seal I have two tubs made up, one black and white colours, but they do help cheers Everyone, Regards from DownUnder.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Cool, thanks for the info. :-) Yeah, I should have sealed it. Lesson learned... maybe. :-D

[@timdefreitas1470]

To get a 90 degree angle you attach a thick guide e.g a level or a thick book to the foam using clamps. You then use the same sliding method with the blade pressed up against your guide. Also draw a line all the way around your foam using a square and turn your foam over when you're halfway through.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Ah, good idea. I'll have to try that out. Thanks for the tip! :-)

[@spyrosvoytsinas697]

It was enjoyable to watch.i prefer acrylic washes because the pool so much and If you want to get it in the details use a similar paint put it in the details and feather it out with a wet paintbrush or wipe it of from the raised part with your finger depending on the look you want.The weathering was nice but i am not sure if it would be on the edges.still great video

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. :-) Yeah, I'll need to play with it more to see what can be achieved. What I particularly liked was that I had a long time to work with the paints before they dried.

[@reluxor]

Great tutorial! Many thanks. You should just add a light drybrush of leadbelcher on the barbed wire. For a great touch of life you can add one detail or two like jacket or shoes that an unfortunate might have lost climbing it. Also, did you try mod podge to toughen the walls or the base? Finally, did you try to add soap in your acrylic mixture?

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! 😊 I'm glad you liked it. I agree with the metallic on rust. Cool idea with the piece of clothing. It's always good to make things look like real people have been there. 👍 No, didn't use Mod Podge this time, because I was lazy, but I should have. I don't think I used soap with the acrylics, but it's a good idea. 🙂

[@martindunn4545]

That acrylic blending technique though.... Definately gonna yoinknthat one for my newt builds

[@thecultofcrafting]

Cool! I hope you'll have fun. :-)

[@martindunn4545]

@@thecultofcrafting Just tried blending some greys/blues on white basecoat with on acrylic pouring meduim, I'm so glad I stumbled on your channel, I'm going to be doing this on everything now

[@thecultofcrafting]

@@martindunn4545 Oh, that's great. 🙂 Never tried pouring medium. I should get some.

[@steinhaynes4179]

You need something that is 90° to put under or on top of your ruler to act as a guide for the blade seen this done a lot in wood working

[@ScytheNoire]

I've seen others cut trenches into the bottom of Styrofoam walls and fill them with something heavy like rocks, then hot gluing them in place. Creates weight in the bottom at very little cost.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Ah yes. 😄 Was trying to come up with something like that, but didn't think of hot glue and rocks. Thanks! 😊

[@Bluecho4]

Another way to handle corners is to bevel the bases, so they can sit at right angles. It does mean there's no wall _in_ the corners, but it will do well enough for eliminating gaps a model could see or walk through.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Absolutely. :-) You could also make the bases shorter than the walls, so the wall can meet up.

[@thomasgross8289]

Cut the ends of the base into points like and you can butt them up together even at angles. Oh, run the walls all the way to the point.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Good addition. Thanks, man. :-)

[@fistfulofcolours]

Another great tutorial! A suggestion on the video: you should get rid of the background music or at least turn a lot down. There is no need for it and at times it's a bit hard to hear what you say. At least on my crappy laptop speakers.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Noted! :-) I've been wondering about how well people could hear me, a lot of people are using subtitles. On my PC speakers the music is barely audible, while on my laptop it's quite loud. I'll try to find a better volume level. :-) Though, I think it's just as much my voice and pronunciation that are unclear. Would you agree?

[@fistfulofcolours]

@@thecultofcrafting I think that’s part of it too. Try speaking up and watch out for the pitch of your voice dropping at the end of sentences. You have a tendency to do that, it seems. If anything, the opposite is better for listeners (don’t go all Norwegian though)

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks man, I'm sure I'll get better with practice. :-)

[@briancrooks5982]

You could try a Y or V shaped piece of spur to put the wire into….that is typically what we secured our C-Wire to the top of the T-Barriers when I was in Iraq

[@johnroy2567]

High bunkers (like Hitler's Atlantic Wall) would look awesome between wall sections

[@soledude]

👌👌👌

[@blueflopflop2069]

You should add all of your stuff together to make one giant table of terrain

[@thecultofcrafting]

Yeah, that'd be cool. 😄

[@htennek1]

What did you use as the 'barbwire'?

[@thecultofcrafting]

Floral wire

[@CerenSalas-xc1vp]

Hello fırst of all thank you for your work could you tell me the materials you use

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! XPS foam, garden wire, wooden sticks, PVA glue, modeling compound (like Sculptamold), medium weight chipboard for the bases.

[@CerenSalas-xc1vp]

Hello which brand of PVA glue did you use can you give the link address

[@xSuperiorManx]

Are you located in Germany by any chance? I see products of Staedtler, Koh-I-Noor, the Static Grass Applicator from Noch etc. in your videos. :)

[@thecultofcrafting]

No, I'm just north of Germany in Denmark. 😁 But Germany is our largest trade partner, so we get a lot of stuff from there. And I regularly order things from Germany, when I can't find them nearby.

[@robertevans3173]

Cutting foam so that it is Square is almost impossible. 😂 My secret? Sandpaper. You can cut it as close as possible and then sand it sq with the aid of a small carpenters sq

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! I'll have to give that a go. 🙂

[@ZachBalogh]

What foam is that ? Whats the best foam to use ?

[@thecultofcrafting]

It's called XPS foam - and it's the best to use. It's used for insulation. In certain countries it can be hard to find. :-)

[@doctordoubledakka3939]

cool video, sound is a bit low

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks! :-) Do you mean the overall volume or the voice compared to the music?

[@doctordoubledakka3939]

@@thecultofcrafting the entire video was on bit on the quiet side, but the walls look great

[@thecultofcrafting]

@@doctordoubledakka3939 Ok, thanks. :-) I'll have look a bit more into that for future videos.

[@automaximum2942]

4:28 gravity coil

[@paulofreire7520]

Turned out very cool 👍🏻 You might want to check Laser Creation World on youtube. His weathering technique on wet surfaces is exceptional.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Thanks, will do! :-)

[@ev6558]

Maybe it's a regional difference in production methods or something because to be honest my first reaction was that those holes ruined the look because I work with precast concrete and much like everyone else I've seen loads of pictures of precast walls being used in Iraq/Afghanistan and I've never once seen one with holes like that in it.

[@thecultofcrafting]

Huh, interesting. It might very well be that production methods differ. The few videos I watched trying to figure out what those holes are were from the US and South America.

[@user-bf8uw3jf8s]

too much pain painting, but awesome!

[@Abster159]

Please show us how to do graffiti!! I haven’t found any good ways yet

[@thecultofcrafting]

Me neither! :-D

[@moxopal5681]

Yes, the secret to getting 90 degrees cuts is to buy a hot wire cutter. You are welcome.

[@thecultofcrafting]

😁

[@generalpattonpending7256]

Your videos would be awesome if you dropped the music. I don't why people on KZbin think it enhances their videos! It's just annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[@thecultofcrafting]

Ha ha, to each his own, I guess. :-) Though I do agree that the music is too loud in this video. Apparently the speakers on my workstation sound a lot different than the average laptop or smartphone. I've turned down the music volume in my later videos. :-)