Let's Make - Cheap & Easy Smoke and Blast Markers (Battlefield Basics Series)

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In this Let's Make, we look at making cheap and easy smoke and blast markers to add a little devastation to your games!
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[@sirarlissfeathergill6157]

Mel, you are a genius. Thank you for all you do for humanity.

[@antiquariancrafts2454]

'You can't get a pork pie for $1'. That put it in perspective for me, mate!

[@phalanx1234]

One thing that I've seen people do for smoke markers is to glue them down on those cheap flickering LED tea lights. This lets you get away with only having to paint the smoke black, with a bit of dark grey for contrast. The light shines through just enough to make it look like fire, and really adds some 'pop' to the battlefield (plus, it's got light! Lights are cool!). You'd want to cut off the plastic 'flame' of the tea light first before gluing anything down, and of course you'll want to be sure you don't cut any of the wires or LED inside, but it's super easy to do. I'm not sure how well that'd work for blast markers, given the much denser material. It wouldn't quite look right anyway, since a blast is 'instant' and fire is, well, *not*, but I'm sure some people have managed to make it look good. As an addition, I've heard a lot of people use hair spray to get smoke to stay put, which is handy when you want it shaped a particular way. Obviously you do that before you go start priming and paint it.

[@kurtkyre]

What a cool idea... I have a dozen of those little flickering tea lights just sitting around... hmmm.

[@johnnorjohnson]

I was just wondering if anyone had mentioned this- they were everywhere at Salute and looked fab! Considered buying some but have the sort of mind that thinks "that'd be so easy to make". Needless to say, I haven't gotten around to it yet........😉

[@johnnorjohnson]

Oh, and personally, I'd leave the little plastic flame on for that bit of heat insulation (I worry about fire......lol).

[@phalanx1234]

Johnathan Johnson Well, it's an LED, so there's nothing to worry about when it comes to heat. LEDs don't produce infrared radiation, which incandescent bulbs do. Fun information below! www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2005/05/fact-or-fiction-leds-don-t-produce-heat.html tl;dr, a flickering tea light won't catch fire under normal circumstances.

[@johnnorjohnson]

+phalanx1234 oh I know the bulb is fine really, it's the rest of the mechanism I worry about....which is also probably negligible but when you make the odd arts and crafts/terrain piece sale anything electric either has to be checked or not buggered about with...(tbh its mostly a bottom covering just in case kinda worry)

[@patrickfrinker]

You could also add some steel wool to the blast marker and paint it brown to make it look like it kicked up a lot of dust or even just to add smoke to the blast

[@RAK00N2]

Nice video. Although I kept getting distracted by how many times you said "yeah?" It must've been around 150+ times lol. Having said that, thanks for the tips and tricks & great work!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

That count sounds far too low for me lol

[@erlend9331]

RAK00N2 take a shot of whisky every time :p

[@jessewilliams7661]

RAK00N2 yeh

[@tomdesjardins6778]

Hi Mel, i made some smoke marker for Bolt action using rubberized horse hair and cotton batting on round MDF bases. I use a hole saw to cut 3 inch, 4 inch, and 5 inch round bases from 3mm MDF. then cut 2 X 3inch squares of rubber horse hair for building the structure for the 3 inch smoke marker (you will need to cut 4 inch squares for the 4 inch marker and so on) then folded the 3inch square in half and hot glue it together for strength and added golf tees as mounting post. then hot glue it to base. i cut the second 3inch folded piece in half and hot glue them on to make a (+) then wrap it with cotton batting. i was not sure how to paint them so i left it all white.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Nice matey, love vulcanised horsehair!

[@beeezlebub]

I saw a friend's who are similar to this but instead of painting how you did (dark on bottom light colors on top) it was sort of painted backwards. Bright yellow base coat, red oranges on the 'highlight',and grays last with dry brush. Make it look more like a blast than a black smoke pile. I think you would really like the outcome!

[@kurtkyre]

These look like a lot of fun! I have an idea for the blast markers... what if you were to glue small fragments of model parts/debris to the ends of the plumes of the blast markers? You know, to simulate something being blown apart?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I like that idea :-D

[@robmccord2583]

Hey Mel,lovely work as always. Congratulations on getting to 30,000 followers - you must be doing something right. Keep up the good work.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Thanks mate

[@johnszelagowski2946]

A nice BLAST from the past 😊 Mel...great stuff....keep on trudging

[@ChrisBennettGameDesign]

Mel, I just had a go at this and the explosion markers turned out better than I expected. Thanks! 💥

[@jamesfirth-haydon7381]

Hi Mel, that was a really good fun video. So much better than driving around places trying to help my daughter find bloody Pokemon. Dude, you are a total hobby genius. James

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I have to do the same for Kez

[@pinetreeYT]

A suggestion: maybe you could put a list of materials you use in each video of these series. Great job, man!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I must start doing that

[@sex779]

my friend , you are awsome , i just started doing some dioramas because of flames of war , and your videos are 5 stars , tkx very much for the information that you leave free for all , thumbs up and congrats .

[@ScaleMilitaryModels]

The terrain tutor quote of the decade “ let’s crack on!”

[@vikkiwilson5069]

realised It will help my tree skills -great.

[@blacktemplar5970]

Really cool...you've inspired me to stop procrastinating and get some terrain started....thanks buddy...Subbed!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Awesome! Crack on!

[@georgetaylor5482]

a blast as always Mel, nothing like a good smoke screen.

[@braylenzeke4269]

i know Im asking randomly but does anyone know a method to get back into an instagram account?? I was dumb lost the password. I would love any tricks you can offer me.

[@nashkabir4050]

@Braylen Zeke instablaster :)

[@braylenzeke4269]

@Nash Kabir thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@braylenzeke4269]

@Nash Kabir it did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy! Thanks so much, you saved my account !

[@nashkabir4050]

@Braylen Zeke you are welcome xD

[@listentothevoicesofhumans4638]

Thank you so much for this vid. Now I don't have to buy super expensive blast markers. I can make my own.

[@puckett2k2009]

It's so simple and yet so realistic looking! I love it. Great vid, yeah?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Cheers mate

[@qupperhead]

i'am looking through your video's and..... Damnn!! i am truly blown away by your craftmanship! the patience and passion you have for it and the enthousiasme ( forgive me for my bad english grammar, but you know what i mean). super great skills, man. i putt my scale moddeling down for 4 years know and i am truly missing it. but you might just have started the fire again. i am already planning a bunker model with foam plate's ( from your vid's ;-). thanx 4 all your vid's and lessons. i'am gonna practice. grtz from Holland. Franklin

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Get back into it mate!

[@DZSabre]

How stiff is the steel wool compared to polyfill (teddybear and pillow stuffing fibers)? I ask because I use roughly the same technique for my smoke markers but with polyfill. Two suggestions... First, I tend to make the smoke a little wider at the top tan the bottom. Depending on the size, it will hold up with just glue but you can use wire supports as well. Second, I leverage the white of the polyfill for the smoke effect and then use black primer to carefully shade the smoke so parts are darker in some places, gray in others and white in the rest. When a vehicle or building is in flames, the different materials generate different color smoke even in the same fire. I finish it off with a matte spray of Testors Dullcote to keep it stiff.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

It's a lot tougher, especially when primed. Nice tips, I'll have to have a play ;-)

[@IDICBeer]

Great job Mel

[@cgrigg1]

Such Brilliant skills... I wish i had the talent you have.

[@Pedro116092]

I found metal washers are great for this, as they are chep in good numbers for the money and have weight to them, save the pennies the pounds look after them selves.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Nice bud!

[@baldrickthedungspreader3107]

Perfect for the Great War hellscape im creating currently

[@Rudedog0311]

Would love to see you make the blast markers with chip foam!

[@SpookyGroovyPolitoCatMum]

Always fun to watch.

[@HiveMind3006]

Ahhhhhh! I see said the visually impaired dude! I wondered how these blast markers were made, I have seen them used as smoke reeking from the end of rockets and as flaming Promethean spouting molten sticky death from flame throwers but never knew exactly how the effect was achieved, nice one Mel, top job as ever. I (before seeing this video) made myself a few smoking damage markers using those flickering battery operated candles wrapped in stuffing (not Sage & Onion but the gear you fill cuddly toys n pillows with!) a tad of hot glue and a blast of inks through the airbrush and done, easy n effective, I am guessing light would be able to penetrate the steel wool as well so could be used with your more sturdy method? Anyhoo again great video Mel, thank you very much :)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Glad it's helped lift the veil mate ;-)

[@pistizim12]

Nice one Mel

[@thelittlestmig3394]

It's not really a good idea to use super glue for these things. While you can technically do it super glue cracks really easy. Hot glue has some elasticity and it's super durable and cheap. Glue gun and like dozen freebie sticks cost about same as one dropper of decent super glue. Btw, always keep iron wool safe from electric stuff. Just rubbing 9V battery on it ignites the wool and it burns hot. Try it somewhere where it's safe, it's cool as hell!

[@Sephvion]

Oh. Why not make the clump foam one a little messy? Make the outer four foam different sizes and have them off in an angle a little. Then have the main one kind of slanted, as if a middle hit the ground from an angle. I feel like it would give it a little more character. Unless this is a landmine of course.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

no reason way not, the techniques will work well for that as well :-)

[@paulgee1952]

Been thinking on Lava stacks in cave systrms, the Clump method is food for thought on that . Have bag of teddy stuffing for steam vents , but black HE blast markers look good in modern, post black powder period

[@AndrewFishman]

Blast markers should really be upside down, thinner at the base and wider as the gasses and debris field expand. Otherwise, nice. I use aquarium filter wool for fog and smoke.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

It'd disagree but we'll call it a gentleman's disagreement ;-D Nice tip, I'll check it out mate

[@AndrewFishman]

Mix some black paint, pvc and a bit of liquid green stuff watered down to a thick runny consistency. Make sure it is all mixed well, take your filter wool, mop up the mix and squeeze it through. Don't rinse, just repeat, until the wool is well covered. Do the same with greys through to white whilst wet, where desired. As it is drying, tease it into shape. You will get a nice blend of white through grey to black and a fine whispy smoke or dense clumping smoke according to what you want. The pvc/paint/LGS mix stiffens it up beautifully when it is dry and the process takes 5 minutes or less less drying time.

[@AndrewFishman]

Oh, I've always argued England's problem is they kept all the gentlemen in England and sent all the real men out here to Australia. But, friendly disagreement is agreeable.

[@99adelante99]

Nice work dude! I'll save this vid for future stuff!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Hope it helps your hobby buddy

[@G_Threepwood]

Great tutorial mate

[@terrainaholic]

That is SO FUNNY!!! I did a smoke marker vid a week or so ago and we do the same thing Hahahahah Great minds truly think alike :)!!! Love how you do smoking markers Buddy really nice look there:)!!!!

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Proper old school mate :-)

[@billd.iniowa2263]

I seen that one Bill. Any reason you folks use steel wool instead of cotton or pillow (polyester??) stuffing?

[@terrainaholic]

I like the tougher nature of the material mostly:)! Why do you like it Mel:)?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

terrainaholic yep, wire wool can take some hammer

[@familyofgamers777]

Nice one Mel.

[@billd.iniowa2263]

For the clump foliage smoke I ended up painting the red and yellow down inside the crevices and then went back over the the outside of it with black to hide any that slopped. The results were the flames actually look like they are INSIDE the smoke. Just wondering, but since you are left handed, shouldnt the camera be shooting from over your right shoulder? I noticed in these recent vids there are lots of shots of the back of your left hand. We cant see what you're doing very well then. Keep up the good work, and keep cranking out the tutorials. :-)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Nice tip mate, I think you're right on the camera angle, thinking about it, I've always filmed from the other side when I was at home, time for a change bud

[@billd.iniowa2263]

Is that brick wall to your right handy for mounting a mounting mount to mount a camera on? It would sure as heck be solid! lol

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Bill D. in Iowa Unfortunately, that wall dates back to 1770 and drilling in it is a criminal offence mate

[@alexanderkellar3841]

Hi Mel, i Love your videos and your book. I bought myself the "victory at sea" starter set. I love your explosions but ist there any chance you show ist how to make water splashs? :D

[@cgrigg1]

I would love it if maybe you put up a website and produce some basic terrain that is just primerd for sale. What do you think?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

One day maybe :-)

[@OlympusHeavyCavalry]

Are you using your personal stash from 6:56???? LMFAO :-) Great work, cheers :-)

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Expensive explosion markers mate

[@davidmartin1793]

had a blast watching that one Mel. Are you planning on doing some with the LED tea lights in them?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I'm not a big fan of the LED one's matey

[@Brazouck]

please, what is the name of the matter you use, I hear "wild wool" but i'm not sure (i'm not english native speaker) thanks

[@TheTerrainTutor]

wire wool mate

[@erikanichols9633]

In the USA it would be considered steel wool

[@KriegKraft]

Awesome tutorial Mel! Keep them up ;)

[@cllines604]

ya it looks good ya not sure if I would use them in a train layout ya but thanks ya

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Never considered an armoured ww2 train layout? ;-D

[@CTCenter]

Best circumstance would be a ww2 Russian factory, I'd love to see a board like that.

[@XenophobiaUK]

Great video... Yeah!

[@darcyfrancis6315]

How would you make poison gas markers for world war 1 terrain, would you spray the smoke markers a green colour?

[@andrewtombs2160]

You got me thinking now! Great idea. I think I'd probably go for a mustardy yellow colour? I'm no expert at all at what colour a poison gas cloud would be but yellow seems a bit more appropriate as long as it dulled down a bit. Perhaps a bit more angled to the horizontal too to show the direction of drift and the tendency to lie low on the ground.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

I'd probably go for cotton wool, I thought it was yellow as well lol

[@indigocit8508]

amazing!

[@anthonylye7567]

I was looking at making some blast markers for 6mm scale ie epic armageddon.... how would you go about that? Great video thank you love your ideas

[@mattjagger9581]

I'm surprised that no one's said it's too expensive ha ha, You used a 2pence piece!!!!! table top gamers are tighter than a pirates eye

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Better no mention the 1p's under my guard bases then ;-)

[@CTCenter]

I knew somebody else would use pennies!

[@AJStarMarch]

Hi mel, i have a bottle of static grass,but i dont have a grass applicator,and i cant build a diy buzz zapper because im too young and i cant play with electric elements,im 14 btw,can you help me to apply my static grass without any applicator or any puff bottles. I live in malaysia and here is very hard to find diorama stuff. Im trying to finish my diorama for a school project. If you dont mind could you reply my comment asap cuz i really need help.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Balloon and a woolley jumper mate? Anything that builds a static charge will work, I'd suggest asking your science/physic teacher ;-)

[@AJStarMarch]

+TheTerrainTutor thanks mel

[@WarpedBrushes]

Nice i will do something like this so i can mark my rhinos when they are destroyed :)

[@irinas9721]

awesome! how would you make fire? cottonwool?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Yeah with those flickering electric tealights mate

[@BramsCommando]

7:38 That weed looks nice

[@CTCenter]

Something wrong with end of the video?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

What's the problem mate

[@Duppyman695]

Will be doing this but don't have glue gun would super glue work the same??

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Use gel super glue mate

[@cirocanzanella571]

Which is the material do you use to do the explosion marker?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

clump foliage

[@buko5820]

Could you give me a list of materials/products i need for that?

[@DerMartexus]

Smokey stuff. :)

[@johnathankonandreas6074]

I'm sorry, but what are the smoke markers made out of? I can't understand what is being said. Sounds like "wire wall"

[@TheTerrainTutor]

wire wool ;-)

[@johnathankonandreas6074]

@@TheTerrainTutor That you! Love your videos.

[@saultrigueros480]

Q material es el q usaste???

[@elimcarthur3700]

do you know how to make fire? and if so... Please tell me!! Im make a Godzilla diorama

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Fire is typically sculpted in wargaming mate

[@notangproductions7163]

Yep, yep, yep yep yep, yeeeep, ye...p, yep yep yep!

[@IENA1201]

hello, the code of the flock?

[@TheTerrainTutor]

What flock mate? I didn't use any in this video

[@BramsCommando]

For a moment i thought it was weed nug lol

[@redgreen09]

wwell now dont know how mutch the coins woth but if need to tip some one or a canday bare your in luck you got some cash on the tabell LOL see youz sun day ;;;;]]]

[@nonex-un9ty]

Yeh! JK nice vids keep em commin!

[@danield679]

SUUUBSCRIIIIIIBED!!!👍🏼👍🏼😱😱😄😄🤗🤗

[@sw33n3yto00]

👍

[@EMTBonsai]

Xploding buds lol

[@randparker5209]

Mr. Terrain Tutor I have never heard someone say the word "yeah" so many times in one video... I'd be impressed if it didn't annoy me so damn much lol the tips are great but come on bro...

[@TheTerrainTutor]

Thats verbal tics for you mate

[@VultureproductionsCincinnati]

Dude. I love your videos so much. but for the love of all things imperial, stop saying "ya" so damn much. You've literally said it 112 times this video alone. Jesus Christ.

[@TheTerrainTutor]

It's a tick

[@billronan2868]

What a waste of 2 pence!

[@x.davidwilliams83]

muhahahahahahahaha!