Miniature Ruined Buildings for Wargaming Terrain and Tabletop Games - How to Build Easy Terrain

In this weeks wargaming terrain tutorial I show you how to build ruined buildings. This ruined building terrain is fast and simple to build, and is really effective for Wargaming and tabletop gaming. The materials used are very common, and the only tools required are a knife and pencil. I was able to build this terrain in a matter of a few hours, and a simple paint job on this will bring it up looking fantastic. I have covered painting these types of structures in my previous videos, which I will link in this description. These ruined buildings are perfect for Warhammer 40k, Necromunda, Kill Team, or just about any modern or sci-fi wargaming setting for your tabletop games.
Thanks for watching, and please remember to subscribe. If you are interested in supporting the channel, you can do so through Patreon (linked below), or via donation through paypal. Many thanks to the people that have already subscribed to the channel, and to those that have donated and supported the channel through Patreon and Paypal, your support means a great deal, and it is very much appreciated.
SUBSCRIBE:
/ @rfdhobby
PATREON:
/ rfdhobby
How to Paint Wargaming Terrain - Tips for Painting and Airbrushing the Concrete Guard Tower & Stairs:
• How to Paint and Airbr...

[@RFDHobby]

I hope you guys enjoy this build this week, it's a really quick and rewarding build. Only a few materials required, and even less tools, so it's a great starting point if you're looking to try something new out, or just get started into making some terrain. Don't forget to check out the video on painting this type of terrain kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnTSpadpe92ppLc - it's really simple to achieve a decent look here, whether with brushes or an airbrush. Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions on the build.

[@giverdend1416]

I liked your technique for the hanging bits of concrete. I hadn't seen that used before.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks. It's really simple way to add in some extra details that takes very little time or effort....also uses up some of the mountains of foam offcuts I end up with :). Thanks for the comment.

[@marcshaman7984]

I love the over the shoulder view, it’s like being sat next to you

[@RFDHobby]

Haha, thanks Marc. Glad you enjoy the video mate.

[@haplessfrenchie]

Really great video. Clear and helpful. Can’t wait try. Thanks !

[@RFDHobby]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you for watching and commenting! Good luck with your build.

[@thomasmurray6786]

Thanks again Shawn. another creative and informative tutorial

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Thomas. Glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate the comment.

[@TerrainMadeEasy]

Looks great, really love the detailing.

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you mate. Really appreciate the comment.

[@johnkelley9877]

This really looks good. I liked it so much I subscribed. Thanks for sharing this.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks so much for the sub and comment John. Cheers.

[@mattyg303]

I’ve watched a bunch of these how to build ruins videos lately and I can honestly say this is the best one I have seen. Easy to follow instructions with a functional end result. A++

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you so much, that's very kind of you and I'm glad you enjoyed it mate. I hope you find some of the other videos equally as helpful. Take care and all the best.

[@OriginPainting]

Great tutorial, saving that for when I have space to build my own table again.

[@RFDHobby]

They do take up some space, although it's a nice little home for some of my shelved space marines now. Good luck on the table, I hope you do a video on it. :)

[@echodelta2426]

Great job. Some new tricks to an old design. Love the hanging bits of concrete

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks mate. Yeah, it's a really simple way to make it a bit more flashy without a lot of effort. Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the comment.

[@wapitistablecrafts5515]

Nice work you did there. Keep up this great content.

[@RFDHobby]

Cheers mate. Thank you for the comment also. More coming soon.

[@SnoddiesHobbies]

Ah yes the corner ruined building, the cornerstone to any city of death table. Looks great! Even though this is a build that I've seen done 100 times I still learned some unique tricks from your tutorial.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks mate. Yeah it's a common piece, but a really great way to start building larger terrain pieces, and easy to add the little details to make it your own. Thanks for the comment!

[@mr.m1703]

Very nice work! I really like how you painted the cracked concrete a bit darker gray; a great creative detail that isn't all that common on these builds! Thanks for sharing!

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks. Yeah I went over those with a black before adding the greys, the transparency of the grey colors keeps the effect showing through without it being a stark black. Cheers for the comment mate.

[@ryancaldwell9041]

Awesome video. Thanks!

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you mate.

[@swordphoenix]

Great guide! I like the background music too.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Jason. Appreciate the comment.

[@TheSuburbanScumbag]

Looks great! Nice job bud

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks mate. Glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate the comment.

[@locolarkin8529]

Cool job. Never seen wood in ruined buildings. Look great

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks mate. Sometimes not having the 'right' materials still works out fine. Appreciate the comment.

[@hungryowl1559]

Awesome! Subscribed

[@RFDHobby]

Cheers mate! Really appreciate the comment and sub. I hope you enjoy some of the other videos on the channel. Let me know if I can help at all if you decide to have a go at anything. Have a happy new year as well!!!

[@mikegovan3203]

Excellent work sir

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you mate. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@BrendanPace]

Awesome! 🤙

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Brendan.

[@Skaxarrat]

Superb

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you!

[@martinjohnson990]

This was great, thanks. I followed your technique and built a pretty sweet ruin (although I didn't get the rust right). Looking to conquer the battlemat in the next weeks

[@RFDHobby]

Great to hear Martin. Good luck with the battlemat too! I plan on doing another larger version in the coming months, but so far the one I did in the video has held up really well. It's a great way to get yourself some cheap playing surfaces. Glad you liked the build mate. Thanks for the comment.

[@vnflightsimulatorgameplay2660]

So great!

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you very much!

[@vnflightsimulatorgameplay2660]

Thanks for repeat!

[@peterdickinson4599]

Nice work.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks!

[@philthegerman2112]

Very cool Video.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks Phil. I appreciate the comment mate.

[@cromcraft3494]

Why am I just finding you? Good stuff mate!

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks mate, appreciate the comment. I hope you enjoy the builds here.

[@NatesMiniatures]

Amazing what you can do with so little materials

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks man. Really appreciate the comment

[@DevsDice]

Nice one mate! Looks amazing! Reminds me of Mordheim and whatnot! :)

[@RFDHobby]

Thank you! It was a really rewarding build this one, quick and easy too.

[@DevsDice]

@@RFDHobby Yeah well sometimes the simpler - the better :D

[@RFDHobby]

Absolutely, can't wait to see some more terrain projects on your channel too mate.

[@DevsDice]

RFDHobby Recording as we speak! ;)

[@RFDHobby]

@@DevsDice Fantastic mate. I'll keep an eye out for it, your last one was great!

[@jhonny94bravo58]

I use the thin sheets of craft foam from walmart to make stucco and brick layer detail on my buildings.

[@RFDHobby]

That stuff is perfect for imprinting details, I add tons of cracks and stuff to my builds, I've considered brickwork, but that might have to wait until I have a bit more time on my hands for the build. :) Thanks for the comment mate.

[@miguelortiz3836]

This is incredible it seems very simple to make, but the added details like the cracks in the concrete and especially the pieces hanging on the wires really make it stand out. Using the pieces you tore out to make the rubble saves a lot of time and looks even better than just trying to use small rocks or pieces of cork while also allowing to really use all the material. I will try to make one like this but with slots so that I can take it apart when not using them (for transport and because I don't have a permanent table to leave them) I do have a question, how thick is the foamboard you are using? Thanks for the advice and the great video.

[@RFDHobby]

Hi Miguel, thanks for the comments. The foamboard I'm using here is about 5mm thick with the paper removed. Works great for this type of thing and shouldn't be too hard to find, I find the scale is also perfect for the 28mm settings.

[@miguelortiz3836]

@@RFDHobby Thanks for the reply. I will try to track some and do my own builds. You have great content!

[@prashantmahesvara3564]

Oooh, thanks for inspirational video! I want to try to make ruined buildings but i never get around to it for various reasons. Great video!

[@RFDHobby]

Oh no worries, this is a perfect place to start! These are really quick, easy to do, and look great. Good luck. Thanks for the comment.

[@bigbrowntau]

Really love this build! The window sill and the balsa wood supports give it a deco look, while adding structural support. I was thinking the hanging floor idea could be flipped 90 degrees and done as a bits of wall too. I noticed you peel the paper off. Do you find that easy to do?

[@RFDHobby]

Thank so much. I find adding some details to the outer walls will give it a much more ruined building look than just a couple of broken concrete walls. It's really the small details that matter on these big builds in my opinion. The broken concrete floor pieces could certainly be used on the upright wall sections too, this is a great idea. As for the foamboard, I was having trouble removing the paper early on, but I found a way that doesn't cost anything and doesn't take too much work, I have a video on that process as well kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHacgXyLhs-Virs , but the hunt continues for that elusive 'easy peel' foamboard :) Thanks very much for the comment mate. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@bigbrowntau]

@@RFDHobby Thanks for the link for peeling foamboard. Will defo check it out. You're absolutely right, the small details make a build work so much better. Too many scratch built ruins just look flat, but yours works so well.

[@RFDHobby]

@@bigbrowntau Thanks mate.

[@xthedronx]

he should do his house next

[@jameswoods13]

Hey, I know you probably said it somewhere.. but where do you get your foam? I can't find that kind of foam board. I can only find the hard paper covered stuff. Love the channel. Its really inspired me to try and make my own terrain.

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks James. I get the foam from Officeworks, or they've sometimes had it at the craft stores, or Spotlight from time to time. But it's much cheaper at Officeworks if you have one nearby.

[@jameswoods13]

Thank you so much!

[@edwardcote2440]

What is "fine board?" Is it anything like foam core?

[@RFDHobby]

The very same, here we call it foam board, or foam core. It's the thin foam sheets coated in paper, I just usually remove the paper before use.

[@luismondragon5344]

Looks amazing! How sized is the building?

[@RFDHobby]

Hi Luis, thank you, the larger of these two buildings is about 28cm tall. I try to make the levels around 8cm between each floor. I hope this helps, let me know if you need any other measurements.

[@acmaurer50]

I built a number of buildings like this. For the windows I made a template which made it quick to mark them out. Still a bother to cut them out. no better way to do that.

[@RFDHobby]

I used a template for the large building I did, definitely handy if you plan on multiples or large areas. The cutting is always a chore, although, maybe I could use the laser cutter...Cheers mate.

[@ADDAxyz710]

What is the music used?

[@dlear85]

think i got wrong stuff, my foam board has a shiny paper outer, would this be any use ?

[@RFDHobby]

Not sure you can remove the plastic coating on that stuff, but if you check out the more recent building I did, you should be able to glue onto it with no trouble, will still look fine i think.

[@dlear85]

@@RFDHobby hopefully it paints ok. Great videos btw. Just started making scenery

[@RFDHobby]

@@dlear85 it might need a coat of primer, just be careful around the edges using a spraycan primer, as that stuff can melt the actual foam. Thanks for the comment, and good luck with the builds!

[@BingusTheWockis]

What sort of foam did you use?

[@RFDHobby]

Hi Bailey, I use mostly 5mm thick foamboard with the paper removed for these builds.

[@kayb9979]

How about putting in stairs? Stairs are valuable bot h from the aesthetic and practical value.

[@RFDHobby]

Yes! I actually tried using piles of rubble for my large ruined building project, that looks pretty cool, but I did make up some stairs for the desert building video I did using some foam(and I also made some for the guard tower video using stirring sticks way back). Alternatively, ladders are also probably a much simpler solution than making stairs, but you're absolutely right, stairs are a handy addition to multi-level buildings when it comes to play-ability. Thanks for the comment mate.

[@proficyink2114]

Which foam board do you use?

[@RFDHobby]

I use a 5mm thick foam board, in Australia you can get it at Officeworks and Spotlight, if the paper doesn't come off easily, I have a video that shows how to clean it off. Hope this helps. Cheers.

[@woodworkersven643]

What is the thickness of the foam

[@RFDHobby]

This stuff is 5mm foamboard. Seems about the right scale for 28mm miniatures as it doesn't look too bad at all for walls.

[@woodworkersven643]

Do you use foamboard without the paper layer on the Foam?

[@RFDHobby]

Hey Sven. Usually yes, it's a lot easier to apply textures and details into the foam without the paper I find. Thanks for the comment mate.

[@woodworkersven643]

@@RFDHobby Is the foamboard stable even without the paper layer

[@RFDHobby]

@@woodworkersven643 it depends. You have to remove both sides if you decide to remove the paper, or it will warp badly. I find it's really good, not easily broken unless your careless, and generally will hold nice and flat with most builds, so long as you're not using large unsupported surfaces. In the scale I work with, it seems to work perfect, and is really easy to texture, or cut to the shapes I want.

[@woodworkersven643]

@@RFDHobby you also buy the foamboard directory without paper, richtig? And can you tell me what scale you use for the building? Or say me the dimensions of the building and how high is a floor

[@RFDHobby]

@@woodworkersven643 I try to get the foam without paper, but it's really hard to find here. I build most of my stuff for 28mm scale, the buildings like this one I make the space between the ground floor, and 1st floor around 8cm. But this is a 'large' type building. If I was building a house for example, I would probably try to reduce this gap. It's easy to build oversize, and I find my instinct is to make things too big for the size of my miniatures, but always having a miniature nearby while I build helps to keep it closer to what it should be. Happy to provide more details if you need them mate.

[@BearGrisham]

How durable are these pieces ? That’s my only worry is that they would get damaged easily.

[@RFDHobby]

Hey Bear, these pieces are fairly durable. They're lightweight, so in that they can be easily moved, handled and even stacked without much worry. Saying that, I have had a small piece of wall and rubble break off when I was moving these from the old house and cleaning them up, but it wasn't noticable so I just left it. They're ruined buildings after all, so long as you don't mess up the painting if something comes off, they will usually survive minor breaks.

[@BearGrisham]

@@RFDHobby thanks for the reply! I’ll look at putting some together 👍

[@cromcraft3494]

Pet peeve: when people refer to hot glue as drying 😂

[@RFDHobby]

Haha, it's a force of habit sorry. Thanks for watching.

[@dr.jimeagleii4108]

Just to make sure i understand, you’re peeling the foam board yeah?

[@RFDHobby]

I remove the paper from the foamboard yes, but it doesn't necessarily 'peel' off, I have to clean it before I work with it. Using the foam surface instead of the paper gives a better texture that's also easier to work into cracks/breaks etc.

[@FrenchFryCheese04]

It kinda looks like the destroyed neighborhood from war of the worlds 2005

[@RFDHobby]

Thanks for the comment, I'd love to make a streetscape of something like that!