"Pimping card buildings" Topic

I just got some free card buildings as part of the Reaper Bones3 kickstarter. It made me think about the idea of using these rather than scratch building them (which was my plan for some fantasy builidings).

I was thinking about adding details such as making a foamboard shell, balsa wood framing, recessing the windows, adding moss/ivy from flock and so on. Has anyone tried this and is it worth the effect (which I think will be 2-3 times the assembly time)?

One source of inspiration is a guy who makes them from photos and foam board along with some 3d details

auction

The fat dragon details are pretty amazing and the layers allow you to choose lots of different styles using the same footprint.

Cheers
Kieran

I like to add 3D detail to card buildings using coffee stirrers, card to make roof-tiles and adding plastic lattice to form windows. It adds to a decent card model and makes it more your own.

I would think that it'll take more than 2 or 3 times the assembly time. I'd paint everything before applying it to the buildings. Hard to make photo quality bits but I can see them blending into a whole piece.
Its an interesting idea, have you seen a Facebook page called "Terrainiacs"? It would be a good place to get info/feedback and inspiration. Everyone from beginners to professional terrain builders there, and they're super nice folks too.
Hope this helps. Good luck!

Micro Mark has some very nice items to trick out paper buildings.

link

I also glue fine flocking to walls as ivy, and around the base of building for grass.

Thanks guys some good ideas so far.

I agree about trying to paint stuff before putting them onto the buildings.

Some modellers print multiple copies and cut out the raised surface detail from one copy, and glue it onto the surface of the base copy. Clever models kits do this anyway, as the part sheets contain multiple copies of the details, layer by layer (each layer including the next one up, so it is up to you if you really want to add all the layers.)

British model railway magazines frequently have articles on improving card kits, and even kitbashing them to make completely original structures.

I sometimes use google maps for windows and doors. Go to street level and screen print the door or window you like and copy, paste, crop and adjust the size to your recess. Can be very effective.

DEPENDING ON THE PROJECT!!!!

I often use pre-printed stuff. I print out the sides of the building I want from composing it on a laser printer as I want the finished product. Then I will affix it to the card stock with spray-mount. I will cut holes for the windows and use separate prints for them and past them behind the board to give the recessed look. To cover the edges I use thin balsa or styrene strips. Made a whole ancient city this way from slums to better neighborhoods, and had a Ziggurat temple and Greek Temple as well.

I started doing this last year, applying Fat Dragon Games basic castle card stock printouts, to cardboard tubes, to make round towers, and bastions. The prototypes looked alright, but now I am printing out the merlons on regular paper, with a laser printer. I then glue the paper merlons to gray craft foam sheet, both sides, cut them out, and glue to the tower's top. This gives it a slight 3D effect. The foam sheet can be marked with a ballpoint pen, for brick seams. I glue on an iron door, borrowed from a dungeon set, to create a very strong door on ground level. for an elevated doorway, which can't be battered as easily, I apply a wooden door, borrowed from the dungeon tile set. For the doors, I glue them onto either gray, or brown, craft foam, to lift them off of the surface, just a bit, to give them a 3D effect. Add in a flag, or standard, hanging from a pole (toothpick, or dowel, or bamboo skewer), mount it on a nice, textured base, and it looks pretty good!

For gluing paper onto the craft foam sheets, DO NOT use a glue stick… It will hold temporarily, then the paper will lift easily, with any flexure. Use PVA glue, and spread it with a disposable, school paint brush (30 for a $1 USD, at Wal-Mart). Pressing the two flat, while it dries, is a good idea.

For the top floors of my tube towers, I apply an appropriate stone floor printout to the glue side of a vinyl floor tile, then I cut that to fit the end of the tube, and glue it in place. I tried Hot Glue, initially, but it doesn't hold well enough. Now I use E6000 glue, with much better results.

I plan to try the craft foam sheet techniques with the merlons on square towers, wall sections, etc. It offers an inexpensive way to add some depth to my otherwise thin card stock models. Cheers!

Sgt. Slag -- any pictures available?

Not currently. I'll try to post some this weekend. I just got my gray foam sheets the other day. The proto-types were done using black foam (gray foam sheets were not available locally, had to mail order some). Still experimenting with glues, as well.

The foam is only 2mm thick, so it is a bit subtle, but it is very apparent when the plain, card stock model is next to the foam-enhanced model. I'll post back, with images… Cheers!

Here is a link to the photo's of two Towers, one just plain paper on a heavy tube, and one with foam to give it some 3D effect for the merlons, and the iron door.

link

Cheers!