Mordheimer's Collapsible Terrain Log (SUPER PIC HEAVY!)

NOTE #1: This is Narcissus and Komfritten's (at a certain extent... DeafNala and Laney's) fault!!! Hehehe...
NOTE #2: This log has LOTS of pictures... because it is also a tutorial!


I have been itching to build something. I'm NOTHING like our resident Masters and I'm VERY slow doing anything in the hobby... well, you all know about my legendary speeds! In any case, I was talking to my wife's cousin (Utan) who I visited last weekend... our boys were playing with some car play-sets that could collapse to form a little 'briefcase' for easy transport. It was kindda cool and Utan said "I wish we could use this for 40k or Death Squads... but it is the wrong scale." That got me thinking...

MY problem with gorgeous terrain is that it takes too much space when it is not being used. Anyone who has 4 buildings (at least on of them with multiple stories) knows how difficult is to put them away. I mean, they take a whole shelf, they get full of dust, they are fragile, near impossible to transport (so forget sharing them with friends and/or bragging about your creations!) etc., etc. etc. So, I set my self a goal...

...to make a Collapsible Building!


STEP 1: The Goal
The objective is to make something that is not bigger a small book (10" x 7" x 1"), that I could 'open' and 'set' in less than 60 seconds so it is 100% ready to play in Death Squads (or 40k). I envision having several Collapsible Terrain and Buildings, so I could put them in a single shelf, like books! I could put them in a thick envelope and put them like 'books' in my place. I want to play , then I look through the 'books' pick up what I want and set the table. Furthermore, they could be transported with ease!


STEP 2: The Concept
I tried thinking about concepts. First came the pop-up book. While I could envision the opening of a book and a building coming to life, it would not be practical; the weights of the models would 'collapse' the foldable building. Yes, I tested with one of the kids pop-up books!

Frustrated, I though about how many of GW's buildings are just 'corners'. So I got the idea of putting 'hinges'. In theory, if assembled correctly, it should work. It was time for me to make a concept model! The idea was to get a paper template of a building and get the parts made in foam core and use tape for all the movable parts. First, I want to confess that I had no idea what foam core is; basically is a pre-made cardboard sandwich with foam in the center. It was fairly cheap too! It a HUGE sheet cost me $2... although I saw it at $1 few days later. I bought 'fiber' tape (tape with nylon fibers woven into it)... that thing is STRONG! Armed with ideas and inspired by YOU guys, I decided to make a fool of myself!


STEP 3: The Building
I decided to use this 'Two Story Gothic Chapel' template I had. Very 40k's and looked cool! I printed it... only to find that the thing is in the wrong scale. Let the games begin! So I chopped the thing and removed 1" strip from the main floor and 2" from the second floor. Now that it seemed the right scale (I put a Guardsman to check it)... but I noticed that in order to give this 'Gothic' feel, I have to work on multiple layers, to make the columns and ledges. Uhhh... I will stick to a simple building for now. Thank you very much.



STEP 4: The Main Walls
I put the revised paper over the foam core to trace it. AGHHHH!!!! It takes for ever. Honestly, I don't know how you people build terrain all the time. This sh!t is HARD! My hand was aching from tracing, but I was done. Now to cut! I took my scissors... and crushed the material. AGHHHH!!!! OK... calm down... I started again. After the 2nd take, I decided to use an Xacto Knife (scalpel/hobby knife)... AGHHHH!!!! Did you know you have to trace the lines with this super sharp thing MULTIPLE TIMES? Now my back is aching... and I understand why people BUY terrain. It took me 4 hours to trace and cut all that stuff. I bet that Narcissus can do it in 20 mins flat... while drunk. I caught myself uttering (in several occasions) the famous words of Ronald Regan "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" I'm thankful that nobody listens to me... not even myself.



STEP 5: Second Story Floor
With renew strength (next day) I used the paper template to figure out where the 2nd Story floor was supposed to be located. I cut a 1" wide strip of foam core for it, and made sure it was the correct length. I marked the wall where the bottom was going to be, and placed the 'hinges'. I also did the same with the floor. The floor was going to 'fold down'.


I did the same with the other wall; I was careful to measure a 'gap' where the floor on the other wall was going to be. I marked the bottom AND top of the side of the floor. The hinges were going to be in top, so the floor would 'fold up'.




I carefully placed the floor against the respective wall and put the fiber tape. I could then put the wall against each other... it looks like a building!





STEP 6: Creating the Corner
Fairly easy, I though... put the parts together. Suddenly I realized that I needed to be careful. THIS is the trick... where the magic happens. I traced all the sections were the two walls met and where I had to place the 'hinges'.







STEP 7: Reinforcing the Floor that Folds Up
I placed the building and I discovered pretty quickly that the Floors were NOT sturdy. They were more like trap doors! Out of the two, the one that folds up is the sturdiest, but not by much. I decided to make a 'corner' with a smaller piece on the opposite end, which would serve as a 'support leg' I traced a template and put it in. The flap worked and the floor was much better supported! The Floor was sturdy in one side, but the one near the folding corner was... weak. Anyhow... so was, I was happy with the work.





STEP 8: Testing the Concept!
I could stand the building up all by itself now. One of the floors was strong enough to hold miniatures and the other one was a death trap. But all of this was worth NOTHING, unless I could fold the building on itself. I collapsed the floors and 'support corner' and carefully taped them flat (easier to manage for the moment. )After putting them together, I found out (the hard way I may add... AGHHHH!!!! ) that the 'support corner' had the wrong shape to fit the collapsing of the building (AGHHHH!!!! ) so after some cutting it to fit, I got it right to size.




I collapsed the building, but discovered that I needed to 'cover' the gap (hehehe) of the folding corner to protect the exposed tape and reinforce the structural integrity. No biggie. A little creative with the fiber tape and I was done!






More to come!!!

STEP 9: Locking the Floors... the Epic Fail!
This was going to be a challenge. The terrain looked OK, but placing a model (even a plastic one!) was asking for trouble. I needed to create a 'support leg' for this one. I figured that if I could 'glue' both floors together, each of them would support each other. So, I decided to make a 'lock' system. The idea was to have a pin under the floor that was stronger that I could slide under the weak floor to provide stability.

I cut a piece of foam core, so it could fit under the 'stable' floor. I took a paper clip and bent it 90 degrees... this would be my 'sliding pin'! I then marked the area where the pin was going to lay down, cut the upper part of the cardboard, leaving the foam and under cardboard. I called this... 'shaving' the foam core!





Shaving was not an exact science... specially with my trembling hands! I removed all the foam from the area that was not supposed to be shaved, so I could then cut another piece of foam core that size, which I would shave and glue in position.





After it was glued, I marked the areas for cutting and trimming. Attention to details boys and girls!


Yes... I know that all that work sounds stupid. And you guess it... it was! First, I want to remind everyone that SUPER GLUE MELTS FOAM!!! AGHHHH!!!! Not only it is slow (so you don't notice) but it puts a weird smell (a.k.a TOXIC FUMES!) I managed to snap out when my boy stopped by and asked me "Papi... who are you talking to?" Not only I discovered that my 'fix' was gone... but I had cut my finger! AGHHHH!!!! EPIC FAIL #1 Not funny... well, maybe a little. I put my blood on the piece and made the box out of cardboard.


Time to test the pin, which I had to re-bend AGHHHH!!!! ... make sure is as close as 90 degrees as possible. The contraption worked and it was sliding on its box!



I carefully placed the pin-box in place... and it worked like a champ! Well... almost!



I notice that the pit was too low; there was a gap (~3mm) between the bottom of the weak floor and the pin. So, I needed to 'even the score. After much though, I decided that I could make a 'flap' under the pin-box that would 'extend' the surface area of the pin (and close the gap!) EUREKA!!! I got the design... simple but effective.



A little ugly, but it worked great! The weak floor was much stronger. Now I needed to test that the whole building could collapse.




The 'corner hinges' were design with an opening wide enough to have ONE sheet of foam core between the wall... the pin-box area was composed of TWO pieces of foam core! AGHHHH!!!! EPIC FAIL #2!



More to come!

STEP 10: K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid!)
I could hear Ronald Reagan in my head again!!!! But I was NOT going to let this to win. This sh!t had made me bleed... this was personal! I ripped the pin-box out and I noticed my blood, while I thought about the problem.


I needed to find a way to mimic the pin-box, on the floor WITHOUT weakening it. I marked the area where the pin and the handle were going to be. Then I shaved the area were the handle was going to be and slide.




Then it hit me... so simple it hurt! A piece of cardboard! Thick enough to support the pin, thin enough to not interfere with the folding!



I reinforced the new pin-box with fiber tape. This thing was going NOWHERE! I could slide the pin in and out without problems!



I put the two floors in the proper position and slid the pin by forcing it (GENTLY!) into the foam of the weak floor. I marked the area black and the drilled the hole with my pin-drill. Now I could slide the pin Out and reinforce the weak floor... both of them being flush to each other. I could slide the pin in and have it out of the way! BRAVO!!!





STEP 11: I Love It When A Plan Comes Together! Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith, The A-Team
I have my First Collapsible Building! It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/4" x 1/2"... way within my goals!!! Although I'm NOT done, I'm happy with the work so far.

















Even More to come!!

STEP 12: What's Next?
I figured I could so a base for the building. I could make it 8 1/2" x 6" from balsa or another suitable surface. I could then put pins on it that match exactly the corners of the building (which should have drilled holes), so when I unfold the building, I can then put it on those pins. The building would be secure on the base, with plenty of base on all sides. I did stuff like that for my other buildings, so I'm confident it will work. I though that the pins could create a problem putting the terrain in storage, but then I though that I could 'push' the side of the building into the base... this would obviously create some holes, that could be cleverly disguised (with the addition of other holes!) as damage from bullets!

I could also put pins on the top of the building, so it would be 6" tall (to match the base!). The pins could look like re-bar... almost ignored by the casual observer. They could serve as main connection/support for a roof OR another building (so the structure could gain a 3rd Floor!)

In terms of paint, I would use some of the 'secrets' share by the Masters... stay tuned!!!


Comments, ideas, mockery (I do deserve some!) and specially CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM... Very welcomed and appreciated!

Wow. That's all I can say. This is a really ambitious project. I am really impressed you managed to get it to fold down. It looks really playable with the different levels and the nice firing spots with the windows and things.

I have thought long and sort of hard about build collapsible terrain. I have seen it done well. Here are some links you might like:
Magikoran from TBMF
Folding castle
Folding warhammer building
Folding dungeon

Foamcore is a bit of a pain to cut. You need your exacto knife to be sharp and to take your time with it. SOmething I have seen many people do is to just glue the template to the foamcore and cut through it (so no tracing). I hate cutting out windows. That is one of the big reasons I have't been building stuff with windows very often...

To add a little bit of detail without adding depth I would recommend adding thin strips of cereal card in key spots. Adding a bit of variety of heights to the surfaces will make them look more real and less like foam core with holes in it (as often happens with foamcore buildings). Just draw lines at the width you want on a cereal box, cut lots of strips of card from it, then glue to length on your building.

When you paint the building I think you will want to add some texture. I imagine you will want to cover the tape seams a bit. You could use some paint with sand in it. You could try a textured spray paint too, but be careful because spray paint dissolves foam (as you probably already knew, but just in case you didn't, you can just paint on some white glue over the exposed foam).

I should also say Mordheimer, that you have gotten me thinking about some projects I am dying to make. I have some ideas for a new way to make a space hulk not take up too much space. I've been thinking for some time about ways to make terrain fit into a decent sized box. My current terrain collection takes up a lot of space per piece. Some ideas that are currently fermenting in my brain...

-A set of buildings that are all 3D closed boxes that nest inside each other and can be stacked.
-a modular caves/badland set of terrain that is pieces of pink foam cut to fit flat in a box
-nesting space hulk
-buildings that fit inside other buildings

Thanks for getting me going. Too many ideas, not enough time.

VERY COOL IDEA! It doesn't look like you're sacrificing any details for ability to fold. For some inspiration check out magokiron's folding Mordheim terrain (click the spoilers below his buildings to see them all flattened out ):
http://boringmordheimforum.forumieren.com/t1553-magokiron-s-buildings
Keep up the FINE WORK...The Old Man will be watching.

Narcissus: THANKS! The project is indeed ambitious... but you know me... I don't know how to walk away! HA! I'm glad (happy... actually) that you think that the terrain is playable. I have seen great terrain that can be played on... I won't be denied now!

The links are amazing!!! I just checked them... specially Magokiron's Buildings! He put us all to shame! Although his buildings are GORGEOUS and are an architectural and engineering wonder, they require some... assembly. Don't get me wrong... I would LOVE to have them! But I was thinking on something strong that anyone could 'stand up'. That said... his buildings are STILL better than any of the ones in my imagination! I posted (Necro'ed the thread! ) my appreciation and thanks to him.

Thanks for the tips about foamcore... 'foamcore'? That spelling makes much more sense that my 'foam core'! ANYWAYS... it IS hard to cut and making details (like windows) is a nightmare. Live and learn? You know... NOW I understand why people make a 'rectangular' hole and glue in the windows that come with Mordheim! Heheheh...

I promise I will work on detailing the thing. I was not planning on it... but I will blindly follow your guidance. I was thinking (could not sleep because of it!) what to so. Like you said... nothing fancy, but noticeable. I will use the carboard I have (the green one) and cereal boxes as you suggest.

For painting, I will DEFINITELY do that! I asked Komfritten for his recipe for texturing walls. He said...

Komfritten wrote:

Acrylic paint 60%, pva glue 30%, water 10%... Add sand and paint with stabbing brush motions.:-)

I probably base coat the building with grey and then apply another coat with the texture, avoiding the seams a bit. NO SPRAY FOR ME!!! I had enough 'visions' for a while!

I guess that we are inspiring each other! Komfritten's Space Hulk Terrain thread showed me it was possible to make practical terrain (in terms of storage AND gaming), while your Town of Novac inspired me of not being 'afraid' of building stuff... no need to wait! Laney has always been an inspiration of creativity for me (LINK) and DeafNala... he is my hero! Not only his painting skills have no equal, but his Unbeleivably Crazy Table is full of details that can are the stuff that dreams are made off!

I'm glad that my little venture had provide a tiny spark to keep you going... "Hell... if Mordheimer can build this... think what I can do!!!" Your ideas are magnificent. I hope that one day you get a chance!



DeafNala: Thanks for the link... hehehe... and the explanation to see the spoilers! At first I missed them. Silly me! Anyhow... you have any ideas on how can I make the exterior of the building 'less flat' looking?

Mordheimer wrote:

DeafNala: Thanks for the link... hehehe... and the explanation to see the spoilers! At first I missed them. Silly me! Anyhow... you have any ideas on how can I make the exterior of the building 'less flat' looking?

Glad you found magokiron's stuff helpful...he's a GREAT Guy.
There are a lots of easy things to add depth, texture, & interest to terrain pieces. Obvious ones: add some window sills, ledges, door frames, et al; strips of scrap foam board, balsa wood, or even card board work well for this.

Mark out an area where the plaster has broken away; peel off the paper there; carve in the bricks (draw with a pencil/ball point pen). Run some cracks away from the bared brick...like this:





If the foam board is thick enough you can cut angles into the brick to give a loose appearance:



I use the fan foam insulation rather than foam board.

Mordheimer, this is really awesome and very inspiring.

And I really like all the details you provided ("my blood" ). I really have to try the foamcore (although its quite expensive here in Czech - about twice as much as you paid... but maybe I just have to look better). Currently I am using some insulation board which is 3 cm thick (which is quite cool sometimes but I can't do any large flat things such as walls). I was thinking about buying foamcore before and now I have a new impulse. Thanks to you. (And now I'll have few other sleepless night thinking about it )

Narcissus wrote:

To add a little bit of detail without adding depth I would recommend adding thin strips of cereal card in key spots. Adding a bit of variety of heights to the surfaces will make them look more real and less like foam core with holes in it (as often happens with foamcore buildings). Just draw lines at the width you want on a cereal box, cut lots of strips of card from it, then glue to length on your building.

I have troubles to imagine this ('cause I probably do not undestand it in a right way... again - damned language barrier ). Could you post some pic? Just to have an idea how the result looks like...


EDIT: I went through the tutorial once again... And... Well... My ego is suffering... I always thought I have a good spacial imagianation... But... How the hell you made that corner fold?!

Lazi: Thanks for the kind comments! Since the terrain has my blood, I guess is now my 4th child! Once I work on some details, I will add them (with pics) so you will be able to see!

Lazi wrote:

EDIT: I went through the tutorial once again... And... Well... My ego is suffering... I always thought I have a good spacial imagianation... But... How the hell you made that corner fold?!

No problem! I will try to explain it better.

First, before setting the floors, I decided which wall was resting on the other. In the picture below, you see the two walls. Lets call the one in the LEFT Wall A and the one in the RIGHT Wall B. Do you see how the edge of Wall A rest on the side of Wall B? When you glue a 'normal' building you may get a small gap. This is usually not an issue... most walls have a 'termination' or an 'end' piece (may look like a column) to hide the small gap.



I just presented the walls, but you could tape them or use sticky tack. I then drew the area on the foamcore. In this picture, Wall B is on the LEFT... and it shows where the edge of Wall A would touch it... along with the space the Floor would reach the Wall.




Once more I presented the Wall A against Wall B and confirmed that my markings were right. Then I removed Wall A and put half of the tape on the edge of wall, so half of it was NOT on anything. I fold it backwards and presented the Wall A against B. I let the folded 'extra' tape (that was bended) go to it could stick to Wall B... I used a toothpick to make sure that it was as close fit as possible.


I folded the building and checked I had no extras.


Finally I covered the corner with more tape.


Hope that helps!

@Mordheimer: Yeah, it helped Especially last two pics... It's actually pretty easy, right? In theoretical way I mean A can imagine getting ones fingers sticked to the tape over and over again (I hate working with tape of any kind because of that especially when making something small)

Here is an update. I added some details to one side of the building. Narcissus' idea was spot on... simple, yet effective. I added in cardboard a border and a ledge to the windows. I also cut a strip of foamcore to place between the windows, to simulate columns. I was impressed of how much a little of elbow grease could do!






I plan to do the other side the same and add the 'frame for the windows on the 2nd Floor. After that, I will try some of the 'plaster peels' that DeafNala suggested. After that, something inside to make it look good... I think the floor will get a grid! I know... something thin. I have an idea! I will then add few details as needed.

I will keep you guys updated!

YAY! The Mord builds, and shares the process! Thats just great. I will go through the post again to add some advice and hard earned words of praise - I really like your process (sounds a little like mine).

About the structure for the walls (if you want it), keep away from movable parts, as the sand-structure will break and flake.

I'm unsure if it will be able to stick on the tape, I find that the tape is the weak and strong spot of your project - looking forward to see your experience on that.

I look forward to seeing this in person Mord.

Komfritten: Thanks! I agree with you... the tape is not my best idea. Eventually I want to move to plastic or brass hinges (jewelry boxes). That may make things easier.

Dozer: What?

DoZer wrote:

I look forward to seeing this in person Mord.

OHHH JOY!!! When are you flying here?

Hehehe... I'm being a moron. I know what you mean!

I like the details you added to the walls. I think it will make a huge difference when it is all painted up. Looking forward to seeing this all painted up. Keep up your good momentum.

I was sitting thinking of your "tape" problem - and i think it may be solved by gluing paper over it - then the paint and structure will stick again =) I'm almost positive that ordinary PVA glue will make the paper stick proper 'n good. And it will not add much to the thickness of the walls.

Narcissus: Glad you like the details! I still have some way to go, but it shows clearly that you were right. After I finish, I plan to make some 'cracks on the plaster' as DeafNala suggested. I can 'shave' an area where I want exposed brisk and trace some cracks with the exacto knife!

Komfritten: THANKS for the tip... wow! I never though about THAT. I think I can work a strip of cardboard on the outside (more 'features!) and plain paper on the inside. I plan to do something for the floor... I have some mosquito net mesh (for window screening) that I want to use to simulate a metal mesh! It is thin, so I believe I can work something.

The mosquito net is a good idea, I use it myself. Found a whole roll of it in a dumpster aluminium even! yeah! 10m of greatness hehe. Guess I could make wired mesh fences miniture style all around my appartment.

I find fastening the stuff is a b*** but I had some fairly good results with watered down pva glue (80 glue 20 water). It takes some time to stick, but most of the water will evaporate, leaving more of the structure exposed for that drybrush greatness!

Great log to read! Love to read about your struggles and how you manage to solve them! Also appreciate it very much that you take some much time to document it by taking so many pictures! I have nothing usefull to add but just wanted to see that I enjoyed reading it so far!

Wow, that building is looking incredibly good Mord! I love how it can fold up flat and those extra columns you made between the windows really add to the look. I can't wait to see how it turns out when its all painted up.

How many of these are you planning on making in the end? Hundreds?

And as a last question, how thick is that foamcore stuff you are using? I'm slowly building up a list of things I need to get to eventually have the models and scenery I really want

It looks like 5mm foamcore, which I use myself in abundance. I find that it fits the scale rather well for ordinary to sturdy walls. I use 1cm foamcore for bunkers and such.

But mayby Mord can be more precise

dumdeedum: Yes, it is 5mm foamcore. Some of the pics show it well. How many I will build? Right now, I'm taking this one step at a time! I would like to make a concept for 3 buildings.

UPDATE TIME!!!

OK... I have been working on making the building more... realistic. I finished the columns. I even put one in the 'corner' to disguise the tape mess... hehehe... looks better. Not perfect, but I can live with it. I also added the frame to all windows (WHAT A PAIN!!!)... but I'm missing some of the 'ledges'.

I added the cracks. They are NOT as good as DeafNala's... but then, nothing is! I could not make the brick under, but the 'rough looks good enough. The cracks are slits on the foamcore, they should show up on the paint. I also added the mosquito screening mesh to the floor. EASY to work with, easy to glue; just pour some PVS glue and smooth with finger, spatula or cardboard (I had plenty of that!) Then just put the mesh over. I secured it by adding some more glue on the 'critical' areas and smoothing them with the cardboard. Finally, I added few bitz to 40k-ish the building. Enjoy the pics!









For those that don't know... this is the Mosquito Screening Mesh. You can buy a HUGE roll at any Hardware Store (i.e. Home Depot, Lowe's) 25 feet long (36" wide) for $10... I used a strip 2 feet long, 1" wide.



More pictures when I finish the ledges. Also, I need help with the ladder thing (please check this thread). After this, I have to look for a 'base material. I have a $0.00 budget... so I'm in a pickle!

Comments and criticisms are VERY welcomed... I could use all the help I can get!

Yes yes YES! This is good =)

Cool you got the net working - I, personally, find it a pain to glue on, and still keep the structure - glad you got it easy

I'm really looking forward to paint! Remember to let some blood drip from one of those bullet wholes(!)

Cracks and dents looks fine, I think they will be enjoyable to look at, and give the building that character it needs - roughing up those large flat walls - yup - it's gonna be good.

Before paint or structurizing, I would recommend that you smoothen out the inside of the windows and get that smudge away - they are like the moulding lines on minis - just not to be there (meself is the most lazy guy on earth when it comes to molding lines). I would take some PVA and use a finger, rounding them off. (beware of papercuts!)