28mm Cheapo Ruins

This lot was built from materials found around our home, plus some balsa wood. I've also got some smaller pieces for scatter terrain, not yet photographed.

Both ruins are built mainly out of corrugated cardboard. They have an upper floor, with a wooden stairway leading up the larger one. 

There must be multiple good tutorials on how to create cardboard ruins, so instead of describing the entire process, here are some highlights that might aid people:

- I have used two layers of cardboard for the walls, connected with PVA and weighed down while drying so that they would hold their shape.

- Generally, CA glue is better when shaping cardboard (like making a corner) and PVA is used for structural integrity.

- I drew the apertures on an intact piece of wall section, and when they were scored and cut out, added the damage.

- The bare parts of the walls were covered with texture paste, available from art/hobby stores, the same stands for the outer walls. A product called 'heavy body gel' (basically a thick acrylic paste, referred previously here) is especially good at smoothing out surfaces and covering gaps.

- EVA foam (known locally as 'decor rubber' for questionable reasons) pieces were added to the outer wall to make the buildings look less plain.

- The rubble is made from sprue scraps and sugar dunked in PVA - make sure to add multiple coats of matte paint over the dried sugar puddles as otherwise it might shine through.

- The bases are a sort of hard insulation foam from the hardware store.

Some time ago, over on the 'Super Cheap Wargaming' FB group, the use of clothespins for gaming purposes was a popular activity, which prompted me to buy some cheap ones from Pepco. You can see them here decorating the facade of this building.

This shaky photo is supposed to represent that the interior is also furnished. The walkway between the two buildings is removable as a separate piece.

Some thread, an Ikea plant, plastic rollers from dog poop bags and wooden washers that previously belonged to Christmas decoration trees (bought, of course, for other purposes) were used in creating these columns overgrown with vegetation. I think they are kind of cool.