How to Make Warhammer 40k Craters

Craters usually comes as a result of huge explosion brought by bombs, meteors, or volcanic eruptions. In our modern world we can see craters when a bomb explode. We seldom see a crater created by a falling debris coming from the sky because this will leave a very big crater.
But in the Warhammer 40K universe they are an everyday thing so it is unusual if you cannot see a crater. It is therefor a common occurrence to see craters made by things landing from the sky. Lets put as example a dent a lascannon would leave if it hit the ground.

Materials List
-polystyrene (styrofoam)
-utility knife
-PVA glue (white glue)
-Plaster
-toilet paper
-paint brush
PAINTS
-acrylic black
-tin bitz (dark gray/brown)
-graveyard earth (dark brown)
-bestial brown
-snakebite leather (light brown)
-camo green

Step 1 Prepare base

As the saying goes “there are many ways to kill the cat”, we can say also that there are many things that we can actually use for creating the base. It is up to you what would be the best material to be use. A piece of thin wood or thin styrofoam will best fit the work. But for this project we use thin wood.

Step 2 Cut out crater bits

Creating a crater bits will be easy as taking the candy from a baby, simply grab the styrofoam and cut out small triangular wedges.

Step 3 Glue wedges

By using a PVA glue (white glue) stick all the wedges you cut out and stick all together to the thin wood that we created for the base. In gluing the wedges, to create a unique look into the crater try to alternate the wedges or leave a space between each wedge.

Step 4 Fill in gaps

After you glue the wedges, you can see that in every wedge there is a gap, fill the gaps between the wedge using a plaster. But if you have a putty you can use it in filling the gaps.

Step 5 paper mache you crater

If you know how to paper mache then this will not cause you any trouble or delay.
Using strips of toilet paper and watered down glue you can now begin to paper mache your crater.
The purpose of the paper mache is you will keep the plaster protected so that it won't chip off easily. The paper mache also gives for a more earthly look on the crater.

Step 6 Base coat

For the base coating just prime the crater with acrylic black paint.

Step 7 painting layers

After the base coating dries up its time to paint and finish the job. Actually there a lot of combination or painting layers to be use. These are our suggested layers to use. Begin with tin bitz (dark gray/brown), and then dry brush with graveyard earth (dark brown). Next dry brush bestial brown and then snakebite leather. Lastly, dry brush a final layer of camo green to give a mossy effect.
And there you have it! Nice, realistic looking craters made easy.

Matthew Glanfield is the webmaster for MiniWarGaming.com, a site that strives to provide useful resources to players of the Games Workshop Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40K, and Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game.
You can visit his website at http://www.miniwargaming.com