Craters generally occur as a result of a large explosion caused by bombs, meteorites, or volcanic eruptions. In our modern world we can see craters when a bomb explodes. We rarely see a crater created by falling debris from the sky because this will leave a very large crater.
But in the Warhammer 40K universe they are an everyday occurrence, so it’s unusual if you can’t see a crater. Therefore, it is common to see craters formed by things falling from the sky. Take as an example a dent that a laser cannon would leave if it hit the ground.
Material’s list
-polystyrene (styrofoam)
-utility knife
-PVA glue (white glue)
-Cast
-toilet paper
-Paint brush
Paints
-black acrylic
-tin bitz (dark gray / brown)
– graveyard ground (dark brown)
-Brown bestial
-snake bite skin (light brown)
-green camouflage
Step 1 Prepare the base
As the saying goes “there are many ways to kill the cat”, we can also say that there are many things that we can really use to create the base. It is up to you what would be the best material to use. A piece of thin wood or thin Styrofoam will fit the job better. But for this project we use fine wood.
Step 2 Cut the crater chunks
Creating a crater will be as easy as removing the candy from a baby, just take the Styrofoam and cut small triangular wedges.
Step 3 Glue the wedges
Using a PVA glue (white glue) glue all the wedges that you cut and glue all together to the thin wood that we created for the base. When gluing the wedges, to create a unique look in the crater, try alternating the wedges or leave a space between each wedge.
Step 4 Fill in the blanks
After gluing the wedges, you can see that in each wedge there is a gap, fill in the gaps between the wedges with a plaster. But if you have putty, you can use it to fill in the gaps.
Step 5 papier-mâché your crater
If you know how to make papier-mâché, this will not cause any problems or delay.
Using strips of toilet paper and diluted glue, you can now start making papier-mâché in your crater.
The purpose of the papier-mâché is to keep the cast protected so it doesn’t come off easily. The papier-mâché also gives the crater a more earthy look.
Step 6 Base coat
For the base liner, simply prime the crater with black acrylic paint.
Step 7 layers of paint
After the base coat dries, it’s time to paint and finish the job. Actually, there are many coats of combination or paint to use. These are our suggested capes to wear. Start with tin bitz (dark gray / brown) and then brush dry with graveyard soil (dark brown). Next, dry brush the bestial brown and then the snake bite leather. Lastly, dry brush a final coat of green camouflage to give it a mossy effect.
And there you have it! Nice and realistic looking craters simplified.