Terrain Log: 40k Basilica

Welcome back for another Terrain Log, where I fumble about the myriad universes trying to bring pieces back for you.  Today, we have our Warhammer 40,000 Imperial Basilica.  Not only was this sanctuary a place of worship before it got bombed out, but you can still take cover amidst the ruin of the Imperial servants whose skulls adorn the walls!

This piece meandered around the club, and actually required the talents of three Gate Keepers before it was finished.  We work at a snail's pace around here, but things eventually happen - usually all at once.  For this Basilica (which you can buy the kit for at www.games-workshop.com, under Warhammer 40,000 Scenery) I think it was almost a year before it was finished.

Jerry Wargate bought a set of used ruins online way back in late 2010.  After deciding we didn't like how they were put together and that we wanted higher standards going forward, I started the long and arduous process of cutting the pieces down and removing the huge chunks of plastic glue that were holding the rickety ruins together.  It took two days to get these pieces ready for assembly.  Jerry helped me take four different GW buildings apart, then we started to put this one together.

I cut a base from mica board, (I cut one for each of these four buildings that particular day) and set about constructing something that resembled what was on the box.  We had a lot of pieces to sort through.  After looking at some examples, Jerry and I set on this neat "X" footprint.  Then, after priming it up and getting it ready, Jerry went over the whole thing for hours with a paintbrush.  After painting the thousandth skull, he decided he'd had enough of it.  That's when we handed it off to Captain Video for another layer of loving detail, and he even added a coat of Army Painter's Quickshade.

After the good Captain brought it back to me, gave the mica board base a spray with Rustoleum's Beaten Iron and attached the building with Elmer's White Glue.  After that, I mixed up some turf with some different flocks I had.  I have huge bags of talus laying around, so I threw some of that in the different turf mixes I was using.  The grey area on the board around the Basilica itself is the exposed Beaten Iron, and I did a little grading on the rest of the board.  It looks great on our boards, that's for sure.

Big thanks to Jerry Wargate and Captain Video for their continued support.  There are still two buildings left to put together from that lot - something I hope to visit soon since we're speeding up production a little around here.  More stuff on the way - don't worry Captain, I'll have your recent work up on this site in due course!