Terrain Question - Cyclopean Ruins

[Jagannath]

Hullo folks - for my ongoing desert fantasy project (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=102905.0) I'd quite like some cyclopean ruins out in the desert, once inhabited by a race of civilised giants who have devolved into degenerates.

Helpfully, the project is in 15mm, so 28mm ruins should work nicely - I think I'm going to use some of the new Lucid Eye Corelocks as the beasts, but what about the ruins?

Things I'm looking for:

Relatively classical or at least cyclopena - big stone bricks, not too gothic (so not the plastic Pegasus ruins, for example).
The scale is fine (great!) at 28mm - I'm not worried about floor heights et. I've got ideas for that, but I don't want erroneous 28mm detail (like buckets, or skulls etc.) or too much 'medieval' detail (wooden doors etc.) - these ruins are meant to be thousands of years old.

I'm tossing up between the Adrians Walls ruins made for frostgrave but a) they're probably a touch expensive considering I'd have to repaint them, and b) the integral base is maybe a little thick for 15mm (looks to be about 5mm thick) and the Renedra plastic ruins, but I'm not sure they're that good?

Anything else out there? A temple complex might work, but it will need to be more than just a temple with 8 pillars... I'd like to make a fair bit of cover for a 2x2.

Any help appreciated.

[has.been]

Foam core mixed with cake pillars. If you get the plaster pillars and 'tap' them with a 'Tapo-metre' (hammer)
you will get the '1000 year old' look, plus a few intact pillars become a lot of ruin bits. Cut some 'bricks' from
the foam core to 'fill in' here & there. Thin coat of plaster, paint it & job done.

[Andym]

Oh I can’t wait to see what you come up with buddy!

I know it’s probably not the way you want to go, but have you ever considered these?......






http://www.dustgame.com/products.php?sid=53

I always fancied these wee bits of scenery, but could never find a use for them. I think the Dust stuff is 1:35 so they’d be HUGE compared to your 15mm stuff. Massive Alien temple or something as well as fantasy ruins. Might be good for both your 15mm projects?

[Jagannath]

Thanks both -

@has.been - to be entirely honest, I'm trying to avoid that much work (once I've made the 28mm scale ruins I'll be adding details to 'rescale' them too, as though adventurers have already explored the giant ruins)! I've made things out of cork bricks before, so could do that again - I reckon 10x10x20mm bricks would work. I'd prefer ready made though

@Andy - those are pretty good actually, I'll see what else there is in the Dust range.

Still, anymore for anymore?

[Severian]

Have you considered Hirst arts blocks? They lend themselves very well to ruins and you can always find a use for the inevitable miscasts... They're 28mm scaled so ought to fit. I made various things with several Egyptian & fieldstone moulds, including the very useful ruin mould...

Of course it is a fair bit of work and can easily sit unfinished in a corner for a while... But if you like the process, it's a fun side-project. The moulds themselves are a modest investment but after that plaster is pretty cheap. But as I say it might be just too much work when there are so many good ready-made things out there.

Good luck with this at any rate - I've always thought Cyclopean ruins an excellent tabletop idea.

[Cubs]

Aquarium decorations are the first thing that sprung to mind.

This came up after ten seconds on eBay - I typed in 'aquarium ornament ruins'.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heritage-RP012M-Medium-Roman-Ruins-Ornament-Fish-Tank-Aquarium-Decoration/381692490014?epid=1948703654&hash=item58dea5311e:g:USQAAOSw3YJZXOgu

[robh]

I would suggest going down the Hirst Arts blocks route also.
Licensed casters like LAF'er 'markiemark' sells bags of ready cast pieces very cheaply either in kits of set models or just as loads of blocks and wall/floor pieces (how I buy them).

https://www.tabletop-buildings.com

Great service and much easier than trying to cast your own or cut blocks from cork/styrene.

[Jagannath]

Thanks all,

@Severian - I had thought of aquarium ruins but I was worried about getting the scale consistent and finding everything I want.

Hirst Arts is an excellent idea - they do a particular 'brick' that might work really well, so that's definitely something I'll consider. Thanks.

[Warren Abox]

Would something like this do the trick?  Foam bricks cut to a reasonable size for ruins:

http://www.michaels.com/creatology-foam-project-brick-set-neutral/10115435.html

Since they are foam, you can even carve out weird spirals and curves and such to make the geometry extra non-Euclidian.

[Codsticker]

Would something like this do the trick?  Foam bricks cut to a reasonable size for ruins:

http://www.michaels.com/creatology-foam-project-brick-set-neutral/10115435.html

Since they are foam, you can even carve out weird spirals and curves and such to make the geometry extra non-Euclidian.

There is also Firedragon Games for impressed foam sheets and blocks.

Eslo Terrain has an "Acropolis" ruin amongst others.

Fenris Games has a number of ruins, including a number of different pillar styles, as well as scenic materials.

[Jagannath]

Thanks everyone - those Michael's ones (I found a UK supplier) sound interesting, but the use of the word 'roll' on the description makes me worry they're quite soft. I wishi those Firedragon ones were a touch bigger - I'm looking for 18x18x30ish blocks I reckon. I could buy 18mm cork (see my fantasy thread for more 'normal' ruins made with cork) but I don't have anything that can cut through it cleanly.

[Oldben1]

Walmart:  $9.00

image by oldben1, on Flickr

Some good columns at Michaels too with a coupon.