This beautiful Imperial Bunker was made by Petrik and took 30 hours to make. We also owe a word of thanks to wwizzard for his assistance with editing the article.
I visit a lot of WW2 bunkers. After seeing two it becomes very boring, but family friends with whom we make trips really like this stuff, so we have to go through it from time to time. I wanted to build something which would present imperial/futuristic style combined with some classic stuff. What would be better than to choose early post imperial era (1918-1939)?
When I think about a terrain piece I usually want it to have a logical structure, I believe this gives the model realism. Everything in real life has its logic and purpose. I also give little more emphasis on cool minis and cool terrain than the wargame use itself. But I try to think about all possibilities. I usually write down the most important things and try to put them in one word such as: adaptability, modular pieces, details, etc. - this is a good way if you want to build something cool. The plan is very important.
I started by browsing Internet pages about bunkers for an inspiration. I found it in a Czechoslovakian heavy artillery bunker called Bouda ("Hut" in English, <a href="http://bunkry.cz/foto.asp?id=13">Click here</a> for some pictures of the real thing). I particularly liked the part where the bunker is built in the rock. I had the image of rocky bunker in my mind before I found the Bouda - it was ideal for my purposes. Of course you can build a bunker based only on your imagination - just build what you want.
After I felt I had sufficient info and ideas I sketched the whole image on paper. Such a drawing is not a normal drawing, it is just a fast sketch and you would not be able to decipher it, but it helps me to clarify the future image of the building.
After some thinking with the sketch in front of me, I started work. I will tell you the most important things and some tips I learned, but I will not tell you every detail - you have to try it on your own, there is no other way. Don't be scared to experiment. You just need a steady hand and patience.
The base is made of acrylic sheet. It is cheap and durable. I cut it using a handsaw then used a file to round off the edges. I think round edges look far better than square ones - square edges look too artificial and you see that the model doesn't fit on the table instantly. It is wrong some way.
The basic structure is made of Styrofoam. I used the most simple way to create rock, I just cut and cut and finished after I had the shapes I liked. The bunker structure itself would be difficult to cut from a single block of Styrofoam as you need to cut the gunslits, however the solution is simple: make it out of multiple layers. To cut the Styrofoam I used a bread knife - the type with a 'saw' blade. It is very easy and fast. It is can be used to make parts which don't have to be precise - the parts you expect to cover with a layer of plaster or something to cover the holes. To make more precise stuff I used an Exacto knife.
After I had the basic structure of the foam finished I made the rock and ground texture. The ground texture is made of sand mixed with acrylic paste. The texture looks very convincing. The rock is made using plaster.
I use my own technique to work with plaster: I cover the whole thing, and after it dries a bit I use my hands to work on the texture - usually just lightly touching the piece to create more shaped look - nothing special about this, but the important thing: I clean my hands of dried plaster over the piece! If you do it from above, it looks like loose stones and makes the rock look more realistic. It can be done another way: if you store those bits and after the plaster is dried glue them it makes the same effect - perhaps even better, because you can work on it longer, but why spend extra time if you can do it in one step?
During the drying of the plaster I started making the concrete texture. I used acrylic paste for this purpose. This needs to be applied in two layers because if you try do it in one, the act of texturing the surface will tend to pull it away from the Styrofoam. The trick is to apply a layer (which bonds to the Styrofoam), and then, after the first layer is dry, apply a second layer to create the texture. I made the first layer using just fingers. It needs some time to dry and some time to smooth, but the paste is cool because you can shape it even after it dries. Water helps when smoothing the surface, but just a bit! After I was satisfied I applied PVA glue on the paste to harden it and give it more durability.
The painting is always crucial for every model. You can spoil great model or you can improve a bad piece. Therefore it is crucial for a modeller to know a bit of both painting and model making to create really cool stuff.
I usually use Revell or Humbrol colours but for some details for precise painting I sometimes apply Vallejo or Citadel. If I don't state otherwise the colours used are Humbrol/Revell (they are very similar).
Rock: I painted it black. Then drybrushed grey and then drybrushed it white. The grey drybrush was 3x more extensive than the white. The white was used just for the tips of the rocky texture. After this I mixed brown and dark grey and painted some deeper spots to add more shape. The colour was more a grey than brown.
You can also paint rock using water colours and sponge - squeeze the sponge above the rock - it looks great, but it is messy.
Bunker: I painted it using dark grey, then used watered down Vallejo white to paint it as a concrete. I also used black and brown to make some weathered spots under the roof - but I applied some white on it because it was too dark. I suggest you study pictures of real concrete and then try it, I can tell you nothing more.
Ground: I used brown which is bit greenish. The colour is perfect if you apply light brown as a drybrush.
Well chosen detail draws attention to a model. The most important detail on the bunker is the imperial eagle. I believe I chose it well because it looks twice as good with it than without it. Both the eagle and the bunker number (near the door) are made of paper. I printed the images on hard paper, glued it on another hard paper and cut them out using a knife and scissors. Then I painted it. The eagle is black and the number 3 is white with some shading. I found such things look cool without any colour additions.
The door: I used 0.8mm polystyrene sheet with greenstuff for the pins. I painted it black and drybrushed it silver.
The tree: I used classic wire construction for the branches, the trunk is made of modelling plastic. You can add toilet paper on the tree trunk to make realistic texture. The top is flock.
The wires that hold down the camouflage net are made of real wires, just shaped. Very easy to make. Note that you have to put greenstuff in a hole in the Styrofoam and then the wire because Styrofoam is very soft.
Camouflage net: I used bandage and flock. I painted the bandage then widened the mesh. After it dried I shaped it using scissors - it would not be possible before, because unpainted it can be shaped very little. After this I glued it and added flock. You have to find the right amount of flock and the colour on your own... just try it.
Small stones: made of tree bark, painted using the same technique as the main rock.
Flock: I used static grass to cover the whole thing... it looks a little artificial but contrasts nicely with the other colours and textures.