Fantastic video. It was great to see someone use the printable stuff and then use foam board to strengthen it and then show them finished. Great inspiration!! :)
Now I'm retired I have been making up sets of 20mm and 54mm 'toy soldiers' to give away to less well off folks, I have been trawling the net for freebie papercraft buildings and modifying them (mirror image to get interiors etc) and re-scaling them. That's a lot of work and these look like what I have needed! Thanks for posting.
These look fantastic and this is exactly what I’ve had in mind to do with cardstock buildings to make them more durable. I’ve actually got A4 sheets of adhesive printer paper to eliminate the need for glue, so I can just place the print-outs on the foam board. You’ve given me some great ideas and guidance with this video - love the damaged buildings. I’ll definitely order a load of these files, thanks for showing these.
Thanks Lee! These really turn out well and are fun to customize. Let me know if you have any questions, as I have learned a lot of techniques that help improve the process of mounting these on foam core. Good luck and share your results when get to try them out :)
Thanks very much Dan. We’re in the process of selling & buying a house so once that’s all done and we’re settled I’m going to make an effort to start building terrain as I currently don’t have any. I’ll certainly be coming to you for advice.
Thank you! They are tons of fun to build. After you get comfortable with some basic techniques, you can really let your imagination run wild. For very little expense, you can create loads for cool and unique structures. Have fun!!
@@danbuman8422 I've tried paper stuff before but the way that you reinforced them and so cleverly stuck them... Wow, sometimes you just need another set of eyes to find a treasure. Will have fun for sure, thanks!
Thanks Phil! It's a great way to add a large amount of buildings to your table at very little expense. In addition, the kits are very easy to customize in order to create your own unique structures.
Wow Dan thanks for sharing this and how you built those buildings. Been wanting to increase the number of buildings for the upcoming Normandy and Market Garden Campaigns and this might fit the bill.
I chose all of mine to fit Normandy and they work well for that. These are the ones I recommend: The Fletchers Shop is the two story building that I show that I modified to be a one story or two story building and put the French signs on the walls. Great kit though the more complex roof makes it more challenging to mount on foam core. The Butchers Shop is the other two story building that I show that has the removable floor to access the lower level. Probably one of the easiest kits to build. The Long House is the livestock building I made. Easy kit with some wonderful texture choices. World War Ruins #4 is the damaged building that I show. Another easy kit with lots of customizing potential. The Ruined Church I did not show because it is a little large to show while running the recorder but is an excellent piece. This is a more challenging piece but again lots of variety and worth the effort. The Carriage House is the free kit that I show at the beginning of the video that I used for three different buildings. Easy kit and a good chance to give them a try. The Cabin is a good kit to have. It is actually designed to have an accessible interior so it has a variety of flooring that I used in some of the other buildings. I did build this kit to make buildings but it is probably one of the best to use for parts on your other buildings. The damaged roof on the ruined building came from this kit.
Glad to help! They are a treat to construct and allow for so much customization. With just a few crafting skills they can not be beat for the money. Love 'em!
Dan Buman You did a really good job in mounting them on the foamboard, they look very convincing. I also enjoyed the videos you made showing how you managed it. I have a question however. Do you know any other websites that offer paper templates for buildings appropriate for WW2 Western Europe? I’ve looked around and found lots of things perfect for fantasy/sci - fi, but not many for historical wargaming.
Really makes a difference after you've gone to that extra effort Dan. I used to have Old West type buildings in printed card. God knows where they are now haha!
@@danbuman8422 That definitely seems to be the case. Thankyou for letting us know about it though because (at least for me) it has gone over my head. I would definitely get my grubby hands on some foamboard, like you did though.
Great work you have done there with these designs. It’s clear you put some time and thought into these kits. I used something similar when I first started the marvel game and they do look really good with the printed details on the exterior. Great stuff.
Thanks Palmer! I definitely learned a lot of techniques that help the build go smoothly. There rare some challenges to modifying the kits to be mounted onto foam core and adding interior details. At this point I can assemble a fairly complex building in an evening.
Thanks for commenting Thomas! The Dave Graffam models are a wonderful terrain option. Not only are they extremely affordable, but they are easy to customize and modify. I'm sure you will really like them when you get a chance to build them. Take care!
I would like to second the comment below about seeing a "how to" video. I've been using Dave Graffam buildings for some time, but never thought to mount the printed pages on foam core. I'd like to see how you did that because what you have shown here looks really good! Thank you for sharing your creativity.
Thanks for the kind words! I don't have a setup that would allow me to make a high quality "how to" video. I did post a video on my channel that shows some of the techniques and materials used in one of my Dave Graffam conversions. I believe it is called "Dave Graffam Ruined Church Conversion for Bolt Action part #1 and part #2". That might be of some assistance. Let me know if you have any questions!
@@danbuman8422 I found those two videos shortly after I posted my comment. Thank you for pointing them out. I look forward to watching those and learning how you handled joins and corners with the foam core.
@@danbuman8422 I've probably watched the first video of ruined church conversion three times now. And I've found a small building to use as a "guinea pig". There is one question that I have. Many of the Dave Graffam buildings have two walls joined as one image. Would you recommend cutting those apart and gluing them to the foam core? Or, do you cut a 5mm channel in the foam core to one side of the corner where the corner would be? Thank you again for these videos.
@@earlkriewall7251 After printing out, I cut any walls apart that are joined before gluing to the foam core. Then to join two walls together at a corner of the building, I make a 5mm notch in one of the two wall sections. Only removing the inside card covering of the foam core and the foam layer itself, leaving the outside intact. This allows for a smooth corner joint. My other video on Dave Graffam buildings, I believe, shows a corner a little more clearly as I describe the process. I hope that helps!!
Very, very nice! Very talented and loved following your commentary. As I am currently working on some similar foamboard terrain, I have a question: How does the nail filler putty hold up as a coating for the exposed foam core? I was considering using spackle (drywall repair) but was concerned with adhesion. If the wood putty works well, I may go with that instead. Thanks and keep up the great work.
Rob Hamper Thanks Rob! The wood putty adheres very well and is quite durable. Spackle would probably work fine as well but I believe the wood putty is more durable and, if used in the tube form, it is easy to control while applying. This helps keep your printed surfaces from getting the wood filler on them. Have fun!
YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT IT TAKING TIME EVEN THE OTHER KITS THAT COST WAY TOO MUCH ...YHIS IS WHAT I BEEN DOING FOR 3 YEARS GLUING WLL PAPER THAT LOOKS IKE BRICKS THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER..
@@danbuman8422 I was so impressed with this that I shared it on my blog site hope that's OK: www.valhallagames.net/index.php I do have one slightly unrelated question, the lighting in your video is outstanding can I ask what you use for that? I hope to do more good quality videos myself.
Hey Dan, Wonderful job. Wondering how you got such clean angles on the foam core at the points where the foam pieces meet together under the tip of each roof. Any advice would be appreciated. DO you use a tool. I can cut at angles, but they aren't as lean as the ones ni your video. Thanks!
Thanks Anthony! I just use a very sharp hobby knife and gently cut through. It's more of an art than a science unfortunately. I eye ball the angle and be sure to use a new blade to get a clean cut. Sorry to not be of more help!
very cool! what app do you have to open them with to modify/print? thanks for sharing some of the assembly tricks as well. if you add to your table, consider taking some stills or a video tutorial. I'd be interested in seeing how its done, and may actually do something like this too. :)
Thanks Jankmaster! I use Adobe Acrobat to manipulate the files and that works very well. The next time I build one I will try to take some stills to demonstrate the process. I have learned a lot of techniques through trial and error that really make them easy to make. Putting the card stock prints onto foam core, making the roofs removable, and adding interiors created some challenges at first.
Thanks! I used an Elmers Glue glue stick. It holds well, dries clear and doesn't bubble or wrinkle the paper. www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?domainredirect=true&product=1514&xes=237530000ESC&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsdHhBRCwARIsAAhRhsmVKXJUjWh9wWRmh57d4CcEH5JsM5BfCpQ550NrtgM6itFSxd5NXT4aAjpeEALw_wcB
On the Facebook group they have been commenting about his absence as well. Someone did mention that he has been somewhat active on his Patreon page, so he is still alive!!
I belong to Patreon, and if you check Graffam's page you'll find that his last post was on September 10, 2019, which coincides with the last time I received an update to a project he was working on (new textures). He stopped updating his Patreon members at that point. I was receiving regular updates prior to that date. Also, Dave was very good at responding to comments on Patreon and answering emails I'd sent, but nothing has shown up on any of his web sites nor has he written back to me. Patreon creators need to keep their followers informed, but he has fallen far behind. It's for these reasons that I am concerned about his well-being. Dave is a pretty darn nice guy and all I can do is hope he's okay.
Gary N. Thanks for the information Gary! Hopefully he is well and will be responding soon to his fans. I too have found him to be very active with his customers and fans. His silence is disconcerting for sure...
Hi Edward. The bases are made from artist panel that I got from Hobby Lobby in the US www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Painting-Canvas-Art-Surfaces/Art-Paper-Boards/Ampersand-Smooth-Gessoed-Artist-Panel---16%22-x-20%22/p/4666 It is essentially hardboard that has a coating (primer) on one side. This material is very sturdy and, with the primer coating on one side, I can apply my glue and spackle to that side and get nearly zero warping. Hope that helps!
Hi Dan! Just discovering these for bolt action and chain of command and I am really excited to make some myself! Could you tell me some of the specific names of the buildings you purchased? The ones I'm finding on the sight are a little more "dungeons and dragons" than mid century.
Hi Shane and thanks for watching! They were great for Bolt Action and offer tons of opportunity for kit bashing. These are the kits I used for everything in the videos that I have made: The Cabin, Longhouse, Butcher's Shop, Fletcher's Shop, and the free Coach House. The ruined kits that I purchased were the Ruined Church and the World War Ruins #4. They appear very dungeons and dragons at first glance, but remember that many of the buildings in Europe at that time were essentially late medieval period structures, especially in the rural area and villages. By selecting the "skin" choices in the kits that fit that time period, you can make everything that I made. Let me know if you have more questions! It looks like his new kit The Storehouse #2 would be an excellent choice as well. I do not yet have that one.
I'm not sure I understand what you are asking. The brick walls in the video are always from the building kit that the walls are used with. I just print the wall of the building out without layering on the plaster and then cut it into strips to get the wall height that I want. That way the brick walls always match the building that I put them with. Let me know if that does not answer your question :)
Thanks for watching. I made a basic video showing some of my techniques and products used. This is part 1: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OGLbGXV1Gpg.html
I live in the US, so I use 3/16" for the walls (which is about 5mm) and 1/8" for the roofs (which is about 3mm). I use the thinner for the roofs so they are more in scale with the thicker stone/brick walls and look more realistic. Hope that helps!!