How to make the shattered aquila pt1...

Hi, finally going to be able to put this up after what seemed like the worlds longest delay from loosing the original set of images, sorry. I had to redo the tutorial at double speed to get this out by the end of the day, so here it is:

What you will need:

Foam board (a single a4 sheet will be more than enough)

Hobby knife

Ball-point pen

Printout of Aquila on thin paper (the cheaper the better)

Super glue (although pva will suffice)

Step 1: Getting it drawn.

Cut the printout of the aquila to the shape and size you want the terrain piece to be.

Now, turning the image ink side down, trace the outline of the aquila with a ballpoint pen. If you cannot see the outline, simple turn the image ink side up and outline with the ballpoint pen, pressing firmly to indent the foam board underneath. both methods come with a similar outcome, although i prefer the first as it gives you more to look at when cutting.

If you chose the first method then some of the ink will come off the paper and stick to the foam board leaving the perfect outline of the aquila (see image below).

The next thing you will need to do is to draw around the aquila, forming the base of the terrain piece itself. Remember to leave room for any raised areas of land. I chose to use two, as you want to keep it relatively flat, to both present the aquila with as little distortion as possible, and to make it a functional piece of terrain that models can stand on.

Step 2: Cutting, the basics.

Using a hobby knife, carefully cut out the outlines of both the hill sections and the aquila itself. The tip when cutting foam board is to lightly score the first layer of card, then to cut down with full pressure applied once the first layer has been cut. This technique ensures that you will get a nice clean cut. Take especial care cutting out the fiddly bis such as the feet. I tend to leave the head and neck sections together as pictured as this allows for easier placement later on, although you could cut them out fully if you wished.

After you have cut out the pieces, cut around the hill sections with the hobby knife angled, so as to give a bevelled edge. Try to get the Transition between each bit as smooth as possible.

Step 3: Final assembly.

Glue the hill sections as you see fit, remembering the aquila will have to fit on later on.

Now you can begin to place the sections of the aquila onto the base in a way that you like. At this stage, you will see where the aquila will have to be 'broken' in order to be in contact at all points with the base, cut accordingly. Remember, foam board does bend, so if you would rather bend some sections feel free to do so. You can also break bits in places that were in contact anyway, such as the wings.

Now that the aquila is cut, you can begin to glue it onto the base, being careful to place it in the same way you chose before. 

Give the base one last trim around the edge to fit. and you are done with the foam board construction.

I hope this was a decent attempt at my first ever tutorial, if you have any further questions, or ideas, simply write it in the comments section below.

Next time in 'Shattered Aquila Tutorial pt 2', I will continue to add to the base of the shattered aquila, later base coating it before the final paint job in part 3.

See you next time, Zarak.








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