Building Sci-Fi Terrain: A Judge Dredd Kit Guide
RichC walks through the assembly of a Judge Dredd-style sci-fi building, from the first wall joints to its curved card roof. The kit shown came with two sheets of MDF, two sheets of card and printed instructions.
RichC has been building terrain for many years. His love of the outdoors combined with a love of building aircraft and tank kits has lead to many a diorama - some of which have been published in various original Flames of War books. His terrain can also be found in various books from the Bolt Action range, as well as the backdrop to Test of Honour and others.
Before you start
The instructions begin on the back of the cover page. Once you’ve familiarised yourself with these and the various MDF & card sheets before you, you'll be ready to build.
I’m planning on an overall light concrete effect when complete, so for this build, I’ll put the whole set together first before painting.
Building the walls
[One thing to remember throughout any build is the need to check the fit of any components before gluing.]
Pop-out the walls and fit them together. If you use a gel-type superglue you’ll have a short time to rearrange parts before they set.
Keep an eye out for fragile parts such as the tab underneath this doorway, I used the edge of a knife blade to gently push the tab into place.
Cladding
This kit has multiple layers to create depth and detail. Once you’ve checked the parts fit a small bit of super glue will attach them nicely.
You’ll find some nice details like this fan system. The instructions will show you where to place them, although don’t let that stop you using them elsewhere.
Roofing
Loose or fixed? Or in other words, do you game indoors or only outside… but perhaps this choice can wait. Start with the main cross trusses. Check fit and pop on a little glue then slot them together.
These buildings come with lovely curved sides to their roofs, yes curved! To prep them, simply roll them over the edge of a desk gently bending them at each line.
Top Tip: As stated on the instructions, carefully score along each line before curving you’ll get a nice smooth curve. It says score for a reason.
I approached this by rounding the roof toward the peg then, whilst pinching the card either side of the peg, pushed it over. Add a touch of glue on the inside. Don’t worry if you slightly tear the tab as you’ll hide it shortly with the facing piece.
For a finishing touch, add your fan vents inside the marked areas.
One of the great things about a Sarissa kit is not only how simple it is but also the potential for alternative builds. Turning a wall around, for example, can move a doorway from the left to the right end of a wall. Don’t forget to keep your leftover pieces as we can make use of those later.
Show us your builds by posting them to #sarissaprecision
More sci-fi buildings
The Mega-City Hab Zone brings together units, stairs and decks. For painting ideas, the two guides below cover different kits and finishes.
Built something yourself? Show us your build →
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