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How to Make Archer’s Stakes Scatter Terrain for Fantasy and Historical Games.

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(for 28mm scale, Warhammer, Kings of War, The Old World, Fantasy Battles etc…)

Hello!

In this post, I will go through the process of making a 28mm scale archers stake barricade to use as scatter terrain in all your favorite fantasy and medieval historical wargames. I have made two of these now and they look great!

What You’ll need.

Materials

  • Greenstuff (or another type or 2 part epoxy putty)
  • Empty Sprue
  • A base (I have used a 25x50mm Square MDF base, however you could use a longer one and add more spikes, or even an oval base if you wish)
  • Basing paste (I have gone for Vallejo Diorama FX European Mud, but again choose what you like to fit your needs)

Tools

  • Hobby nippers/cutters
  • Craft knife
  • A mug or bowl or water (for your greenstuff)
  • an old paint brush
  • Optional:
    • sandpaper or emery boards
    • rubber shaping tool

The Build

Step 1:

Mix your green stuff, and then make a mound on the base. Smooth it down enough to adhere to base, don’t worry about it looking pretty though, we will cover it at the end with our basing paste.

Step 2:

Using your hobby nippers, cut some sprue into lengths of between 1.25″ and 1.5″ long. Don’t worry if they are uneven, I am sure that archers aren’t thinking about symmetry when they make these barricades!

If you are using a 25x50mm base, 5 lengths of sprue should do. Cut more if you are making a longer barricade (perhaps 5 for every 50mm of length).

Sand off any text that has been molded on the sprue with your emery board/sand paper. You will also want to cut off any sticky out bits on the sprue to get a mostly flat piece.

Step 3:

Using your craft knife, scrape along the sprue (away from you of course) to shape it into a more cylindrical shape

Then use your craft knife to whittle the end into a near point (don’t make it a full point, it will hurt when you push them into the green stuff).

It should look something like this:

Alternatively, instead of scraping the sprue into a rounder shape, you can whittle away at it to make a rougher shape. Whittle the end into a near point and it will look something like this:

Mix and match these how you see fit.

Step 4:

Push the sprue stakes into the green stuff mound at an angle, spreading them evenly but position them how you like. I added some variation into the degree at which the stakes were angled.

Use your fingers or a rubber shaping tool to press the green stuff around the stakes and secure them in. When the green stuff is fully cured this will hold them firmly inside.

Step 5:

Add your basing paste over the base and covering the green stuff mound.

Final product:

You should now have a cool piece of scatter terrain for your archers to keep that pesky cavalry at bay from a frontal charge… I just hope they don’t flank me!

You can then go on to prime and paint your archer’s stakes how you see fit.

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Thanks again for reading,

Joe