I have opted for the latter, but with a twist. I couldn't find a pattern in my local hobby shop that I liked, so I made my own. The image below is the pattern I used. Click on it and save the full size version of this. Print out copies of this onto A4 paper (I used around 27 to cover my board, but this may vary for yourself).

Step 2

Once they have printed out, cut the edges of so you are left with a sheet of paper with just the brick pattern and no margin. I was lucky enough to have a guillotine to do this, but scissors and time should do the trick.

Step 3

Cover the board in slightly watered down PVA glue. Stick the brick paper onto the board. Wall papering skills may come in handy here. Once the board has been completely covered, paint PVA glue over the top. This is to help protect the printed brick paper, as the slightest drop of water can smear print outs. Make sure the PVA is not too watered down and apply a few light coats rather than one heavy one or you may smear the print outs.

The Outer Walls

Step 1

Find the half way point on the Balsa wood and draw out a door using the measurement's below. Cut out the door section. Repeat this on the other 3 lengths.

Step 2

As with the floor, the wall sections and ruins (see below) are going to be covered in patterned paper. I chose to do this as I didn't fancy like painting all the walls and ruins or sticking little cardboard bricks on like in the Making Ruined Walls guide. The pattern used is below. As above click on this, save the full size version and print this onto A4 paper. I used about 30 sheets but again, this may vary for you.

Step 3

Step 4

Cover all the wall sections in the patterned paper.

Step 5

Being that the Outer Wall sections are not going to be attached in any way to the board, how are they going to stand? The answer is with two supports attached either side of the door, at about half way to the end. The support is made from 4 pieces of corrugated card of the same shape and size. These are all glued together and the edges covered in masking tape. The support is then covered in the wall pattern paper.
The support is two inches high and an inch wide. At about half way up the width becomes 1/2 inch wide. Where the width becomes narrower and at the top, I have angled it. I hope that made some sort of sense. See below for a picture of the support.

As already mentioned the supports are glued to the wall section either side of the door. The wall section should now stand up.

The Ruins

Step 1

In one of the guides on building Balin's Tomb it is mentioned that they use 8 set's of ruins that come with the main box set. Now I am not buying 8 box sets just for the ruins, even though I would have a massive army of Men of Gonder, Elves and Moria Goblins. Instead I opted to make the ruins myself using a similar technique as described in the Making Ruined Walls guide, except the ruins will be 2 ply thick instead of 4. Trace around the ruins from the box set as a guide. The nice thing about this is you can vary the ruins slightly.

Step 2

Attached the pieces together with masking tape.

Step 3

Cover the ruins in the wall patterned paper.

The Inner Chamber

Step 1

Using a similar technique as described above make two wall sections two inches high and 10 inches long, with a doorway like the ruins in the centre. Make two more of these, but make them only 8 - 9 inches long.

Step 2

Cover the ruins in the wall patterned paper.

Step 3

Make some supports for these pieces as described in the Outer Wall section. These supports should only be 1.5 inches tall and 1 inch wide.

Step 4

Attached these supports either side of the door.

The Tombs

Step 1

The tomb is made from the 'draw' of a match box. The base is made from corrugated card. Draw around the 'draw' from the match box but make it about 4mm bigger around all sides. Cut this out and trace around this and make it 4mm bigger. Cut this out. Glue both pieces together and cover the edges in masking tape.

Step 2

The lid is made using the same technique as above. Draw around the draw from the match box but make it about 4mm bigger around all sides. Cut out. Make two of these. Glue both pieces together and cover the edges in masking tape.

Step 2

Glue the base to the bottom of the match box draw and the lid to the top.

Step 3

Undercoat the Tomb in Chaos Black. Then paint in various shades of grey. I started off using Shadow Grey and the dry brushed Codex Grey and finally Fortress Grey.

Step 4

For variation dry gluing some of the lids of to one side to make it look like the tomb has been looted.

Step 5

Paint the lid of the biggest and most well made tomb white and then do a marble effect by stretching shades of grey across it. This will be Balin's Tomb.

Step 6

On this tomb copy the following writing onto the lid :

Piles of Bones

Step 1

The piles of bones are made from plastic Warhammer Skeletons.
Make a base from corrugated card that is about 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches. Cover the edges with masking tape.

Step 2

Assemble and part assemble some skeletons and glue these to the base. Attach no more that three torso's to each base. On the part assembled pieces glue their unassembled limbs, heads, shields and weapons to base in various places.

Step 3

Undercoat the piece in Chaos Black. Then paint the base in various shades of grey. I started off using Shadow Grey and the dry brushed Codex Grey and finally Fortress Grey. The skeletons were painted in Bleached Bone and washed in Brown Ink. All metal areas was painted in Tin Bitz and all wood areas was painted in Bestial Brown and washed with Brown Ink.

Step 4

Pull some wadding off and stretch of the piece. This is for cobwebs that have covered the bones.

The Well

Step 1

Remember the well that pippin caused so much noise with? To make it take a cardboard tube and cut a piece off that is about half an inch tall. Cover the inside with Blue-tac.

Step 2

Onto corrugated card draw a circle that is slightly larger than the cardboard tube. This will be the Well's base. Cut out and cover the edges in making tape.

Step 3

Draw and cut out another circle but this time make it smaller than the base but larger than the well. In the centre of this draw a circle that is smaller than the well and the Blue-Tac that is on the inside of the well. Cut this circle out.

Step 4

Divide this 'doughnut' shape into little 1/4 Inch sections and cut these out. These are going to be the tiles on top of the well. Cover all the edges of these pieces with masking tape.

Step 5

Glue the well to the base.

Step 6

Glue the tiles around the top of the well.

Step 7

Undercoat the well in Chaos Black. Then paint in various shades of grey. I started off using Shadow Grey and the dry brushed Codex Grey and finally Fortress Grey.

Step 8

Assembly a plastic skeleton that most looks like it is in a sitting position. Undercoat in Chaos Black, then paint in Bleached Bone and washed in Brown Ink. All metal areas was painted in Tin Bitz and all wood areas was painted in Bestial Brown and washed with Brown Ink. Glue the skeleton to the edge of the well facing outwards.

Step 9

Take the old chain and undercoat in Chaos Black, then paint in Tin Bitz. Glue this so that it is wrapped around the skeleton on the well.

Step 10

Pull some wadding off and stretch of the piece. This is for cobwebs that have covered the bones.

Putting It All Together

This is how I put all the pieces together, but the nice thing about this modular Balin's Tomb is you can adjust it and put it together in a way that suits your needs.
Put the Outer Walls onto the board with the supports facing inwards. I have the Inner Chamber assembled in the centre of the board. Into this goes Balin's Tomb and the Well. In the four corners I place the ruins to form four rooms. I place the other tombs into these rooms.