I Couldn't agree with you more on the height. If you're going to build your box out of foam core, make it a real box. So I modified my plan a bit. I've made my box " tall, on the inside. That means you can stack floor tiles in on edge if you like. Took a quick phone pic to show progress. It's currently being textured.



I had to do a bit of creative kit bashing to get the apartment block textures to fit, but I'm really liking where it's headed. And yes, the box is sitting on top of a small apartment/house from game night

Looking great so far! I would love to see this completed and submitted as a kitbash.

Well, she's all done. I've learned a LOT about what NOT to do for making one of these . The box itself was extremely simple. I didn't even use the cutout sheets or anything - just a ruler and a pencil. The tricky part was in texturing the beast. I don't know what possessed me to do it the way I did. Needless to say I could have cut my texturing time to like 1/6th. My internet is down or I'd post a pic or two. (viva la smartphone!) I also made up a modular system for hanging walls in. Basically the same as in the other boxes, but mine is made of foamcore, and can be stacked. Currently I just need the 1 for all my walls, but its nice to have modularity. Hoping to have new internet service in about a week - will post pics and details then. Maybe I'll get more foamcore and make a lid for it.

These are really great you guys! It just makes all kinds of sense to do big building boxes.

Thanks for sharing!

I would love to see some finished pics and maybe even see the end product submitted as a kitbash if you did it digitally. (if you didn't maybe just some simple instructions posted on how to modify the original boxes.)

Since ye asked. ye shall receive! First the *mostly* finished product. I say mostly because I left room for a roof to one day be put on. There is a texture gap at the back of the box to allow for a hinge as well.



There she is in all her glory. The tabs line up perfectly, so she doesn't look out of place with the contents



Speaking of contents... still LOTS of room in there. I could stack the floor tiles vertically as well.



My wall box - super easy to make. Don't even know how many walls are packed into it right now. Both 6" and 3" are in there - the 3" ones just hang onto a single rail, so they tend to dangle a bit when you pick it up. Could probably stack 3 in there no problem.



Lastly - a look at just how strong the box is... I'm picking it up (FULL), with one hand, while taking the picture. Scared the crap out of me the first time I did it, but she holds strong.

I don't have any handy .pdf's or anything, because I'd honestly make it different next time. Here's the plan:

1. Cut out your base. You can make it any size you want, and still keep it TLX friendly - just measure really good. Then measure it again, and one more time before you commit your knife. I have a handy drawing for the measurements below. Note that it is easiest to do this piece in a good corner of a fresh piece of foam core - just check that it's square.



2. Now that your base is done, decide on your height. Easiest way is to decide how many TLX levels high you want your box to be and get measuring. I chose 6" for my box for easier storage - worked out fairly well, but I measured wrong somewhere - there's a lip along the top with extra textures... measure TWICE... I really can't stress that enough. I think I took the height of a wall and multiplied by 3, but that doesn't take the floor thickness into account.

3. Ok, with 2 side walls done, it's time to measure for the front and back pieces. your foamcore may vary in thickness, so take the full length of your base and subtract the thickness twice - that accounts for each wall. Measure it all again if you feel the need to.

4. Now the tricky part. Gluing. Run a line of glue down the edge of the base that you want your first wall to stick on. I say to run the glue onto the surface of the base because that way you don't get glue gumming up the tab slots. Before setting the wall in place, find something square. A hardcover book can work really well here, but be aware that it could get glue on it. Place your wall into your glue line, and use your squaring tool to hold it in place until it sets up a bit - I held mine for about 5-7 minutes, ymmv. Repeat this for your other side piece.

5. Dry fit your front and back pieces BEFORE gluing them. Trust me on this. If your measurements were off at this point, you want to know before the glue is involved. That said, the front and back are fairly easy - run your glue and stick it in. Use masking tape to hold the box together in place until the glue is dry.

6. This is now a good time to fill in any small gaps, or to mop up any stray glue puddles. (I'm messy, what can I say. At least it stuck strong.) Leave your box over night. Many glues take a good 12-24 hours to fully cure, and with masking tape on, you can rest easy that it will be in the proper positioning. Do check it after 10-15 minutes - I had one wall that wanted to keep shifting on me.

7. Now it's time for texturing. This process can vary greatly depending on your box size, but shouldn't be too bad. Use your editor of choice to take the wall design of your choice and stack the walls up as high as you need them. Also, grab that strip that wraps around the foamcore bases and add it between the wall sections to maintain proper height. What you want is a single print that will cover as much of a wall as possible. I added the post texture to the right hand edge of mine as well. Print off one sheet, and find out a)how many sheets you need, b)any adjustments that need to be made. If you have my luck, there WILL be a gap between the sheets. This is normal. Make sure the TLX slots will line up when you glue on your texture, and measure how big your gap is. Now using the image editor, widen the texture of your choice (i pulled mine from a post), and make sure it will cover the gap completely - you don't want to just fill the hole, I can almost guarantee holes if you try this. Stack this texture as many times as you did the walls, so they are the same height. Ideally you should be able to print 1 sheet with a wall stack, and gap cover. The corners of the box also need a texture cover - I stacked 3 brick posts together, and filled in the gaps to make mine - get creative. Again, stack them to the right height. Print all 4 on one sheet. Glue it all on.

8. Enjoy your HUGE box

Disclaimer: This was all written off the top of my head, and I do apologize if its confusing. Just measure carefully, and start - it all makes sense pretty quick.

Cool box Sir!!

Thanks

When I did a foam-core version of Shellendrak, I used straight pins to hold the foam core together while it dried Since you're covering the box with textures, you don't even have to pull the pins out after.

Nice tip!

That works really well - did that for my smaller piece, but I'm definitely doing it for my next big box. I used a straightened out paperclip, cut into thirds. Found it helpful to push them in at opposing angles to help keep it all together as well (like this -> / \ )

Any Ideas for what a dwarven themed box should be like? I'd like something a bit grander on this next one

New to the forum - hope to become a regular...I love 'em!