Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Medieval Adventures => Topic started by: Captain Blood on May 15, 2016, 11:51:36 AM
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I've been looking for years for a suitable castle for my WOTR and GOT projects. So was excited to see the Renedra model appear shortly before Salute, and duly picked up a tower. Before committing to a full fortress, I thought I'd have a play with making a standalone tower, just to see what the potential is... So here goes...
First observations:
1. The style is not traditional British castle - it feels more central / southern European, with a little bit of Tolkienish influence (well, Peter Jackson, really). It has that slightly monumental, slab-like feel of much of the architecture in the LoTR movies.
2. Although it has optional pointy corner pieces and gargoyles to turn it into a more fantasy-looking edifice, these are probably the least convincing pieces in the kit. And, the uppermost portion of the three tier structure, actually has something that looks like Dwarvish runes carved into the stonework. Which is a bit naff. Would have thought those slips of 'engraved' plastic could have been included (like the tower corners) as separate components to be added by those who want to use them... I'll now have to fill them in. Not the end of the world, but slightly irritating.
3. The only instructions are on the back of the box. They are really quite shit. Confusing and not in sequence. If I was an inexperienced modeller relying on these, I'd be worried. You would have thought they could include more logical, detailed instructions on a sheet of paper in the kit. Poor.
4. The topmost tier does not quite align with the two floors below. It's not hugely noticeable, but it's not quite right. Not exactly a precision kit... Again, a bit poor.
5. On the positive side, the casting is pretty clean - not too much in the way of mould lines, and nothing that a sharp knife won't get rid of in a minute's scraping. The sculpting detail is sharp and generally good. Overall, nicely done, and a nice looking piece.
6. There are virtually no spare parts, so if you want to get creative with one of these, cut it about significantly, and create something much more interesting from the kit, you'd need to buy two of them. And at £36 a pop, they're not cheap.
Onto my build/conversion.
Well, I decided it would be boring just to build a bog-standard tower straight from the box, so I decided to be a little bit adventurous. So my tower is going to be rising from the side of a craggy hill.
With this I mind, I decided I could dispense with half the height of the lower section of the rear wall (because the edifice will be buried into the hill at that point) - meaning I could re-use the unwanted section of plastic to do something much more interesting with the front door!
I decided to raise up the main doors from ground level, and have a hefty stone built plinth in front of them (I'll be building a set of timber steps up to this platform in due course. Probably matching stairs, to either side in fact).
And underneath this arrangement, I wanted a fortified culvert / drain (yes, like the one at Helm's Deep!) from which the ordure of the fortification will flow out with the spring water (obviously, there's a spring / well under the tower).
So, as you can see from the pictures, I got busy with my Junior Hacksaw, and have repurposed parts of the lower, rear section, plus I have inverted and trimmed two of the redundant pointy fantasy tower corners, to form the culvert. I won't be using either of the optional portcullises on the main structure, so I have cannibalised one of these to form the grating... The top of the plinth is a section cut from one of the flagstone floor pieces, and remodelled slightly with a sharp knife to bring out the edges of the stone slabs.
When I come to use the interior floor section concerned (now with an oblong missing from one corner), I'll be modelling steps coming up from the floor below, to make sense of that hole in the floor...
I've used Green Stuff to conceal the joins. Also to fill in the lower archery slits to either side of the stone gateway plinth.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_15_05_16_12_21_24_0.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_15_05_16_12_21_24_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_15_05_16_12_21_24_2.JPG)
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good start
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I like what Jimbibbly is doing with his and I like your plans and progress too. I'm just not sold on the kit 'as is' (too 'fantasy' for my tastes). :)
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I decided to raise up the main doors from ground level, and have a hefty stone built plinth in front of them (I'll be building a set of timber steps up to this platform in due course.
Thief ;D
Looking forward to seeing what you do with it though ;)
cheers
James
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Thief ;D
lol
I knew you'd say that :D
(Actually, I think I first saw John Boadle do this on Simon's Hudson & Allen castle? Plus, mine is only half the height of yours - and yours doesn't have a drain... ::) ;))
I won't be carving rock like you have, I can tell you that much. My outcrop's gonna be cork bark all the way!
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lol
I knew you'd say that :D
lol
To be honest, there's not much that you can do with one kit as you mention above and I like the idea of a culvert, consider it stolen lol
Are you thinking of having the curtain walls coming out of the cliff face as well?
cheers
James
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Potentially, yes. Need to decide if I'm just going to do the tower entirely standalone, or add some extra walls.
Also need to decide if I'm going to go with hoardings up top, or just use as is - maybe with a but of titivation: hoists, etc...
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I like the idea of the castle rising from the side of a crag.
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Also need to decide if I'm going to go with hoardings up top, or just use as is - maybe with a but of titivation: hoists, etc...
Going to wait until I've done mine then lol
cheers
James
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Well you'll have to be quick ;)
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nice start
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Richard (and James),
when you change so much and convert so much, wouldn't it be easier to scratch-build a castle? One weekend, one box of 48 beers and some material and you both have the best castle in the whole world, I think... :)
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Richard (and James),
when you change so much and convert so much, wouldn't it be easier to scratch-build a castle? One weekend, one box of 48 beers and some material and you both have the best castle in the whole world, I think... :)
lol
Always nice to have a base to work from, Dirk ;)
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lol
Always nice to have a base to work from, Dirk ;)
True, but it's an interesting idea lol
cheers
Hames
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lol
Always nice to have a base to work from, Dirk ;)
You could build from the box the beers come in. If you get the canned pints you can even use those as base for towers :D
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You could build from the box the beers come in. If you get the canned pints you can even use those as base for towers :D
Careful, you will give Richard a funny turn.
;)
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THIS is the future! :-*
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Already looking great! I can't wait to see the next step! :-*
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Captain Blood, thank you for the great review! :)
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Hmmm I'm not the scratchbuilder you are but I think you've convinced me to try my hand at just building my holdfast instead of buying it. :)
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Well, what I am discovering, perhaps unsurprisingly, is that this tower is a lot of work if you want to make it look good...
First of all, I wasn't struck with the idea of a stone floor to the third storey (which you can reveal by lifting the roof and battlements off). So I knocked up a timber floor with hatchway, from coffee stirrers on a plasticard base...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_27_05_16_7_12_48_4.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_27_05_16_7_12_47_0.JPG)
Next, I discovered there's a LOT of filling in to do...
Arrow slits midway up the first storey - effectively at ground level, which would mean attackers could shoot in! Hmmm...
Also rather childish looking crucifixes which I think are meant to represent carvings, but just look pretty shonky. So I decided to fill those in too, and make look like more stone blocks.
Then there are all the joins between the different levels. Be in no doubt, a precision Tamiya kit this ain't. You end up with inevitable gaps, and therefore a lot of Green Stuff and Liquid Green Stuff has been applied to try to conceal the worse joins... Also to cover up the Dwarvish runes engraved in the linterl, front and back, right at the top of the keep ::)
I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_27_05_16_7_12_48_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_27_05_16_7_12_48_2.JPG)
Rear view, showing where the lower bottom storey has been cannibalised... This will be built into the hill behind...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_27_05_16_7_12_48_3.JPG)
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Hmm.
The more I see of this tower the more I think that it is not for me. The arrowslits on the top flor also look very out of place, who is going to shoot out of them and how!?
I am sure however that yours will end up looking great. I just don't think I can be bothered..
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Well, Richard, you continue to work wonders on it 8)
The wooden floor is much, much better.
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'Coffee stirrers'
*shudder*
lol
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What? Coffee stirrers is the way to go for floors and basically everything made from wood ;) ;) I have a good friend who is a baker by profession so for me an endless supply for coffee stirrers!!!
The tower will be very good looking when finished but it nearly as much work as building one from scratch. At least that is what it looks like!
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One problem that I have with mine is that the top level windows are pretty open, and both look wrong on a fortified tower AND offer a view on the backside of the sidewalls, which then needs filling to not look like a plastic kit - it basically shows that there is no wall but just a plastic layer. I wish they would have avoided that open style, and contemplate filling the windows - or hope for an alternative level-kit, either for outstuffing the inside or for a non-open top-level.
Building higher towers you also definitely need to fill in the floors, or the upper loopholes will enable folks to see through to the lower, making it pretty clear that the tower is hollow.
Walls and tower need a lot of work, especially knifework to make the backside of plates looking like stone, and not plastic.
i will shamelessly steal the idea of making wooden floors (thought of buying the additional plastic plates). That looks like some work is still ahead, but the tower promises to look very impressive. I am thinking of painting mine in creme limestone, mediterran fashion more then light granite. Any plans to colour yours?
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Yes, superficially it's a nice looking model, and for gamers that don't mind too much about detail but just want to splash a lot of money and assemble an impressive-looking fortification for the tabletop, I can see this selling very well. But as soon as you look at the design in detail, you realise there are many things wrong with it. It really does feel more like a fantasy piece than a historical one... But as I say: superficially, a nice model. It's only when you start to work on it in detail that it becomes apparent that it's just a nice model and not an accurate, well thought-out precision kit... I must say, the thought of making an entire 8 or 12 tower castle out of these, with curtain walls, is now off my shopping list. The amount of work would be colossal. Still, I shall perservere with my tower, and I sense it will look very nice when it's finished... :)
The arrow slits on the top floor also look very out of place, who is going to shoot out of them and how!?
This is indeed one of the more apparent flaws, Fred :?
I am thinking of painting mine in creme limestone, mediterran fashion more then light granite. Any plans to colour yours?
Mainly, I am going to copy Jimbibbly's colour scheme, here: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=50049.315 :D
'Coffee stirrers'
*shudder*
I am thinking of starting a new futile topic that runs for weeks and weeks and then gets locked called 'Are you a terrain-building snob?' ;) lol
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Very happy with mine for just those reasons Captain. I'm sure yours will look spectacular when done.
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Okay, so I've now completed the main part of the model, and undercoated it.
The top floor in situ... (No, don't ask me how they get from floor to floor through all these hatchways... Ladders I guess... ;))
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_30_05_16_1_56_12_0.JPG)
A piece of MDF and an offcut of pink-orange foam for the base...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_30_05_16_1_56_12_1.JPG)
Mdf base cut and sanded to shape, and foam hill sub-structure roughly shaped...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_30_05_16_1_56_12_3.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_30_05_16_1_56_12_2.JPG)
Next job will be to paint the tower - it will be easier to paint before mounting it permanently onto its base.
Then the fun part - terraforming the base with filler and basing mix, and adding all the rock detailing, debris, set dressing, timber stairway and vegetation... :) (That's the bit I like best!)
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Then the fun part - terraforming the base with filler and basing mix, and adding all the rock detailing, debris, set dressing, timber stairway and vegetation... :) (That's the bit I like best!)
Me too :D
cheers
James
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That does look proper now that you have finished pimping it.
8) 8)
Then the fun part - terraforming the base with filler and basing mix, and adding all the rock detailing, debris, set dressing, timber stairway and vegetation... :) (That's the bit I like best!)
Me three.
:D
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That does look proper now that you have finished pimping it.
8) 8)
Me three.
:D
Me four 8)
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This is coming along wonderfully. I really appreciate the play-by-play and the thorough, honest observations on the kit. Looks like they went the fantasy route and missed some details but you've made it look great so far.
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Looking good. Can't wait for the set dressing.
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Me four 8)
Me five ;D
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Me five feet tall
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Thanks gents. Good to know we are all of a like mind lol
I would like to have a couple of lengths of rusting, redundant chain dangling from the ex-drawbridge holes above the main doors.
I tried to nick the chain from one of the wife's innumerable pendants, but for some reason she took exception... ::)
I could buy some cheap jewellery chain, but am wondering if there is pukka 'fine gauge chain for modellers' available? (Like for tow chains used by AFV modellers etc). I've looked at various online model shops, eBay etc, but no joy so far... Anyone got any suggestions?
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I bought a length of chain from Antenociti, not sure if he still has some listed, but maybe worth a try.
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Try Claires*
http://m.claires.co.uk/silver-cut-out-flower-pendant-necklace/shop/fcp-product/54007 (http://m.claires.co.uk/silver-cut-out-flower-pendant-necklace/shop/fcp-product/54007)
;) :D
Edit: should add, I have no idea of the chain size but it's worth a visit to your local store as they'll have lots of similar stuff
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Pm me your address and I'll send you some :)
cheers
James
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Aha. Thanks all. I shall leave Claire's accessories for now, and concentrate on James's kind offer :D
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Aha. Thanks all. I shall leave Claire's accessories for now, and concentrate on James's kind offer :D
Lead Adventure Generosity in action. In the future if you need chain, you can just head to your local thrift store and buy some cheap or worn jewelry. I frequently see bad chained jewelry for a buck or so and you can often find older worn jewelry with interesting link styles.
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Pm me your address and I'll send you some :)
cheers
James
THIS! Is the future! lol
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Very nice build.
Design, price and part fit aside I can see possible uses for this. It's essentially a faux medieval tower, so why not use it as such? The Victorians were mad keen on mock Gothic, mock Romanesque and mock medieval. It could be the tower part to some nouveu riche industrialist's estate, the clock tower on a civic building or church or just a stand alone folly plonked on the grounds of a stately home. All the silly decoration, misplaced arrow slits etc then work really well if the conceit is that it is a faux medieval structure. That blank side with the curving arch would look better with a clock face attached anyway.
Would be a definite asset for people doing Victorian era games or even VBCW.
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THIS! Is the future! lol
lol
Want some as well? ;D
cheers
James
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It's a cracking kit from the outside, but does it not have anything to get rid of the negative mould on the inside? It's a shame there's no inserts to make the wall more solid!
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Nope. No interior detailing or depth. As you say, great externally. Not so much inside... ::)
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lol
Want some as well? ;D
cheers
James
Are you trying to put the forum in chains? lol
cheers
GS
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Stonking build, Richard. But I think you've made me cross it from my list, at least for now, the way you describe it's out-of-the-box finishing. Sounds like too much work. I have yards of chain to, should you need some.
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Ah, thank you Peder. I'm hoping James remembered to pop some in the post to me :)
I don't want to damn the Renedra product too much, or put people off. It is, undoubtedly, from the outside, a really nice looking fortification, and good value for money considering the sheer amount of plastic involved. Many wargamers will be more than happy with it, and we'll be seeing many large scale fortifcations based around these kits for years to come.
Unfortunately, if you're a fastidious, pernickety git like me, there are just a few things not quite right with it, that turn it from an easy 'straight out of the box and paint it' task, into a fairly major project.
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Going to the post office on Saturday. Haven't had a chance before then :)
cheers
James
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No worries. Thanks James :)
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Okay, here is the tower, painted with several layers of highlighting in a kind of mid stone colour, but with none of the details painted in yet, nor any of the all important weathering.
Received Jimbibbly's kind donation of some different gauge chain, and have added some redundant lengths of chain that obviously used to attach to some long discarded drawbridge. These are simply superlued into position and then doused with PVA to fix them. They will be painted as if rusted and fossilised where they hang against the wall...
Weathering next... Then the tower will be mounted on its base and the bulk groundwork done. This will let me see how I need to construct the timber stairs up to the stone dais onto which the gates open...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_10_06_16_5_40_21_0.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_10_06_16_5_40_21_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_10_06_16_5_40_21_2.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_10_06_16_5_40_21_3.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_10_06_16_5_40_21_4.JPG)
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Nice. What sort of colours did you use for the stonework? Is it just several layers of drybrushing?
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Coming along nicely Richard,all your "tweaks" to the basic kit have transformed it. 8)
Looking forward to the finished article. :)
Cheers
Keith
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That looks quite stunning!
Well done.
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Thanks :)
Nice. What sort of colours did you use for the stonework? Is it just several layers of drybrushing?
Yes, it's just a mix of dark brown, caramel and white with gradually increasing amounts of white in the mix for the drybrushing...
It's actually more of a sandy tone than it appears in the photos, where it looks almost grey. It isn't. Something to do with the light outside today I think, and my camera settings... ::)
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Looking good so far :)
I'm interested to see how you do the stairs... ;)
cheers
James
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Looking good Captain! :-* I can't wsit to see it all dine with the groundwork in place!
I know your planning on using it for WOTR and GOT but it has a certain "twisted doctor bringing things back to life, villagers crowding outside with pitchforks and torches" kinda vibe.
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Looking good Richard, lovely tones for the stonework.
Simon
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very nice indeed
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Nice work, Richard. So only three more towers, some walls and a gatehouse and you'll have a proper castle ... :D
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Thanks :)
Here is the tower, now suitably weathered and with the details painted in... Next steps will be to mount on its base, then add the buttresses and build up the underlying groundwork contours using filler.
After that, working out how to build the steps. Then the surface groundwork and arty stuff :)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_20_06_16_1_31_36_0.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_20_06_16_1_34_25.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_20_06_16_1_31_36_2.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_20_06_16_1_31_36_3.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_20_06_16_1_31_36_4.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_20_06_16_1_31_36_1.JPG)
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Richard.
Newbie to your blog BUT I have to say its exactly how one should be done in my opinion.
Quality work. Informative and with the right level of detail.
Well done.
Looking forward to the details (my fave bit too!)
Wayne
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Thanks Wayne, and welcome :)
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Fantastic work Richard.
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Love the colours you've used but those crenellations leave me cold :?
After that, working out how to build the steps.
I'm not back until the beginning of July ;D
cheers
James
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That is really looking splendid, you've done a great job with it!
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Good work!
I don't know much about crenellations. I guess they do appear a little strange. But castles takes all sorts, right? :D
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Lovely work, Captain.
Great colouration and the weathering is spot on.
I particularly like what you have done with the rooftop groundwork.
:-* :-*
I reckon that you are looking forward to titivating this muchly.
;)
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So Richard,
it is Time to ask Mrs. Blood for more money to build the rest of Bloodwood-Castle. Or send a letter to the both sherrifs of nottingham to support a yound and ambitioned painter (A Yapa ;)).
Very good work, I hope to see the whole castle Bloodwood at the Blam...
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just stunning paintwork indeed :-* :-*
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Thanks chaps :)
Love the colours you've used but those crenellations leave me cold :?
Yeah, I know what you mean. They do look reasonably three-dimensional - unlike certain other popular castles out there. But I am thinking about doing a complete set of timber hoardings to top the thing off... Probably, I can't be bothered though :D
I think I may just be able to manage the steps without you, James... But if I get stuck, I'll send a raven... ;)
So Richard,
it is Time to ask Mrs. Blood for more money to build the rest of Bloodwood-Castle.
lol
Dirk, given how much work is required to clean up, assemble, modify, paint and base just one tower, I assure you I will not be building a complete castle using these kits.
As you can see, they turn out rather well with some love and attention. But to do a multi-towered full scale castle would be a very major undertaking. It would also be huge, because these towers are not small. The footprint of a full castle would take up a LOT of table (and storage) space.
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Dirk, given how much work is required to clean up, assemble, modify, paint and base just one tower, I assure you I will not be building a complete castle using these kits.
As you can see, they turn out rather well with some love and attention. But to do a multi-towered full scale castle would be a very major undertaking. It would also be huge, because these towers are not small. The footprint of a full castle would take up a LOT of table (and storage) space.
Ok Richard, then you should ask Giles for some of his small painting-slaves. ;)
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Great result! The weathering stains in particular are very nicely done. :) It does make me a bit sad to hear that there was so much "extra" work involved getting it together. If a more experienced modeler like yourself is saying that, probably not worth the time it would take my clumsier hands. :?
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Well, it's not that difficult to put together - it's quite difficult to get everything to line up really well though. (I didn't quite manage it).
And because the plastic components are so large (and there's a surprisingly large number of them), the sheer amount of scraping off of mould lines that needs to be done is really quite an onerous (and tedious) job.
A lot of the extra work was my choice though - filling in the lower level arrow slits, adding a front platform, replacing interior floors etc. I'm sure most people wouldn't worry about this, so it wouldn't be extra work.
I do think the end product is pretty nice, and good value overall.
I guess my overall message is that it's a nice kit, but to realise its full potential will take you a fair bit of time and effort - if you're fussy. To do a whole castle would require a greater investment of time and space than I'm currently able or willing to make. But the tower will do me fine :)
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Love the weathering details you added :-*
Cheers
Keith
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Brilliant effort on the painting, any chance of a walk-through of the colours and techniques you used?
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Brilliant effort on the painting, any chance of a walk-through of the colours and techniques you used?
I think that if you go back in the thread you'll find them.
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Absolutely wonderful weathering effects.
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That's brilliant Richard. 8)
Great painting and weathering makes it look very lifelike. So much better than the bog-standard grey I suspect most will end up as. The extra work was definitely worth it.
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Thanks Gary and Paul :)
Brilliant effort on the painting, any chance of a walk-through of the colours and techniques you used?
Yes, the basic stone colouration is just a mix of caramel yellow-brown and flat earth, with various amounts of white added.
The weathering is mainly various shades of army painter ink washes, heavily watered down.
The rust is Vallejo Bright orange heavily watered down and mixed with a tiny bit of Army Painter soft tone.
The greeny tinge creeping up from the ground and in one or two other places, is just a very watered down wash of a medium yellowy-green mix.
The trick when weathering large areas like this (e.g. the stone floors etc) is to slap on some water, then use the brush carrying the colour to drop the wash onto the wet surface. It will then dissipate and spread more naturally. Once dry - after a couple of minutes - you might have to repeat - several times potentially. But it gives a very subtle result, much better than just applying a wash. It's a form of wet-blending I guess.
Meanwhile, I've built up the underlying ground contours using aereated fwall filler - this is basically just like icing a cake, although the surface doesn't need to be perfect because the final ground surface will be provided by a mix of PVA/sand/grit/paint. Small rocks etc will be added at that point too. I was going to build some big rocks in at this stage, but decided that rather than sitting on a crag (which would have required a much bigger base footprint) I just mount the tower on a nice grassy knoll :)
The colour is a bit squiffy in these pics. That's what comes of taking pictures in my red room of pain (otherwise known as the dining room ;))
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_21_06_16_7_42_30_3.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_21_06_16_7_42_30_2.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_21_06_16_7_42_30_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_21_06_16_7_42_30_0.JPG)
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Winter is coming!
;)
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Great work Richard - looks suitably 'established' in the groundwork.
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Thanks Simon.
Ground texture added.
Next step - the stairs (haha!)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_25_06_16_12_16_19_0.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_25_06_16_12_16_19_3.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_25_06_16_12_18_33.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_25_06_16_12_16_19_2.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_25_06_16_12_16_19_4.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_25_06_16_12_16_19_1.JPG)
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Excellent!! Can't wait to see it flocked!
The only "suspension of disbelief" issue is at the edges of the base: they really break from the rest of the dable, don't they? =(
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Lovely, blends in really well.
8)
Excellent!! Can't wait to see it flocked!
The only "suspension of disbelief" issue is at the edges of the base: they really break from the rest of the dable, don't they? =(
I think the titivation will deal with that issue, no problem.
;)
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Lovely, blends in really well.
8)
I think the titivation will deal with that issue, no problem.
;)
I reckon you're right Paul :D
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Lovely. The grate below the door is for some kind of sewage canal?
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Lovely. The grate below the door is for some kind of sewage canal?
Yes, it's the run-off for the water and waste from the beneath tower. Well they don't want it inside do they? Seepings from the dungeon perhaps... Or perhaps a small spring wells up under the keep... ::) 8)
Excellent!! Can't wait to see it flocked!
The only "suspension of disbelief" issue is at the edges of the base: they really break from the rest of the dable, don't they? =(
Yes, but you won't notice that once the whole base is painted and 'greened' :)
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Looking good but why are the buttress bottoms a totally different grey?
cheers
James
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Cos they are raw plastic and need to be painted to match the tower now they are in position :)
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Cos they are raw plastic and need to be painted to match the tower now they are in position :)
Ah, you smug exotic self contained islanders are always ready with a simple answer. ;D
I can't for the love of Goat understand how a model of a tower came to take up your time this way, but
it is looking excellent. I'll give you that! lol
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Splendid Work. Great Detail. I like it all.
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Excellent work Richard!! :)
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Ah, you smug exotic self contained islanders are always ready with a simple answer. ;D
Bollocks ;D
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Very nice build 8) 8) 8)
With regards to the time you spent cleaning up the pieces etc, would you say it is a lot quicker than scratch building your own?
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I would say that it's much easier to clean them up but the point would be that there seems to be an unnecessary amount of cleaning for a kit from a leading manufacturer.
This is of course my personal opinion and may differ from Richards.
cheers
James
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Very nice build 8) 8) 8)
With regards to the time you spent cleaning up the pieces etc, would you say it is a lot quicker than scratch building your own?
I'm not a great scratch builder (or the person asked, but whatever), but yes, cleaning the plastic is definitly quicker then building terrain from foam and stuff. I've built a full size castle, and the cleanup was by far the most time consuming part but pretty quick all told. Unlike the captain, I used PVA to fill the gaps and found that to work just fine.
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Cheers jimbibbly & Ogrob, still undecided as although the kit will save time on details such as archways, windows etc the challenge of scratch building is intriguing. I still have plenty of time to decide as my Frostgrave is still in the de-flashing the figures stage...............
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Great work as usual.
Just to chip in on the issue of clean up/effort, etc. I have been hacking the castle about and found it quite fun. My pieces haven't had much in the way of mould lines and those there are are most often not on visible bits. In terms of the fit I guess a little filling is required but since I have been chopping it up it is minimal compared to the great gaps I have been leaving.
I think it is a pretty flexible kit and fun to build. It is also massive. Much bigger than the GW watch tower for instance.
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Thanks Jon. Yes, I agree with you, it's impressively big - especially when stuck on a mound ;)
I found scraping off the mould lines pretty tedious, but maybe I just have a low tolerance for such unproductive tasks :)
I think scratchbuilding would take a lot longer and the result probably wouldn't be as good.
Now here's the tower in situ with the steps and groundwork complete and painted.
Just the greenery to add now. I must admit, I rather like it as it is, sitting on its blasted, muddy wasteland. Then again, I know that adding greenery to the base will make it pop even more, so that's the final step...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_30_06_16_6_44_41_0.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_30_06_16_6_44_41_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_30_06_16_6_44_41_2.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_30_06_16_6_44_41_3.JPG)
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Looking excellent. 8)
You and others are tempting me into the fray..... :o
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If you like the muddy look, why not just green up the edges of the base? I imagine people would walk around the base of the tower messing up the grass anyway.
As for the steps, what about a railing? Maybe around the steps and around the entrance door too? It maybe looks a little bear without it.
Looking excellent. 8)
You and others are tempting me into the fray..... :o
Knowing your current projects, should that not be "into the Frey"? ;) (I think thats the spelling of the GoT family? )
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As for the steps, what about a railing? Maybe around the steps and around the entrance door too? It maybe looks a little bear without it.
Thanks Andy. I actually built a handrail up the stair, and a section of balustrade for the platform. Then decided the whole timber edifice was starting to look a bit over-fussy, so went for the Spartan look instead... :)
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Bravo Richard, no lesser a piece of thoughtful excellence than I would expect from your talented hands but the kit just seems so "fantasy" in style. It makes me think GW rather than Renedra. I presume this is for your GoT project (I have never seen a single episode) and that it will be perfect for it.
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Wonderful work Richard! The rust work is lovely, a small detail that really makes the piece.
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Looks the nuts :D
A good point made by Andy though about having green just on the board edge and less well travelled areas.
cheers
James
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Fantastic work, Richard. Talked to Mrs. Blood about the rest of the castle??? ;) For me every minute you spend in this work is worth it. Now some nice civilians and scenery from the twins and it will be perfect.
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I would say no balustrades. They didn't do risk assessments in 1450 :)
Looking fab.
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I would say no balustrades. They didn't do risk assessments in 1450 :)
I concur :)
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Really fantastic what you did with this model! It is obvious how much work you put into every step of the process, refining the model for historical use along the way.
At the same time I am wondering if it is worth it beyond a single tower. To build a church e.g. one would need at least two gatehouses, probably more. Cashing in at 84£ upwards, wouldn't you turn to an mdf basis or do it completely from scratch?
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excellent job sir
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Wonderful job Richard and quite an imposing piece. :o
I'm firmly in the no balustrade park too.
That staircase looks to me like you'd cut it down and burn it before your home was properly besieged.
I guess if I was being picky I'd say the keep could do with a nice little wooden hoarding with some murder holes over that main door. There's even a nice space for one where that arch is.
A brilliant job Richard.
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very nice indeed and sometimes less is more like here :-*
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Kind of. Whilst they didn't have a Health & Safety Exec they certainly knew that people can slip, loose their balance, and that falling off high places can cause injury and death.
So from a purely practical point of view they would use balustrades and handrails.
But look at those steps. They haven't been erected to look nice or be a long term access to a lords palace. They have been hastily erected in a time of war to replace the last set that were demolished when the tower was last attacked. Who has time for hand rails when the Wolf of the North is approaching?
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Thanks all for the comments :)
Yes, I did consider a matched pair of staircases either side of the dais. Would have looked nice and symmetrical... But first, I didn't want to cover up all that nice lower level detail on the front of the building, and second - and more importantly - I reminded myself this is a brute defensive strongpoint, not a cricket pavilion. One way in, one way out. In the event of imminent attack, a few minutes work with a sledgehammer to knock away the cairn of stone supporting the corner of rudimentary stairway, and Bob's your uncle.
As far as balustrades and banisters go, as mentioned, I didn't want it to look too cluttered or indeed too sophisticated. And there's also the practical consideration of cutting down on the space for figures on 25mm round bases with too much timberwork in the way...
Anyway, all very good suggestions, but please let me assure you it wasn't because I hadn't considered all the options that I chose not to make it that way :)
(That said, I definitely hadn't considered wooden hoardings over murder holes, Frank. That is indeed a VERY good idea, and I might just incorporate those... Thank you).
Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow to apply greenery, and then you can judge the finished product :)
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That is really impressive, Richard!
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(That said, I definitely hadn't considered wooden hoardings over murder holes, Frank. That is indeed a VERY good idea, and I might just incorporate those... Thank you).
No problems mate, would love to see it eventuate.
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That is really impressive, Richard!
It certainly is.
:-*
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No problems mate, would love to see it eventuate.
Here you go... Good idea Frank. It works quite well I think.
The murder holes are set at floor level in the upper storey, allowing stones to be rolled out onto, and boiling oil to be poured straight down upon any unwelcome visitors trying to force the main gate...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_02_07_16_6_58_15_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_02_07_16_7_08_04.jpg)
Meanwhile, first fit of tuftage has taken place... More to come, plus more general greensward / flock...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_02_07_16_6_58_15_3.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_02_07_16_6_58_15_2.JPG)
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Absolutely delightful 8)
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Love the murder hole, very understated but it works well 8)
Are you a secret member of the tufty club by any chance lol
cheers
James
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Love the murder hole, very understated but it works well 8)
Are you a secret member of the tufty club by any chance lol
cheers
James
Seems so but who isn't these days? It's nice to see LAF promoting the road safety message to the over 50's amongst us.
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Love the murder hole, very understated but it works well 8)
I was thinking something larger too, but that works VERY well Richard and makes sense to boot. Just enough to give any unwelcome guests knocking on your door a bit of hell and breaks up that large wall so nicely.
Awesome piece and the tufts look great.
BTW - I think LAF needs a Tufty Club badge. lol
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This is a brilliant project, really enjoying your attention to detail.
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Brilliant! :-* That's just the right amount of tufts/grass around the base. Have you done the edges yet? Is that this beastie finished?
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Brilliant! :-* That's just the right amount of tufts/grass around the base. Have you done the edges yet? Is that this beastie finished?
Thanks Andy. No, not quite. I'm going to do a bit more greening - while following your suggestion and leaving a well worn dirt track right around the base of the tower. Unfortunately, I'm only able to give it an hour here or there at the moment. Busy times on all sorts of other things ::)
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Looking great. All the additions bring it to life and the base is really setting it off. Excellent job, can't wait to see it in the flesh ;D
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Excellent 8) :) 8)
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It turned out pretty damn good. Great Work.
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Holy smokes! That sir, is indeed the bomb!
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Richard, you got the most out of this plastic. I have to say: You are still the emporer of plastic. Very nice.
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very nice idea indeed!!!
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Thanks.
Here is the finished tower. Had fun today setting up a couple of scenes to show the tower off to good effect... The ruins in the background are by Manor House Workshop.
First, a Wars of the Roses siege - the Yorkists holed up and then sallying forth... Sandal Castle perhaps?
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_55_27_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_55_27_0.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_6_06_01.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_55_30_3.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_57_54_0.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_57_56_2.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_57_54_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_55_30_4.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_57_56_4.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_57_56_3.JPG)
Here you can see the fairly unsatisfactory interior detail. Timber floor added by me. It would be more work to add full interior detail - I guess it depends how often you plan to have the roof off...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_59_55_0.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_59_56_1.JPG)
I then set up a little set-to between my Game of Thrones factions.
The Starks attacking a holdfast occupied by the Lannisters and their Bolton allies...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_6_05_04_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_6_05_04_4.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_6_05_04_0.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_6_05_04_2.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_6_05_04_3.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_6_06_55.JPG)
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Thar certainly came out alright.
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Fantastic Richard! :o I've always been jealous of your photography skills(....and your painting, sculpting and building skills!) but these pics have now taken that level to a much grander scale! Every evocative! :-*
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Stunning in both guises 8)
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That certainly turned out great,rewarding all the hard work and effort you put in Richard. :)
Cheers
Keith
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Keep trying. You'll get it eventually... ;D
Ah...Mazing!
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...oh yes!! Brilliant terrain piece for your collection.
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Wow another amazing piece of art, and your great atmospheric scenes really show it off
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Very cool S**t, Captain. Geting better with every picture. What comes next?
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That's looking great. The interior is pretty hard to salvage with all that inverted space, but at least it looks OK with the roof on.
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Simply amazing stuff!
I must say, I'm really taken by the ruined abbey in the background. Scratch built or?
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That's a towering monument to quality model making 8) 8) 8)
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I think that'll do nicely :)
cheers
James
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Pretty incredible. :o :-*
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Lovely work Richard.
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So good!
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As others have said, this is fantastic. Art you can use.
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Speechless. Fantastic. :D
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Absolutely bloody stunning, this must be showcased in one of our hobby mags surley :-*
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That is simply amazing. I am speechless. The project, the composition and the pictures.
Beside the Renedra Tower, where did you get those lovely ruins that are seen on the pictures? They look amazing as well.
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Lovely jubbly!
:-* :-*
You are getting pretty good at this lark.
You will soon be good enough to paint some goblins, I reckon.
Maybe even zombies if you keep practising.
:D
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Beautiful, beautiful work - inspirational!
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Outstanding! :-*
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Amazing quality of both building and painting - love it:-*
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Thanks all :)
I must say, I'm really taken by the ruined abbey in the background. Scratch built or?
No, they are standalone pieces by Manor House Workshop. Very nice, heavy, ready-painted lumps of resin, with just a very little titivation by me.
You will soon be good enough to paint some goblins, I reckon.
Maybe even zombies if you keep practising.
:D
Like these? :D
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_09_07_16_11_38_40.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_09_07_16_11_50_58.jpg)
lol
Think I've painted pretty much everything at some point or other... ;)
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lol lol
I guessed that you may have at some point in your dark and mysterious past.
Especially after the Cthulhu Incident.
Nothing like confession for cleansing the soul, eh?
;)
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The work on the tower is outstanding, I've been following progress and its seemed a tremendous amount of work but the quality of the outcome speaks for itself. The dioramas are exceptional as well and really showcase the whole project.
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That tower looks fantastic! :-* :-*
Christopher
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Brilliant. Dead jealous.
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Absolutely fantastic! All these little battle-scenes are simply wargaming pr0n :-* ;D
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Out standing work Richard :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
The tower is a lot bigger than I originally thought
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More amazing photos :o Superb Captain, a towering achievement 8)
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Those scenes are just beautiful :-*
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Zis is a very nice thread with lots of nice miniatures in wonderful terrain.
I peeked in from time to time and now that its done I am happy to comment how great this tower project is.
Björn
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Thanks Bjorn and everybody :)
Colin - yes, it's actually a pretty big piece. A whole castle of 6 - 8 towers, plus curtain walls, plus keep and interior buildings would be a mighty thing (requiring a LOT of storage space :o)
Cheers all. Richard
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Everything about this project is fab, from the tower to the photo set ups. Just great! :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
I have one to build now, which I won at our club raffle!!! o_o o_o o_o o_o
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Thanks Phil. Enjoy it. It's a fair bit of work to make it come to life, but as you see, the end product is quite an imposing centrepiece.
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That's one hell of a tower! :-* Well done! (Though by now, we wouldn't expect anything less from you...)
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Khaleesi! That is one mighty phallic testament!
I think it looks marvellous!
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Gosh, Richard...
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(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/25/577_08_07_16_5_55_27_1.JPG)
It's heartening to see that, whenever danger arises, there's always one man who'll just stand around and scratch his arse ... [right foreground]
Lovely work: tower, minis, photography, all.
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Wunderbar :-*
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What a nice tower !! And the figures look very good en mass !
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Not jealous, no, not at all.
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It's another triumph. Where do you put all of this stuff?!
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Excellent piece of work sir !!
You must share your photography settings....
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Excellent piece of work sir !!
You must share your photography settings....
I'd also be very interested in that, it's not just his excellent hobby skills that make the presentation value of his posts so high. :D
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Why have the chaps of the holdfasts painted targets on their shirts?
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Thanks chaps.
Why have the chaps of the holdfasts painted targets on their shirts?
Burgundians are careless of their own safety it appears ;)
It's another triumph. Where do you put all of this stuff?!
Luckily I have a games loft... Although it is getting a mite full...
Excellent piece of work sir !!
You must share your photography settings....
Truthfully Giles, I vary it with every shot. But in principle, maximum f-stop, auto white balance, and timed shutter release to avoid shake. It's only a cheap Cannon digital SLR with a macro lens. Crop to taste and auto fix levels (brightness / contrast / sharpness) afterwards. That's about it.
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Truthfully Giles, I vary it with every shot. But in principle, maximum f-stop, auto white balance, and timed shutter release to avoid shake. It's only a cheap Cannon digital SLR with a macro lens. Crop to taste and auto fix levels (brightness / contrast / sharpness) afterwards. That's about it.
Do you do anything special with the lighting for scenes like these?
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Do you do anything special with the lighting for scenes like these?
No, these pics were all shot in my games room above the garage. Natural daylight through the roof windows, plus the downlighter spotlights were on in the room (which I didn't notice until afterwards). No special lighting at all.
You just have to look at the image in the screen on the back of the camera and keep adjusting the exposure setting to and fro if you want to shoot darker or lighter on a particular shot. And remember you can always adjust to some extent afterwards, if the image is a bit over or under exposed...
I do not understand the underlying science of photography at all, being a total numpty when it comes to physics. So there is a huge amount of trial and error. For every image you see from me, I've shot 5, 10, 20 more images that aren't quite right. But I do have a reasonable artistic eye, which compensates for quite a lot of technical ineptitude I think ;)
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I probably should try taking pictures somewhere other than my basement. :)
I would say you have more than just a "reasonable" artistic eye. lol
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That is a tower-tastic production. Just fabulous and made even more so with your wonderful figures. I have stayed away from large scale secenery in my WotR set up but I am sorely tempted to get one and play with it.
Well done and thanks for sharing all the tips and tricks along the way.
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Thanks Gary :)
Perhaps we can have a battle of the two towers if you go ahead with one ;)
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Wow, those are some bloody marvelous pictures.
Fantastic painting on both the mini's as the scenery.
wow.
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How well does the plastic drill out?
I keep thinking about getting one and using LEDs to make torches for the sconces by the entry.
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It's pretty soft plastic and would drill easily. The sconces are very small components though. You'd need a steady hand to get a fine drill down through those.
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I join the club:
That tower is a piece of art that can be the centerpiece of many scenarios.
And I like it a lot..
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers
GS
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Superb pictures, Richard. Grand piece.
I always bring back a nice souvenir from my travels. I think that thing would be ok from my visit to London next week ... ;D :-*
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Stunning! :-* :-* :-* :-*
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It's pretty soft plastic and would drill easily. The sconces are very small components though. You'd need a steady hand to get a fine drill down through those.
Was actually thinking of going through the tower itself and build it from there.