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Author Topic: 28mm Normandy Church - Knights of Dice  (Read 1302 times)

Offline agentbalzac

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28mm Normandy Church - Knights of Dice
« on: May 09, 2019, 05:55:07 AM »
G'day LAFfers,

Here's some pics of a recently completed project, the Knights of Dice 28mm Church from their Letters Home range of MDF kits.

It's a great kit, seemingly inspired by the famous Sainte-Mère-Église Church in Normandy, not too big as some church kits can be and solid and easy to assemble.*

I couldn't resist taking the basic design and tweaking it a bit:

  • extra windows from my Warbases stock, as I felt the original tower design was somewhat out of proportion
  • added a circular shaft in one of the transepts to represent a spiral stairwell, as the kit has a basic interior but lacks any obvious method for 28mm figures to access the belfry
  • a small door in the transept.  For gaming, I prefer large buildings to have more than one point of access

Paint is just careful application of various stone shades I've acquired from the racks of A$3 Bunnings mistint sample pots.  A wash of Agrax Earthshade here to suggest mould or add tone and the checker pattern marble on the interior floor.  The kit features some nice etched stonework so I didn't want to obliterate that with any texture material, instead trying to make flat MDF look like aged dressed stone.

The tower top is removeable, and I plan to create an alternative spire to permit a more English Gothic look to be swapped in.

Thanks for checking it out.

*I have no relationship with KoD other than as a satisfied customer.


The church in all its French gothic glory


Another view, showing where the stairwell projects through the transept wall


Interior showing the added stairwell


The belfry roof is removable for the placement of snipers, forward observers and raving hunchbacks


The components break down for easy storage and access


Importantly, the roof sits flat on the table in its own right.  This is a key requirement for my MDF builds, as I like to have them available for our gaming group's occasional London rooftop games...

Offline dampfpanzerwagon

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Re: 28mm Normandy Church - Knights of Dice
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2019, 07:19:13 AM »
Very nice. I particularly like the natural stone colouring.

Tony

Offline tin shed gamer

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Re: 28mm Normandy Church - Knights of Dice
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2019, 07:40:54 AM »
As Tony mentioned the natural stone is nicely done.
I do like the interior detailing (could have save myself some time ::) )
The double thickness walls and windows look ideal for glazing. Did your considered glazing the windows? Not criticism as you've done a cracking
 Job . Just curious as to other people's approaches to similar projects.( if don't ask you never learn anything new.)
For my eye the tower looks like a compromise of proportion verses playable surface. There for a little chunky. Then oddly enough it looks more in proportion once you placed it in the fog

Over all a cracking paint job on an above average kit. Giving you something to be proud of.

Mark



Offline agentbalzac

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Re: 28mm Normandy Church - Knights of Dice
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2019, 08:32:19 AM »
The double thickness walls and windows look ideal for glazing. Did your considered glazing the windows? Not criticism as you've done a cracking
 Job . Just curious as to other people's approaches to similar projects.( if don't ask you never learn anything new.)

Mark,

I thought about it but ploughed on with perhaps too much enthusiasm and got past that point.  But yes the double mdf walls and construction sequence would permit inserting a clear or stained glazing.  The added benefit of course being extra strength. However,  I'm a bit ambivalent about glazing overall as I have hopes of creating a sort of alternate collapsed roof and thus having a ruined church option (think Caspar Friederich's Abbey in the Oak Woods) which would want windows staring bleakly into the open air.

For my eye the tower looks like a compromise of proportion verses playable surface. There for a little chunky. Then oddly enough it looks more in proportion once you placed it in the fog

Yes the designer obviously had that balance in mind and it's fair enough for a gaming piece.  On the stock kit the belfry windows are way out of proportion (see image below), so I'm happy that blocking these in a bit improves things a lot.  The tower is still too big for the nave but it is a compromise between an accurate model and a practical tabletop feature.



...and thanks for your comments.  :)

Offline tin shed gamer

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Re: 28mm Normandy Church - Knights of Dice
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2019, 09:59:27 AM »
My apologies for the pigeon English of my first post.
(I've been up since four this morning .A walk in the rain and a bucket full of coffee and I feel more capable of dealing with the world.)
I use my Sarissa Roman temple in a similar fashion having added a layer of dirt and a few tufts of grass to gently infer derelict once the roof is removed.
I'm lucky enough to have several monasteries and Abbies also a few churches that Henry took umberence with. Close to where I live. I think your church will represent that quite well.
Late last year I spent a lot of time musing over building a church . I found that virtually every church on the market to a half bothered affair of poor proportions . Especially the windows and doors , or little more than blank mdf once constructed.
The knight's of Dice for me is one of the most convincing.(theres also a very well thought out church from a New Zealand based company recently added to a thread on here.)
I asked as my own musing ended up being a glazed representation of church's common to the East Riding. With plastered and oak paneled interior walls.
So I've a slight fascination with how other people tackle church's. Tony has made some very interesting multi period churchs over the years. I asked him about his methodology as well.
So I'm quite intrigued to see how your additions to the base model pan out into a multifunctional scenery item.


Offline Shahbahraz

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Re: 28mm Normandy Church - Knights of Dice
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2019, 06:04:45 PM »
Hmm, the interior stairwell immediately made me think of 'The Eagle has Landed' for some reason. Nice job. I think I might start planning one from scratch, but using the warbases accessories.

cheers
Wargaming since the dark ages...

---https://aleadodyssey.blogspot.com/---

Offline Eric the Shed

  • Galactic Brain
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    • The Shed Wars Experience
Re: 28mm Normandy Church - Knights of Dice
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2019, 05:43:20 AM »
Hmm, the interior stairwell immediately made me think of 'The Eagle has Landed' for some reason. Nice job. I think I might start planning one from scratch, but using the warbases accessories.

cheers

I had the same thought !

Think this kit looks fantastic and love your extras.

If folks are looking for alternatives there is always this wonderful 1/48 scale dolls house from petit properties
https://www.petitepropertiesltd.com/