How would you make a generic howdah?

[gloriousbattle]

This idea came to me, and it seems like one worth pursuing.  It also seems like one that someone else might have tried, so I thought I'd ask first.

I was thinking of trying to make a generic howdah for 15mm troops.  The idea would be that I would take, maybe a very small box of some kind (what?) that would just hold an 18mm square base inside it.  I'd paint it, and put a strip of soft cloth of some kind (also painted) hanging down two opposite sides of the howdah, which would form the left and right sides of the conveyance in battle, and also make it look like it would "fit" on whatever creature it was mounted on.

The beauty of this thing, if I do it right, would be that it could make instant heavy support for virtually any fantasy army and many historical armies.  Put a fairly generic Greek style light infantryman in it, and stick it on an elephant, and now you have elephantry for Carthaginians, Seleucids, Epirots, etc., without looking too hokey.  Your could also put a dwarf in it and stick it on a giant badger, put a Green Martian in it and stick it on some nasty six legged lizard-thing, etc.

Of course, the Devil is in the details on something like this, and the difference between a really nice, generic add-on and something that sticks out like a sore thumb is all in the execution.

Curious if anyone has done anything similar, or could offer a few general pointers?

[Major Weenie]

This is similar to an idea I've been kicking about,

Except mine was for 28mm.  But it should still work for 15mm.  I thought about filing down the elephant's back flat and attaching a steel washer.  Then building howdahs with a magnet on the bottom.  That way you could swop out various howdahs & crews.

I'm not sure what you'd do for crews that simply 'rode the elephants back' instead of riding in a howdah.

After your inspiration, back to work on the project for me then.

MW

[gloriousbattle]

After your inspiration, back to work on the project for me then.

MW

Always good to know I'm inspiring. 

I guess one of the advantages of 15mm is the relative lack of weight.  Rather than having to file anything down to accomodate magnets, I can just stick something on with sticky-tack and I'm ready to go.

Advantage to 28mm, of course, is that there are probably a lot more beasties that you could stick the howdah to.

[chromedog]

I'd make a trusswork that held it to the sides of the animal.
Nothing overly complex here.  We're talking some skewers/toothpicks that essentially make a W shape at front and back.
More of the same for the platform and sides.

I am actually doing this at the moment.  It's ostensibly for 28mm, but that's because I'm making a rather large Lizardmen stegadon with howdah from a 1/35 scale Tamiya Triceratops (only about double the size of the GW model) - but the howdah also fits onto the back of an African Elephant (Schleich) I also have in the same scale.

[gloriousbattle]

I'd make a trusswork that held it to the sides of the animal.
Nothing overly complex here.  We're talking some skewers/toothpicks that essentially make a W shape at front and back.
More of the same for the platform and sides.

Neat thought.  I am presently making half a dozen of these, which I think I will (for starters) use to mount some 15mm Peter Pig Green Martians on the backs of some 25mm D&D Minis Ankhegs, and that might be just the trick to make they look right.

It's all in the execution. 

[Major Weenie]

So despite my talk about making a generic elephant, with separtate howdahs, I had a go at a generic howdah, that different crews could fit in.  This was not a success.  Here's a photo.



The styrene howdah is just a shade too small for the 3/4 inch steel washer the figure is based on.  Also the simulated boards don't look very pretty, but an effort to decorate it with paint or fabric might make it less generic.  So back to the idea of modular howdahs, and not modular crews.  Oh, and making the planks was quite easy.  I just dragged a modeling saw sideways across the styrene, and the teeth of the saw scratched out the lines for the planks.

Wait,  here's a photo with a wildly anachronistic figure, which had a smaller base.

[gloriousbattle]

So despite my talk about making a generic elephant, with separtate howdahs, I had a go at a generic howdah, that different crews could fit in.  This was not a success.  Here's a photo.



The styrene howdah is just a shade too small for the 3/4 inch steel washer the figure is based on.  Also the simulated boards don't look very pretty, but an effort to decorate it with paint or fabric might make it less generic.  So back to the idea of modular howdahs, and not modular crews.  Oh, and making the planks was quite easy.  I just dragged a modeling saw sideways across the styrene, and the teeth of the saw scratched out the lines for the planks.

Wait,  here's a photo with a wildly anachronistic figure, which had a smaller base.

I see no problem with this, and I think that making anything generic involves a little fudging on historical accuracy, of necessity.  That does not make it bad, but your goal becomes something that looks good on the table in a variety of functions.

I would simply dress that up with a little trim, maybe a few shields, and some painted cloth hanging down the sides.  I think it would be a very nice looking piece indeed, though I think that this particular elephant is a little small for it.