Japanese Castle / Fortress Build

[Vonkluge]

So since LAF forum helped me to track down an old set of 15mm Japanese castle castings from the Village Green Company I thought I would document my build of it for any interested LAF’ers. I normally have limited time on my projects and get going so fast that I do not take pictures of the builds, so it is with the beginning of this one. In fact there are some huge jumps in the build between pictures! If you have a question I’ll try to answer it. The other thing to remember here is that I have tools most people do not have, so describing some of the steps is tough if you don’t have access to the same tools. I have nearly finished this project and will list it as I can in continuing post here.

First a gentleman from England let me know he had one but it was so badly cast and in need of work that he had set it on a shelf for years because it was beyond his abilities to re build. After receiving the package from Steve in the UK, I saw what he was talking about. Pieces were half cast, millions of bubbles, huge globs of resin hanging off like “flash” from old molds. All of the pieces had broken corners and voids a plenty! The piece also had stains and dirt covering it like it had been out in the yard!  The amount of work I saw caused me to put the castle up on my shelf for several months… then the upcoming convention season got me interested in running a game of Samurai Battles in the Age of War (BAWS) and I wanted the castle as a back drop! So I got the pieces out and set to cleaning and repairing them.







After scrubbing them I had to straighten out some of the misshapen pieces by dunking them in boiling water for 20 minutes. This allowed me to slightly re bend them. Next I got out the Dremel tool and several different xacto knives and started into cutting and grinding the excess resin material off the castings. Since some of this “flash” covered details the ”details” had to rebuilt after the resin was cut away using wood, glue, plastic stock, and putty. I figure there was 12 hours into the castle at this point! And I’m pretty quick!



By the way…when you work with resin especially grinding and sanding the causes dust or small particles to float about you need to use a GOOD respirator mask!!!



Once I had the castle walls I had to see how the “layout” would work. I had only so many walls that Steve had sent and there was little chance of buying more. Battles in the Age of War has rules to simulate a “castle attack” and so I was planning to layout/build mine so as to fit the layout used for a “siege” in the rules but I also wanted it to look good as I would use it during regular games for “eye candy” at one end of the table.



This picture is at a point where I have already cut the foam to size and cut the 15 degree angle that will be the front "slope" where the "rocks" will be carved. About 10 pieces were cut out at different angles to build this. The cuts were done on a full sized Delta table saw and allowed very precise cuts to be made. Once the fit was checked and all angles were checked the pieces were glued together using WATER based wood glue and pinned together with tooth picks (round) sunk at angles. Use a wet sponge to wipe away excess glue before it dries or it will interfere with the "hot knife" rock carving we are about to do.

I once built a "Boxer Rebellion' game and the "Tarter Wall" contained 11,000 hand pressed 28mm bricks over a 4 foot length (two sides) and I knew I did not want to go through that again for the rock face on this fortress. I decided to try a "hot knife" approach and try to carve the rocks into the foam. The "hot foam" tools I had were just not right so I took a cheap soldiering pen I had and removed the soldiering tip. I took a very small piece of brass wire (1/32 x 2") and locked it in place of the original tip. It worked great and allowed me to basically "draw" the rock face on in 3d.





After the rock "carving" is done I lightly sand the foam with a 400+ sandpaper to remove "strings" formed when using a hot knife and also to round out rough edges.


There is a big jump here and the next picture shows the castle base fully painted as well as the castle. I had rushed it so as to use it in a few games over the weekend. You can see one of the handmade bridges in the foreground.





This is the Fortress as it appeared at "Mini Mini Wars" summer campaign. I sometimes find it helps to actually play on the terrain you are building as you can find problems and make modifications before it becomes to hard.






Ok that it for now, the castle is still being worked on and I'll soon have new pictures up.

[Blackwolf]

That is cracking Good work on the old patience thing too

[Fjodin]

Great job!

[Vonkluge]

These are some more pictures as work on the Fortress progresses. As I said this is being built to conform to the siege rules in Peter Pigs “Battles in the Age of War” samurai battles rules so I have played a few game with the setup as I build so I can see if things work right. The fortress “footprint” in the rules is 12” deep and 36” long. The top lip of the “stone” is exactly that. This game is the first try at a siege game. In the rules the game starts in the finial stages of the battle where the attacker has already battered some breeches in the walls and is trying to finish the defenders off while the defender has a chance to get a relief force. The attacker roles “breech” dice to see where, how big, and how many “breeches” there are. I just pulled wall sections out this game but I think I will model some breeches in various sizes and cast them. I may also use ladders to indicate a breech.



You can now see the first bridges I built. They are all of soft pine and basically constructed just the way a real bridge would be. The Japanese were not big on draw bridges; if desperate the bridge could be quickly soaked in oil and burned to deny it to an attacker its use. The Japanese Fortresses main function was to delay enemy armies as they moved on to other objectives. They where normally close enough to one another to provide support in the short time and geared to slow the attacker down with a series of defenses meant not so much to stop the attacker as to slow him down and funnel him into killing zones allowing archers to have more “time on target”.





I am making the interior of this Fortress a bit nicer than many would normally be to show one that had bee around and not under attack often, thus the lord has improved his surroundings over time.



My next post should have the watch towers done!

[Ray Rivers]

Dude!   

What a cool looking castle!

Nice work and lovely miniatures to boot!

[Vonkluge]

As I mentioned before I have way more tools to work with than the average LAF'er this is because my job uses many of these tool so the purchase is justified, I grew up with a father who built things, and I love tools! So I will share some of these "gems" I have collected over the years. Nothing improves both the quality of ones work, speed at which you accomplish this work, and increased time to dream the next project, like a good tool!

For me I dream the project, envision the process to build it, collect the material
, the last phase is simply the build and the most important item then is your tool.

This item is the PROXXON (west Germany) Mini table saw! I cant say enough about the value of this item. Instead of having to go out and buy a thinner strip of wood or plastic I just "rip" exactly what I need! This was a long time coming for me and finally talked the little women into buying it for Christmas last year. Its not cheap ($450) Micro Mark tools has the same saw (their model) slightly cheaper. I wanted this model for some reason.



Also in the picture in lower right is a mini chop saw from Micro Mark another valuable tool! I have both wood blades and metal cutting blades.

[zizi666]

Proxxon not Praxxon 
I have their mini-drill but when I use a Dremel at work I find that one to be more powerfull and robust.

[Vonkluge]

Building terrain for "wargames" is not quite like doing a diorama. Terrain for wargames must be functional so modifications that sometimes are out of scale or not done exactly as they would be in real life are common. I try to combine functionality with historical accuracy as best I can. The bridging system to enter the Fortress and the "Keep" are perfect examples of this. The bridges had to fit into the dimensions of the fortress with out taking up to much room yet be able to hold based miniatures and look believable!

Working out angles for "Keep" entry bridges.





The completed bridge in the picture is the main one leading into the "Keep" and done in a prettier style since it is closer to the "Lords" dwelling! Another very valuable tool in this picture is the little bottle with a "blunt" needle coming out of the top. This is a CA glue accelerator applicator bottle. CA glue can use an accelerator to instantly "set" the glue, very handy when hold two tiny parts. Most accelerators come in a spray bottle that spray way to much all over your model sometime ruining  the finish, paint, and just wasteful. This bottle puts one tiny drop right where you want it! I got mine at a local craft store.

[Vonkluge]

Proxxon not Praxxon 
I have their mini-drill but when I use a Dremel at work I find that one to be more powerfull and robust.

LOL!!! you are correct and I changed it... I always put an "A" where the "O" should be... I also have the very nice PROXXON chop saw but have yet to use it since I have the Micro mark one that is not near as good but already out and plugged in!

[zizi666]

BTW : that's a nice piece of terrain you're creating there.
wiil follow this thread. 

[Geudens]

Superb job, Bill!   
 
Rudi

[Vonkluge]

I decided to have a wider rock "Island" for the bridge in the front since many fortresses had intricate entrances and this gave it a defense-able position forward. the Japanese were very fond of forcing the attacker to make many turns on there approach to the keep or any entrances. This was to both confuse attackers and later the same troops should they have to retreat.

[manic _miner]

 Great castle most impressive.I have been buying the Perry Samurai and projects like this are a real inspiration for me and others.

[Vonkluge]

Thanks Maniac! You know this is 15mm? I too have been lusting after the 28mm Perry Samurai! but it frightens me.... thinking I then have to do it all again in 28mm! Our group has been developing 28mm Skirmish using Song of Blades an something or other...works pretty well.

Here is another in a continuing stream of pictures. These are the now completed bridges leading to the inner "Keep"

[chicklewis]

Way great flamin' cool castle, Kaiser Bill !!