A voyage to Bruegelburg - Would you like some port, Sir? (09-Oct-2013)

[Westfalia Chris]

Hi all,

it's been quite some time since I posted some pics, partly explained by my being rather busy over the last few months. But here are some minis I wanted to show, as I really like them and hope it will become a proper project (of some 2-4 factions plus some dedicated terrain).

I finally got some of the marvellous Bruegelburg figures. Those are really, really nice figures, quality-wise even better than the rather charming, if a bit blocky Postapoc figures, and paint up rather nicely. I hope to use them for some Mortheim-style games with a variety of rulesets, depending on what works, or as figures for RPGs if I ever get back into that.

So, this is the first "posse", if you like, of the Honourable Society of River Merchants and Fisherwives' Armed Company. Life in the docklands of Bruegelburg is tough, I guess.



Marinus van de Robbekloep, Chief Custodian of the Tollpost, and his nephew Peder, Captain of the Armed Company.



Old Piet and Mad Claas, keepers of records.



The fisherwives Anne, Marga and Liese and fishcake bakestress Katherin.



And some harbourfolk who had the bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (with unfinished bases, to add insult to injury).

I hope to get some better pics once I figure out the lighting in this place. Also, I have been given a nice timberframe house kit which I will assemble sometime soon for this. Plans abound for some small terrain modules such as a treadmill crane, but those will probably have to wait.

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Splendid, Chris!

[Argonor]

Lot's of character, those minis - and well executed, too 

[OSHIROmodels]

Great stuff Chris 

Good to see you back as well 

cheers

James

[airbornegrove26]

Looking good. 

[mweaver]

Very nice.  They really are perfect for Mordheim.

Thanks for sharing.

-Michael

[Westfalia Chris]

Hi all,

finally got around to painting some more Bruegelburg miniatures, and finally start with my original project of some port/harbour terrain.

The assembly so far. The houses, except for the thatched cottage which is a 4Ground lasercut model which I was kindly given last year, are made from 6mm XPS styrofoam; the quay pieces are 30mm XPS blocks engraved by pencil and textured by brass brush and some sand before painting; the base boards are 3mm MDF painted in various blues and greens, then covered in adhesive transparent plastic foil.





Some closeups with population. It's still a bit empty, mainly because I forgot to add the cargo piles I have left from previous projects and which I will use for scatter and light cover.











The last two had a bit of 'shopping done to hide the ugly empty spaces.

And to finish off some pics of the empty quays. I have a total of 8 sqft (24x48") to fill, so I'll have to add some more "land areas". At the moment, this includes a "natural" river embankment which will add some greenery and maybe fishermen's apparel, and I intend to build a handful of simple river barges and maybe a boier or small nordic carrack to allow figures to move over most of the table while keeping the overall feel "waterfront-y".









Thanks for looking! I hope to get some closer pics of the Landvogt of Klapsburg-Mühlstein and his retinue, seen above in their black-and-yellow livery, but I'll have to wait for better light conditions for that.

[Mason]

Oooh!
Those dock pieces look great, and having made similar myself I must applaud as I know the foam 'carving' bit can be tedious.

Very nice, sir!
An excellent result
 

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Chris, that's a beautiful setup, you did a great carving job on the docks!

[Dentatus]

That is inspiring. I'd like to see that scatter terrain.

[Westfalia Chris]

Oooh!
Those dock pieces look great, and having made similar myself I must applaud as I know the foam 'carving' bit can be tedious.

Very nice, sir!
An excellent result
 

Thanks! Funny enough, the quay pieces are really easy to make - maybe 20 minutes each for the cutting and engraving, although I admit I cheat in that I first draw rows using the pencil and slabs of the 6mm XPS, then putting in the vertical grooves - so I don't actually engrave the bricks one by one, except for the cover slats on the quayside edges. The longest part is actually waiting for the paint to dry.

The general idea was to have it as flexible as possible, and the base boards have an edge that will allow them to line up against my earlier Dystopian Wars boards to use as a "littoral area". Strangely enough, in real life, the boards are very much a muddy green-blue, whereas in the pics they look much nicer and bluer than any medieval/early-modern waterway should have any right to look.

As time permits, I'll do some more quay pieces, and I want to do a dockside treadwheel crane, but cannot decide on a design. The Great Crane of Bruges looks tempting, but would possibly dwarf anything due to its volume, so I'll probably settle for a robust frame construction. Also, the whole thing needs more houses and maybe a "blind" piece of city wall to act as a backdrop.

[Mason]

Thanks! Funny enough, the quay pieces are really easy to make - maybe 20 minutes each for the cutting and engraving, although I admit I cheat in that I first draw rows using the pencil and slabs of the 6mm XPS, then putting in the vertical grooves - so I don't actually engrave the bricks one by one, except for the cover slats on the quayside edges. The longest part is actually waiting for the paint to dry.

Well, I did (stupidly) decide that I would draw cobblestones on the top of mine, which is what took the longest amount of time. I agree that the blocks are not too bad.

All that 'carving' can be quite therapeutic, though.
I even survived sitting through an episode of the missus favourite soap opera due to the distracting nature of cobblestone carving.
 

[Westfalia Chris]

Well, I did (stupidly) decide that I would draw cobblestones on the top of mine, which is what took the longest amount of time. I agree that the blocks are not too bad.

I actually tried to do some cobblestone paving on top by impressing them using a thin plastic tube (a protective cap from a size 3 paintbrush), but I found that you have to be extremely diligent or it will immediately look brown and sound like a bell. Also, a sharpened brass tube would possibly be a better choice.

All that 'carving' can be quite therapeutic, though.
I even survived sitting through an episode of the missus favourite soap opera due to the distracting nature of cobblestone carving.
 

Amusingly, I must have wasted most of the time saved by my "efficient method" on thinking what configurations will be the most effective, rather than just plugging away and doing some "inner modules" to which the most irregular ones could be attached.

[Joao]

Very atmospheric and realistic in many ways. The angles and variety in textures are superb.

I also really love the fact that you're giving a home to those wonderful Bruegelburg models.

Joao

[Cubs]

That is just beautiful, the little touches like the uneven brickwork and slimy green growth really put the cherry on the cake.

By the way I just realised Bruegelburg - Pieter Bruegel ... he's one of my favourite painters! It all makes sense now.