how would you create stone buildings?

[admiraldick]

I've decided to create a board of fantastical dry stone structures. Like real prehistoric structures, but on a scale that wouldn't have been achievable at the time. so where better to look for help, than LAF (the greatest wargames resource on the internet). how would you recreate lots of large dry stone walls en masse?

my initial thoughts are foamcore walls, clad in some kind of clay and then use a stencil to mark the stonework pattern onto it (like so: link). any thought? comments? other ideas?

[grant]

Why not foamcore, with plastruct textured plastic? Stuff's awesome to work with.

[Cory]

I would use 1/2" pink/blue foam insulation board, inscribe the pattern straight into the boards.

[has.been]

I agree with Cory.
Stage 1 - Cut out the 'sides' you want, inscribe the 'brick' pattern (I'm thinking Inca here with individual blocks of stone shaped so well that even today you can not get a credit card between them) (note- not saying they had credit cards back then... hang on maybe that was how they paid for the fantastic buildings)

Stage 2 - pin & glue the sheet 'walls' together to make your structure & leave it to dry.

Stage 3 - match up the corner joints (a bit of inscribing, a bit of sanding & a bit of filler works for me. I hate it when the corners don't match)

Stage 4 - I like to give it a coat of thinned filler (apply with a knackered old brush) a light 'dusting' of sand can give it some texture which (after basic painting) can be brought out by a light dry brush (I try to dry brush diagonally top to bottom as it helps with the illusion that light is falling on the structure.

[dampfpanzerwagon]

I would also recommend Blue or Pink Foam.

Tony

[admiraldick]

Thanks guys for your replies. It's interesting to hear how different people achieve a similar effect.

@grant: I've had trouble in the past getting hold of plasticard. There are no model stores near by which stock it and I'm reticent to try and order over the internet because scale and quality are not easy to see. If I could find a supplier, I'd be interested , through it sounds like a potentially expensive option.

@Cory & has.been: carving would certainly offer the best detail and uniqueness per structure, but it's very laborious. I could really do with a quicker option.

Does anyone have experience with the stonework stencils? Is it even a real option? Or am I going to have to bite the bullet and get carving?

[roberto]

I would use this: http://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Raw-Materials/Styrofoam/Item/Styrofoam-blue/ITM4910 5mm or 10mm its up to you.

[Andym]

Probably as has just been said before....foam. Do you have any pics or sketches you can show us? It might give you some better answers!

[Neldoreth]

I have an article on how I created a stone castle/walled city here:

http://www.hourofwolves.org/?view=articles&which=buildingUmbar

Here are some highlight pictures:











Thanks
n

[admiraldick]

@andym et al - I'm looking to create structures that appear to be neolithic, with this sort of stone work:
http://s722.photobucket.com/user/admiraldick/media/Frostgrave/megalithic%20structures_zpsrsmivfu3.jpg.html

not vast individual stones, but weighty structures with large stones dotted in and about as needed.

@Neldoreth - your terrain is one of my greatest inspirations already. I absolutely love your Umbar terrain, and it is my goal to construct something that looks as good one day.

[Cubs]

Neldoreth's method would be my first choice. I did some Khazad-Dum staircases years back using insulation foam and it worked perfectly. It's a bit of a pain because it gives off dust when you cut or sand it, but other than that it's easy to manipulate and add texture to.

If you prefer to use foam core, if you peel off the paper then you have a nice stony texture already waiting underneath.

[SotF]

Cheap, dollar store foam core, peel the covering off a side (the cheap boards are pretty easy to strip down unlike the more expensive stuff) and engrave it, then peel the other side and glue in place.

[bandit86]

You can try using this type stuff I like it and you can glue it to foam board for strength
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/pcgts009.html
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/pcgts004.html

[Ssendam]

I'd just add that I've tried Neldoreth's technique and it is the proverbial dogs undercarriage. Highly recommended.

[admiraldick]

Hi again all,

thanks for your responses. I appreciate the feedback. I've just noticed that the link I posted in the OP isn't working, which is probably why no one has commented on it as a technique.

So here is a version of the link that actually works. check it out:

http://www.craft-products.com/dolls-house-building-guide.asp

whilst I totally agree that carving is a great technique for large, 'one-off' models, Bromley Craft Products make stencils that allow you to create facades of quickly and with minimum fuss. considering I want to make a board that is quite cluttered, and I want to make it quickly, they seem like a good idea. I wondered if you guys had any opinions on the stencils. has anyone used them before?

the make them at 1:48 scale which is a bit bigger than I might want, but not impossible to work with. there is a rough stone stencil (http://www.craft-products.com/rst-rough-stone-stencil) and a stone block stencil that might make convincing flag stones (http://www.craft-products.com/blk-stone-block-stencil).

obviously, there are gaps that are supposed to look like mortar, which aren't perfect, but I think with the right paint job they could work. What do you guys think?