Games of the North: 20/5 completed carts, commerce & captives (GoT)

[Mason]

Thae stonework has come out amazingly well, Steve.
The wooden beams tidy things up really well, whilst the stones themselves give a more 'random' feel.
Lovely!
 

[Silent Invader]

Thanks Paul. Interestingly, it took a lot less time than I imagined it would (though I do still have gaps to fill). I inadvertently made about twice as many blocks as I used, which was fortuitous as the greater selection certainly speeded things up.

Edit: I should have said, the wooden piece is there to provide a level surface - a sole plate - for the roof. The building is based on an Irish and/or West Highland stone-built croft house, what with GOT's The North being filmed in Northern Ireland. In this case the roof will of course be removable, thus the otherwise unnecessary sole plate.

http://www.skyemuseum.co.uk

[pocoloco]

..... Any other suggestions always appreciated

Maybe an old shield or two, showing the allegiance of the owner or leftovers from former clients? Or some other heraldic device, to give some colour splashes? How about little bit of hay on the floor? Not too close to fireplace though

[Silent Invader]

Maybe an old shield or two, showing the allegiance of the owner or leftovers from former clients? Or some other heraldic device, to give some colour splashes? How about little bit of hay on the floor? Not too close to fireplace though

Thanks for the suggestions: much appreciated. Yeah colour could be an issue, especially as I am minded to cut away the curtains on the booths.

[tyrionhalfman]

Great progress it's all looking fantastic. Thanks for sharing

[Malamute]

Only just caught up with your thread after. My recent hiatus. Wonderful stuff Steve, the inn, bridge etc are genius, can't wait to get a game going.

[Silent Invader]

Thanks chaps, and Nick good to have you back 

Photos of this stage as it's one of my favourites, the application of the first layer of sand. I always enjoy this bit because it's the first point at which the different terrain elements are distinguished by colour and texture while the underlying structure is mostly covered over.

I used sieved sharp sand, though the road, marsh and ford will get a much finer beach sand. The waterproof wood glue will also protect the mdf from the dilute glue used in detailing and blending that will follow.



With the sand down, the bluffs start to take on more of their final character:



Btw, the white protrusions will be cut back to provide sockets for the trees.

[Dr DeAth]

I'm hooked, those individual brick constructions are great. 

Did you buy the cork 'boulders' shown in the lower picture like that or did you make them from other cork items?

[Elbows]

Can't wait to see further progress on this.  Absolutely splendid.

[Silent Invader]

Thank you kindly 

Did you buy the cork 'boulders' shown in the lower picture like that or did you make them from other cork items?

Erm.... All of the added cork is from beer, wine and champagne bottles consumed over Xmas/NY......

Different corks have different consistencies (obviously). Holding the cork with one hand, I used an adjustable spanner (the grippy type) with the other to grab at the cork and twist/tear off a chunk. The denser the cork, the less 'shard like' the resulting boulder.  The more rounded boulders came from the most dense cork. The exteriors of the original corks are all on the inside  of the resulting model with idc plaster and sand hiding any bottle-cork-obviousness.

[.:Gunslinger:.]

This is one of the most interesting threads to read...very nice progress! Your work on the Inn is splendid, but the very realistic groundworks is even better (imho)! Absolutely top notch!

[pocoloco]

Most excellent progress! 

[Silent Invader]

Thanks very much to you both, it is most encouraging 

One thing I forgot to add earlier is some commentary on how robust the buildings are.

The composite approach of exterior grade wood glue and ready mixed plaster, finished with superglue, does seem to hold together very well.  This image shows the size of the blocks that make probably the weakest and most vulnerable part, the chimney:



After the smear with superglue had fully cured, here I am holding the entire weight of the tile (with its 6mm thick 30cm sq mdf base) by the chimney .....



This evening I've sanded the road and riverbanks and planked the inn floor but more of that soon.

Incidentally, I am mindful that the current updates are missing pure fantasy content but there'll be more of that soon, as completion of this phase of terrain will be followed by more minis and then another test game.

[OSHIROmodels]

Go on, how many bottles did you use 

cheers

James

[Silent Invader]

Go on, how many bottles did you use 

Three of 20g each....... Exactly as anticipated