Dunbrough and Gripenhem WIP log

Wheels are one of those hard to come by items...at least for moi. CONGRATULATIONS on finding a pair. The cart looks TERRIFIC. GREAT WORK!

theomar pius wrote:

I carve the bricks into the foam with a sharp blade, and then open them up with a dull pencil. Next I take a sharp rock to it for adding texture. You can also draw onto the stone to add a chiseled effect.

Thanks, it sounds like a painstaking job, but it's worth the effort. Now I just need to find some suitable foam, I assume you use the blue stuff? I need to figure out where in my area to get that.

DeafNala wrote:

Wheels are one of those hard to come by items...at least for moi. CONGRATULATIONS on finding a pair. The cart looks TERRIFIC. GREAT WORK!

I used to have that same problem. Lately i have been going with LEGO. It looks pretty good too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMALL-27mmD-LEGO-WAGON-WHEEL-CLASSIC-BROWN-4-PACK-WESTERN-CASTLE-PIRATES-/390511710398?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item5aec4fd0be

That's a pretty cheap price too. The ones I've been using were from some 1/72 cowboy thing from hobby lobby, a few bucks, it has usable wheels, and some pigs!

Cheap and easy toadstools.

I start with rolling up some dried white glue into a ball, and cut them in half.

Then I take some brads, and cut them in half.

I glue the glue halfs onto the cut end of the pins.

The pin head halfs work as smaller toadstools also, just paint as you see fit.

VERY NICE! As a Mushroom Fan(atic) I'd say your little toadstools are GREAT. They add a cool touch to your greenery. GREAT WORK!

DeafNala said it!

I'm a mushroom fan too, so I will definitely follow this tip.

One of the things that makes your buildings look so good is the base, with all the clutter and vegetation decorating it, so I guess I need to do the same thing with my terrain.

Joao

The weather finally turned nice enough for a few hours to spray my wire tree forms with seal all rubber spray. I used air dry clay for the trunk, and to attach it to the base, and then a whole lot of fall foliage to bring it to life. No my road section is done, finishing off the coaching inn. The base itself is foamcore with the paper stripper off, and carved with a pencil, glued to 1/8th acrylic (plexiglass).

YET ANOTHER lovely, idyllic scene...the Fellow in the stocks might take exception to the idyllic part. VERY WELL DONE!

Cheers Nala. The fun is just beginning. I had to take all of the buildings off, so I can spin the whole thing. THat way, I can now work on the other side of the board.

Have you noticed that when you tun it around the table looks strangely different? I had a similar experience with a series of boards I did for an erstwhile friend/customer.

DeafNala wrote:

Have you noticed that when you tun it around the table looks strangely different? I had a similar experience with a series of boards I did for an erstwhile friend/customer.

Oh my, completely different, it's so odd looking

Is it me, or the silhouette of that archer in the very background (beyond the kids and the man in the stocks) looks absolutely epic?

Joao

I've always wanted to do one of these doormat wheat fields, and thought if I don't now, I may never do it. So now I'm doing it, s a place filler behind some buildings. I've got a bit of empty space to fill, so this'll work.

You take a coco doormat, and cut it to desired shape, glue it down. THat's pretty much it. I built a stone wall around mine, and ran a screwdriver though it to add some rows. Pretty simple, cheap, effective. I got the mat off of Amazon, that was the only place I could find blank mats.

I'm also throwing up a split rail fence along the riverbank, out of balsa.

The wheat field looks the part...just needs a scarecrow or not. The surrounding stone fence is EXCELLENT. GREAT WORK!

It's all coming together. Details like the wheat field really adds so much character to the rural surroundings of your town.

DeafNala, the scarecrow is a great idea.
I'm thinking of building one myself using some of the GW Zombies kit bits.

Joao

JoaoS wrote:

DeafNala, the scarecrow is a great idea.
I'm thinking of building one myself using some of the GW Zombies kit bits.

Joao

I love the G.W. Zombie box...the standard top with the hands on each end would be a perfect top piece for a scarecrow. May be we should start a Scarecrow Building Contest.

That's the one I was thinking about - idea taken from an old Empire armybook,where there is a scarecrow conversion on a wheatfield.

I'm up for it, but my scarecrow will have a different use (hopefully you'll be able to see it in a few months' time).

Joao

Crikey, I suppose I have to make a scarecrow now

Hee, hee. Peer pressure is a terrible thing.

The pathway with the big house on the hill in the background reminds me a lot of the beginning of the movie "Coraline". Nice work btw!

This thread is so full of awesomeness. Your project is so phenomenal.

What will you do with it when you're done?

Twisting tree armatures from 22ga wire.
I cut the wire into strips around 2 feet long. Twist in the middle, and continue twisting them until you get all of the smaller branches, dividing the wires every few twists.
Once complete, I spray the whole thing with spray rubber leak seal, to bind the wires together and hopefully fill in, making it look less like wire and more like branches. I make a bark trunk out of air dry clay, and then top with woodland scenics foliage.

Thanks for the tutorials!

My own home-grown trees use the same basic method but for the trunk I use raffia covered floral wire (Naturally Wired from Michael's. The added thickness saves some wrapping time, & the putty seems to adhere better to the raffia than the wire. That aside, thanks for the tutorial!