The City of Dunbrough

Spectre76 wrote:

Going over the supplies I have on hand:
Cardboard, Exacto Knife set, Hot Glue Gun, Sand, and will likely buy some big bags of popsicle sticks tomorrow. Any other items I might need?

That should do it, you can definitely make some good stuff with that. I don' use Popsicle sticks though, instead I use balsa. It's lighter, cuts like butter, and is dirt cheap.

As for making pro quality stuff, it takes patience, patience, patience. Thanks for the kind words guys!

The Regal Beagle tavern and Brownlie's Townhouse. These were built specifically to sit across from the Chancellor's office, and has a bit of curved road. I'm still not sold on the townhouse, it kinda feels thrown together to me, but it works within the city. One of my favorite bits from this is the spindles on the railing, made from lead pellets.

BEAUTIFULLY WELL DONE! Thanks for the W.I.P. photos. ..in themselves they provide instruction & inspiration.

Both buildings look great together. I really like the townhouse and the wooden walls on the top floor (it adds a good variation to the overall look of your buildings).

The trees are amazing too; I admire people who have the patience to "plant" their own trees!

Like DeafNala said, it's good to see the WIP photos. Speaking of which, how do you make your windows? Are they wooden, cardboard?

Joao

Lovely stuff as per norm! Was wondering how you get the plaster/lime effect on the panels?

Arahain wrote:

Lovely stuff as per norm! Was wondering how you get the plaster/lime effect on the panels?

That's woodland scenics water effects, stippled with a piece of scrap balsa.

I have no words...

I get the same feeling when I look at your creations that I do when I'm looking through 'eavy metal stuff in White Dwarf.

It's a kind of mix between envy and awe.

The scary thing is, when I'm scrolling down these pages, until the mini comes into view, some of these buildings look real...

10/10

I still can't figure out how you get from WIP to done!
The quality of it is immense! Well done.

I began this church s well, a church. But for tabletop purposes, I didn't want to go all out Christian church, a non-denominational gothic church would better serve my needs. At some point though, it kind of became the Temple of Time from the Legend of Zelda, which I love. I guess it was just the easiest way to do those triangle details. The design was heavily influenced by Kylemore Abbey in Ireland. It's AKA in Dunbrough is the Chapel of Remnant Sages. I worked on this one for well over a year, on and off. I was building it, didn't like how it was going and shelved it, pulled it back out way down the line and finished it off. I used a lot of earrings on this, from the windows in the dormers, the rose window, even the door, are all earrings. The gothic windows are all from Grandt Line products, with water effects glass by me.

Blimey. I thought you were showing us the real church your model was based on, for a moment, there.

btw, what sort of camera do you use?

monkeylite wrote:

Blimey. I thought you were showing us the real church your model was based on, for a moment, there.

btw, what sort of camera do you use?

It's a point and shoot sony cyber-shot.
The key is natural light and setting. I find an area where the tree line is quite a ways back, without a lot of clutter between me and the trees. With the model about 3 feet off the ground, it makes it look larger than it is in perspective. Early morning and late afternoon sun give great long shadows, but I prefer to set up on overcast days, or in shadows, to defuse the light.

You can almost hear the chants from inside the Temple (I'm a big fan of the Ocarina of Time)!

Your project has been giving me inspiration and ideas, but it also has made look out for earrings, which feels a bit weird to say the least. Even my girlfriend is now hidding hers these days.

Joao

If it eases tensions, I get all of mine from the craft stores.

Great model and photo's. Nice.

It's always best to take photo's in day light if you can, these kind of prove that.

The Scarlet Drake is a project I started around a year and a half ago, and just wrapped up a few days ago. It's a Dwarven Airship, based on a 1/50th scale Viking ship from Revell. The fame of the balloon is made from a sea grass vase, with the sea grass removed, and a foam bow and stern. Covered in painted pillow cases. The main sails are mounted with magnets for easy adjustments, as well as offering a bit of forgiveness to an otherwise fragile part. Crewed by a mix of Red Box and Hasslefree Dwarves.

I added the structure to the hull to offer the crew a bit of protection from the elements. The ship itself is protected by some magic runes around the bow and across the balloon. The main sails can rotate to horizontal for water landings, as well as offering a bit of protection to the balloon from attackers below the ship, blocking missiles from the bag. There is also a flying rudder in the form of dorsal sails at the stern. A turn of the ships wheel will retract one side or the other, the wind pushing the ship in that direction.

If you are so inclined, there is a wip thread over at Frothers: http://frothersunite.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=37035&start=0

That is a VERY IMAGINATIVE & FINELY CRAFTED piece; that kit was a favorite from my misspent youth. VERY WELL DONE!

That is a beauty! And there so much more work to it than I thought (I checked it at Frothers).

You also did an awesome job in collecting and painting that dwarven crew.

I don't know if I would get myself into a similar project, but it's great to see it flying over your town.

The photos of the interior of the airship are a bit dark to see all the details, though - sorry, just being picky now.

Joao

I totally agree, this thing is huge, hard to shoot. I'm trying to figure out a way to take it outside to shoot it, but transporting it and hanging it on location is proving to be a sticking point.

Woderful model!

Are the cables that support the gondola rigid? Just wondering if it could be supported by a 'flying' base like a column of clear plastic.

Von Kurst wrote:

Woderful model!

Are the cables that support the gondola rigid? Just wondering if it could be supported by a 'flying' base like a column of clear plastic.

No, the gondola is hanging from balloon. Couldn't get the look of solid to match the look I was going for.

Do the little turnbuckles work? To me a bit to notice them, great attention to detail.

Von Kurst wrote:

Do the little turnbuckles work? To me a bit to notice them, great attention to detail.

Yes, the turnbuckles are all actual, working turnbuckles. Those are jewelry turnbuckles, picked up from the craft store. There are tons of bits to be had from the beading section of the craft store.

These townhouses are built right up against the city's outer wall, near a defensive battlement. One is a 3 family townhome, while the other is a chemist shop with living space above. Little corners and buildings like these are common in Dunbrough, where residents will build on the cities walls to save on building materials, though sacrificing some security, being right on the front lines if there is a siege.

Your latest creation, as its predecessors, is a REMARKABLE piece of PURE ARTISTRY. VERY WELL DONE!
Thanks for the W.I.P. photos...it gives us of lesser abilities an idea of how you achieved your LOVELY works.

I know I keep saying this, but this one is one of my favourites!

But seriously, the way those houses are built on that stone structure... just beautiful!

I'm really happy that you decided to join the forum and share both your finished work and current WIPs. I'm sure lots of people have been gathering ideas and inspiration from your creations.

Joao