The wall section is one piece of a late medieval castle for use with tabletop minatures and rules. This was something I started decades ago when my kids were into Warhammer and we had taken a trip to England and Wales. Caernarvon, Conwy, the walls around York and Clifford's Tower, all served as inspiration. I intended to freelance a castle based on the concentric castles ala Beaumaris. I was using lots of styrofoam in various hobbies so this was the base material of choice. Given a coat of Woodland Scenics flexpaste, it would stand up to any paints or glues I might use on it. But a large castle requires a large effort, and lots of time to build and space to store. I forged ahead until I began painting the gatehouse.
Although I liked the result, painting it essentially stone by stone was going to require more than I was willing to give...so pn the shelf it went.
Fast forward 30 years or so.
2 events conspired to help pull the project off the pile: cleaning the basement and the random discovery of the Barron's War ruleset.
I had a freestanding wall section that would be placed at right angles to a corner tower (not shown) to extend the castle walls.
Having always wanted to do some hoardings on these walls, I seized the moment and my stash of balsa and got busy.
First, to choose a basis for my project. Set in a pre gunpowder and pre machicolation period, I would base it on a "putlog" style, but without actually using putlogs, as I wanted to make it removable.
I used 1/8 square balsa, dragging a razor saw over the surfaces to create an exaggerated grain. I made one frame by eye, measured and drew it, to create a pattern for creating uniform copies.
You get slightly less than 2 frames from a 3 ft piece (so buy extra)
I use some quick drying white glue called Tacky Glue which speeds the process. A sheet of waxed paper taped over the drawing and we're off. (You will need to change it out once or twice before you're done.)
A total of 12 frames will be required for each 18in. wall section. Have a selection of mini clamps, self closing tweezers, and small rubber bands handy to attach the stringers that connect the frames, as well as the floor and front wall. Patience and/or a talent for profanity will help.
The decking and wall was built of 1/32 in. Basswood cut into strips. They were cut to length, slipped in place, and the locations for the arrow loops marked with a pencil. They were then removed and the loops cut out. I opted for simple rectangles; many styles existed.
Although hoardings were typically not a permanent installation, and thus a raw wood finish would be appropriate, I just had to hit it with some stain.
For roofing, I wanted quick and dirty, and removable.
I used a sheet of chipboard joined in the middle by some lowly Scotch Tape (OK, the Super Sticky variant) and printed out slate roofing on my printer. (I have a store of roof, wall, and road textures saved for various scenery projects) The bottom edge and sides were trimmed with a sharp exacto to give an irregular edge. The underside of the edges of roof and shingle edges were blackened with a Sharpie, and fastened together with double sided tape.
On the bottom, I glue some balsa planks to keep it centered and from sliding forward, yet easily removed.
Archers! To the walls!
Here's my drawing. You'll need to match the design to your walls. Happy Hoarding!
No comments:
Post a Comment