Hi everyone

I know that this building doesn't really have much in common with WWII, or even WWI. I know it's a wierd scale (something between 1:32 and 1:54) and that this is not the greatest place to show it. Some of you might be even bored with my constant "medieval tower..." posts. BUT I thought to myself that maybe someone might find this building interesting, maybe it will put a cool idea in someone's head, maybe it will inspire:)
Also I like to post here because you guys (and girls) are so damn great:) you usually post great advice, give tips for improvement and other useful things. And such behaviour is frankly (and sadly) pretty hard to find on other boards.
So without further ado, I present my 'still in-progress' scratchbuilt medieval tower:



I've managed to finish the lower part of this building and started working on the upper piece. So far I've added a plasticard frame (0,5mm), some support stones for the upper part (those stones which stand out more, to hold the weight of the whole upper part) and some arch-like stones (to make the transition between the upper and lower part more fluent). It's moving a bit slow, but I think that it looks good so far, so I don't mind the slow pace.

So if you know anything about creating buildings, or see something totally unacceptable, please leave a reply, so I know what to work on. Also ideas for future improvement are more than welcome. Do you agree with me that it looks good, or is something more than wrong with it? Thanks in advance for any help

take care,
dsc.

Tom,

first of all, you have posted this in the right forum, It says 'buildings and ruins', and your's falls into that category. There is a majority of WW II stuff on our site, but we're not an exclusive club ( unlike some others). If you've built it, show it. Variety is the spice of life...

Anyway, your tower looks good, and would be a nice part of a medieval figure vignette. I've visited a lot of Castles, and the only thing I would comment on at this stage is the stones. The surface of the walls seems to be rather 'uneven' , with some stones projecting out quite a bit. This is often the case with ruins which have been exposed to the elements for some centuries, but if you are building a 'new' tower, the wall should be smoother. In the photo it seems to be the right wall which is a touch to rough, the left one looks better.
I like the crenelation ( spelling? I'ts been a long night and I want to go home... ) at the top, and look forward to see how you do the battlements on top.

Cheers
Henk

Hi Tom, Being an expert in Tile setting and not much else
Must say I love the tower and can see the hot oil spilling down her sides..keep us posted on your progress..Nice Work!

Hi Tom,

Impressive!

Here is SCENERY AND STRUCTURES , "The purpose of this list is to discuss different methods and types of scenery and structures model railroaders use, in building and perfecting their layout(s). This would include structures, roads, track, paints, weathering, hills, mountains, grass, trees etc Individuals may sell items..." They have a lot of info.

Fred

Hi Tom!!
It looks great dude!!
Really cool!!!
As Henk mentioned it would fit great for a vignette!!
What did you used for the stones???
Lokks very real!
Cheers!

About the diorama forum :




Being a moderator here (and therefore responsible for what can and can't be posted in the diorama forums) I have to say I have absolutely nothing against these wonderful not WWI and WWII related items. As long as it is related to modeling and/or dioramas you're just fine publishing it over here !

Please feel absolutely welcome in our diorama forums over here to post work like this.

About the work in progress :

what an example of high quality modeling.... you don't bore us at all. I'm sure that most modelers over here are delighted to see work like this.... The work you show us inspires me to take on a church tower diorama that I have been planning for a long time now....just didn't have the gutts to start is yet....

Wonderful work Tom, be sure to keep us posted !!

Keep on posting Tom, I following this through with you. I love what I see.

Tom,
Great work. Has tremendous "eye appeal".
What are your plans for the tower?
Also, what materials did you use for the stonework.
Can't wait to see it painted.
Keep posting.
Gary

I love it...Not much more to add that hasnt been said. I would love to know how you created the stones.
Mary (++)

Hi Tom. Im glad you´re sharing your work with us. You´ve put a lot of thought and work into this project, which we all can take advantage of.
I think the tower looks great, as is .. the texture and the informity of the brick work all add to the appeal.

Questions: Where are you going with this? I mean, have you plans or is this still in the experimental phase? Id love to see your brick work used to add more "architecture" to the model .. gatetowers, etc.
Im just imagining a tower-ruin with gate, portculles, walls, battlements, weathering, etc.
Check out this site CastleUK.Net especially in the wales area. With my wife being from South wales, Ive travelled around there a bit in search of these. Totally amazing.

First of all I would like to thank you all for your replies and kind words:) This is truly the greatest board!!

And now for the replies:

@Henk: you are true that the surface is uneven, but in my opinion it only makes this pieces more realistic. In reality those stones don't project that much. It's mostly because of the light on this picture. It gives a lot of shadows and thus creates a feeling that the whole wall is very uneven, when in fact the difference in depth is only somewhere around 0,5mm.

@John: I will try to keep you all updated:)

@Fred: thanks for the link mate! There's a lot of info there, it should help me a lot.

@George: everything is made from dental plaster. The texture was made using dental tool, some fine gravel and sand, it takes a lot fo time but the final effect is worth it in my opinion.

@Danny: glad to know that my work is welcomed here:)
Now get to work on that church tower diorama of yours!!;)

@JBoilard: stay tuned for more updates soon mate!

@Gary: I will try to make a brush-on mold and sell copies of it (but I'm not sure how that is going to go). As I said earlier it's made from dental plaster and it was practically laid stone by stone. Takes a loooot of time:)

@Mary: I might write a short "how to" in the future, but first I have to finish this tower:)

@Frank: I thought about adding some walls and a gate, but first I have to figure out how to make the building process faster (maybe I will cast some bigger panels).
Thanks for your castle link, it should be helpful when building something bigger.

So again thank you all for your replies and see you soon in the next update,

cheers,
dsc.