Stadtheim

Back up and running

2012-01-28T13:52:00.001Z

Hello there. After too long in hiatus I've returned to my little town. I'm rejigging the plans slightly for Stadtheim. The finished board will be smaller but I'm also replanning a few of them to cram more in. I've also played more games now and have a better idea of how to layout the terrain to make things a little more interesting and a little less canyon of death.

I'll get some photos of the warbands up, the orcs and the Reiklanders are complete now. I'm also doing an interior for the church, and am about to cut the brewery board to pieces and rebuild it.

Looking into the Sartosa setting by StyrofoamKing, which is looking likely to lead to a human pirate warband too. Will work nicely with the orcs I reckon.

Various things on the go, will post pictures as they come to fruition, starting with a nice overview of how the board looks as it stands. Be back soon.

More Averlanders

2010-09-05T21:04:00.003+01:00

The Averlanders are now up to strength (and even had their first game, though they lost miserably to Da Kabin Krew.. hardly surprising).

So introducing Faust's Footpads, Averlander Mercenary Warband.
First up the heroes:

First shot, left to right, is Curt (youngblood, sword & buckler), Herrick Faust himself (captain, sword, brace of pistols) and Mallory (sergeant, sword, axe).
Second shot shows Werner and Clovis, the two bergjaegers, both armed with longbows and an unerring ability to miss easy targets. bah.

And the henchmen:

First is Cohen's Clashers (a pair of greatsword armed mountain guard) and Dolph's Dividers (a single halberder).
Second shot is Mungo's Munchers (three bow armed halfling scouts).

You can see from the greatsword armed mountainguard I'm going for the tradtional yellow and black colourscheme. 'proper' painting like this really shows up my lack of brush skill, but never mind. The other two mountainguard and the captain and sgt will get similarly spangly outfits. The youngblood less so but along the same lines.

The bergjaegers and halflings will be in browns and muted tones.

Really like the halfling models, they're from Black Hat Miniatures, who incidentally were very quick, with decent communication letting me know exactly what's going on. Unlike Maelstrom and Wayland who both seem to prefer leaving me in the dark. Bah.

Anyway, that's Faust's Footpads. Need to get them all painted now.

Averlander Mercenaries

2010-08-31T19:48:00.003+01:00

Hot on the heels of finishing my Reiklanders I couldn't resist starting a new human mercenary warband. Obviously my Reiklanders will evolve and grow over time, but I wanted a second human warband to work on.

Spent ages trying to decide which one to go with, and ended up with the Averlanders. Why? Simple, they get halflings!

Here's where we are so far:

That's a youngblood with sword and buckler, and the captain with sword and brace of pistols. The second one show my mountain guard, two great swords and a halberd (obviously wip).

I love the greatswords, think it's such an awesome looking weapon. And so long as they attack en masse they should do some real damage. WS4, so decent chance of hitting most things, then S5 if they connect will give even dwarfs and orcs something to think about. Just got to survive the enemy's preemptive retaliation!

I'm also having a sergeant with a sword and an axe, then two bergjaegers with long bows. Then of course three halflings all with bows.

Ironically that's 5 BS4 bow/longbows. There's a good chance they'll outshoot the Reiklanders. Which seems a little odd since they're supposed to be all shooty n stuff. If they get that far I really want one of those old empire ogres, with the big floppy caps. That'd fit in perfectly here I think.

Reiklanders ready for battle!

2010-08-30T20:07:00.004+01:00

The Reiklander Mercenaries are now all based up and painted. I need to go back and do a few highlights and details (sure they'd appreciate getting eye-ed for instance), but they're table ready.

Working left to right the whole warband is:

Abel (youngblood). Weilding a hammer and sword Abel is an expert swordsman with a tendancy to injure his victims. Surprisingly strong for one so young. Unfortunately over zealous youthfullness means he tends to fluff a lot of his attacks. He'll learn. Or die trying.

Brother Yardstick (champion). A new arrivee from the Mysterious Measuring Monks. Alas Brother Furlong passed away cleaved in twain by a rather irate dwarf clansman.

Pistol Marksman). One of Falke's Fliers, he weilds a brace of pistols and boasts unerring accuracy both at range and in close.

Swordsman (Tibalt's Tankers). Weilding hammer and sword, this furious swordsman delivers a flurry of attacks.

Longbow Marksman. Falke himself, reknowned for his accuracy, though his success rate has diminished of late.

Albertus Brandt (captain). Albertus weilds a duelling pistol and gromril hammer. Stronger, more aggressive and more ruthless in close combat since first entering Stadtheim. His light armour has more than proved it's worth against Orc arrows.

Longbow Marksman, the latest addition to Falke's Fliers already one kill to his name.

Hans (champion). Another new comer, the replacement for Dieter. Who was in turn a replacement for Reinhard. Something of a cursed seat at the table.

Swordsman (Harald's Hitters), a newly recruited henchman ready to join the search for riches and glory.

Crossbow Marksman, lending some much needed power to Falke's Fliers. A high kill rate for this one.

Wilber (youngblood), recently graduated to expert swordsman status. We shall see how this aids him, Wilber already having missed two battles through injuries.

And there you have it. Fame and glory awaits. Or at the very least enough coffers to hire a bloody big Ogre!

Hans is

Town Overview

2010-08-30T10:44:00.002+01:00

Here's the town as it currently stands, the layout I've been playing on to learn the rules. Each board is 16" square, so it needs another row of three down the left hand side to bulk up to 4'x4'.

The boards at the front are the newest. Now I've sorted out the fluff and location for this place, I can say with some certainty that that's the river Aver. Right there, at the front. Looking a little black and brown. Hrm.

Left front board, the canal mouth, doesn't need a huge amount more work. The plank of balsa wood is obviously going to be replaced with a proper foot bridge.

The right front board is being worked on at the moment. It's getting a small stall in the first gap in the tiles, the other side will be a small merchants house. Then between the two will be a tower with a small courtyard. Then steps down in the gap and at the front a quay. It's all planned. Just not, you know, happening all that fast.

I've also decided I need to do an interior for the church, otherwise it's just a big obstacle. Fortunately the roof is removable anyway so it just needs a floor, a few pews and a paintjob. Then I'll finally get all the stained glass windows in!

Amazing how just playing a game changes your perception of the build, which bits are useful and what needs work. The brewery yard definitely needs a second entrance for instance, otherwise unless you start in there or the scenario requires building searches why would you ever use it?

Orc Pirates!

2010-08-29T17:13:00.002+01:00

Waagh. Indeedy. Ok the orcs are moving along nicely. I got all the sculpting done a few days ago, and now I've finished painting the Reiklanders I'm working my way through these guys. Today I got Kaptin Kabin done.

Very simple colour scheme and paintwork as always (base coat, wash, occasional highlights). Quite happy with the kaptin, not sure if it shows in the pic too well but his beard is orange with flecks of red then drybrushed yellow. Looks quite vivid.

And here he is with the other four painted crewmen:

LR: a Kabin Runt, a Spika Krew member, Kaptin Kabin, Nuggit the shaman, an Arra Krew member.

Still got 7 to go. Oh and Boz 'Un had to be renamed Boz Het, because somehow he ended up looking like James Hetfield.

Brandt's Return

2010-08-23T20:32:00.032+01:00

Brandt's Return

It was with great reticence and a tangible sense of unease that Albertus Brandt returned to the town of Stadtheim. His last visit, some two years ago, had ended in the death of his good friend and trusted sword Richter at the hands of the the vile skaven filth.

Stadtheim, a small port on the River Aver, was a fairly innocuous little town until a few years back. After the well documented events in Mordheim, many miles to the north, illicit wyrdstone trade routes sprang up right across the eastern Empire. Many tried their luck travelling down the River Stir, which passed through Mordheim itself. However the 'Stir Run' proved fateful for all who attempted it. Local militia and like-minded competition watched eagle-eyed day and night, slaughtering and dispossessing any who came to their grasp.

And so by strange misfortune it was to the gates of Stadtheim that the major southern route fell. Crossing Stirland on foot was no mean task, but from here the wyrdrunners could ride the river to Nuln and beyond in relative safety.

The flowing trade had changed Stadtheim from an unassuming burg to a bustling merchant haven. The Mayor expanded the city watch three fold to deal with the rising robbery crime, but otherwise did little to stop the flow of wyrdstone through his town's limits. The local nobility benefited greatly from the growth, increasing their power and status through canny trade and careful employ of less tasteful methods.

It was in the purse of one such noble that Albertus had last served in Stadtheim. He'd been hired to track down a band of giant rats that had followed a trade convoy to the town. His mission had been a success, destroying the skaven to the last and acquiring a large haul of wyrdstone in the process. The loss of Richter had stung Brandt deeply though, and he left the town vowing never to return.

Yet two years later he was once again stood at the town gates, his new warband in tow ready to tackle another mission. The missive from Baron Ritter had been too tempting to ignore. An enormous cache of wyrdstone was discovered to be within the town, and warriors and mercenaries from all across the Empire were flocking to Stadtheim to contend for riches and glory. The Baron had made Brandt a hefty proposition if he would champion Ritter's stake in the treasure hunt. The chance to re-equip his warband and maybe make one last run at Mordheim itself couldn't be passed over.

"Lost in reverie, Captain?" said Brother Furlong, the man who had so adequately filled Richter's shoes.

"Hardly, padre. This town holds nothing for me now but the big pile of coin that's headed our way," replied Brandt.

The rest of the warband, dubbed "Brandt's Brigands" by one of the youngbloods, filed past up the street toward the nearest tavern. The journey from Altdorf had been a long one, but once rested up they'd be hot on the trail of the apparent fortune.

And they weren't the only ones. Already in the town were many bands of mercenaries from Marienburg, Middenheim, Ostland and of course Averland itself. Dwarf treasure hunters had come out of the World's Edge Mountains. Even bands of Halflings had travelled from the nearby Mootland. Rumours of pirates of every creed and colour (including green) were spreading like wildfire around the town. Who knows what other vile creatures were also a party to the hunt in the dark of night?

Stadtheim, for the time being at least, was about to pay host to the Empires largest brawl. To the victor, untold spoils and riches. To the losers, ignominy and desperation. If they were very lucky.

So it begins.

Yarrrrr, Pirates!

2010-08-20T17:34:00.003+01:00

Started painting the orc pirates. Slowly slowly as usual, but the first guy has been base coated and washed. He'll get some detailing and some highlights, though not much as is my usual style.

Really happy with the feel of these guys though. And the sculpting, whilst not gobsmacking, seems to be ok in the final thing. The bandanas across the crew are alright, and this guys mutton chops make me chuckle which is what it's all about.

Hope to get the rest painted up this weekend. Also, now I have a rule book to read (hate reading long articles on screen) I've started to learn to play. Might try a couple of solo games this weekend to figure out how things work. Woo.

Warbands Update

2010-08-17T22:16:00.004+01:00

Quick update on the three warbands then.

The Reiklanders I'm still waiting for my empire militia to arrive. Have been decidedly let down by the Internet in the last two weeks, orders are taking forever. Perhaps there's a postal strike I don't know about?

However I've got a parcel to collect tomorrow, I think that's my Mordheim boxed set. Just the rules and the minis, no scenery (which obviously I'm providing my own!). So those guys should fill up my Reiklanders and the new militia will go to my second human warband.

The Orc Pirates are greenstuffed, or pro-created anyway, and have been primed. They're currently on the kitchen floor drying. I'll try and get the first one painted tomorrow and pics online.

The Possessed I'm waiting on all my orders except for the Magister, who put everyone else to shame arriving two days after purchase. Very cool character, was concerned it might not be tall enough but he's as large as my biggest Reiklander so it'll work fine. I've just chopped off the horrid premoulded base and severed his hand ready for the sword.

They're coming along well all in all. Printed out Empire in Flames yesterday and am reading through that slowly. Hence getting inspired about the Carnival of Chaos too!

Also tonight I put together my five WIP terrain boards to see how they looked. Very exciting! Hope to get another one started at the weekend and give me enough scenery to have a dabble at learning the rules. Feel like a big kid again ;)

Yar, avast, etc

2010-08-15T15:04:00.002+01:00

So following on from my comments about not being able to stay focussed, in the two days since I've ordered my possessed warband I've had to find something else to occupy my time. And these are the results.

Da Kabin Krew!

First up is Kaptin Kabin and his faithful (ish) shaman, Nuggit.

Kap'n Kabin is just a black reach nob with an ogre's sword (reshaped to be more scimitar like), and a big club for a counts-as morning star. The head as the black reach warboss's, so I've removed the bionics ready for an eye patch and bit hat. I'm also quite happy with the balsa peg leg :D
Nuggit is a normal orc boy with a cut down spear and slightly modified axe. His head is a cross between a boy and a night goblin.

Next up the Big 'Uns, Boz Un and Boz Wan.

They are one piece plastic boyz (not sure where from, another bits purchase), with slight arm changes and a couple of plasticard scimitars. They need tricorn hats obviously.

Then we have the henchmen. Firstly, Da Arra Krew.

Again one piece plastics with slight tweaks. Very happy with the guy on the right considering the source. Oh and lefty has a hook hand made from a bretonnian horn/flask/thing. They'll get bandanas.

Then Da Spika Krew:

These are normal boys with converted spears, one with a peg leg and one with a hook. These guys are also getting bandanas.

Finally Da Kab'n Runtz.

These are normal goblins, again will get bandanas. I love the guy on the left, blatantly saying "once I figure out how this works, you're gonna get it!", and the guy on the right looking up at one of the orcs getting his orders.

Hoping to start the sculpts today, shouldn't take too long. Kaptin's hat is the main point of concern as it'll make or break that piece. Everyone else is just tweaks and it's their paint work that'll sell them as pirates. Fingers crossed.

Reiklander's based

2010-08-15T15:02:00.003+01:00

Very quick post about my Reiklanders, they now have their bases. Very cool little resin cobbled bases from Fenris on eBay. Great casts and I'm really happy with the results.

Just need my militia to arrive now and they can have some henchmen!

Canal Barge

2010-08-15T14:59:00.002+01:00

Done some more work on the canal board. Spent a while sorting out the various boxes and crates and so on, they're now ready to be sprayed if the weather holds.

Not sure where I saw this tip, but I tried wood stain on my balsa wood and it seems to work really well. I've done the barge as you can see. If then had a light drybrush of bleached bone. The cabin needs the edges touching up (stain won't work if there's superglue present!), and then the tin roofs need washes.

But yeah, happy with that effect. Looks almost like wood. Stain gave me a headache though, worth doing outdoors I guess.

Possessed Warband

2010-08-14T11:18:00.003+01:00

Whilst I wait for my free company box to arrive so I can complete my human mercenaries, I've planned out my next warband!

I'm going to do a Possessed band, initially based around cultists but with a view to add in beastmen at a later date.

I spent about an hour last night planning out the group, picking the miniatures and getting them ordered. Hopefully they'll all arrive next week!

The Magister is this Reaper cleric:

Unfortunately Reaper charge a bloody fortune to ship to the uk (the model is £3.19, shipping is £9) and it'll take 2-3 weeks. Sod that, found one on eBay for 4quid delivered. Woo. Going to change the left hand for a suitably evil looking sword (open to suggestions).

I've gone for 1 Possessed. Was going to do more but I like the idea of more cultists. After shopping around I came up with Mutant Grant from Hasslefree:

He's obviously intended to be modern, but I think with a slight change to the trousers and glove he'll be fine. He's got a Great Claw mutation of course!

Next is a Mutant, this time from Heresy:

He's the alternate head version of Sebastien, the hero emo-mage. I plan to remove an arm and give him a Tentacle mutation, then a small axe in the other hand. Should fit nicely with...

Two sets of 3 Bretheren. One lot have got spears, the others I'll convert to have bows/axe.

I've wanted to use the Tunnel Guard for ages and couldn't find a reason. I've gone for the random assortment of heads too to keep it interesting.

And if I've added up right the whole kaboodle is 500gc. And only cost about £25. Woo.

Pics and further details when they arrive.

Human Mercanaries

2010-08-12T15:38:00.005+01:00

My first warband! Well technically my second, but the dwarfs seem to be stuck in limbo at the moment so we'll ignore them.

Not sure where these guys hail from yet, they're basically all my warhammer bits I've ever had (my 40k bits box is well, about ten boxes, wfb one teeny tiny tray), combined with a couple of dwarf bits.

The whole crew so far. I've got five henchmen, I think from Advanced Heroquest. I originally bought them to be statues, and I think they'll stay that way. I've got an Empire Free Company box on order from Wayland so that'll replace them.

The Captain, with a hammer and duelling pistol. Still needs highlights and his eyepatch colouring.

First Champion, with a sword and axe. Was really scraping the barrel for bits for him, he was the last one built. The axe is actually one of those frog-ended drumsticks with a dwarf hand axe head. Will see how good he looks when I get around to painting him.

Brother Furlong of the Mysterious Measuring Monks :). This guy has been around from the start, acting as a scale 'barry' for my scenery photos. Therefore he had to be in the first warband, only fitting. Sword and mace and too many pies.

Marksman with longbow. The quiver on his back is from the dwarfs, no idea what the rest is! Quite like him, looks sort of relaxed but ready to pounce.

And lastly the other marksman with dual pistols. My favourite model in the band so far. Again no idea what the constituent parts are, except for the pistols which come from the dwarfs. I'm told pistols aren't all that clever in Mordheim, but how cool does dual weilding look? Been a fan ever since Rise of the Triads wth the cheat code akimbo. Yes I'm old, shh.

That's it so far. All paint in progress, although the monk is nearly there.

Canal PIP & Crane

2010-08-12T15:34:00.002+01:00

The painting of the canal warehouse board has begun. Really happy with the flagstones, still a little unconvinced by the tower. I might do another lighter coat to try and make a wider difference between the two surfaces.

You can also see in the above pictures I've started the roof. I've done the vertical gables and started the detailing on the hoist. All WIP at the moment of course.

Also done some work on the hamster crane. I realised when I had a proper look that it didn't really have the reach to get across the path at the side of the canal. Hrm. So I've mounted it on a small platform.

The small notch in the supporting beams sits over the raised edge of the canal sides. This means the platform hangs over the edge by about 2cm. Gives it enough clearance to reach the barge.

Also worked out how to attach the wheel to the main post, which I have done. And even added some little stairs for detail. I plan to surround this and the cart with sacks and boxes anyway so it should need much more detailing.

Modelling Mates review

2010-08-08T20:03:00.002+01:00

I recently bought a set of Modelling Mates moulds from TerraScenic, they looked like a bargain at £21.60 so I thought I'd have a go.

The photo above shows what you get for your money. Three moulds, each one 6 1/2 inches square. One is of cubes, the other blocks twice the size of the cubes, and the final miscellaneous pieces.

The variety is great and the sheer number of pieces you get per mould means you won't be casting as often.

The moulds are made from EVA foam, which to me is the stuff on my golf trolley handle, but you may know it in other ways! It's a dense, flexible foam which seems rather sturdy. The base is a softer material which is glued to the main body.

A comparison with a basic Hirst Arts block is shown above. As you can see these blocks are much bigger and therefore not interchangable with HA. Based on the number per cast though I could see you building a small tower with only two or three casts of each mould.

The texture is very different. HA blocks are sculpted and very detailed, but the pattern on MM blocks comes from the foam itself. It reminds me of a fine concrete. Texture is on sides and bottom just as with HA blocks.

The casts require a small amount of cleaning. It appears the moulds where sliced to form the cavities, and in doing so there has been a small amount of over-cut. So each cast brick will have a few mm of plaster on each corner which can be removed with a single pass of a sharp knife.

Above is a photo of my current assembly, I'll get a complete photo when done. This is going to be the lighthouse of Stadtheim bay. The misc mould has three different radius curves on it, which will work nicely for me and offers good flexibility.

Overall I'd say they offer a cheap alternative to HA and will provide nice variety of texture for the terrain builder. I doubt these will last anything like as long as HA moulds (the base seems to deform slightly at each demoulding and I'm worried about tearing the foam at some of the weaker points), but for pure value for money you can't argue. Three moulds for the same prices as only 2/3s of a Hirst Arts one seems like too good a deal to me.

I'll post a finished model when I've got one, and let you know how I get on with the long term survivability of the moulds. In the meantime though I'd recommend giving them a look.

Mould making

2010-08-08T20:00:00.002+01:00

Trying to cast my own windows. I built a couple of masters, seen in the photo below. Small windows the same size, one with the shutter closed one open. I then took a silicone cast (shown right) and am trying out casting.

Basically I'd like to avoid having to cast them all in resin, that stuff's expensive. With a bit of work the plaster results might be ok. They're prone to bubbling and the wire mesh needs the plaster brushing on to avoid a complete mess. When I perfect the technique I'll show the cast results. Then they'll go in the tavern and all will be shiny.

Fountains

2010-08-08T19:57:00.002+01:00

A couple of fountains I'm working on. These are really just to let me test out water effects for the canal, but should work out ok none the less.

Really struggling with my limited hirst arts moulds collection. Need to buy the round turret mould I think to make stuff like this easier.

The first will have a statue, I'm tempted to try for it spraying water but get the feeling that might be running before I can sit upright.

Not sure about the owls on the second, they're just balanced at the moment. It ties into the whole owl theme of the church, and the goddess Verena. With a texture they might work, the fact they're very low detailed lego pieces could work for partially eroded stone. Dunno..

Canal Warehouse

2010-08-08T19:50:00.002+01:00

The canal board has been getting most of my attention recently. It was the small cargo barge that actually brought me back to Stadtheim from my 40k projects.

The warehouse is now up to roof level, the main doorway at the top will have a crane jib above to lower goods to passing vessels. The back door opens on street level. There's a wooden stairway to get to the goods doorway. Then a small door opens on each side at the lower street level.

When I came back to this I noticed the tower was well out of shape. Somehow it'd grown about 1/4 inch at the back. I decided to stick with this, hopefully with a slightly skewed roof it'll look ramshackle rather than badly built! We shall see.

The details for this board are shown below:

The first is the barge, with a couple of Antenociti's crates and currently a single Renedra barrel. I'm going to do a couple of large crate piles covered with tarps (saves money :D).

Second photo shows the in progress crane which will be loading goods to the barge. Human hamster power ftw.

Thrd is a very quick cart I built today. Not bad for half an hour's work. It's a bit rough but I like it that way.

I'm hoping this will be the first complete board, though I may not do the water until all the canal boards are sorted. That way I can make sure they're all the same.

Tavern Expansion

2010-08-08T19:44:00.002+01:00

Remember the tavern, that very brief update with a single photo? Well I've been working on that, it's expanding and has somehow acquired a hugely complicated roof.

First picture above is the front view, with the main gable showing. The arch shaped hole will have a recessed window I borrowed from some random terrain I've seen somewhere. The roof will go over the main body and stop in a small dormer at the back.

Second pic is the rear view, the block on the right is the new kitchen wing. On the other side will be steps up to the first floor, they're not in yet.

The grey stuff is depron, shown in the third photo. This is my first play with this stuff and it's great. The first floor will be half timbered for a traditional look. Still no board to mount this on yet, but that won't stop it growing.

Stadtheim Lives!

2010-08-03T16:00:00.003+01:00

I'm back. It's been a while since I've had time/inclination to work on the town but currently on holiday from work and finding time to get stuck back in.

Bought some depron, which I'm using for the ground floor of the tavern, that's going quite well. Also learned how to mould/cast stuff, so trying to sort out my own windows later.

Couple of new purchases arrived today. From Renedra I bought a couple of sets of barrels. Big ones are about 15mm high, little ones about 10mm. Seem very well scaled for 28mm models so I'll be scattering these around.

Then from TerraScenic I bought a set of Modelling Mates moulds. Basically a cheaper version of Hirst Arts moulds. Made from EVA foam (the stuff you get on fishing rod and exercise bike handles), they lack the detail and quality of the HA stuff. However for 2/3 the price of a single HA mould you get THREE of these. Plus they're a lot larger, the basic block one has 28 individual blocks.

I'm casting up my second batch now, once I have enough to build something I'll show it. They're a little larger than HA bricks but should work well to give variety to my town.

Finally I'm working on the canal section. The warehouse is almost up to roof line and I'm building a small cargo barge to go under the crane.

Photos coming.

Canal Mouth

2009-11-02T19:11:00.002Z

Hallo. Quick update with what I'm currently working on. After the slight change to the layout I mentioned the other day, I've been looking at the part where the canal meets the sea or river or whatever it is off board.

This piece extends the existing canal system with one side higher than the other. Similar style all the way along. The tall edge finishes with a cliff face, which will hopefully look better when textured and detailed. The other side has a small pier thingamy which will be set up as a small canon emplacement. The idea is it should stop intruders sailing straight up the canal.

Still to do is the footbridge over the canal, got some plans but need to get hold of some pink foam.

Here are the two canal boards together, also entitled "why we build with set squares". D'oh. Yes, I need to move the bricks on the new board and file down the edge to get a smooth join. However I like how it's coming along, the view down the canal is pretty cool.

Still plenty to do but work is a bit insane at the moment so I've lost my weekends. Once I get them back things should start progressing again.

The town in SketchUp

2009-10-25T15:58:00.002Z

Combined with my slow workrate, my inability to photograph models in an explanatory way I thought might make this a worthwhile venture. I wanted to try and give people a better overview of where the town is going, as well as explain it to myself!

So last night I downloaded SketchUp. Not used it before, but figured how hard could it be? Turns out it's the easiest packaging for visualisations I've ever used. It genuinely IS like sketching in 3d. A few things are clunky but perhaps when you get to that point you should be using a bigger package (Maya is my preference). Anyway, I digress.

This is Stadtheim! Not sparta, nor indeed frothers. The town has changed a bit from the map on the right. Whilst ostensibly this is modular terrain, since it won't be played on much if at all I'm desigining it to be put together in a certain way.

The new blocks on the front left edge are the coast. Too tempted by the awesome pirate models out there to not do this. I may even extend one block further out so I can put in a harbour wall, but for now it'll stop there. The far edge will become a cliff, the near a small dock with jetties.

Of all the blocks shown I now have 5 on the go, the latest being the mouth of the river. The far corner is a plan I have based on the rather spectacular town of Rothenburg. There will be three bridges in total. The one shown, and another wide one the other side of the watch house. Finally a small footbridge will go over the river mouth.

Too many ideas. This could easily end up being a city..

Verena Statue.. sort of

2009-10-21T20:33:00.002+01:00

I made this plinth ages ago and have been looking for a statue to go on it. The plint is just to top from a cylinder of tooth paste and a plaster cast from the lid of a cold coffee drink. The texture is just plaster dust and chunks from hacking up hirst arts blocks.

The owl I found in an old box of stuff. I'd love the say I painted the patina like that, but actually it's just because it's spent many years in a slightly damp loft.

Anyway, I think it'll work nicely as a subtle statue to Verena, although if I find a 54mm roman goddess miniature I may change my mind.

Oh and apologies for the random thumbnail, my photo script crops in strange ways sometimes to create the thumbs.

Church and Stained Glass

2009-10-19T20:33:00.003+01:00

The church! My favourite piece, I really love this. I think when it's detailed properly it'll be the sort of thing I'll keep coming back to just to look at.

So current state of play. The grounds are painted, the main cobbles need another drybrush to a lighter grey, looks very black at the moment. I'm really happy with the brown cobbles though, love the effect (paint brown, black wash, drybrush same brown).

Need to sort out the roof of the lean to at the back. Need railings for the graveyard as well as detailing and painting and so on for the headstones.

And then the stained glass windows! I'm so happy with these, to the point I'm almost proud. The finished effect is great and I really need to get the rest in. The one in the pic above isn't fastened, just propped up for show. I'm going to use a white back drop to help the colours stand out, as shown. Bit dusty, need to keep an eye on that somehow.

But yeah, thrilled with how this is coming together. If the rest of my town works out half as well I think I'll be happy with the overall project. At the moment just desperate to get the four in progress boards done.

Watchhouse Painting

2009-10-19T20:31:00.002+01:00

The watch house has progressed slightly since last post. The watch house itself is now painted. The wood needs another drybrush and the windows need something, just undercoated at the moment. Looks better in person that it does in my dodgy photos. Lessons to be learned I'm sure.

The tower is one of my favourite pieces, I thought it deserved a couple of photos. The joists under the walkway need adjusting then painting, and there's still no door on the middle access arch, but it's getting there. Oh and I need to paint under the eaves.

Canal

2009-10-19T20:25:00.002+01:00

I'm back! So I've not been slacking on the actual project, but I have been somewhat lax in updating this blog. Therefore tonight I've taken a load of photos of the current progress.

First up is the new canal board. This is the sort of piece I've wanted to do since starting this project (and long before) and I'm enjoying it immensely. However casting all these blocks with only a prison tower mould is a pain (only 8 normal blocks per cast). So I've ordered a second mould which should help.

This is going to form the basis of the canal pieces. There will be four in total, one in a 90degree turn. The left hand side in the top photo stops at tier one, the right at tier two. This will limit the flexibility of the boards but should add some very cool dynamics to the final piece. I hope.

The building in the middle is going to be a warehouse. It will go up two storeys above the top level before being peaks on the third. I'll do a gantry on the canal side and a simple jib to allow loading into barges.

Do need to figure out how best to do water. I've got a bottle of water effects but I think it could get expensive. Ideally it will cover the small walkways. The theory being they're underwater, but you can see them and use them if you need to.

Oh and my first figure! The warrior monk duder. Just a few pieces I had kicking around from a bitz buy on ebay. I think I'll paint him up and he can be the "barry" for this project.

Stained Glass (again)

2009-10-12T22:20:00.003+01:00

Right then, long time no update. I've not been slacking though, things are progressing.

My main problem is my bloody camera batteries refuse to hold their charge, meaning I have to charge the things each time. Irksome. Anyway, the church is coming along nicely. The whole thing is more or less painted, just needs a roof for the lean-to at the back and some detailing.

I've finished the sheet for the windows, infact I now have it printed on acetate ready to be framed and mounted.

As you can see a few bits of reptition, but I'm happy with that. The two owls and Verena herself will go on the rear of the church. Then the two sides are a sword and two small windows, then the front has just two small windows either side of the tower. Obviously the round ones are for the top of the tower.

I need to get one cut out, then framed with thin card and put in place to see what it looks like. Then it's a case of trying to decide what goes behind it. Because the colours are quite washed out they obviously have a lot of white in them. Print white and you get, well nothing! So the acetate windows are quite transparent. I still think some tin foil behind them might work well if I can avoid creasing it.

Also need to sort out the section for the next tile, the first canal piece. Taking a lot of effort with the casting but it's coming along and definitely needs photographing.

Once I charge my batteries...

Stained Glass Windows

2009-10-01T20:30:00.005+01:00

Right then, so second or third attempt at these. I'm getting happier with the results, but as you can see I don't really know what I'm doing! These will be printed on acetates, then the black borders overlayed with card to give it a bit of depth.

The church is dedicated to Verena goddess of knowledge and justice, hence the owls and scales n such. I'll keep that theme throughout the windows. I will most likely get bored and repeat a few, but I'd like each of the four sides to look different. I also need to sort out the circle windows for the bell tower.

Oh and if you visit that link you'll see where the sword/scales image came from, was ruthlessly traced. As was the owl, which is why it feels slightly odd perhaps.

All for suggestions if any of my new found visitors from BoLS would like to comment ;)

Church Update!

2009-09-28T19:56:00.002+01:00

Aha, the church returns. Yes I've not abandoned this one at all. The roof is done and painted. The church itself has had its first drybrush, will need another to pick out the details. I also need to sort out the grounds, that's a job for this week I think.

I've had two goes at the stained glass windows, but I'll do another. It's a church of Verena, so lots of scales and owls all over the place. Should look good.

I toyed with the idea of lighting the inside, but I just don't think it'll ever get used and be a lot of effort. So I'm now thinking about tin foil on the inside of each window. Should serve to bounce light back around and hopefully make the windows 'pop'.

I'm really happy with this for my first dig with hirst arts. I got so buoyed by this I did the watch tower and I think things will spiral from there.

Brewery getting closer

2009-09-28T19:49:00.003+01:00

Heya. Right worked like a trojan over the weekend on various bits of this project. Well, relatively speaking.. I'm so easily distracted :)

The brewery is now roofed (rooved?), once the fermenting balls are detailed it'll be ready for painting. A little tidying to do on the edge of the roof but the glue was drying.

A couple of shots of the board as it stands. You see the walls are now up around the brewery and ready for texturing. It's all cramped, but that's exactly how I wanted it. Areas of the town will be more expansive, but this is the slummy/light industrial area.

Quite happy with the second shot. I'll take one again once I have it painted. I'm hoping for something similar to the streets I saw in creet, all overhanging balconies and narrow passages.

Which brings me nicely to this

the second house for the brewery board. It looks a little odd at the moment, but it needs a frame erecting on the top. The idea is it's a ramshackle little building the owner keeps extenting. So you'll see the existing roof line, then it's raised up with boarding and a new level is being added.

It's inspired by the quote in many of the Discworld Books "what Ankh Morpork is mostly built on is Ankh Morpork" (to mangle it badly). I love the idea it's a growing, living town with stories behind most buildings. I really dislike the empty feeling you get in games where it's just a scene, cheap props with no depth. I want this town to have a representable tale.

That's the theory anyway!

Brewery Update

2009-09-24T22:04:00.003+01:00

Making some progress then, hopefully this weekend I'll get the brewery tile moved up to around the detailing stage. Here's how it stands..

I know, masses to do. There's a wall to put right around the raised area, a second house to put on the far side of the first, then some sort of path on the near side of the slope.

The second house is going to be undergoing an extension, so it'll be completed up to the first floor, then the roof will have been removed and there will be a wooden frame in place. Trying to give more access to things. It was a plan from the start to have this not as a ruined town, but as one being built or at least expanded.

Also on show in that pic is my latest piece, the brewery chimney. It needs linking to the brewery itself, but I'm very happy with the result. It's made from polystyrene cut into bricks, glued up all haphazard, textured with sand and painted. The top is a combination of some random Action Force bit and the safety cover from a firework rocket fuse. Random is the best way forward.

First Painted Building!

2009-09-20T19:49:00.002+01:00

Woo, first building is complete. Well ok it needs a little tidying, and it's probably the smallest building I'll do, but still, huzzah.

The small house is for the brewery tile, I'm going to do another one of a similar size to go next to it, overlooking the brewery courtyard.

I'm not 100% sure about the finish, I'm not the world's greatest painter by any stretch, but I like to try and develop a style early on in a project that I like, and I'll be happy to continue throughout. The "white" bits were a bit of a pain. Everything was primed black, then I tried to drybrush white upwards, the whole thing ended up looking like a black and white photo!

So I used a white wash (never done a wash in white before) to flatten out the panels and it looked better. The advantage being it also loosened some of the black primer giving the white a streaky, weather worn look. It would benefit from further weathering and the like, I may come back to it later.

The roof line needs a little tidying, always the way when you come to photo it you spot the errors. Probably because it's so much bigger on screen. Finally the wood work would definitely benefit from another, lighter tone drybrush. It's only had one so far.

However these things aside I'm rather happy with the end result, certainly from a couple of feet away (as I expect the whole thing to be viewed) it's rather effective.

Not been a wasted weekend, the watchhouse tower is almost painted, and the watchhouse itself is now textured. Also casting like crazy for the next new tile. Oooh, suspense huh?

Watchhouse detailing

2009-09-10T20:37:00.004+01:00

Just realised I hadn't posted the watch house for a while, that's taken a nice jump forward.

The woodwork is all on, as are the plastic/resin accessories. The windows are all from a mordheim bits buy on ebay. The doors are Antenociti's ones of course.

The sand is chinchilla bathing sand, as recommended by the nice people over at Terragensis. Much nicer finish than normal sharp sand. I'm not sure how well it's stuck though, think it may need more glue than normal sand. I've stippled on some paint onto one side (so as not to sweep it all off) and will see how well it's stuck once dry.

Particularly happy with this one, and it looks pretty cool sat on top of the stone ground floor too. It's next on my list for painting after the church, which has now begun.

Oh and hallo to anyone coming from BoLS, I'm not in the blog alliance which has done wonders for my hit count. Please do feel free to comment, otherwise I just end up talking to myself and from there it's a slippery slope to going shopping wearing slippers and calling everyone m'lud...

Brewery Cladding

2009-09-10T20:36:00.002+01:00

Brewery continues, now got some of the woodwork sorted. Still lots of detailing to do, but it's starting to look more like I wanted it to. Still struggling to find some decent sized kegs, worrying I may have to make them. Might have a play at sculpting some from foam and see how it goes!

Disco Brewery!

2009-09-03T22:11:00.002+01:00

Yeah, well almost. Combine cheap plastic confetti with superglue and you get instant rivets! Working on the brewery whilst a few bits of card dry on the watch house.

The doors have just been finished and mounted, they're almost full height (two storey). The brewery itself needs work but I've started the detailing. Just cut some balsa to do the heavy duty beaming work. I need a few more bits and bobs for the fermenting balls, then I'll put some seams on them and try and add a patina effect to try and emulate brass.

I think this piece will live or die with the courtyard. If I can decorate it suitably it should look pretty slick. Need to find some decent sized barrels. If anyone knows where I can get some 2" scale barrels I'd appreciate a heads up, all I can find are normal small ones.

Watchhouse Overview

2009-09-01T22:59:00.000+01:00

Got the roof of the watch house done today, so thought I'd take some pics of the whole caboodle. First pic shows the courtyard area. I need to do something with the wall, I'm thinking iron railings along the top. At the back at the stables, unfortunately in taking this I realised with the cobbles down the arches are rather low (I'd guess around 7ft in real money). Not sure it that buggers the stables idea or not. May end up being a storage area or something.

Second shot is a full height pic of the tower in all its glory. I'm rather happy with the dimensions, is quite pleasing to the eye. The bridge will join in the arch on the right hand side.

The final two shots show the street at the front. Not sure if I'm going to do a gateway into the courtyard, or just let it be formed naturally by the tower bridge. However once detailed I think the street should work nicely.

Going to work on timbering the watch house next, then it'll be texturing and painting time. All very exciting!

More bits!

2009-08-30T17:54:00.003+01:00

Another order has just arrived from the terrain store. They do precast hirst arts blocks at a very reasonable rate, this little pile was about 12quid I think. The casts are pretty good, though the plaster is softer than the type I use myself. Don't see it beng a problem though, the church tower is made from them and they're fine.

Unwrapped and put in this box to dry out, sitting in the sun yesterday has done that so they're ready to go.

I bought two types of floor slabs, 1 1/2" square each. There are basic rough textured slabs, then a mixed bag of bricks, herringbone and concentric. All look great and will be awesome in my town square as my chess board.

Speaking of the chess board, I'm going to go for dwarfs vs chaos dwarfs. Should be great, though I'll have to convert my own CDs since the old plastics go for a fortune on ebay, and the new ones are rumoured to be FW only. Hardly a cheap solution. Chaos Dwarf Online has lots of guides for converting and I'm not bad with greenstuff, so I'm sure I'll manage.

Just wish I had more time to work on this, work is batshit insane at the moment and taking up a big chunk of my free time. Still, when I'm retired by 35 I'll have plenty of time to work on my models. hehe.

The Watch house

2009-08-30T17:51:00.002+01:00

This is the watch house itself then. It's quite large as you can see, but I intentionally reduced the size of the main block so it didn't dwarf the watch tower. The link to the tower will be on the other side of the main block.

The small block on the right sits over the stables, still not sure if I'm going to do that as a hay loft or actual rooms. Ideally I'd like it to look like a converted hay loft but I'm not sure I can manage that.

The basic premise (need to find a decent spot to write down these themes) behind this is a coaching inn which was built in the shelter of a watch tower. As the town grew the watch commandeered the building, linked the tower to the inn block and started using it as their headquarters.

Oh yes, there's logic behind everything I do. Honest ;)

Brewery Base

2009-08-30T17:47:00.002+01:00

Done a bit more to the brewery base. I appreciate this blog isn't really showing the whole picture, so I'll try and take more explanatory photos.

This is the type of bases I'm using for the whole town. 40cm squared. The polystyrene is about 2inches thick, and it will go up to three layers high. The first layer is the basic road, allowing for digging down for the canal and sewers/basement steps etc.
The second and third layer will give me nice height to the whole town when complete. I hope.

The brewery goes up one level, but it will be an enclosed courtyard so it won't need to join onto anything. All sides will be textured so tiles can butt together even if there are mismatched layers.

The space front right is for the town house, the little triangle front left is a running theme through the boards, just a small section of cobbles to give a consistency to the boards so they should join nicely. The roads are all done from textured wallpaper.

Should get a photo of each of the boards with the current buildings in place.

Church Roof

2009-08-30T17:45:00.002+01:00

Hah, sounds like it should be a fundraising event. However the church roof is started, has been for a while. I'm really happy with the whole church, the dimensions are rather pleasing.

The other side of the roof is complete, just need to finish off this one, then join them together. Could be tricky since the glue seems to have warped the foamboard for some reason. I'll build an a-frame then clamp the sides to it, all should be ok.

I've also come up with a solution for the missing pieces in the window frames, hacked an old pencil to pieces! Just needs a spot of plasticard and should be sorted.

Current Plans

2009-08-20T20:13:00.003+01:00

Just a quick run down of the current ideas bubbling around in my head.

Town square. This one is next, I've ordered some pre-cast 1inch square floor pieces to save me casting them (shame they don't do the 1" by 1/2" I need for the watchhouse). It's going to be a raised square with steps all around and a small slope to get carts up (for market day!).

The basic idea is I'm going to build it in such a way it will double is a chess board. Then I'll build a chess set from dwarves and probably greenskins to be traditional. Should be a nice showpiece when I eventually sort out some cabinets to store these things in.

Waterwheel. There's going to be a canal in the town to give me opportunity for bridges and docks and so on. One thing I really want to add is a waterwheel. Next to a mill or something, bit fuzzy on the finer details.

Mordheim gangs. So I don't game, never have really, but I thought it'd be a shame to not at least have a couple of gangs for this scenery. So I've bought a few dwarf warriors I'm going to convert into a treasure hunter band. Not sure what the others will be, probably just humans of some description.

Bloodbowl. I started a bloodbowl pitch a while ago. I'm thinking I might try and turn it into a stadium and use it as double or even quadruple tile for the board. Would fit the style quite nicely and follow the theme of the chess set of "useful" terrain pieces. We'll see.

Things are moving along well, despite a couple of holidays in the past few weeks. Very happy at how easy to paint the watchtower roof was. Painting is always my major bugbear. I have dozens of unpainted miniatures (ok hundreds, but who's counting?), and it's where I always stumble. I want to get the church painted up next just to prove to myself it's easy. Then we should be ok!

Watch Tower Roof

2009-08-20T20:10:00.006+01:00

The watchtower roof is now complete. Very happy with the finished result, colour is a little darker than shows in the pics. The build was easy, and the paintjob itself very simple. A bright blue undercoat, a black wash (both cheap poster paint), then drybrush with a light grey to "mucky" it up a bit.

I'm going to use this roof style across all the slate roofed buildings. I figure a small town like this would most likely use the same quarry anyway and it'll bring uniformity across the rag tag collection of buildings.

Also done the wooden ballustrade around the top of the tower, as well as the door. This all needs painting now.

Having trouble casting enough floor blocks for the base, might need to buy a different mould. I only have 1 of the pieces I need, and I need several dozen to get it finished. Most frustrating.

Church Walls

2009-08-20T20:07:00.002+01:00

The church now has the real wall sorted. I'm not 100% happy with the design of the front corner, but I think suitably detailed and painted it should be ok. Not restarting now!

Need to come up with a solution for the bottom of the window arches, don't have enough actual pieces (or a mould to cast from!) so need something else. Sure I'll find something.

Bought some more ink for the printer and transparent paper so I can print out the windows. Then I'm going to cut cardboard overlays to paint up the same colour as the stonework. Should all be ok I reckon.

Random Postage

2009-08-09T22:23:00.002+01:00

Quick random one. Was in the range (a rather useful hobby/stuff shop) the other day and bought a little case for all my hirst arts casts. Works really well, much better than having them kicking around in a box lid like before.

Watch Tower

2009-08-09T22:21:00.003+01:00

Working on the railings for the top of the watch tower. I think it should look pretty good when done. Ideally want to do diagonal cross pieces as well, but I think I'll probably get frustrated trying to cut the angles and give up. hah.

The roof is done now, just needs edging strips to tidy the corners. I've also cut the door, which just needs hinges and bolts adding.

Not photo'd it, but got most of the courtyard done too. The street needs cobbling (found some great wallpaper at the diy shop which looks like cobbles), and lots of gaps need detailing, but should look ok I hope. Want to get this board painted up before I have to go back to work a week on monday.

Watch Tower

2009-08-07T19:12:00.002+01:00

The watch tower is coming along nicely. Started the peaked roof. It should look a little more coherent once the walkway has a wall and support posts in place.

Fairly simple construction, just foam board base and supports, then thin card for the triangles. Finally long strips of card with snips in for cheap and easy tiles. I'll then trim the corners with edging strips to make the whole thing neat and tidy.

Hoping to get something painted next week, which'll be nice.

Church back thingy

2009-08-07T19:09:00.002+01:00

Definitely need to learn some church terminology. Started a little lean-to affair at the back of the church. It's going to be clad in wood, then tiled in the same way as the main church roof. Adds a little interest and detail to the shape, and saves me casting a lot of bricks ;)

As you can see still lots to do, but it's progress. Also working on the rear wall above this part. As soon as I have a few more blocks cast I'll be able to finish the main body and start working on the roof.

Halflings

2009-07-31T23:18:00.005+01:00

Minor random diversion. GWpertinent is running a compo for the oldest 40k model in your collection, but it got me thinking about my old fantasy models. I dug out these guys:

Proper old school lord of the rings action. A mixture of LotR, including Frodo, two Sam's, Bill the horse, and of course Strider, along with quite a few standard halflings. My favourite has to be Screaming Lord Titch (at the back with the green hat and the club).

Awesome models that so deserve a better paint job and bases. In my defence I was 6 when most of them were released, but still. My town is going to need inhabitants, a halfling warband seems almost a necessity, especially as the LotR movies are helping with the inspiration for Stadtheim.

Watch House Board

2009-07-30T22:24:00.004+01:00

The watch house now has a board sorted out. It's going to be very simple, no other buildings on it. Just a very small square outside the watch house yard itself.

Started building the floor of the yard using the new terrascenic cobbles mould. The mould itself isn't bad, because it's so much more shallow than the hirst arts moulds it does tend to warp a little in the middle of the large pieces, giving each big cobble brick a slight hump back. For this set it doesn't matter, since the cobbles are uneven anyway, but if I was casting smooth blocks it would be a tad annoying. Could just be my cheap plaster of course.

Before bed I plan to have a go at the doors for the watch tower. Other things are drying so I can't really do much more on the yard itself. I need to go set the cobbles casting again though. Did that the other night and completely forgot to go scrape the mould. Hah, now I've got two sets of pieces that need several mm of overflow scraping off before use. Still, live n learn. I hope.

Watch House Update

2009-07-27T19:41:00.004+01:00

Started the walk way for the watch tower over the weekend. I've cut in and fitted the joists, as well as sorted out the wooden boards. I now need to tidy up the joists to fit better, then detail the boards a little.

After that it needs a hand rail and four corner supports and a roof.

I have also started the watch house part which will be linked to the tower via a bridge (to the open arch way half way up). The ground floor will be solid stone with no entrance, then up the front will rise a stairway. Behind will be stables underneath the overhanging first floor.

I really need to sort out some sketches, but it all kind of makes sense in my head, so I guess that's what counts for now!

Church Rebuild

2009-07-24T23:46:00.004+01:00

Right last night I demolished the left wall of the church, really wasn't happy with it, nothing was aligned and all a bit ropey. So knocked it down and rebuilt it. It's looking much happier now. Still a few foibles here and there, but should add to the character of the finished build.

Also started the steps at the front. Need to detail them. I also need to find a suitably sized piece of half-tubing to fill in the missing gaps at the bottom of all the arches. Sure something will turn up, otherwise I'll be chopping doweling in half, never easy!

New Mould

2009-07-24T17:29:00.001+01:00

Excellent, my new mould from TerraScenic arrived this morning. It's their broken cobblestone mould, which I'm planning on using for the courtyards at the brewery and watch house for starters.

It's currently casting up at the moment. I'll get some photos once I de-mould the pieces and we'll see what they look like.

Oh and huge thanks to Gary at TerraScenic for sorting out a replacement mould for one the post office snaffled. Cheers mate.

Pieces

2009-07-23T20:16:00.002+01:00

One of my piles of components. Mostly from Antenociti's Workshop, though the mordheim bits are from an ebay bitz lot.

Also have a rather impressive pile of cast hirst arts blocks ready to be put to use in the watch house. I bought the Prison Tower mould cheap on ebay, and it seems to have been a good choice. Has a great mix of standard blocks and archways.

Tavern

2009-07-23T20:15:00.004+01:00

This is going to be the biggest building so far (not including the church). Four storeys tall, with a balcony and some rather cool wooden detail work.

Plenty to do on this, but I'm optimistic it'll work well.

Watch House

2009-07-23T20:11:00.002+01:00

I'm going to love this when it's done, I just know it. Will be very hard to describe. Basically this is the watch tower, then it will be linked by a bridge a couple of storey's up to the main watch house. Then there will be a courtyard and stables out the back.

I've now taken this up to roof level. I'm going to chisel out the top of some of the bricks to lay balsa joists, then a narrow wooden floor will extend the current stone walkway around the top. Capped with a big pointed slate roof this should give a traditional roman style watch tower.

Did I mention I love Hirst arts? Just so easy to work with and will work out very cost effective. I'm going to do quite a few of the town houses with a couple of layers of stone for foundations. Should give a nice unifying feel to the whole town too.

Church

2009-07-23T20:08:00.004+01:00

My favourite building so far, the church. Currently looks like a ruin, but it won't be when it's done. Far too many destroyed churches in wargaming if you ask me.

Obviously a hirst arts build. I bought a precast bell tower set, but was so impressed with all the extra components I decided to build extras. I had a go at casting a few basic blocks of my own to fill the gaps but it wasn't wholly successful. I've got plenty of real ones now having bought a mould, so I'll knock down the body and try again.

Yet to figure out how to do the stained glass windows. I'm going to put a solid looking wooden door in the inside of the bell tower (so you'll still be able to see inside the base), and a lean-to type affair at the rear.

For the bell tower statues I've picked out a few from Denizen miniatures. It's going to retell the story of a famous knight against the undead hordes. Should be nifty.

Small Town House 01

2009-07-23T20:04:00.003+01:00

There are going to be dozens of these, so I wanted to get started early and see how quickly I could put one together. The basic foamboard frame was a doddle to put together, the balsa wood a bit fiddly but nothing major. I did learn I won't be doing individual wooden shingles for the houses though, too much like hard work!

The pink windows are resin accessories from Antenocitis.

The Brewery

2009-07-23T19:59:00.003+01:00

Every town needs a brewery. And as well all know Dwarves make the best brewers.

This was one of the first buildings I planned, it just had to go in there. It will be surrounded by a walled courtyard (to keep out the undesirables). Just basic structure at the moment.

There are going to be a set of decorative gates at the head of the courtyard, adorned with a pair of brass dwarves (the as yet to be named founding fathers of the brewery).

The dwarf statues are a pair of very old plastic dwarf warriors. Also started on the wooden gates but need to hang them first.

Welcome to Stadtheim

2009-07-22T20:57:00.001+01:00

Hi all. Welcome to the first post of what will hopefully become a long running blog detailing my build of the town of Stadtheim.

Situated in the Old World, Stadtheim is a small town in the midst of the Empire. Built around a culture of craft and artisanship, the folk of Stadtheim take great pride in their town.

My first real foray into terrain making proper, though I have a fair few boxes full of previous attempts which belie that. My usual haunt is the realm of 40k, usually vehicles for IG. However I wanted something of a change and the idea of a fully fledged town took me.

So it has begun. I'm going to document each building and the related progress in its own posts to try and get some coherence going. Bear with me, may be a bit ropey to start with.

I'm really hoping for feedback and motivation on this, so if you do happen upon this blog and feel like saying something (ranging from a thumbs up to a naah that's crap) please speak up.

Let's see how we get on!
Si