The Abandoned Gatehouse

It's been ages since I painted anything for this project and when my lovely wife bought me a Lemax Halloween Gatehouse for my birthday, I knew I had to make this top of my list of things to rework into a wargaming model (you know, so I can still be entitled to get toys from her in the future). 

As with most Lemax buildings, this had great potential but needed a little TLC to bring it up to the standards and to remove some of the out of scale bits that tend to feature on them. I'll go into that a bit more below, but first the pictures of the finished gatehouse, which I tried to paint in order to match my earlier buildings in this project.

Some Empire dwarfs are exploring the abandoned gatehouse. Looks like it hasn't been visited in a long while and small scavengers abound, but then who lit those torches? Figures added for scale.

The gatehouse from different angles without figures:

Since it's been so long ago, some of the buildings this was painted to match:

And a comparison between the original model and the modified and repainted one below. I removed the oversized gravestones and skeletons. I did leave one of the skeletons under the arch as it was about the right size. I also got rid of the lighting system, since it couldn't be hidden. I used some plastic bits from a Warhammer fortified mansion to cover the large whole on the side where the switch box was situated. I should have removed the torches as well, since they're a bit big and there are big gobs of hot glue attaching them to the wall, but I didn't want to lose too many of the original building's features, so I kept them on. The building also has moulded on bits of green slime oozing in places. As I didn't quite see how to make that work, I decided to flock them and turn them into overgrown bits. I also used that in a few spots to hide some of the mouldlines that couldn't be removed, the lower body of the model being a type of porcelain.

The Belfort

Another building,  a quicky this time as it is mostly stone. Another hardfoam one from the Ziterdes range. I'm calling it a belfort because that's what it looks like to me (for those not familiar with the term, it's a medieval watchtower/belltower). This is one of the more recent models in the range I think and it shows, crisp, hard edges and detail everywhere, you wouldn't believe this is foam until you pick it up and feel the weight. Hopefully they'll keep adding more with this level of quality.

I did some weathering on this that doesn't come out well in the pictures. Basically, some of those vertical streaks and shadows you may detect are actually greenish streaks in reality. Really. I'm actually quite happy how well this came out with minimal effort.

And in case you're wondering about the size, here's a scale shot with some figures (again, this is an impressive model sizewise) and some detail shots:

Windmill With Lookout Platform

It took a while to get it done, but I finished the Ziterdes windmill set. It's made from hardfoam with some lasercut wood details. It's a very large, and very nice model. The wings are a weak point in the design and I have pinned both them and the platform for maximum strength. I accidentally dropped it on the floor while painting and although one of the wings feels a bit loose if you push against it, it held.

I've included a few minis in the first and last picture to give a sense of scale. Did I mention it's big?

I decided to keep the actual mill part separate from the house part. Not only will this be easier for transporting, it also means the mill can be used on it's own without the rest of the building.

Town Buildings - Tower Finished!

Well, I managed to finish this hexagonal tower (see WIP here). I'm not entirely happy with it, but I learned a lot making it and will be able to improve with future builds. For those that wonder, the door is a resin cast from Antenociti's Workshop and the windows on the upper floor are plastic windows from the GW fortified manor set. The rest it scratchbuilt.

Various WIP builds and conversions

I'm currently in the middle of a lot of converting and scratchbuilding. For starters, I'm making an updated version of my dwarf stretcherbearer party, as I think I can make it better than the old one and perhaps cast up a few if the result is worth it. So far, it's going well enough, it's certainly better than the old one. Although I will have to tweak the left arm on the stretcherbearer body as it doesn't look right now (slightly too short I think). The left hand needs some work too:

With a couple heads (head conversion still WIP) and next to a metal dwarf for size:

I've also started on the casualty figure. I think he'll have an integral head. The stretcher needs work too: 

On an unrelated conversion, I'm also "imperialising a citadel dwarf from the handgunner set that came after the Marauder ones but before the current plastic ones. I really liked the idea for the original figure but it looked very flat and 2D. The addition of the wider helmet and puffy sleeves helps to flesh it out a bit. Still needs landsknecht shoes and a few little details:

Also WIP is this scratchbuilt tover, based on a hexagonal card box (see on the left in the image) I found in the craft section of a local store. I think the idea is to decorate it and use it as a pencil box. Anyway, when I saw it, the size and shape screamed "tower" at me, so I had to pick it up. Still a few things to add, but it's getting close. One thing I learned is that on conical roofs, I really should go with individual tiles. As it is, I went with short strips, but that made it look very shoddy. But that works for me too.

I used some fine plastic mesh for the windows, which will hopefully give the impression of leaded glass when painted:

Small well

Not much painting done, but I did manage to convert and paint this Lemax well I picked up at a discount. The scale isn't perfect, but stylewise it fits in well. I replaced the rope and handle, removed the buckets and added a small step.

With some figures and scenery:

Just the well:

Comparison with the stock model:

And just a view with the buildings from the previous updates and some figures:

An update at last. I haven't been painting a lot lately, the winter season is never a good one for me in that regard as I can't motivate myself to get on with it. At least I managed to finish this building that sat on my desk 95% complete. This is the second of two Ziterdes hardfoam buildings I got at Crisis. You may remember the first one here.

This second one is supposed to be a watermill but I chickened out and didn't add the wheel, mainly because I haven't built any water/river terrain yet and I want it all to match when I do. There were a couple small flaws to this building, but overall it's a light and sturdy piece that does look the part.

Before and after:

First building for the town

Last week at CRISIS 2011 I came upon a trader from France who had lots of those grey and red hard foam medieval/renaissance buildings (apparently made by/sold through Ziterdes in Europe,  though I've seen them under the Conflix label in the US). Now I had always  been sceptical about this stuff, but two of the buildings caught my eye that day and I had to admit they had quite a bit of detail on them and whoever made the original master put quite a lot of effort in them. I also liked how sturdy (and light) it all felt. There would be no need to worry about damage caused by someone accidentally bumping into it (you know who you are), or the bond of glue loosening as I always worry about on resin buildings. So I decided to take a chance and pick up the two I liked (the other is a watermill).

The true test of course would be how they look  with a coat of paint. After trying it, I think it works. Here's the first one, which is supposed to be a wizards house, but I'll probably use it as an apothecary or such.

Before and after view:

Close up of the front.

 A view from the side:

The backside, with a figure for scale: