Building "Fort Kalypso" - Stage 2

After allowing the pinned components to dry for a few hours I had another look at the structure.  I decided that the main upstairs apartment needed more height.  Not hard to rectify, I merely cut a piece of oasis to the desired thickness and pinned it in place.

"It slimed me Ray" - Pour on the gloop.

Now we come to the first truly messy bit!  I would advise those of you with live-in womenfolk to buy a few things in advance or alternatively make sure they are out enjoying themselves at H&M/Gap etc when you start to play with their kitchen equipment.  

You will need a funnel, a large shallow dish or pan (the type used for roasting meat is great), a kitchen jug, a cheap brush (I use ASDA/WalMart pastry brushes 29p a time), an empty plastic pop bottle - 2 litre or above, a whisk or hand blender, a cookie cooling rack, an old carrier bag and preferably a turkey baster.

Firstly mix PVA glue (This time the kiddie stuff is fine - but woodworking is still better) and water into a smooth single-cream like consistency - important that this is not too thick.  You should make every effort to avoid any lumps - they cause minor problems later.  Old PVA glue will have these in abundance.  Mine had a few - annoying as this was to be a tutorial!  Just take it as a "what not to do"!  Once you have a smooth creamy gloop decant it into the pop bottle (hence the funnel)

Brush the emulsion into the oasis.

Now pour a little of the gloop into the bottom of the shallow dish and place your building on top of the liquid.  The oasis (being the absorbent "wet" type) will begin to slurp up the liquid.  If you made your emulsion too thick this will not happen and you will have an island floating on a sea of white.  Once it is absorbed start pouring the gloop all over the building, concentrating on natural reservoirs in the structure.   

The oasis will suck up copious quantities so don't be mean with your glue mix.  When the structure is drenched start brushing the collected gloop onto the structure concentrating on apertures and recesses.  This is why the turkey baster is so useful, you can shoot jets just where you want them.  My turkey baster had perished so I had to use only the brush.  If you are unlucky enough to have lumps gently brush them away - or in severe cases - pick them off.  Be especially vigilant of lumps in door/window areas as this is where they congregate.

Dipping each facet speeds absorption.

The aim is to completely saturate the oasis with gloop.  You can see when this is effected as it begins to repel the emulsion and oozes glue if gently prodded.  The absorption can be achieved more speedily if the structure is rotated whilst "basting" with each facet taking it's turn in the sea of glue.  Another way to accelerate this stage is to cut large "wells" in the building's underside.  This reduces the density of the oasis and allows the glue to enter "from the inside" as it were.

Now prepare your drying/cooling rack.  Wrap it up in a plastic carrier bag - securing the plastic with tape.  The bag is there to ensure the model does not stick to the rack when drying - it can happen and is very demoralising when it does.  Make sure the bag is sufficiently loose that you can create little recesses to collect the run-off during drying.  Now gently lift you magnum opus and place onto the rack.  Make sure all important areas are adequately supported as the oasis will now be quite heavy and any delicate parts will be liable to fracture under their own weight.  To give you some idea of this medium's absorbency, this little building drank close to 1.5 litres of gloop.

On the rack waiting to dry.

Unless you live in a warm area, you will need to use an airing-cupboard or similar to dry the building.  Do not attempt to accelerate the process in an oven as this will cause the whole thing to become brittle, fracture or indeed melt!  Depending upon the size of the building drying time can take anything up to about a week.  I expect this one to be ready in that sort of time frame.  

The end result will be a very durable but lightweight version of your original.  It will be firmly glued together and ready for the next stage.

In the meantime you can make the other structures in your complex and get to work on window frames and/or doors ready for insertion when the structure is dry. 

Building "Fort Kalypso" - Stage 1

The inspiration.

This morning I decided to ignore the distractions of a house chock full of children and get on with the business of creating my fortified trading post.  Over the past week or so I have looked at a great many Indian/Pakistani/Afghan defensive structures and I had a general idea of how I wanted the main tower to look.

My principal inspiration was a series of photos and drawings showing what is variously described as a Mosque or a Watchtower from a site named Hampi - located in South Western India.  The building has three shallow domes, an ornate window and a roof-top terrace.  I decided that some or all of these features would work in miniature and the structure could be used as a guardroom (ground floor) and apartment for the big cheese (upstairs)

Thus enthused, I unpacked the materials and tools and got going.

Nothing too unusual here...

In addition to the usual assortment of knives, geometry gizmos and a steel straight edge, you will see my rudimentary template and some blocks of floral oasis.  As I touched on before, wet oasis is a favourite medium of mine when I wish to create a structure that is less than perfectly built and weather beaten.  Oasis lends itself to creating the wobbly lines so often seen in old stone and adobe structures.  The downside of oasis is that it is very fragile and crumbly.  However my method does not require too much precision and your errors will be obscured in the later stages of construction.  Please note it essential that you chose "wet" oasis and not it's "dry" cousin.  The reason for this will become apparent in the next installment!

Determine how much oasis you will need.

When building this type of structure I like to "wing-it" improvising as I work.  This generally results in a more relaxed looking building and you lose that "regimented" and over-engineered feel of many Western structures.

The first thing to do was determine how many blocks of oasis I would need.  I was lucky and managed to cut the basic shape from just over two - approximate cost £2.00.  The beauty of my method is that you do not need one enormous and expensive block.  Rather you can pin together pieces cut from the smaller and readily available "bricks" to achieve the desired effect.  The readily workable nature of oasis makes the cutting and smoothing the blocks as you work a very simple process.

Doorway, marked then cut-out.

Once you have sorted out which blocks go where, it's time to mark the position of windows and doors.  To do this, I place pre-cut templates in the appropriate place and follow the outline with my scalpel.  When the outline has been cut into the surface, you merely insert a long flat blade into the oasis a quarter inch or so below the surface of the external wall.  This parallel cut creates an aperture of flexible depth and neatly indicates the thickness of the structure's walls.  Simple doorways can be countersunk into elaborate frames with multiple cuts, however, in this instance I wanted the structure to remain relatively simple.

Pinning the parts.

When you have finished the windows/doors on a couple of sections it is time to pin them together.  Simply use some cocktail sticks and a blob of PVA glue.   I prefer the "Woodworking" variety (Elmers/Elch/Evo-stik etc) as it is slightly tackier and dries faster than the stuff aimed at kiddicrafts.  At this stage the sticks take the strain but the stress is minimal due to oasis' lightweight nature.

After the pieces are aligned to your satisfaction, you can repeat the processes for the rest of the structure.  Using a finger or palm you should softly smooth the oasis to both round-off straight edges and create an irregular surface.  It will seem a bit odd to do this after carefully cutting the blocks to a desired shape but believe me the building will look better for it in the long-run.

The bare bones completed - stage one ends!  

Following the methods above I pinned the completed parts together and crowned with a Christmas ornament (not yet fixed) to give myself an idea of the basic structure.  As I said earlier, details have been kept very simple as the fort is a dilapidated structure in a fledgling outpost.  The only flourish I allowed myself was the upstairs window, which is a simplified version of that on the original.  The aforementioned ornament creates a dome more ornate than those on the original but I think it will work very well once properly seated into the roof.  You could easily add turned details, ornamental stonework or buttresses.  Really the only limit is your own imagination and skill with a knife and oasis!

Now, details such as exposed brick and/or stone work can be scribed into the oasis with a cocktail stick or pencil.  My structure is supposed to be stone so I opted for regular(ish) blocks as shown in the photos of the real structure.  Adobe bricks should be a good deal smaller and far more uniform in appearance.

Once the glue is dry I can move on to stage two - the first of the messy bits my children love!

In the Doghouse

Every Gentleman needs a four-legged friend.

Every so often a thread about 28mm dogs pops up at TMP.  Usually the postee wants to know what is out there and if it looks any good with a "normal" 28mm figure.

There are quite a few manufacturers offering Canines, some depict mutts some refined pedigrees.  This goes for the quality also!

In no particular order I will deal with the models I have collected.  As an aside, I use them on my bases to add a bit of character.  Most of Beimbach-Schönau's General staff favour a four legged companion and a few of my Infantry bases will sport a mutt getting in the way of the advancing troops.  Incidentally, I have a Macaw in the parts box but cannot figure out how to use him without making things look too piratical!  Perhaps I need to create an ancient mariner named "Lang Johannes Silberstein"  then again, perhaps not.

I hope these shots are of use to anyone wishing to buy their troopers a pooch or two.  Mr Alexander MacDonald appears courtesy of the Jacobite Retirement Home - he acts as a scale reference.  Neither Mr MacDonald or your author are great fans of "Man's best friend" so our opinions concerning accuracy should be taken with the proverbial pinch of salt.

SGMM (exVendel) Mastiffs - scary.

First up, four monstrous Mastiffs from what used to be the Vendel range (now owned by Sgt Major Miniatures) If memory serves me well these were sold in a pack of five in their Border Reiver range.  Horrible and aggressive looking beasts but my wife assures me they are spot-on in terms of size.  Some very nice sculpting on these, but in my opinion, some are a bit "active" to be used as companions.  More of a hunting/war party feel - good for manhunts.  Also usable as Demon Hounds or similar for those favouring Fantasy games!

Eureka's elegant greyhounds.

Now, to something more refined.  These Greyhounds are from Eureka Miniatures' George Washington set. They are beautifully sculpted and look very lithe.  Expensive miniatures but the elegance is well worth paying for.  Happily, I was sent these gratis by the chaps at Eureka (thanks again)

 Incidentally, it has been suggested that these may be "Wolfhounds" rather than "Greyhounds" - as I said earlier, I am no expert and leave it to the reader to make a decision!

Front Rank: BSP4 "William Cadogan's Dog" 

Front Rank have a dog available in their WSS range.  He is priced at the same level as their figures (in my opinion a little steep) but is a nice enough pooch - albeit a little "stiff" in his pose.  The breed is not obvious to my eyes but perhaps he is a Beagle?  A good solid model and easy to obtain.

Mega Miniatures': Labrador, Collie, St.Bernard and Alsatian.

All the remaining hounds come from Mega Miniatures USA. The proprietor has a very large catalogue of animals (and a lot else besides) and sells dogs both individually and in bargain packs - comprising two each of six different poses.

Mega Miniatures': Beagle(?), Irish Setter, and Pitbull.

Truly these are a mixed bag. Some of the breeds are (as far as I am aware) no good for the C18 but others are very useful.  Likewise, some of the sculpts are a markedly inferior to others.  I suspect this is due to their varied origins from different (now defunct) ranges purchased by MM.

Mega Miniatures': Crazy Mutt & Bulldog.

As dogs come in all manner of sizes and shapes I don't think I can castigate Mega Miniatures too harshly for the weird ones.  That said, both the Pig Faced Pitbull about to pounce and the depressed Irish Setter look a tad strange- not impossible - just odd!

When it comes to value MM Canines are great.  You get a dozen in a "pack" for around US$10.00 and can therefore keep your Generals in pets for quite some time.

I recommend checking them out before going elsewhere.

Dirty dawg!

There is also a very nice mutt in Redoubt Enterprises' catalogue.  He is a shaggy little Terrier-like thing cocking his leg.  Sadly I couldn't find mine for a comparison shot but the picture from Redoubt's site may be of interest.  Of course he would have to be unique in a given army as the "joke" wouldn't be too good if repeated - then again it worked for Henny Youngman, "Take my Wife... PLEASE".

Thunderbolt Mountain: #8046 Wood Elf Dogs

From the fantasy side of the hobby come some impressive and shaggy "hunting hounds" manufactured by Thunderbolt Mountain.  "Neotacha", a fellow TMPer, alerted me to these and very nice they are too.  TBM offer these without the Elven handler so those of us of the historical persuasion are not going to be left with an Elf lurking in the bits box!

Eureka: 100CIV28 "Frederick vignette"

Finally, "Der Alte Fritz" has brought to my attention the dogs in Eureka's Friedrich der Große vignette.  Again a very nice offering by this company.  Friedrich was renowned for his Italian Greyhounds that prowled the palace of Sanssouci and accompanied him on campaign.  It is my opinion that the Eureka hounds are a little "beefy" to properly depict this diminutive and fragile looking breed.  However, they remain a fine product and should be given due consideration.

I hope this has been of some use to anyone considering a metal pet.

Progress - at last!

If only I had such an assistant!

Despite a family tragedy last week, I feel my project is finally making some great strides.

The new fortress has been "hewn from the living rock" (make that Oasis!) and is presently drying in the airing cupboard.  My Sepoy problem seems to have a solution on the horizon.  Finally, my ongoing quandary about Beimbach-Schönau's coats has been resolved.

In the near future I will post the first of the "How-to" articles regarding the new fort.

I ordered some Victrix/Renedra plastic 40x40mm bases and will be using the "Black Powder" rules system. I received the tome as an anniversary gift and it is pretty impressive.  However it could do with a few more C18 illustrations for all us lace enthusiasts.

On the down side, I am still waiting for the Redoubt order and had a few difficulties with Front Rank - the latter appear to be happily resolved but Redoubt remains an annoyance.  Two weeks and no goods - it's just not on these days especially when one considers it is a UK-UK order.

At the moment I am feeling quite unwell but with some luck, the blog should soon have a good deal of interesting new posts.  Including a couple of figure reviews and perhaps a dog comparison also!

Fortification problems

Reworked bastion minus gun ports.

Last weekend I got almost nothing done - very annoying as I had plans.  In my defence this wasn't due to pure indolence - my wedding anniversary and various other family matters intervened.

Having reworked the Fauxban fort's battlements and decided upon exotic gunports, I realised the project was simply too complex.  Not in terms of my competence (as I have built many far more detailed items in the past) but rather simply too large to be practical.  Thus the structure will be shelved, albeit reluctantly, for the foreseeable future.

Exotic "Indian" apertures.

Although given my current circumstances the first incarnation is too ambitious, a more modest version will work.  I have already collected the resources and done my mental planning.  Fort Kalypso will now be more akin to a local guard tower and will be much easier to stow away.

Using Osprey's "Indian Castles 1206-1526" for inspiration, I have decided that the structures will resemble a native stronghold with European additions.  Hopefully this will create an interesting building.  I will use my tried and tested "Oasis and Styrofoam" method which has proven most effective in the past.

The inspiration, still attractive though less imposing!

This will be documented as the method is (as far as I know) unique and people may well wish to employ it themselves.

On another topic, after 11 days I am still awaiting delivery of my small trial order from Redoubt Enterprises.  Rather annoying as this is taking longer than a simultaneous Trans-Atlantic trade I organised.  I had a potentially bright idea for "Sepoys" and had hoped Redoubt would be the solution but if this is typical of their turnover time I may reconsider.

Redoubt FIW Provincial.

Talking of Redoubt, I was very interested in one of their FIW figures, namely a "Provincial Marching".  I was seriously considering this fellow for the Colonial Infantry (even the European!) but I am concerned about a couple of things.  Firstly, he has no bayonet attached and this looks a little odd when mixed into an army of spike wielders.  Secondly (and more importantly) he appears to have very short arms.   If this is the case it would be a little weird as the rest of the FIW range is nicely proportioned - unlike the dreadful American Revolution figures.  I hope the stunty limbs are merely an optical illusion - perhaps my requested sample will clarify matters.

Well, enough rambling time to get chopping.

Colonial ideas

A distinctly "Oriental" aperture.

It's been a difficult couple of days here at Schloss Krautheim.  The lady wife was hospitalised and "Daddy day care" has not allowed for much model-making time.  "What about the Domestics?" I hear you cry!  Sadly these were released from servitude a long time back...  Thankfully, all seems well on the health-front - but appendages are still crossed - ouch!

I have been doing a bit of research during the evenings and decided to work a couple of fresh ideas into "Fort Kalypso".  Firstly, the walkway battlements are getting a re-do.  I have decided to model these with "Indian" apertures instead of the "Fauxban" gun ports.   I have used a prototype from Fort Golkonda  as inspiration and the cannon ports will be reworked later today.

Fort Golkonda - Hyderabad.

In addition I am toying with the idea of a simplified version of the fantastic multi-faceted tower (left) as my main bastion.  This may be short-lived as that is a pretty ornate structure.  The alternative involves some rather splendid domes and will display Islamic influence - probably a better choice considering the Colony's location.

A couple of Tories and a Continental Marine.

When it comes to the troops, I fancy something decidedly C18 but "different".  Looking around and about I once again found myself at Front Rank.

They have some interesting "Slouch Hat" wearers in the American Revolution range.  The Continental Marine and Provincial Infantry are contenders.  I favour the latter for their natty plumes but the webbing for the British backpack is a real turn-off.  To me it makes them look, well, too British!  Perhaps someone can tell me if there were similar items in service with other States' armies during this period?  If there was precedent I would almost certainly go for the Tories as they look so good!  Also, they sport a bayonet and it is well known that "Johnny Native" is always scared off by cold steel!  Apparently "They don't like it up 'em".

I will get some more pictures of the Fort posted ASAP.