Chateau and vineyard – early Spring thaw.

I have decided to leave this project for the moment as miniatures for a commission work have arrived. The good news is I am pleased with the results, both chateau and vineyard look very well together and all that is lacking is a bit of green  atop the vines.

At the moment, the vines are brown coloured and with a bit of white glue and flock in two shades of green these would be done. Right now, this has the appearance of a vineyard just before Spring. Adding some “ivy” to the walls of the Chateau will complete the picture.

Strands of twine have been washed to reduce the plastic coating and also “relax” the tension of being rolled up. Rolling the twine between your fingers will loosen the pieces.

The strands are pressed onto the supports. Adding glue and bringing the twine nearer the top will complete the effect.

Cheers,

Chateau and Vineyards – the final form.

The Chateau.

All buildings have roofs now and the general positioning of the buildings and tower will allow the placement of a 40 x 40 mm element in the courtyard. As the model fits a 3BW x 2BW area, I have decided to place this on a single base of 2 - 3mm thick. The outer edge will be sloped to suggest a ditch or moat that had been filled in.

The exterior high walls and tower still retain their narrow windows providing protection from local banditry.  Similar plans can still be seen in modern day Belgium and in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands.

Thin slices of foam board will be added to each of the structures. These pieces will have stepped gables and provide a chimney for each building. In this manner the exterior remains flush when assembling the buildings together and secondly, the chimneys, as constructed in this way will be stronger as they extend higher than the roof top.

Vineyard.

At the moment, I placed a few examples of scouring pads cut in sections and laid these on top. Of the three examples (differing thicknesses), the middle one looks the best. In the foreground is another type of scouring pad which I have used in the past and this one comes from the DIY stores. It is not as compact as the green type and will require less work to “tease out”. I will try and source this type later in the week, but now the model will demand my attention.

Cheers,  

Chateau and Vineyards.

The buildings have now been reshaped with windows and doorways sketched out all that needs to be added are the roofs to two sections. Each roof will be covered with tiles and this is produced using packing material and scored to represent tiles. This will cover not only the roofs but the wall and gate sections as well.

Painting the doors and windows will be easier by not gluing the individual sections together. This may mean some structures will have a slightly different colour, but that is not a problem, as that is the effect you would have with later additions to the chateau.

Thin brass rod has be shaped and  cut to represent the supports for the vines. The actual “green” to be placed on the supports will be made from household cleaning pads. These will be cut into 40mm lengths and teased out to give a bushy appearance. 

After all have been covered, the whole will be painted dark brown or black and flocked with a suitable green foam. Bases will also have groundwork added in the same manner as the elements.

Next post, determining the final form.