Project Log: Warscryer Citadel, Part 6

When I left off with this project, I was about to add the bottom of the ruined tower. I was struggling to work out how I could arrange the spare tower pieces, but the solution turned out to be less complicated than I thought. Time to finish this thing...

I split apart the tower wall sections from a second Warscryer Citadel kit. The tops with the skulls are getting put aside for now, and I'm focusing on the bottom sections.

 

 

These bottoms, plus the battlement tops are used to form the ruined tower base. The battlements are cut up and shaped to resemble broken wall segments, and the irregular bricks are removed from the other sections to smooth out their bottoms.

 

I make a base for the tower by cutting a piece of half-inch thick insulation foam, using the tower top as the template to get the shape right.

 

A notch is cut out so that the base will fit up against the rocks.

 

The foam is coated with Liquid Nails to protect it when I super glue the walls to it. The wall sections have a tab that fits nicely onto the corner of the foam base. Getting to this step was where I had the most trouble, but once I came up with the foam base for the wall spacing, everything else fell into place.

 

The second pair of walls are used to detail the interior of the wall. I trim the bottoms and edges so the parts will fit, using the windows as the guide. The window frames line up perfectly, creating a seamless transition when looking through the opening. The bottoms are trimmed so they overlap and line up with the guide rail on the outer wall

 

I repeat the process for the second wall, using the door for the interior, and I break up the brick wall. Since the reversed door has its handle on the wrong side, I remove it and create a new handle with some plastic rod and tubes. (Originally, I meticulously sliced off the handle so I could glue it on the other side, but I accidentally swept it into the trash with a pile of plastic shavings. D'oh!)

 

With their interiors finished, the wall sections are super glued to the base and the battlements are glued on top of them. The lip around the walls creates a perfect support for attaching a wooden floor.

 

I cover the seams between the wall sections with putty and put it aside to cure while I worked on the stairs.

 

For the stairs, I use thick basswood, cut to match the size and style of the steps on the citadel tower.

 

I cut the individual step blocks, and score wood grain into them. Then I glue them together to create a spiraling staircase.

 

The second story floor is made from basswood, with a styrene support beam underneath. It's cut to fit perfectly inside the tower, providing an elevated perch for models.

 

 

Another battlement piece is used for the lower wall segment by the stairs, and a gap is left to allow access inside.

 

I purchased some loose bricks from Pegasus Games to create debris. The bricks turned out to be very chalky, and easily break, so I need to coat them with wood glue and super glue to give them a protective shell once they are in place. These bricks are fine for dioramas where they won't be handled, but they are not the best for gaming scenery where models might be standing on them.

 

 

Using the bricks, and a variety of gravel and sand, I add rubble to the tower floor. A spot is left for the bottom of the stairs to attach. The stairs and floor are kept separate for painting.

 

Because of the chalky quality of the bricks, I use them sparingly in places where they won't be handled. I have plenty of left over bits of the tower wall, so I use that for brick rubble on the upper floor. Using styrene rod, I add rivets (they would actually be nails in this case) to the steps and boards.

 

Here's how the tower base looks all together:

 

To address the space below the tower walls, I use more of the bricks. I create a frame on the base that the tower slots into, and fill in some gaps on the tower base itself. This allows me to keep the tower separate for painting, and then seamlessly slot it into place at the end.

 

I need to build steps up to the doorway, so I use scraps of thick styrene card to build a small porch.

 

The final thing I need to do is add rubble around the base. I use up the last of my wall segment off-cuts and stray bricks to fill out the grounds. I avoid using the chalk bricks in these exposed areas.

 

Here's the Warscryer Citadel's full assembly. All that remains is to prime and paint it!

 

First, however, I need to build the connecting bridge and platform so that I can paint everything together and have the pieces match.

 

 

'Til next time!