Project Log: Skaven Warp-Skryre Tower, Part 14

With one final bit of detail, the top of the tower is, at long last, complete.

 

I wanted to add something on platform at the bottom of the stairs, because it didn't really seem to have a purpose; it was just a stairway to nowhere. In my original concept, I imagined having a large screaming bell hanging from the scaffolding below the accumulator, but there simply wasn't enough room for the bell to swing freely. Instead, I opted to build more pipes with gauges and valves as a kind of pressure monitoring station– just so there was something to "do" on that level.

I started by making a series of pipes which ran down from the ceiling to the platform, and then over the side and into the rock skull. Using thick styrene rod, I carefully bent it with a heat gun, checking the fit and positioning as I went along.

Where the pressure regulators would be, I made a break in the rod, so each pipe would be made of two pieces with the regulator joining them together.

 

 

To build the regulators, I used two thicknesses of styrene tube, which fit over the rod and created a layered cylinder. Because the fit of the tube isn't always precise, I glued a bit of thin styrene to the rod so the tube to create a tighter fit. You can see that the thicker tube was cut a little shorter than the small tube so its ends protrude when assembled.

 

 

This is how everything looks when it's all glued together. The second portion of the rod was left unglued so I could adjust the fit and positioning.

 

 

Here's the first pipe in position on the tower:

 

 

Next, I did the same for the second pipe. You'll notice that the tops are protruding beyond the top of the tower; they will be trimmed later on. The the second pipe actually ended up being too short, so I extended it by adding a length of tube over the end.

 

 

I marked and drilled holes in the side of the rock skull, and inserted the pipes. There's presumably more machinery inside the rock formation, and that's what that access hatch leads to.

 

 

Using the same techniques, I made a third pipe from thicker rod and tubes to add a little variety.

 

 

With the pipes all fir in place, it was time to address their connection points at the top. I made a cuff for the largest pipe. This is the same sized tube that I used to build the regulator; It's a wide ring with a smaller ring overtop at the base. Since the outer ring was a little loose, I cut a bit of material out, and closed it around the tube to get a tight fit. (You can see the seam on the bottom left.) The rivets were cut from small styrene rod, and super glued in place. 

 

 

This was probably the most painstaking portion of this build– Because there was wooden framework sculpted on the bottom of the platform, I cad to carve it all away, leaving a flat spot for the pipe fittings. I trimmed the tops of the pipes flush with the bottom of the platform, marked where they met up with the underside, and glued the ring over that spot.

 

Then, I did it two more times for the other pipe connections. The final cuff (top left) was such a tight fit, I didn't bother with the additional ring and rivets. In fact, I had to cut into the wood and trim some of the rivets off of the first ring so this one could sit right up against it.

 

 

I built some cuffs for the bottom of each pipe where it went into the rock. These were glued onto the pipe itself rather than onto the rock.

 

 

With the positioning and attachment of each pipe out of the way, I could address the detailing. I used a knife to slice some bits off of each pipe to create dents and distress marks. Then, I filled in any gaps in the tubes with modeling putty. Finally, I added some rivets around the ends where the smaller bits of tube protruded.

 

 

For the valve wheels, I used some of the accessory bits from my Skull Forge Scenics industrial bases. They were attached to a piece of styrene rod and a smaller bit of hex rod which I glued to the regulator.

 

 

To make the pressure gauges, I cut a bit of thick styrene rod, and a piece of tube, making the depth of the tube slightly thicker than the rod so it would stick up and create a frame. The tube was glued around the rod, flush on the back, with the edge sticking up on the front. (As with the cuffs I made earlier, I had to trim a bit of material from the ring so it would fit all the way around with no gaps.) The final step was to add a tiny bit of rod and a tiny triangle of plastic to make the gauge needle. 

 

 

Then it was just a matter of gluing each gauge to the regulator. (You'll notice the needles are all pointing to the right, because of course the Skaven machinery is operating in the red!)

 

 

I had this smokestack left over from my Thanquol and Boneripper, so I trimmed the top and added it to the large regulator as some kind of release valve for bleeding off the excess steam.

 

 

And that's it! The three steam pipes add a nice bit of detail on the lower platform. I can imagine an engineer rushing down the stairs to turn them off before the machinery up top shakes itself apart. "Why do they always put the emergency shut-off valve so far away?!"

 

 

And now I can finally call the tower finished. Only the basing remains, but I'll tackle that next year. I think this has become the longest scenery project I've worked on (even without the year-long break between parts 4 and 5).

 

 

'Til next time!