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Tuesday 8 December 2015

Building modular fortifications: Part 6 - The complete (but as yet unpainted) fortress

Now that the basic elements of my modular fortress are complete, I decided to see what it looked like on the tabletop.

When all the current modules are used, it is possible to build a fortress that is 35cm x 30cm.




I must admit that I was even more impressed than I hoped that I would be!

I then put together a selection of modules to produce a much smaller fortification that is 15cm x 15cm.



I very pleased to see that even when used to build a much smaller fortification, the assembled modules produced a very pleasing result.

PS. I decided to use black-and-white images as they looked more evocative of the wooden fortifications used by H G Wells and company just over one hundred years ago.

24 comments:

  1. Hi Bob,

    I have to say that looks really impressive! Once it has a lick of paint it will be usable for a whole variety of actions - I especially liked the 'fort' alongside of the 'fortress'. I am sure you will have a lot of fun using this and aside from the time building it you will have the satisfaction of owning a model that has cost very little to put together - certainly a lot cheaper than anything commercially available.

    Very well done old chap!

    All the best,

    DC

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  2. Brilliant, Bob. The look terrific, and I find them very evocative of those old school photos indeed.

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  3. That looks excellent and should suit anyone from Hammurabi to Beau Geste.

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  4. Echoes of the Great Wall of Morobad. Looks great!

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  5. David Crook,

    Thanks for your very kind comments. I am really pleased with the way this modular fortress has turned out ... and I already have plans for additional modules that will give the concept even greater flexibility.

    The fact that I has not cost me very much too build is a big plus, but the greatest enjoyment I have had so far has actually come from turning my idea into a reality.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  6. Will Scarvie,

    Thanks very much for your kind comment. I am very please with the way the black-and-white images looked onscreen, and that they were so much like those in the early wargames books.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  7. Conrad Kinch,

    I wanted the end result to look timeless ... and I think that I have just about managed that.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  8. Ross Mac,

    I am very pleased to that you think so ... as that is exactly what I wanted the end result to look like!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  9. That really does look grand. I eagerly anticipate the final stage!

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  10. Peter Ball,

    Hopefully you won't have to wait too long to see it finished!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  11. They do look like just the ticket. And timeless, both in the historical sense of being suitable for different periods, and in the gaming sense of B&W photos many of us are familiar with from our first forays into toy soldiers.

    The little fortification would make a great Fort Zazzernouf. (if you will pardon my French, er, puns) (I recently reread Beau Geste and enjoyed it thoroughly - and I have more "Beau" books by P.C. Wren still to read)

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  12. Nice job! I've done something similar for a fireteam level skirmish game only I used 1/2" polystyrene sheets to make some simple slum apartments. The bonus is I can easily add battle damage and make rubble from the scenery.
    If you feel like playing with the focus and blowing out the contrast you could really nail the old timey look easily.

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  13. Old school,awesome and more than fit for purpose.
    Alan

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  14. Fitz-Badger,

    I am very pleased with the way this project has developed. It started out as a simple desire to build some fortified walls for a particular wargame ... and has turned into something much larger and more satisfying.

    I had hope to create something that would - as you put it so well - be timeless, and I think that it meets that criteria.

    The fact that the basic modules can be used to make different sizes of fortification is a big plus for me, and I can foresee them being used to represent forts in all sort of different locations ... including North Africa and the North West Frontier.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  15. Mr Pavone,

    Funnily enough I was wondering if I could use a similar construction technique to create buildings for use in my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War wargames, and your comment supports this as a possibility.

    My camera is a simple digital bridge camera, and I have no idea how to fiddle with either the focus or the contrast ... although I have used the latter function on my image manipulation software.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  16. Pat G,

    Thanks very much; that was the sort of 'look' that I was trying to achieve!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  17. Tradgardmastare (Alan),

    I am pleased to read that you think so; I had hoped to build something that looked a bit 'old school', and I think that I managed that ... although using black-and-white photographs helps!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  18. Arthur,

    Many thanks for your very kind comment.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  19. Very, very impressive. I can see fantastic campaigns involving such fortified locations - anything from the era of pointy sticks to Colonial (Hill forts in the NW frontier come to mind). Ace!

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  20. Splendid Fort BOB- well done indeed. Look forward to seeing the finished product. KEV.

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  21. Archduke Piccolo,

    Thank you very much for your kind words.

    I seem to have managed - almost by accident - to have come up with a design that is generic enough to be usable for a variety of different eras and locations.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  22. Kev,

    Thanks very much for your kind comment.

    At present I have managed to seal the wood with PVA glue and have just begun to apply the undercoat. I hope to have finished painting the whole thing by next Monday.

    All the best,

    Bob

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