I love collecting, painting, converting and scratch building terrain. I even get to play a game once in a while. I'm a big fan of gamification as part of teaching - I'm an elementary school teacher.
This blog covers my hobby work and 'teaching through gaming'.
26 April 2021
Terrain: Three TTCombat Towers
One of the things I've always wanted for my Frostgrave terrain is more towers. It's a wizard city after all, so back at some black friday deal I got three new towers from TTCombat. A watchtower, a Venice tower and a clock tower. Here's a few words on how I upgraded and painted them.
I've also made a video about the build, the details and such. So if you're more into that sort of thing go have a look on the YouTube.
Roof of card
The watchtower has kind of a weird top lacking a roof. I think it's designed to work like a beacon tower, for a big pile of wood or something. But in that case, it would still make sense to have a small roof (or leather piece) above to keep the wood try.
I drew up four triangles on thin pizza cardboard, then added 'wings' to the buttom and the one side. Folding the wings I glued the sides to the inside of the tower and each other.
Guardtower details
A good friend of mine backed an Archon Studios kickstarter for a Mayan pyramid / dungeon. There was some classic gothic fantasy bits with that as stretch goals. Using some spires and pillars is was easy to add extra details to the tower, breaking up some surfaces.
Also had a nice details stair from those stretch goals and the height was perfect for inside the lower level.
Cardboard stone works
A super easy and cheap detail to add to mdf buildings is extra stones to the walls. I cut out some bricks in the size of the ones marked on the mdf. Then added a couple to each storey and side of the tower. It's such a little thing, but after painting and applying wash it adds a ton of detail for free.
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Clocktower detailing
Some easy detailing added to the clock tower, more plastic stretch goal bits. Added both small gargoyles and some small arches above windows and doors. Again I cut out small bricks and added those to the flat areas.
The clear acrylic pieces weren't added after painting the entire thing, to not risk messing it up.
The big one.
This is the big one, a huge tower! It's 45 cm high and that was the primary reason for getting it. Not really playable inside - but just looking damn cool.
With a pencil I drew some lines around corners. Made a rough cut with a hobby knife, then went over it with heavy clippers and made a ragged each instead.
Three towers
Here's the three build towers. On the big one, I've added plastic details like all the others and with its spire it's 50cm high. The different big holes in the walls as given more playable interior. There's now two floors that wasn't visible before.
Painting
The towers were painting mostly with cheap spray cans. MDF will soak some paint, but just let it - it's free weathering and texture. All towers were painting in a dark grey and edge highlighted (with spray) with a lighter grey.
The ruined areas was painted black, simple bimble - the last layer of paint will hide it up.
I hate MDF doors. The always break off, or the fall out. So I tend to glue them in place. For all my frostgrave terrain (as it's ruined buildings) I glue then at an angle of fallen off. Adds to the ruined look.
The roofs I want to look like verdigris, old copper. It's a base layer of blue spray and then painted with vallejo verdigris.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
For this I had run out of my homemade snow mix. So this time it's only wood glue, white painted and then army painter snow flock. Make sure to add loks of snow to edges, windows and such, this is where it'll pile up and stay longest during a thaw.
The last step (and this is one all my FG terrain, even my gaming mat). With a white spray paint, lightly spray all the terrain from 60 cm distance. It gives it all a nice frozen look and makes the whole board look kind of serene and silent.
A final word
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They do! My biggest problem with MDF kits is the wall thickness... Its simply not beliveable that a stone tower has only 17 cm thick walls (what roughly 3mm in 28mm scale means). But glueing on another layer for brickwork could help! I will try glueing on textured EVA foam bricks.
That doesn't bother me at all, by that standard all my buildings are too small compared to real life. Houses have to few rooms etc. This is especially the case in modern buildings.
For me it's more a shell. Looks good on the outside. Roof off, we have interior play. The more the better, wouldn't want to waste space on thicker walls.
Sorry, typing on smart phone was never my thing... Corrected: Its a good point, but it still disturbs me... Especially if an MDF house would stand next to one of my scratchbuild things with at least double the wall thickness. Thats why I never bought MDF buildings for fantasy. But maybe it will change now! And for sci-fi, the 3mm is totally ok for me.
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A little sprucing up really helps those MDF kits! Thanks for showing us your process.
ReplyDeleteCheers. MDF will never compete in detail with hard plastic or resin kits. But price and a bit of extra detailing makes it prefered for me.
DeleteUseful hints, thanks!
ReplyDeleteIf they inspire at some point it's great.
DeleteThey do! My biggest problem with MDF kits is the wall thickness... Its simply not beliveable that a stone tower has only 17 cm thick walls (what roughly 3mm in 28mm scale means). But glueing on another layer for brickwork could help! I will try glueing on textured EVA foam bricks.
DeleteThat doesn't bother me at all, by that standard all my buildings are too small compared to real life. Houses have to few rooms etc. This is especially the case in modern buildings.
DeleteFor me it's more a shell. Looks good on the outside. Roof off, we have interior play. The more the better, wouldn't want to waste space on thicker walls.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSorry, typing on smart phone was never my thing... Corrected:
DeleteIts a good point, but it still disturbs me... Especially if an MDF house would stand next to one of my scratchbuild things with at least double the wall thickness. Thats why I never bought MDF buildings for fantasy. But maybe it will change now!
And for sci-fi, the 3mm is totally ok for me.
That's pretty darn cool.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much.
Delete