Ekis

The village project changes as I go forward, in fact. But I have to anticipate a little for the construction: I do not improvise with each new wall in progress ... I do not have a precise plan of what will be the whole village, but a lot of ideas for each building (and / or between buildings) that I would like to make. We will see what it becomes with the transformations! You're right: I can explain the transformations and the reasons either aesthetic or historical each time. The kits (boats, stones, or others) rarely respect real history ... 😁

Thank you all for the follow-up and comments on this subject! When all the buildings are constructed, the village will be on 3 separate bases that can be brought together. The bases will be in solid, stained wood. This will allow you to have a complete view of the whole, or to put them on shelves in 3 parts. For the moment, the church / cloister part weighs 1 or 1.5 kilos. 😃

Some additional views with the layout of the buildings (the roofs are still missing). The last 3 photos with the last circular building in full assembly: the dovecote. He will finally miss the small end of the wall with a door to connect the cloister to the rear of the church.

The progress of the work ... I show you some pictures of the site. It is not very clear, the result once everything is in place will be easier to understand. These are just a few photos. Building 2 of the cloister is done: all it needs is its tiles. I will do all the roofs once all the blocks are in place. This is the establishment of building 2 and the support of the future dove and building 3 that will close the cloister. And some pictures of the last building under construction: I use the cardboard supports that were provided at the base to make my own buildings ... Hence the shape of the arches that will not be used.

Really impressive realism ...

Here, the 1st building of the cloister was attached to the church. The corner tower between the 1st and the 2nd body is built (at the base, it should not be opened inside, in other words, the 2 building bodies could not communicate ...) The 2nd building is in progress: it will be doubled in depth and will not have a colonnade on the outside, but small openings representing the cells of the monks. On the other hand, the face on the cloister takes up the columns of the 1st. I also worked on the transformation of the 3rd building closing the cloister: I really have to think about it! It will also be doubled and will also receive the same principle there as the previous one, but the "corner hinge" between the two will be ... a barn (bottom floor) and a cylindrical dovecote (for the top)! You have to create all the cardboard supports for the transformations, of course. So, still "a little" of work on this church / cloister block !! 😁

The first cloister building is advancing quite a bit. I had to transform a little to make it more aesthetic and conform to the Roman Art of the church. The old kit did not provide for a column, no difference between the exterior and the interior openings. Similarly, I added floor tiles and a door from the tower which seems logical ... I spent a few hours there. The remaining holes or stone overflows are future connections with the church or the rest of the buildings.

Some photos on a neutral background, and I go to the cloister:

This church is practically finished: I still have the double door which opens onto the future cloister garden to be made and the forecourt that I will make later. Some pictures : During the construction of the roof: ... and I move on ...

I have a lot of work at the moment, so less time to devote (!!) to this church ... But I still post the few roof advances.

Yes, this is a project that will take a very long time to finalize ... I indeed intend to make a montage with vegetation, aging buildings. But before that, I have to finish all the constructions, provide bases different from what was in the kit (solid wood instead of a plywood mounting), and adjust the leveling of the entire surface of the town. But indeed, there will be trees and quite a few other things. I am looking more to get closer to a model of the old architects (in France, we have "Relief Plans", Topography Plans, made by Vauban to build fortresses on the coasts for example) rather than a classic rail type diorama ... The scale is also close to HO, 1:87 I think. ☺️

Thank you for the comment, but for that, we will have to wait until this cloister is built ... But on the other hand, you have the whole church for you, as soon as the roof is done! 😁🤣

Here it is: the belfry is made with its roof! It will host the cloister on its side. We move to the other roofs ...

Like many, Christmas holidays are not really conducive to assembling models ... But this church continues to build slowly with the guard tower and the belfry:

In fact, it is a kind of ceramic. It sands well, breaks with an X-Acto. The stones are part of the kit with different stone sizes. But I added half moon shaped stones, red bricks and other things. In the same way, I cut myself the cylindrical columns which are not provided: around the door, on the bell tower, or several for the cloister to come ... On the church, in the Middle Ages, there were very few visible wooden structures, but on the other buildings to come, I will deviate from the somewhat simplistic kit to add things everywhere. I also bought clay to be able to make other kinds of stones if I need to. The glue used is simply quick-setting wood glue. But to make the joints and for the aesthetics, I use very fine sealant for cracks, bought in DIY stores.

No, nothing is sorted out: I have to choose the right stones to build, rectify and cut for the walls to be correct. And then, it was a kit, it is necessary that I transform a little as usual so that it is a little more realistic, as in the Middle Ages! 😁

I don't know, but one can imagine that this fortified village could grow as I find other kits to assemble ... For the dock (or/and Shipyard), I would have to find a boat at the right scale of the 14th century to build! For the moment, I will already try to complete this entire village project, which should take me very long months! 😀

Work in progress before sanding and joints on the tower and bell tower. The bell tower was split in 2 to be able to work the openings a bit. The apse is finished. Soon, I will attack the roofs ...

Some photos of the stained glass windows in the apse, and the front rose window (not glued yet): The side tower under construction: And the future together with the cloister, modified in its structure compared to the initial plan:

The suite with a completed facade:

The following : In addition, here is the final support of the village proposed by the kit: I will surely not use it at the end, another idea is already in progress to make the supports, but it will serve me to place the elements and the walls between buildings ... A sort of shipyard in fact! Finally, I planned to make a little richer in the constructions than the rough stone representation, with nothing for the openings of windows, doors, bell tower, etc ... A little brick will not do any harm (to create very small, small!): I only spent 10 or 15 more hours there: each stone takes time to adjust! Afterwards, you have to sand, scrape, make the main joints, clean, wash, etc ... I have not yet definitively chosen what appearance I will give to the whole: all the full joints or leave a little "day" between the stones. All this may seem a bit wobbly from time to time, but I am convinced that it will only make once in place, clean joints, aged, vegetated, in its environment on a base!

So... I started something completely different. Years ago (around twenty!), I subscribed to a Del Prado collection (when it still existed ...). I never had time to do this thing, and I quietly locked it in boxes all this time. Today, to change things a bit, I brought out all this stuff, and I plan to move forward a little. It is a medieval fortified village from the Middle Ages to be built in mini brick, stone by stone. As usual with collection publishers, Del Prado had entered into a partnership with a kit manufacturer which still exists : Aedes Ars. Some of you may know. They design all kinds of reconstituted stone kits of monuments, houses, castles, etc. It is a long, tedious job, with each stone to be adjusted. And personally, I'm new to the field ... We'll see! That said, I won't be able to prevent myself from personalizing a little... At the end of the construction of each element, the whole must constitute a village; it is planned to make it a global diorama. I'll do it a little differently ... But we're not there yet! In parallel, I will certainly also start a boat to change my mind from time to time. I will present it to you later. 😉 The first building will be the church of this village. The work has started: we have to organize, cut, correct, strengthen the cardboard structure (I mounted the cardboard 20 years ago, it had collapsed a bit, we had to take off parts to put them back more late) ... ☺️

Thank you, I wish you a Merry Christmas too! I think the Greenwich Museum already has wonderful treasures under the windows ... But it's nice of you! Merci

Hi Greenstone, Thank you very much for your explanation on this submarine! It's really interesting to know the truth about a model. I would not go back on the other Russian thing either, except to say that the photos are fake and stolen and the kits of very poor quality (personal experience without knowing these people). Don't buy these things, even at low cost... I really hope that Master Korabel will continue to design and market this kind of very original models. With the quality of your kits, I am sure that you will always have great success all over the world. In any case, I do everything necessary so that you are known and recognized in French-speaking countries! 😁

Greenstone, Congratulations to Master Korabel for designing something other than ships and more classic boats. I love the professionalism of your kits, and I have already been able to mount several (I'm a fan of your kits, huh!)... This new submarine kit seems really designed. However, I have a question: are there several versions of this prototype? I think you know the other Russian kit of this submarine. I have no doubt about the difference in quality with Master Korabel. But I can't understand the differences in props or editing between yours and the other one (Here). 🤨 Thank you for explaining its history and the choice of these differences. I am really interested in this MK kit! 😀