king derelict

Thank you very much Mark It feels a bit strange to not be doing something more to it. Its been quite a project. Mostly fun and suddenly it looks good at the end. Alan

Thank you very much. This is the first time I have wired up a model but I confess to sliding over and switching on the lights at frequent intervals Alan

Thank you very much for the kind words EG. And thank you again for the help along the way. This one had all teh elements; repetition, frustration but plenty of scope to improve and create. I don't see many of these kits come to fruition so its been great to have built and improved this one Thanks again Alan

Thank you very much Andrew I'm pleased with the end result although I'm aware of the areas I could have done better. I think I will be appearing back in the maritime section with a few short builds to have fun with before ramping up again. I have a couple of ideas Alan

Thank you Phil Alan

Thank you Craig Its been quite a journey but a lot of useful learning - and I'm still trying to find a home for the diorama somewhere visible in the house. Alan

Thank you very much Jack. You gave me some great help along the way. The camera is a Pentax WG-4 waterproof (sort of) point and shoot. It does have a series of modes from a basic programmed mode through aperture or speed priority. I'm still experimenting to find the best options. I can get decent results for the smaller models but the castle is big and I have not done too well with it so I would welcome any assistance Alan

Thank you Mike. There were times when the walls seemed to be rising slower than the real thing but I think it was worth it. Alan

Thanks Andy and thanks for teh landscape suggestions too Alan

Thank you very much OC. I think it was a great project and the end result is satisfying to me. I'm not sure I want to make a habit of the Aedes Ars kits. I have another castle tucked away but its not going to get opened this year. Alan

Anyone want a castle 😁

The method of making the spoked wheels looks very effective and not too complicated. Excellent work alan

The different grass types really work well together. I'm curious to see the static grass in use. Diomramas make a huge difference to the models. It’s a shame they take up so much space alan

Well, the magnificent (10 mm) seven ride out I tried building up the colours by a series of washes rather than one coat. I was especially pleased with the horses; the photos do not do them justice. I was able to get shades of brown across their bodies. I gave all the figures a final wash of the Agrax Earthshade and it did a good job of highlighting the details and muting some of the over bright elements. I was quite pleased with the result bearing in mind they are nominally 10mm figures. The armour seems to match Spanish armour I have seem online but this does not pretend to reflect an exact period in time. The castle as modelled is in its current partly ruined state so the figures are an anachronism anyway and are best considered re-enactors. I wanted something to show the scale of the castle. I had really planned to add many more figures to the castle but given the way the terrain finished up and poses of the figures I found I could only use a limited number. I had planned to show the mounted figures riding up the causeway but of course the riders would need to lean into the hill and the poses I have are for flat ground and look rather silly on a slope. So they were added passing through the main gate and the mix of matte Mod Podge and dust was added to make the causeway surface. Somehow it feels like I should be adding yet more details somewhere but I'm calling this complete, thus the self indulgent set of photos. I want to try to get some better pictures of models generally so a new camera and some lights may be a thought. If so I'll re-photograph this one The "night" shots are a bit bright; partly because the camera keeps compensating and even with the exposure screwed all the way down its still not how it really looks So at the end what do we have. The Aedes Ars kits have limitations of scale and detail because of the medium and the method of construction. Purists will hate the size of the blocks (Aedes Ars uses the same block sizes regardless of the kits scale). Window openings, crenelations and some doors all end up simplified or out of scale. The blockwork is repetitive and time consuming (my friend though this would be like Lego and finished in a weekend). I like the end result in spite of the criticisms. The "stone" blocks are more impressive than anything made by painting plastic On this kit the landscaping was hugely fun and I learnt a lot. I am very pleased with the cliffs and I learnt a lot about using Woodland Scenic products. I want to try figure painting now with something at a saner scale. The completed model is sat on the dining room table because every other horizontal surface I had considered is too small I may have to tour the thrift stores for something to convert. Finally I would like to say thank you for all the advice and encouraging comments. There is a huge wealth of knowledge on this site from history to techniques and it is freely shared. I am a grateful recipient and this project is the better for it I am considering the next project which will be less than 12 inches long and I'm thinking its time I showed up on the ship sections before my membership credentials are revoked Thank you as ever for looking in and the likes Alan

Thank you very much Mike The landscape work was a lot of fun and turned out better than I expected. Alan

Thank you very much OC. The figure painting has gone better this time - learning to build up in washes Alan

Wow what a beautiful miniature. I’m sure you will create fantastic renditions too. alan

Excellent work Craig. That’s a real head turner. The chrome really makes it pop and the paint has a lovely depth. alan

What a great subject. I'll be following with interest. Always liked seaplanes Alan

Beautiful work. These cars came out very nicely Alan

Beautiful finish Dan. The details really look great alan

Looking forward to seeing a great model come together alan

Thanks Craig Blackening the tip of the scalpel blade is a good idea. I must remember that. Alan

Lovely work with the metal foil. That looks very difficult to get a neat finish alan

I airbrushed the grey primer onto the figures. I am amazed how much detail Pendraken get into their 10mm figures I like the matte medium and sanding dust for the path way. It also makes a good layer to embed the figures into Aedes Ars provided a small bag of fine particles which looked like they might work to add some texture to the path. They look quite good to the eye but teh photo shows them to be far too big for gravel. I may use a bit elsewhere or at the edges of the path. I made up a "sand" colour mix from craft acrylics and painted it on as a base for the path; its a bit pink but I think it will work under the matte medium mix. I also added the shallow steps seen in the drone video of the real thing. TAP Plastic have already shipped the custom cut plexiglass for the display case. Arriving next Monday Thanks for looking in and all the likes and comments Alan