Medieval Fortified Village by Ekis - 1/87 scratch base kit Aedes Ars

[popeye the sailor]

really nice progress...the church looks awesome!  

[Bossman]

This is way too cool! Beautiful. 

[Ekis]

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 !! 😁

[popeye the sailor]

impressive job!  the Padre will be pleased  

[Ekis]

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.

[Kurt Johnson]

This is really the coolest thing. Beautiful job! I’d love to try something like this. It’s particularly interesting because I happen to currently be reading The Pillars of the Earth ( for the second time ).

 

Kurt

Edited February 9, 2020 by Kurt Johnson
Correcting words

[FriedClams]

On 12/26/2019 at 2:23 PM, Ekis said:

No, nothing is sorted out: I have to choose the right stones to build

Dang !

 

I just found this build and am I glad I did.  Such an interesting model - I had no idea a kit like this even existed!  

 

You're doing a wonderful job in constructing it Ekis.  The church turned out beautifully, so charming.  I will be watching your progress on the medieval village.

 

Gary

[Ekis]

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Javlin]

To cool feels like a movie prop Kevin

[popeye the sailor]

your really moving on your project now!  really nice job!     how much does this weigh now?   did you leave this as a sectional?

[Ekis]

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. 😃

[Kurt Johnson]

Ekis,  You’re modifying the original kit, correct? Do you have a definite plan how it will be when its completed or does it keep evolving as the building progresses? I personally think the latter would be more fun. I’d probably have a whole story developing in my head at each step. 
 

Kurt

[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 ... 😁

Edited February 14, 2020 by Ekis

[Ekis]

Further assembly for the dovecote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm going to attack the frame structure and the particular roof.

[Ekis]

The doors and reinforcements of the dovecote are made, the framework ready to receive its tiles. The small wall closing the cloister against the church is in progress...

 

 

 

 

 

[yvesvidal]

Beautiful and so peaceful. What a great cloister.

 

Yves

[Ekis]

Thx Yves

[popeye the sailor]

look'in really nice......the courtyard looks  especially good with the greens and fountain.  are you going to use some of that scenery stuff?  that would give it some realism    your moving right along with it...great job!

[Ekis]

This layout resembles today's cloisters...

In the 14th century, they were more like medicinal gardens where monks grew plants.
They needed water... So in the middle there would have been a well instead.
I'm going to try... 😁

 

[Louie da fly]

Beautiful work, Ekis.

 

Judging by the architectural style, I'd place this in the Mediterranean region - southern France or Spain or perhaps Italy, and time-wise in the 14th century (mainly because of the form of the turrets and a few other military innovations that happened about then), though the church is Romanesque - presumably it was built centuries before and the fortifications either added later or updated as the centuries went past.

 

If, later on you do build a little harbour, the ship(s) should also be from the 14th century. Though the picture below is from the 13th century a lot of smaller Mediterranean ships didn't change much over time, looking (allowing for artistic license) pretty much like this :

 

 

By the way, for a bit of inspiration, have you seen the full size castle they're building at Guédelon using only mediaeval techniques at https://www.guedelon.fr/fr/. They've been building now for something like 20 years and don't expect to be finished for another decade or two.

 

 

Steven

 

 

Edited February 18, 2020 by Louie da fly

[Ekis]

13 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

By the way, for a bit of inspiration, have you seen the full size castle they're building at Guédelon using only mediaeval techniques at https://www.guedelon.fr/fr/. They've been building now for something like 20 years and don't expect to be finished for another decade or two.

Thanks Steven comments are always much appreciated !

 

I know Guédelon very well, and I've been following the construction site since the very first stones were laid... ☺️
I have already been there 3 times (my last visit was in May 2019), and I will continue to see the progress of the castle.

Small precision : the castle should be finished in 2025. But the archaeological-builders decided a few years ago to build a whole village around the castle once it is finished.
It is a unique construction site in the world, built only with period tools and methods!

It's not really a real middle age fortified castle, but what we call a fortified house. That is to say that the master of the place should have been a very small lord of the region.

A real fortress would have been too big a project for this volunteer association...

 

Edited February 18, 2020 by Ekis

[Kurt Johnson]

Steven, Thanks for the Guedelon site, it adds to the enjoyment of Ekis’s work. I would love to be able to go there myself. I love “living history”. Perhaps I should get a lottery ticket tonight. One of my favorite fiction authors, Steve Berry, has a character who is a woman who is building a castle in France in the time appropriate way. It must be just a coincidence, ya think?

 

Ekis, I like the cloisters and the dovecote in particular so far.  So far everything seems to be coming along very nicely. Nothing looks out of place. 
 

Kurt

Edited February 18, 2020 by Kurt Johnson

[Louie da fly]

Ekis, I wasn't sure when the castle was due to be finished - I was quoting from memory. I agree - the castle itself is very modest- it doesn't even have a drawbridge - but it is nonetheless something that would have existed at the time - built by a minor lord on a limited budget. They also explain on the website what the revenues of a castle in such a place would have been and where they would have come from.

 

My wife and I would dearly love to go to  Guédelon some time in the future and work for a week or so as volunteer labourers (they actually let you do that!). Unfortunately it's almost impossible to get there unless you drive your own car (we've looked up the transport options) and we live in a country where cars drive on the left side of the road - not sure I'd be happy driving on the other side!

 

Steven

 

 

[Kurt Johnson]

I think for the fulltime artisans/craftsmen/craftswomen of Guedelon it is a labor of love. I doubt they make what their skill should really pay. That being said I would love to be part of it, even as a volunteer.

 

I have two books that might be interesting, Ekis, forgive me if you’re already familiar with them. They’re by a former countyman of yours, Jean Gimple. They are “The Cathedral Builders” and “The Medieval Machine”. Both are very informative.

 

Kurt

[Ekis]

You're right, Steven, this fortified house is exactly the kind of construction that used to exist. In fact, a few miles from Guédelon, there is a fortified house almost identical and of the same period!
It is also true that the construction site is located in the countryside, away from everything. It is not easy to get there other than by car...

 

Thank you, Kurt, for the titles of these books. Would you have the names of the publishers so I could see if they have any information that might indeed be of interest to me? 😉

 

[Kurt Johnson]

Ekis, I sent the book info by PM to you.

 

Kurt

Edited February 19, 2020 by Kurt Johnson

[Kurt Johnson]

Ekis,  There seems to be a number of the books avaiable used, and I am happy with the condition of the books I received. I don’t know if you have read Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, but according to Follett the Jean Gimple Cathedral book was one of the inspirations for the novel. Evidently the two men became friends. Gimble seems like a character from a novel himself. He was in the Ressistance during WW2, became an art dealer and a Medieval scholar.

             I have as much fun researching as I do model making. Let me know if they are any help to you.

I guess it’s already tomorrow for you with the 6 hour time difference. So I’ll say have a good morning.

 

Kurt

[Ekis]

Yes, I've read The Pillars of Earth by Ken Follet. It's a very interesting novel with a lot of information about the social organization of the Middle Ages: a must for those who want to go deeper into this period. ☺️

I think I have quite a lot of personal information about that and about that period. I have had the opportunity to see (and see again) many historical sites in France and Europe.
I will just try to give with this village a medieval atmosphere and respect the buildings around the 14th century. All this with the materials (and skills) I have at my disposal...

 

In fact, I'm not trying to be ultra-realistic (the materials don't really allow it), but just to do something coherent.

 

While the roofs are being done (slowly, each tile has to be cut back), I finished the small wall that closes the cloister and a few more things like the chimney in the common room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2020 by Ekis

[Kurt Johnson]

Ekis,

 

I was looking through the catalog of kits from the company you had mentioned to see if there was one I wanted to build. The one thing that bothered me is the roofs all looked out of scale. I thought maybe they had changed since you purchased yours. It didn’t dawn on me you modified them. The results improve the buildings a lot!

 

Kurt

Edited February 21, 2020 by Kurt Johnson

[popeye the sailor]

beautiful work Ekis.......very nice with the windows and doors