Loarre Castle (Spain) by King Derelict - Aedes Ars 1/200

[king derelict]

I made some progress with the keep and the ramp. Quite relaxing after the outer walls although the keep windows are fiddly.

I spent quite a bit of time puzzling out the next moves; the lighting and the build up of the main towers. I have some cheap 2V yellow flickering leds from Amazon

which I have been playing around with. I'm a little nervous of using them in this model being a bit unsure of their quality so I ordered a$50 worth of 3V flickering warm white ones from Evans Design and hopefully they will be a higher quality. 

The kit guide would have you build up the walls of the tower before fitting the roof  but I am reluctant to do that. It is possible to slightly distort the walls as teh blocks go up and then the roof is not going to fit well. I am also trying to work out what parts of the upper structures should be lit and need wiring.

This is the roof with the layout of the next levels.

I think I am going to try building up the cardboard formers to see what I have up there and then sort out the lighting and wiring before adding the roof and starting the blockwork.

Thanks for looking in and all the help and support

Alan

[CDW]

30 minutes ago, king derelict said:

Interesting stuff Craig

It sort of reminds me of many, many years ago when I worked construction out in the Arabian Gulf. The engineer on site was the only person who could read a drawing and he gave the dimensions to the foreman who was the only other person who could read a tape measure. He would then hunt around for a stick of the right length and the gang would be told "that deep"

Alan

Well check this out...in my earliest years, I worked as a surveyor, doing mostly construction projects rather than land surveys. From the old men who were master surveyors, chiefs, I learned that the early measuring instruments were known as "chains" and were 66 feet in length. (our modern chains then were 100')

One length of the chain (66') in width by 10 lengths of the chain in depth (660') 66 X 660 = 43,560 sq. ft., one acre.

80 lengths of the chain (66' X 80) = one mile. 

6 miles X 6 miles = 36 sq. miles

On our maps, everything is divided by sections (one sq. mile) and a Township and Range = 36 sq. miles

 

What becomes quickly obvious is that all our measurements are evenly divisible by 6 and were designed to be that way since who knows how long ago. For what purpose or reason, I'm not certain but 6 is a very prominent number that was given much significance.   

[gjdale]

And just to toss in another, one chain = 66ft = 22yds, which just happens to be the length of a cricket pitch.......

[Old Collingwood]

I was  thinking  Alan  regarding your  figures  when  you  get  round  to  working on  them  (I know  thats  a long way off  yet)    becuase of the  small  scale   1-200  and trying  to paint  them  at that scale  would  be  a  real  pain,    could   you  not  use a  larger  scale   of figures   -  would  they  look  out of place  against  the  walls and doorways   etc.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

22 hours ago, CDW said:

What becomes quickly obvious is that all our measurements are evenly divisible by 6 and were designed to be that way since who knows how long ago. For what purpose or reason, I'm not certain but 6 is a very prominent number that was given much significance.

And of course there is the great old pre-decimalisation British currency. Based on 12 pennies to a shilling so more sixes there. Not to mention balls in an over

Alan

[king derelict]

20 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

I was  thinking  Alan  regarding your  figures  when  you  get  round  to  working on  them  (I know  thats  a long way off  yet)    becuase of the  small  scale   1-200  and trying  to paint  them  at that scale  would  be  a  real  pain,    could   you  not  use a  larger  scale   of figures   -  would  they  look  out of place  against  the  walls and doorways   etc.

 

OC.

OC, thanks - that may be a great idea to try. Those little figures have been bothering me a bit. They are o small that I can't think of an easy way remove them from the bases. Somehow they would have to be added and the landscape built up around them.

Lots to think about here.

 

Alan

[king derelict]

I spent some time today adding the upper layer to the main tower roof. Its a complicated layout. The numbers on all teh pieces make it pretty straightforward apart from a couple of odd pieces which need a bit of extra thought. The instruction / guide sheet is of little / no help - its more just a general outline of the build.

There is going to be some fiddly brickwork here.

 

Assembling the structure has made it easy to see which elements are closed in and have roofs and should be lit. I was wrong in my initial assessment and only about five parts will need lights so I have rather overordered on the leds. I'm sure they will come in useful and I suppose I could add a few in the base of the towers in the curtain wall

The next step will be to assemble the roof onto the main tower but before then I need the leds so there may be a few days pause. I should have planned better but I hadn't expected to move quite so fast on the last bit of teh wall.

Thanks for all the comments, helpful information and the likes

 

Alan

 

 

[Jack12477]

1 hour ago, king derelict said:

OC, thanks - that may be a great idea to try. Those little figures have been bothering me a bit. They are o small that I can't think of an easy way remove them from the bases. Somehow they would have to be added and the landscape built up around them.

Lots to think about here.

 

Alan

Alan see photos of my 1:35 figures with bases.  I just glued them to the diorama base then covered them with Woodlands Scenics material, hides them well

[Old Collingwood]

Alan  check this  site  out  they  are based in the UK  they  ar  15mm  that  is  close  to 100scale.

 

https://www.museumminiatures.co.uk/

 

 

OC.

Edited August 2, 2023 by Old Collingwood

[king derelict]

22 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

Alan see photos of my 1:35 figures with bases.  I just glued them to the diorama base then covered them with Woodlands Scenics material, hides them wel

Thanks Jack

I think I can do that in the castle. It looks like most of the areas are gravel or grass.

Those are great dios by the way

Alan

Edited August 3, 2023 by king derelict
needed to add comment

[king derelict]

20 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Alan  check this  site  out  they  are based in the UK  they  ar  15mm  that  is  close  to 100scale.

 

https://www.museumminiatures.co.uk/

 

 

OC.

Thank you very much OC. They look really very nice. I'll order a few to see how they look against the stonework. The 10 mm figures I got from Pendraken are probably just too small to do anything with. I did think of painting them white as ghosts of yesteryesr but I don't think it would work

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, king derelict said:

Thank you very much OC. They look really very nice. I'll order a few to see how they look against the stonework. The 10 mm figures I got from Pendraken are probably just too small to do anything with. I did think of painting them white as ghosts of yesteryesr but I don't think it would work

Alan

Glad  I could  help Alan,  they  do  look  quite  good.

 

OC.

[Louie da fly]

On 7/30/2023 at 10:24 AM, king derelict said:

The medieval builders must have been masters of the basic mechanics of engineering and understood levers, fulcrums and mechanical advantages in things like pulley systems. I suppose they had plumb bobs and maybe some sort of level but they certainly did great things and left us some wonderful buildings to marvel over.

Have you seen the castle being built at Guédelon in France, using only traditional techniques? They've been at it for 20 years now, and it looks amazing. My wife and I are hoping to visit one day, and even perhaps lend a hand as unskilled laborers (sigh).

 

 

[Waitoa]

Have you thought of getting some figures 3D printed?  I have a number for my build and you can get a wide range of characters and poses.  

 

Need to get back to mine but my son has me helping him paint Warhammer and Lord of the Rings figures.  Keep up the good work it is inspiring me to dust mine off and do some more buildings.

[Old Collingwood]

9 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

Have you seen the castle being built at Guédelon in France, using only traditional techniques? They've been at it for 20 years now, and it looks amazing. My wife and I are hoping to visit one day, and even perhaps lend a hand as unskilled laborers (sigh).

 

 

Video  showing as not available  to me  anyway.

 

OC.

[CDW]

4 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Video  showing as not available  to me  anyway.

 

OC.

Works just fine on my end. Very interesting, too.

[Old Collingwood]

1 minute ago, CDW said:

Works just fine on my end. Very interesting, too.

Thanks  mate,  might be my browser  or something.

 

OC.

[mtaylor]

1 hour ago, Old Collingwood said:

Video  showing as not available  to me  anyway.

 

OC.

Try clicking the lower left hand corner to "Watch on Youtube".   I have the same problem from time to time and clicking that usually works for me.

[Old Collingwood]

4 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Try clicking the lower left hand corner to "Watch on Youtube".   I have the same problem from time to time and clicking that usually works for me.

Thanks  Mark.

 

Just tried  it  - its  says  the  video is not available  in your  country  (strange)

 

OC.

Edited August 7, 2023 by Old Collingwood

[king derelict]

On 8/6/2023 at 6:38 AM, Louie da fly said:

Have you seen the castle being built at Guédelon in France, using only traditional techniques? They've been at it for 20 years now, and it looks amazing. My wife and I are hoping to visit one day, and even perhaps lend a hand as unskilled laborers (sigh).

That is a great video. Its a very interesting insight into both the construction and the lives of the builders and their mobility. I think they are faster than I am too.

Thank you very much for posting it.

Alan

[king derelict]

On 8/6/2023 at 11:06 AM, Waitoa said:

Have you thought of getting some figures 3D printed?  I have a number for my build and you can get a wide range of characters and poses.  

 

Need to get back to mine but my son has me helping him paint Warhammer and Lord of the Rings figures.  Keep up the good work it is inspiring me to dust mine off and do some more buildings.

Yes; I hope to incorporate figures. I bought some metal 10mm figures from Pendraken in the UK and they look quite nice.

Thank you for the kind words. Slow progress but its still fun

Alan

[king derelict]

21 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Thanks  Mark.

 

Just tried  it  - its  says  the  video is not available  in your  country  (strange)

 

OC.

The BBC does that to me all the time

[king derelict]

While I was waiting for the lighting kit to arrive I used the time to prime a few of the Pendraken 10 mm figures with Mr Surfacer metal primer. I then have them a coat of Vallajo white primer to see how the details looked

I thought the detail looked quite nice so I had a go at painting them using a set of Vallejo medieval acrylic paints that I bought by mistake ages ago. I was a bit nervous about the coverage having had some bad experiences with Vallejo in the past. To my surprise the paints went on very nicely. I also tried a wet palette for the first time and found it very handy, especially as I found I was going round touching up areas as I found bits I had missed

I have found very little guidance for the uniforms so this is pure imagination. I am going to add a thin wash to help with the details. I can't manage the details of teh reins so a wash may bring them out without needing to actually paint them. A wash may help add a bit of subtlety to the figures. I'm not sure whether the foot figures are wearing chain mail cowls or whether its luxuriant hair. I have painted them as mail but might try a few with hair. Be kind; these are less than 1/2 inch tall and I just couldn't get the eyes painted right. 😄

The bombard is a nice little piece. I haven't painted bases yet. They will be matched into the overall landscape when they get installed

This was really an exercise in trying washes and highlighting but now we have a dragon for the castle

The leds arrived this afternoon so I will be adding them to the tower formers and then its back to the blocks

 

Thanks for looking in and for all the comments and support

 

Alan

 

 

[Louie da fly]

I wouldn't worry to much about the "uniforms". Though there's pictorial evidence of a nobleman's followers wearing his colours as early as 1195, they weren't really a thing until the Renaissance.

 

Judging by the figures and the bombard, I'd be putting them all in the 14th century (nearest timeline that includes both a bombard and the outfits of the warriors, though it's stretching it a little bit to do so - that's a very advanced bombard for those guys to be using).

 

I think you've done a pretty fine job with such small figures. I think you're right putting mail rather than hair under the helmets, but I'd suggest the horseman (as a member of the wealthy class) should also have mail "stockings" (called chausses) on his legs.

 

Steven

[Old Collingwood]

Hey!  Alan  those figures came  out  well   -  cripes  I struggle  enough  with  28mm   let alone 10mm.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

21 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

I wouldn't worry to much about the "uniforms". Though there's pictorial evidence of a nobleman's followers wearing his colours as early as 1195, they weren't really a thing until the Renaissance.

 

Judging by the figures and the bombard, I'd be putting them all in the 14th century (nearest timeline that includes both a bombard and the outfits of the warriors, though it's stretching it a little bit to do so - that's a very advanced bombard for those guys to be using).

 

I think you've done a pretty fine job with such small figures. I think you're right putting mail rather than hair under the helmets, but I'd suggest the horseman (as a member of the wealthy class) should also have mail "stockings" (called chausses) on his legs.

 

Steven

Thank you very much Steven. I will continue with artistic license regarding dress and colours. I believe the figures are supposed to be circa 14th century. The bombard might be stretching it a bit and although I like it it may not end up in the display. A lot will depend on how the landscape comes out. The gateway to the ramp and the main door will be the most populated area I think so may end being just a column of riders and some watchful foot soldiers. I'll see how creative I feel. I do like the little figures though and will paint more as a break from the blockwork.

This will all be a bit of a confection; given the simplifications with the kit I won't be reaching for the ultimate in historical accuracy - but trying to not go too far astray

Thanks again

Alan

[king derelict]

21 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Hey!  Alan  those figures came  out  well   -  cripes  I struggle  enough  with  28mm   let alone 10mm.

 

OC.

Thank you very much OC Praise from the expert is much appreciated. I imagine these are war gaming figures. I can't imagine painting an army. I am enjoying working on a few at a time though and hope to improve a bit. I think I will try a light wash and see how that comes out.

I saw this on the Micro Mark website and am intrigued to know if its really any use. The steadiness of my hand is more of an issue with fine details and I'm not sure I want to see that magnified😄

Micro-Mark BrushCam (micromark.com)

Alan

[king derelict]

I've added the lights to the main tower and the smaller areas on the roof. Although I need some more leds I can progress with the main tower now. I tested the leds and all work. They are 3v 1.8mm leds in flickering warm white. 

I fixed the upper levels into place. I didn't rely totally on the card strips provided in the kit. I added some foam strips which gave a more substantial area to glue the top levels to.

As you can see there are plenty of interesting feature, doors, windows, curves which will stop this being an exercise in slapping down blocks. Thankfully the landscape [profile means the blockwork doesn't extend all the way to the ground. For this reason I decided to start at the level where a tier of tiles is built into the wall. That also gets me a level start to the blocks.  There is some fairly interesting work ahead.

The lighting has been checked as the evening came in. I used blocks of closed cell foam to mount and glue down the lights with the leads threaded out through the blocks. It seems to have worked well. You can see the ones still exposed on the tower roof

Light bleed looks like it won't be a problem

 

Thanks for looking in and all the support

 

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, king derelict said:

Thank you very much OC Praise from the expert is much appreciated. I imagine these are war gaming figures. I can't imagine painting an army. I am enjoying working on a few at a time though and hope to improve a bit. I think I will try a light wash and see how that comes out.

I saw this on the Micro Mark website and am intrigued to know if its really any use. The steadiness of my hand is more of an issue with fine details and I'm not sure I want to see that magnified😄

Micro-Mark BrushCam (micromark.com)

Alan

That  looks  so  cool  -   but guess  it would take another  dimension  of concentration,  needing to  focus on the  screen  while  painting the  figure   -  might be  great though after  some  practice.

 

OC.

[Louie da fly]

Looks very good with the lights on, but perhaps there's too much of a good thing? Having lived by candle-light at times, I'd say you should probably go for rather less, and perhaps put some yellow/orange cellophane over your leds. A good example of the colour and intensity you should be aiming for is provided in Stanley Kubrik's movie Barry Lyndon

 

 

in which all the interior scenes were filmed using only candle-light (with special cameras designed to do so). The castle itself is looking really good, though I can see you still have a lot of work ahead of you.

 

Best wishes,

 

Steven