First buildings for Kleinstadt

The first four buildings for Kleinstadt are finished.  All are N scale railway buildings that I have painted (with the excpetion of that wonderful frescoes and the patterned tiled roof on the tower).  I have also weathered t hem using a combination of techniques.  I've learnt a lot and really enjoyed doing these.

No basing yet as this will be done once all buildings are done for the town and I can work out what bases are needed where.

 

A bit of spraying for Kleinstadt

Nothing too exciting but I am trying to get back into the habit of posting more regularly.  

It was a beautiful day - if a little cold once the sun went behind the trees, so I took the oportunity to locate outside and use the bigger compressor and Iwata spray gun.  I was also using Tamiya colours with the lacquer thinner so it is much better to do it outside with a lot of air movement.

I basecoated in a dark brown to give some shadows, then put a first coat on the roof, a dark red base to the hald timbering and a mustard to the plasterwork.

    

I am basing this building on this and plan to have it just inside the gates on my town.

Also put first coat on the stucco part of the tower and the small church.

And a few pieces for another two models that I have started before I finished the ones already started .... and I wonder why i get very little finished.  

The making of Kleinstadt

I'm starting the building of a walled town set somewhere in south-eastern Germany / Bohemia.  It will be used with a small but growing collection of Thirty Years War in 10mm as well as WSS (which is a much longer term project).  They are both being built with the excellent figures from Pendraken.  

I know I will stretch some of the architecture in terms of period - but it is the look I am going for.

I have been getting great inspiration and learning from panzerfaust200 over on the Wargamers' Forum as he builds his 1/72nd scale town of Neustadt. 

On a family holiday to Europe (when we Australians were allowed to leave our country) 4 years ago, we spent some time in the stunning town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber where I was blown away by the town walls and the architecture (it helped that it was winter and they had a lot of places selling Gluwhein).  

So this will be a walled town with various half timbered buildings as well some later more Baroque looking ones.  I have kits from Faller, Vollmer and Kibri.

When I saw the pictures of the town hall in Lindau I knew it had to be a centrepiece for the town given the painted roofs and the frescoes on the frontage.  I built this over the past few weeks and still need to place the finer pieces of decoration on it and do some weathering. 

Next up was a half timbered market building from Kibri.  It was only after ordering a number of the Kibri buildings that I realised that their half timbering consists of a sticker that I am meant to cut windows out of and stick to the outside of the building.  I contemplated that for a little while as I think it looks cheap and nasty.  

So I have embarked on creating my own version of the timbering that I hope will give it some relief and allow me to paint and weather in a way I could not with the sticker.  I photocopied the sticker onto ordinary paper, glued that onto 0.20 plastic card and then began the laborious and fine process of cutting my own. 

All done and now the process of sticking it on before I can undercoat.

Hopefully more as I progress.

A few scenic items

Just got a package from Take Cover Scenics https://takecoverscenics.co.uk/ .  I have traditionally made all my own scenic stuff for the tabletop but wanted to get some of these as they looked so good on the web.

For my 6mm WWII, Modern and Napoleonics I got a flexible field as well as some bocage.  I also splurged and got a section of 20mm deluxe hedgerow.

All are very well made.  Comms with John was great throughout the process and I received some photos as work was progressing.

6mm flexible field

6mm flexible field

20mm Milicast Churchill with Deluxe Hedgerow

20mm Milicast Churchill with Deluxe Hedgerow

6mm with bocage

Looking for a bag of flock

I am on a bit of a mission to sort out what I have stored in various nooks and crannies around (and under!!) the house.

This afternoon it was the turn of the scenic supplies.  So I found the four boxes that contained materials that I have been collecting for over 20 years and decided to sort them out.

That's about half of an 8 by 5 foot table

I think that Woodland scenics may not have made any foliage product that I do not have.  There is fine turf, course turf, extra course tufy, underbrush, clump foliage etc etc etc.  Also a mere 400 odd trees (to make) for my 6mm stuff and about 200 for the 15/20/28mm scales. Plus all sorts of other wonders.  It really has been a great 2 hours sorting through it.

I threw out a little bit as well - early 80s era chipped sawdust made to look like ballast and earth blend and a few other things that had gone very sticky with the passage of the years.  Think some forms of rubber that have deteriorated as they have aged.

Next is to get a few sheets of card and spread some of each of the colours and different coarseness of foam so I have a reference to select the ones I want for different jobs.

Covered Market Model painted

This has sat among the detritus on the desk with a basic basecoat for months.  Took to it with a fury in the past few days and ended up with this.  Vallejo basecoats and drybrush, oil washes and pigments.

Also quite happy with my first attempt at a verdigris roof