Progress is being made!
Here we have the final layout The over all dimensions are about right ground scale wise for a large fort while the layout is not too far out for a small one and it doesn't look too wonky with the 40mm toy soldiers. Actually I think it has a certain toy soldier playset look to it which is a bonus. There's even a cabin for the officers and the gate still works. The firing step should be an earthen embankment but I had the walkways in hand so figured I might as well save time and trouble and use them. In place of a 2nd blackhouse/bastion I've made a battery position on top of the cabin.
Here's the original with 54mm figures for comparison.
The new bastion/blockhouse is the only part still the original stockade height.
The new bastion/blockhouse is the only part still the original stockade height.
I'm not over confident about the sticking power of white glue on foam so I've used bamboo skewers to hold the various bits and pieces in addition to the glue. The temptation was strong to fix the whole thing to a base but apart from the awkwardness for storing, I will want to use the fort on various table tops and a base would fit some and not others. I also want to be able to use part of the fort on a table edge/corner and/or be able to replace the bastion by a blockhouse.
Here we have the 3 sections. Once the glue has set overnight I'll start painting.
Meantime , here is an example of a fort with bastion instead of blockhouse. If I can find which fort this is and thus where I got the picture from, I'll add credits. Thank you to Annonymous for letting me know that this is Fort Joseph in Michigan a French furtrading post .The illustration can be found at http://www.wmich.edu/fortstjoseph/about/history.html I must have looked at 50 fort sites on line this winter as well as checking books and I was sure it was a western one but hadn't labelled the picture and was having trouble finding it again.
Great fort,good idea re the bamboo and I think it will look fantastic when it is painted.
ReplyDeletebest wishes
Alan
Thanks Alan.
DeleteGreat work on the conversion Ross.
ReplyDeleteThe fort turned out nicely Ross. Have you tried artist's gesso paint as a basecoat? It seems to shrink fit and give a very flexible tough coating to all sorts of dodgy base surfaces.
ReplyDeleteKind regards, Chris
Thanks Chris, I have used gesso on other things but not needed here, the spray foam that appears to have been used is like the stuff used for insulating houses and takes paint well.
DeleteRoss Mac,
ReplyDeleteYou have pulled off a great conversion. You have kept the essentials of the original structure but made it work in a smaller space and with smaller scale figures.
What are you are thinking of doing with the leftovers? Is there enough left to create other fortifications?
All the best,
Bob
Bob, I ended up with almost 1/2 the original remaining though rather cut up. I can't see needing 2 forts but I may use the pieces to make a proper blockhouse or may make a palisaded native village.
DeleteNice work Ross - I wouldn't have thought of that bamboo skewers dodge.
ReplyDeleteWhen will she be seeing action?
I figured if I was making a wooden structure, say bookshelves, and didn't want nails or screws to show what would I use? Dowelling! Luckily the skewers had been in the cupboard for 10 years because they looked like they might be useful one day.
DeleteAction on Saturday or Sunday with luck.
Looks good! You've managed to pull off the trick of getting it to look right without taking up half the table. First class!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteFort St. Joseph
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wmich.edu/fortstjoseph/about/history.html
Thank you!
Delete