Tuesday 19 February 2019

Windmills of your mind.

I have noticed, over the years, that hobby related gifts from The Saintly Mrs. Awdry depend very much on her understanding, or enjoyment of, the individual piece concerned.  For example a pack of ‘cute’ African animals is a surefire winner, but not so a limber for a 9lb Field Gun.  Imagine my delight then when the proud sails of '4 Grounds' European Windmill burst forth from the exquisitely wrapped, not to mention exceedingly generous, birthday present.
Whilst slightly anachronistic for my Witchfinder world, it is such a lovely kit and I thoroughly enjoyed assembling it, although the glazed windows proved to be a frustration as I was instantly transported back to my youth and the glue smeared cockpit of a hapless Airfix model.
Safely constructed and standing proud on the tabletop, I felt that it warranted more gravitas and started to consider the possibility of a small hillock, or suchlike, to raise the sails above the treeline.  As luck would have it, I had recently seen such a build by the oh so talented James on his Jimbibblyblog blog.  This build called for a couple of new techniques and I was keen to give them a go.
Plaster was poured onto a crumpled carrier bag* and when dried broken into chunks. These would form an interesting rocky outcrop that could be sloped down to the base, allowing access to the mill. Using a piece of 2mm MDF as a base, I loosely placed the pieces of plaster to form the rocks, bolstered by off cuts of insulation from to give me the basic structure.
*next time I might try crumpled aluminium foil.
These were then covered by a new product to me, Scuptamold.  This has a consistency of Papier-mâché, which you add water to.  It can be manipulated like clay and as it starts to dry can be smoothed to give a nice finish.  Once dry it is light weight and durable and can even be sanded making it a very versatile product for the budding hobbyist.  Once completely dried it was painted and flocked in my usual manner to tie in with my existing terrain and miniatures.  I have to say that I was delighted with the final outcome and need to once again thank James for the inspirational build that gave me the confidence to try my own.

51 comments:

  1. Glad to admire a new masterpiece...and glad to read that your hobby spirit works a littl but like mine! Wonderful job Michael!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Phil, still finding time to tinker about, mostly Star Wars at the moment.

      Delete
  2. The windmill is a work of art Sir M! I do like the hill, I'll look up this Sculptamold stuff, sounds interesting???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ray, the Sculptamold was a revelation, quick and easy.

      Delete
  3. What a great gift Michael, that you have turned into a real centre piece.

    ReplyDelete
  4. excellent. I assume the guy is Windy Militant

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful windmill, Michael! A fine addition to any collection.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Its a rather beautifu 4Ground building and well done setting on a purpose-built piece of terrain.
    (Looking up Sculpamold now...)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Joe, it was nice to add something to the bought kit that made it more mine.

      Delete
  7. Nice windmill. But can not see Johny Depp or antoher Tim Burton special character ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, would love to give it a more Gothic feel.

      Delete
  8. Lovely windmill
    btw...you can make your own scultamold...way cheaper :-)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eail7eqdzxk&t=542s
    or use fine sawdust instead of bogroll and add a dash of PVA to the mix and it goes like rock

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you can add the PVA to the bogroll Version as well...or to the actual sculptamold.

      Delete
    2. Great link Paul, not sure how the Saintly Mrs. Awdry would respond if she caught with six rolls of toilet paper and her food processor!

      Delete
  9. What a lovely looking windmill! The base is equally good,sourced from another splendid blog!
    Best Iain

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's very nice. Good work that man.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Happy Belated Birthday Michael! A wonderful addition for sure!I look forward to seeing it in one of your future Witchfnder games! I have been eyeing the Tabletop World windmill, though need to save some cash before delving down that rabbit hole!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Terry. The 4 Ground stuff is not cheap, but it is quick to get on the tabletop.

      Delete
  12. Superb! Gotta love a windmill.

    ReplyDelete
  13. A lovely model and an interesting scenic base to go with it, Michael. Does need some removable flame effects for the inevitable face-off where the misunderstood revenant and/or undead Hessian is cornered by a pitchfork wielding mob...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jez and I couldn't agree more, it is lacking a certain Gothic charm. :)

      Delete
  14. Happy Birthday, Michael. That's one sweet looking windmill... a real Dutch treat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mr. Finch, of course I have now seen a rather nice version done by Sarissa.

      Delete
  15. Happy birthday!
    What a great gift, the windmill looks fantastic.
    Thank you for the ideas regarding the hill, I might give these techniques a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you and you a more than welcome. The hill was such a great find on James' blog, he really is a clever chap.

      Delete
  16. Happy birthday! Every wargamer should have a mill (wind or water). Excellent piece, and your addition of the scratchbuilt hill really sets it off (maybe on some windswept moor). I have used sculptamold in the past for things like hills and making boulders for scatter terrain. A single bag will go a long way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, I was really taken by the sculptamold, it was just so easy to use.

      Delete
  17. Another great scenery project as I have come to expect from you.
    Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  18. That's one fine looking windmill Micheal!

    Christopher

    ReplyDelete
  19. Excellent looking piece Michael! The base really adds to it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. As good as the windmill looks, it was the base that made it come to life. Excellent work all around.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am very enjoyed for this blog. Its an informative topic.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Its opportunity are so fantastic and working style so speedy.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am looking for some good blog sites for studying.

    ReplyDelete

  24. Greate pieces. Keep writing such kind of information on your page. Im really impressed by your site.

    ReplyDelete


  25. Saved as a favorite, I really like your blog!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...