watchtower

[Decado]

as promised heres the how to for the watchtower that i did. (some of the pics are a bit blurry but these are the size comparisons at the end so still work)

IMPERIAL WATCHTOWER.

Materials required.
5mm Foamcard 1x22cm square 2x 20 cm square
3mm Foamcard 2x8cm squares 1 5.5cm x 32cm strip
12 plastic bodied felt tip pens.
6 plastic rods (from a wendy house).
2 kebab skewers
8 storm bolters from the imperial vehicle sprue
2 heavy bolters imp guard heavy weapons sprue
2 lascannons imp guard heavy weapons sprue
4 searchlights from the imperial vehicle sprue.
1 plastic doorway
Picture hanging wire
http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower8le.jpg

Stage 1 the design

This was actually the most difficult stage, I had to decide what I wanted for this to be a really effective looking piece yet still be in everyone’s available skill range and budgets. So after rummaging about my scenery bits box I found the bits id need.

Then I set about drawing the layers out (my scanner isn’t working otherwise I’d include the plans as well), now take your time with this stage don’t rush cause if you do then you risk forgetting about the actual building of it (this has led to a few projects of mine to have sat on a page for months before because of the build complexity), you want the actual building of your scenery to be as simple as possible.
Remember it’s the details that will add the wow factor to it.

Stage 2 building the base.
To make the support pillars, take the felt tip pens and the wendy rods and cut them to 11 cm each, then glue 3 of them together like so.
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/5020/tower14nk.jpg

Take the 22 cm square and draw out a 20cm square in the middle , then at each corner draw round the larger support pillars
http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/144/tower29xa.jpg

Core out this shape so that the pillars fit in snugly, then make the pillar heads in the same way out of some 5mm triangles, (you’ll have some spare 5mm foamcard from the final stage).
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/9144/tower31ny.jpg

Glue the pillars into place (or if storage is an issue don’t, just glue the pillar heads in place) and attach the pillar heads.
http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/7448/tower46fd.jpg

Stage 3 the middle layer.
The corner sections were done in exactly the same way as the lower set, with the exception that it was a 18 cm square AND a 16 cm square, with the pillar positions cut out inside the 16 cm square.

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/1416/tower56oi.jpg

This is going to be the business layer of the tower, I initially wanted a ramp but the thing would have been too steep for models to be placed on. And a straight lift was too boring so I took 2 of the dozer blade mechanics sections cut down the end sections off them and used them as the winches to raise and lower the platform.

The wall sections were marked out on the protruding sections of this layer, these were then cored out to allow the easy positioning of the wall sections.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8827/tower67tu.jpg
http://img499.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower74bj.jpg
http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower86cg.jpg

Stage 4 the top layer.
Take the final 20 cm square and draw out a central 16 cm square, then draw out your gun posts at the corners. Cut out the spare material away and keep it (this is where your pillar tops will come from)
http://img149.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower95hs.jpg

Stage 5 the control room

This is up to you how you want it but this is how I did mine
Take your strip of 3 mm card and mark it off in the following places
40mm 90mm 170mm 250mm 290mm 320mm
this represents the
40 mm wall, a 50 mm wall, 2x 80 mm walls, 40mm wall, and finally a 30mm wall.
http://img380.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower103cw.jpg

15mm down from the top I marked out a 3mm wide section then I did the same 3mm from the bottom. I then cored these sections out. I then inserted the roof section that I had cut out and inserted it into this groove the rest of the model was then folded round the roof via this groove.
http://img101.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower112jb.jpg

I made sure that the floor section would fit the groove cut into the base of the control room this was then glued to the top layer.

Now there you have it your basic structure is complete. All that is left now is the detailing.
http://img300.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower129vf.jpg
http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower132on.jpg
http://img95.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower148cr.jpg
http://img225.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower150yk.jpg

The 8 storm bolters were glued on the middle layer at the corners of the protrusions.
http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower175ju.jpg

The heavy bolters and lascannons were attached to the top layer in opposite corners so that each side had a heavy bolter and a lascannon.
http://img226.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower160cn.jpg

The base model was looking a little Spartan so I took some picture hanging wire and wrapped it round a spare wendy house pole. the kebab skewers were cut into 2cm strips and 6 of these were used at the bottom of each pillar.
The coiled wire was then glued to the posts and was then tied down with more wire to the posts as well for added realism.
http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower180or.jpg

this will give you a rough idea of how the tower looks
http://img211.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower197ev.jpg
http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower200rz.jpg
http://img70.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tower213lm.jpg

[The Paint Monkey]

That looks pretty cool and will look awesome painted but dude, get your camera sorted out! Only a handful of pictures were in focus and it's a bit tricky seeing just what's going on in some of the reference photos. I'll look forward to more pics of it painted and on the tabletop though.

[Commissar_Malevich]

Sweet, not bad at all. Although I laugh that yours is just as high as mine. But yeah I can see what type of look you goin after and the gun emplacements rock. GJ keep goin.

[Decado]

ok ive just remembered that the macro setting on me camera was set for up close (twat!)

and as for the height that was part of the stipulation of the challenge that our erstwhile sailorboy refused it had to be 12'' in height and be able to take at least 5 models

now there were several different designs that i drew out some wouldve been easier to build that the one i opted for but i also wanted this piece for my tables as a centerpiece.