Thursday 10 July 2014

Converting the citadel mighty fortress.

With BOYL14  fast approaching it isn't just a new army I have promised to bring to the table. I've also promised at least a couple of mighty fortresses painted and including a few breached sections and perhaps a keep. This means taking a 2lb lump hammer and...well perhaps not. It does mean a well planned couple of conversions.


Luckily I have enough Citadel Mighty Fortresses to leave a few towers and wall sections going spare. Indeed that's why I collected three of them many years ago.

First lets tackle the Keep. The 1988 siege rules handily give us instructions on how to make a multi-section tower. Just two I feel is enough for a small keep, any more and I'm using more towers than I care to.


In actual fact the conversion isn't as obvious as the book makes it appear.  Trimming the parapet off one side of two towers doesn't do the job. This would leave holes where they are not required. To be honest I wasn't entirely sure how the towers would fit together and it was a matter of just diving in.  Any mistakes and I'd just have to wing it.


So I started slicing using an old bread knife and proceeded to cut at an odd diagonal. Never mind, press on.
  
 Next as suggested by the siege book I add cocktail sticks (or trimmed down skewers in this case, not enough martinis in the Erny house).

 

 Then whack them together with the hot glue gun. Looks OK, the gap for the lower doorway will be covered up by a set of stairs leading to the upper doorway.

So it looks OK from the top too. I usually sand the round mold makings off before painting so don't worry about that. My youngest, Wilfy has been handily pointing out the ones I've missed as i pain t the wall sections.


However sanding or no sanding I feel it's worth filling in the gaps. Now what do you us to fill in unsightly gaps and dents in your walls?

There we go then just a roof and a set of stairs to make. Easy, next time I'll detail the progress I've made making the breech. It's jolly good even if I do say so myself.

10 comments:

  1. Congrats for two things :

    - having the nuts to actually cut through the walls with a knife
    - making it look good as it is.

    The spare bits will make perfect ruins so all in all it's a very good move you made from where I stand.

    can't wait to see many fortresses in a month.

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    1. It's taken me about five years to work up the courage, never would have if not for our little community.

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  2. You've got 3!!! Look forward to seeing the keep finished.

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    1. I can't shake the feeling that somewhere I have a fourth...

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  3. Erny, well mate, you are braver than me. Then again I only have two fortresses, so I'm using the plastic one for Oldhammer Day USA because I have 5 of them. But looks great, cannot wait to see more, great inspiration, so Thanks!

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    1. Five, that's just silly, looking forward to see what you do with them, hint start now!

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    2. Not silly, they arrived from England Damaged (at least the last four I bought) so I got them cheap when I worked there. ;-) Think I got all four for less than 1 should have cost me.....But yeah, already started to assembling them (these are just in case - as someone else is supposed to be bringing the real one). Just saw you posted 2nd article, can't wait to see how you did the fill of the rubble!

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    3. Haha, I meant silly in a good way. You can never have too many castles.

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  4. Fantastic Erny! will you attempt any of the double wall sections illustrated in the siege book?

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    1. Two wall sections placed back to back look OK even next to a regular tower so I don't think I could justifie that particular carnage, unless I get another set that is.

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