pogre's model and figure thread

[pogre]

pogre's model and figure thread - Tabaxi(2/28/2017)

PMT 01
Pogre’s Model and Figures Thread
The Gate House

All of the pictures in this thread are thumbnails linked to larger pictures.

Some Story Hours have Rogues Gallery Threads to accompany them, but mine needed a model and figures thread! First up is the gatehouse I designed based on Wolfgang Baur’s adventure Legacy of the Griffon.

The gatehouse is made mostly of Hirst Blocks.



The middle section has a drawbridge that actually goes up and down. Note that this was not completed when the adventure was shot on disc.



This is a side view of the gate section and one of the towers. The doors in the towers were sculpted and the walkway above the gate tunnel is complete with murder holes!



This is a top down view of one of the upper stories of the towers. Lots of room for guards to move around in there.



The towers are composed of three sections: roof, upper story, and base story. This allows easy access for minis.



The model still needs a few things like trap doors, stairs, and ladders. However, overall I am very pleased with it. I will eventually build some walls with aprons that will attach to the towers and create an entire castle/keep.

 

[D'karr]

That is really cool. The work you've put into the buildings looks great.

Some questions for you from those that are interested in doing something similar.

How long did it take to assemble and paint?

Overall, how hard was it to build?

How many molds did it require? Which ones?

From start to finish (casting to building) how long did it take to construct?

What material did you use for the casting and how durable is it?

Have you found a good way to store these after they are built? That is my main concern with these buildings.

 

[pogre]

That is really cool. The work you've put into the buildings looks great.

Thanks!

How long did it take to assemble and paint?

Hmmm, not positive - building it took a couple of evenings - I already had most of the blocks cast. Doors took another night to mold and paint. Painting the building was 90 minutes or so.

Overall, how hard was it to build?

If you can build a Hirst Arts building you can build this - it is not that difficult.

How many molds did it require? Which ones?

I used a bunch of different molds, but it could really be built with just two:
The Dragon's Inn
Circular Tower

From start to finish (casting to building) how long did it take to construct?

Wow! Hard to say. The casting would take a long time if done specifically for the project. I would guestimate you're talking about 18-20 castings (more if you are just using the two molds I mentioned) - That's going to be the big time eater. Construction can be accomplished in a couple of evenings work. Painting went fairly quickly - around an hour and a half. I made the doors and painted them in another evening.

What material did you use for the casting and how durable is it?

I use Die-Keen green high impact dental plaster. It is very durable and great to cast with. It's durability is comparable to the resin used in master maze. Once I started using it I gave all the building I have made out of plaster of paris away to friends. It runs about $65.00 for 50 lbs. That's a lot of blocks and it is worth every penny.

Have you found a good way to store these after they are built? That is my main concern with these buildings.

I do have an advantage there, we game over at a friend's (hwoolsey on here). I put a group of large merchandise drawers in there and all of my buildings and dungeon pieces go in it. I store the pieces in a box segmented with cardboard dividers. I pad the dividers with a thin lair of foam or polystyrene.

Obviously, you know about the Hirst Arts Site , but I'll share this link with others.

Another site you might check out for a bit of inspiration is Skow's Medieval terrain. He has not updated for a long time, but his stuff is really cool.

 

[Destan]

I'm thinking of gathering some half-troll buddies, heading to Pogre's, and raiding his collection of awesome models and mini's. They're simply top notch. Pogie, you should have a vending booth at GenCon, brother.

D

 

[pogre]

New Gjord

PMT 02
Gjord

I need to get better at photographing these figures, because this figure is really much nicer than it looks here. Oh well, it gives you a sense of the paint job.



Front view:



Here is the old Gjord for comparison:

 

[ThomasBJJ]

For your story hour, do you take the pictures of the setups during the game or do you "recreate" the scene after?

 

[pogre]

Well, it has changed. I used to take pictures during the game, but I switched. Setting up the scenes is very quick - what takes time is snapping the pictures. For that reason, we have gone to taking the pictures immediately after the session is over. Usually we leave everything set up for the after-session photo shots. I think we like this method better.

The only recreation is placing the miniatures in the scene. A couple of players hang around and help me remember positioning and do lighting. Hank (Gerhardt) always helps because it is his house. The photo session for a long adventure with lots of action takes about 20 minutes.

My photography skills are improving, but are still bad. If you have suggestions from your experiences by all means share.

 

[D'karr]

[SNIP]
My photography skills are improving, but are still bad. If you have suggestions from your experiences by all means share.

Pogre. I've been inspired by your models and your storyhour. Totally fantastic.

Let me return the favor.

The following link leads to the articles section of the Coolminiornot Website. Look down the page and you'll see a whole section comprised on articles about miniature photography.

Granted, not all the articles will apply to the type of photography you are doing but the techniques might help you to get sharper pictures of those fantastic minis and terrain models. The articles that cover lighting are probably going to be very helpful.

Of course a lot of this is going to depend on how close you can get your camera to the action so the article that covers camera setup might be helpful.

Like I said not everything will apply but the techniques are sound.

Good luck.

 

[pogre]

Pogre. I've been inspired by your models and your storyhour. Totally fantastic.

Let me return the favor.
<snip>
Like I said not everything will apply but the techniques are sound.
Good luck.

Thanks much - some of the articles look good. I need to come up with something because as you shall soon see my photos need help. I know everyone says it, but I promise these minis look better than the pictures below

 

[pogre]

PMT 03
Zombie

This zombie is wielding an unusual weapon . A Games Workshop figure – it was a lot of fun to paint. This posting anticipates the next story hour episode, but as the players have gone past it no harm done.