The three bridge spans and towers - paint test on right bank tower base.
A boatman's eye view .
The three main components.
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Progress is being made! All the major construction work is finished. It only remains to make the quaysides from which the bridge will spring, and I'll begin work on those this weekend using 1" blue insulation foam as a base. Once all is assembled, the bridge will be painted with Klear (Future in the US) polish to seal the plaster, followed by blocking-in the stonework with a sandy-ochre color using Crown-brand "eggshell" paint designed for use on plasterwork and wood. A small test patch can be seen on the right of the middle picture. All finer paintwork such as weathering effects, the tower sides, timbers and roofs will be done in acrylics. The interiors of the spans were painted before being fixed in place.
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As mentioned before, all major construction was done using plaster casts made from the versatile Hirst Arts molds. The roofs are of card with the tiles cut from individual strips and the whole treated with Klear for additional strength. For ease of transport the model was built in three sections which will rise to five when the quaysides are done. This has the added benefit of allowing me to insert different central spans over time, such as a broken one showing a bridge demolition, and perhaps a Dutch-style double drawbridge to allow passage by masted vessels. The figures posing on the bridge are natives from my Daftest Africa campaign world awaiting their basework.
8 comments:
Hi A.J.,
And here's me thinking the natives were just unruly laborers! (You know how those boatmen are.)
That is one impressive bridge, and it will look good on the table. I particularly liked your idea of future additions to show its current condition.
Rulers, even of Imagi-Nations, just love bridges since it helps pad the ol' Treasury by charging for passage over the bridge, and for passage under the bridge. (And I won't even mention how bridges provide a convenient check/choke point for all those unruly laborers!)
Yours,
Martin
A beautiful piece of work. Really, a combination of miniature architecture and engineering, both skills pretty much beyond me, so I'm impressed when I see results like these. Is there any problem of storage, though? The best buildings I have are always the hardest to find space for.
Noel
Martin, I agree, bridges are not just handy ways to cross rivers. In the ImagiNations as in real life they are money spinners! My take on this bridge is, it was fortified when it was built in the Middle Ages, but has since been modified to act as a customs post/toll station.
Major, I thank you for your kind praise. I can only say that a great deal of forethought went into this design before I glued a single thing together. It paid off.
As for storage, I have a workshed with shelf space. These last few months I've actually increased the available space by rationalizing and downsizing my figure collections.
Wow, very impressive bridge! Aside from it's other uses it must be a tourist attraction and emblem of the engineering and architectural prowess of Hetzenberg.
Hi A.J.,
Your bridge looks super! Can't wait to see it once it has been painted. Keep going!
Best Regards,
Stokes
Lovely bridge work! Those Hirst blocks are something else... Next project, a castle for the Duchess, perhaps? ;)
Y' know, "C," I have something like that in mind... ;)
Brilliant bridge, I'm sure it will look even better when painted
-- Allan
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