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Hi folks,

 

Games Workshop recently re-released a building kit that I wanted to buy first time around but couldn't, so this time I took the plunge. As usual, it's chunky, quite dear for what it is, and characterful. And like most GW scenery kits the fit isn't exactly immaculate.

 

The kit in question is Skullvane Manse, now called a Warscryer Citadel. It's a sort of wizard's observatory perched on top of/beside a big rock, and as you might be able to see from the Standard Skeleton, it's a good foot tall:

 

40774933711_6025bd9332_b.jpg

 

Cleaning up and assembling the twenty-odd parts took most of the weekend, and I've spent a couple of evenings after that filling seams and covering up some of the moulded detail with Miliput. Some smaller seams were filled with CA.

40774938791_21dd782d3e_b.jpg

 

For reference, this is what it's supposed to look like:

 

99120299049_WarscryerCitadel01.jpg

More pictures on the Games Workshop site

 

I thought the big stone tower looked a bit precarious on the cantilevered wooden platform, so I left that off and will make it up as a separate building later. I also added a bit more bracing from Evergreen strip, textured with a saw blade. The spattered-looking Miliput was thinned with water and stippled on to cover up some of the areas where the direction of the moulding meant there wasn't much surface detail on the rock.

The aim is to put it on a small scenic base, but I'd better paint it first otherwise access is going to be very tricky.

 

Cheers,

 

Will

 

 

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Aye up Will.

 

Nice! I was considering getting this at some point. Really like the extra bracing you've added. Look forward to progress and updates :yes:

 

Regards

 

Steve

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Thought you might not know that the bottom third of the observatory is just to give it extra height above the house (which is in the way).

The mid-section is actually the observatory section, and the dome is the roof. What is shown now is just a roof.

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15 hours ago, Getunderit said:

Thought you might not know that the bottom third of the observatory is just to give it extra height above the house (which is in the way).

The mid-section is actually the observatory section, and the dome is the roof. What is shown now is just a roof.

Thanks for the details. I was at least aware that the tower was there to provide clear viewing, but it just looks so wrong from most angles!

In a real observatory, I think the telescope would be entirely within the dome, so that the shutters keep the weather off it when closed. With this one it's mostly outside the dome so it's not inconceivable that a 28mm observer could just sit behind it as-is.

 

I suppose I could build a wooden observatory on top of the platform, which would allow me to make some of the interior, but I quite link the dinky shape of it as it is now. YMMV!

Cheers,

Will

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I was going to use grey primer on this, but couldn't find any in my drawer of rattle cans, so opted for an ancient can of genuine Chaos Black:

 

39002323390_b594270dfe_b.jpg

25940783277_505eb868ba_b.jpg

 

I'm quite pleased with my putty rock blending, less so with the sticking-out bricks on the rear which I might try and pare down a bit. Although some moss would cover a lot of sins :)

 

Not 100% sure whether this should be stone or brick, I guess stone is more period-appropriate and the pieces are both large and irregular.

 

Cheers,

 

Will

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Spent a while looking at pics of half timbering, Nordic churches etc. and finally psyched myself up to spray some paint:

 

40145384984_31c32cbd04_b.jpg

 

It's all Tamiya paint over the black primer. The rocks are Neutral Gray followed by a Neutral Grey/Flat Earth mix and Field Grey lowlights. Exterior (grey) timber is a mix of Flat Earth and Royal Light Grey.

 

The stone parts of the building are Ocean Gray highlighted with Royal Light Grey so as not to get too far from the tone of the rocks. I started painting the window frames with the RLG but backed off - some of the details suggest timber, and a stone frame in a half-timbered wall is pretty unlikely, so I'm going to do most of them as dark carved wood.

 

The cedar shingles are patchy Nato Brown followed by a Hull Red/Lino Deck Brown mix in the sheltered areas. I'm going to change this a lot but I need a red base for the bits that haven't greyed with the weather - usually these are under the eaves, in nooks and crannies etc.

 

I started thinking it was a bit monochrome so risked yellow (Flat Yellow plus Buff) for the render, which I think is probably going to work and will help tie into the autumnal ground cover when I get that far.

 

Next job is probably blocking in all the house timber, the metal gussets on the supports, the flashing and so on with a brush.

 

Cheers,

 

Will

 

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I sponged and stippled the yellow with thinned Flash Gitz Yellow and a little Dorn Yellow to enrich it, then tidied up lots of overspray with a mix of Dorn Yellow and Iyanden Darksun.

 

26996669528_c7344ca9ca_b.jpg
(embiggen by clicken)

 

Then spent a long (long) long time painting the timbering and some of the window frames with Rhinox Hide and finally touched up the yellow again where I went over the edges.

 

39057140900_f0c1cec648_b.jpg

 

I'm not totally sure what the two large plain vertical areas are supposed to be - they don't look like the rest of the wood texture and it would be good from a colour POV if they were plaster, but they're a bit unsupported.

I'm currently dithering about the big window frames - I think they make most physical sense as carved wood, but the moulding looks a bit like plaster or stone on some of them, and a lighter colour there would be a good thing I think. I probably also need to do some of the frames inset in the stone walls as wood since they're sculpted identically to the small wooden windows.

 

Cheers,

 

Will

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Hi Will

 I think I'd be tempted to add some grey weathering to the wood, unless you want it to look like it's just been oiled or stained. Likewise with the shingles.

Or maybe I've been building a deck (now 45 sqm!) for too long....

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14 minutes ago, Jo NZ said:

 think I'd be tempted to add some grey weathering to the wood, unless you want it to look like it's just been oiled or stained. Likewise with the shingles.

That's definitely the plan - I went for a red brown base so there'd be some cedar warmth showing through in the recessed/sheltered bits, but the plan is to weather the roofs with black and gray, and the framing mainly with grey.

 

I need to finish blocking in colours (so tedious) but it's probably the next step after that.

 

Cheers,

 

Will

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So I've been greying the timbers and shingles:

 

27015639198_5ca81174c5_b.jpg

 

The timbering has had a drybrush with Codex Grey and then a little Celestra Grey. That left it looking a bit frosty so I washed it with Abaddon Black thinned with water and dabbed off. After that I re-drybrushed some sections with Codex Grey and Pallid Wych Flesh.

 

The pale window frames are Steel Legion Drab washed with Agrax Earthshade, they haven't had any other finishing yet.

 

39076242370_f4ede0cc75_b.jpg

 

The shingles were washed with the same thinned black, reinforcing it toward the edges with a second coat. I drybrushed them with Codex Grey, Abaddon Black and a little Celestra Grey. Working parallel to the rows helps avoiding too much paint build up on the edges of the tiles.

 

I'm still not totally sold - it's quite dark. It seems to match some real half-timbered buildings (e.g. Stokesay Castle Gatehouse) but it's going to be interesting seeing how the transition from the decorative timber to the purely structural timber like the walkway and supports goes - will it look right together?

 

The shingles are better, I think, but they're a bit more interesting in real life than in the photos - usually it's the other way around :P I think maybe some washes on individual shingles might look good?

 

Will

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Didn't have much painting time yesterday but I did a bit more on the timbers and shingles:

 

27036556818_442d72370f_b.jpg

 

I mainly added more variety and reduced the saturation with thin glazes and some over-brushing with Codex Grey, and then deepened the shadows between the rows of shingles with Abaddon Black. This was thinned to a wash with water, run along the underside of the shingles and then dragged out with a second brush while still wet.
 

Finally I drybrushed with Celestra Grey here and there to sharpen things up. The light window frames have had some of that too which needs toning down.

40865224602_f9b9443a98_b.jpg

The shingles are maybe a little bit monochrome now, maybe some patchy washes with green would help?

Will

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22 hours ago, Thud4444 said:

Will, long time no see!

Yeah, sorry, been a slow start to the year. I did paint some skeletons over in the figures sub-forum, but that's about all thus far.

 

Crooked house continues though, I blocked in most of the stonework last night:

 

26053162877_8a8487470a_b.jpg

 

I glazed various bricks with Celestra Grey, Zandri Dust and Mechanicus Std. Grey to add variety, then gave everything a very heavy Nuln Oil (black) wash. After that I drybrushed with Codex Grey, Celestra Grey, Black and a little Pallid Wych Flesh. NB: I forgot to pick out the bricks on the bridge part, so that's going to get another pass, it's only had the black wash.
 
40217485274_259e8cef86_b.jpg
 
I think it's possibly a little too contrasty and could be lighter?

Cheers,
 
Will
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On 3/20/2018 at 20:54, Will Vale said:

I think it's possibly a little too contrasty and could be lighter?

 

Looks good to me Will. The yellow really sings against the stonework, and I like the subtle tonal variation running through the tiles. Maybe the skulls could be a little lighter to make them pop more?

 

Andy:cat:

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Thanks Andy! I agree about the skulls, they're languishing under a base coat at the moment, I'll come back and jazz them up when all the big bits have colour on.

 

I also need to paint the strapping etc. I've just base coated the flashing and spikes with a very dark blue-green, and the door frames etc. with a dark grey, but I think maybe that should change to a light grey as it looks a bit dull.

 

Cheers,

 

Will

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I did a bit more last night/this morning, trying to get more areas to a state ready for detailed work:

 

26105442937_0b745b7acb_b.jpg

 

I touched in the bricks and flags that I missed earlier with the same glazes, then washed the lower stonework with Agrax Earthshade and Athonian Camoshade on the lowest bits, trying to create a simple green/brown/grey transition from the bottom to the tower.
 
I drybrushed all this with Rakarth Flesh and Ushabti Bone on the warmer areas, Codex Grey and Celestra Grey on the cooler ones, and a bit of Castellan Green around the bottoms of steps and pillars. The remaining stone entrances are Mechanicus Standard Grey overbrushed with Zandri Dust and then highlighted as above for warm areas. Doors have some metal elements although one or two have wooden panels which I've attempted to pick out in dark brown. It's very fiddly getting a brush into some of the areas owing to all the protrusions and depth.
 
I also picked out the flashings in Incubi Darkness, I need to added black to various other bits of strapping and metal on the frames.
 
40267252264_7271b9de52_b.jpg
 
The bottle on the doorstep really needs doing as milk per GW's original cover artwork, but at the moment it's just blocked in with a bottle-green colour.
 
Cheers,
 
Will
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  • 2 weeks later...

Had a bit of a gap as I've been so busy with Scale Models Expo and some other life stuff, but I had the airbrush out today and put some base colours on the observatory:

 

26379760537_6e27e14697_b.jpg

 

This is all Alclad so far - Exhaust Manifold with Copper highlights on the dome, and Brass with Pale Gold highlights on the other bits. I sprayed some Hotmetal Red to enhance the copper, and a little Blue on the brassy bits.
 
Then gave it an all-over mist of Sepia.
 
Lots to do yet!
 
Cheers,
 
Will
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On 18/03/2018 at 9:09 PM, Will Vale said:

washes on individual shingles might look good?

 

 

What a super kit! Love it!

I've looked at all the pics and read some of the information, but couldn't quite work out why you didn't use the whole tower for the observatory? I know you said it didn't 'look right' and was precarious, but I thought that added to the quirkiness of it. But I undersand it might cause display or storage issues, and after all it's your model.

 

Clearly you're progressing well and need little or no advice, but saying as you asked the question, yes I think a good assortment of washes, picking out individiual tiles would be a big improvement.... and how about some moss or lichen over some of them as well? I think damp and mossy tiles would really add some atmosphere.

 

Rearguards

Badder

 

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Thanks for the kind comments and suggestions, always appreciated :) You're right, I left off the tower because I thought it looked too heavy. It works fine from the angle on the box but seeing it in the round just didn't sit right for me. I guess I have sacrificed some precariousness for that! (It also had some 'orrible seams which definitely didn't affect my decision. Not a bit.)

 

I'll be doing a pass of green stuff including moss after the basic paint is done, as part of bedding it into the terrain. I'm not sure about more washes yet, it feels more varied than it did when I made that comment I think? It might be that adding some external influences (moss, streaks of stuff leaching from the flashing, guano, etc.) will be enough? We'll see :) The nice thing about washes and filters is you don't really pass a point of no return.

 

Cheers,

 

Will

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  • 1 year later...

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