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Hurrah! A week off, so time to get this project moving again
The unfortunate thing about this build, I have discovered, is that all the fiddly, vital to get right bits are the ones that no one but me is likely to ever see/know about, and getting them right is bloody laborious. Anyway, today I have mostly been working on the most complex junction of walls in the whole building, that between the main tower, "cloister" area and private chapel:
As you can see there are various joins, inner-to-outer, inner-to-inner etc, and getting them to all fit together neatly has been a major headache. However, after lots of trial and error (not to mention swearing) I've finally got everything lined up and have now made progress on getting the upper most flooring sections to fit:
The trouble with being a perfectionist is that I wanted the floor sections to join as neatly and closely as possible, which has meant trimming floor plates by 1mm on certain sides due to the way the walls fit together...
Internal to the main cathedral will be a walkway around the wall, leading into the main tower. This meant leaving a void in the wall to allow access, but in order to provide support required the wall below it to be reversed (see earlier post).
Anyway, time for a break. Next thing to tackle: the upper internal & external walkways and wall/roof... Oh joy....
Phutarf wrote: The unfortunate thing about this build, I have discovered, is that all the fiddly, vital to get right bits are the ones that no one but me is likely to ever see/know about, and getting them right is bloody laborious.
There is the option of not worrying about fiddly bitz that no one will ever see or know about.
Gitsplitta wrote: That's.... dirt... Skalk. Actual dust. (09/08/2021)
Skalk: yes, you're right, there is that option, but sadly my OCD like tendencies won't allow me to do that - I'D know and would bug me forever...
Automatically Appended Next Post: Anyway, today I have been doing some general tidying up and working on fitting the first of the three roof sections on the 'cloister' area. Slow and painful due to having to cut and shave the tiles to fit:
Note the stupid little notch I had to shape on the edge of the main section - this is to fit round the supporting wall girder - see below - a right pain to carefully file down.. (And yes, dinosaur feet slippers are cool ). In order to fit the access tile in line with the other tiles meant cutting off the rear lip - filing away the underside of the access tile in order to allow it to sit on the wall's corresponding supporting lip was also a right pain:
Anyway, everything is now fitting snugly and looking pretty damn good in my humble opinion. Will need to fill the gap between the main and access tiles but as this will mostly be hidden by a buttress not too big a worry:
And the (nearly) finished section:
Just need to add addition rivets to the wall girders, file off the mould lines on the buttresses, fill the gaps, glue it all together, paint the thing... And repeat for the other wall sections...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/22 22:38:01
Wow, what a labour of love and a seriously impressive project. The staircase is one of my favourite features thus far. Looking forward to updates and sub'd
Cheers Ruglud: but honestly, you have no idea what a labour this thing is... I'm beginning to think that my idea of using this as a base for the 2014 UK Armies on Parade might not happen at the current rate of progress...
Just the one update today - have spent the best party of the day sorting out the roof of the cloister - now 80%ish done. Honestly, EVERY single floor/roof tile had to be trimmed in some way - just need to fill the gaps and glue the whole thing together into one piece now.
Of course, now I've glued the rear doors to the wall, I can't decide whether I should have opened it up. I wasn't planning on displaying any models inside, but it would allow more light inside so you can see the floor... Any thoughts?
Anyway, enough for one day - time to break out the vacuum and clean up the shavings and plastic dust :(
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh yeah - anyone know if you can re-name threads? "My first building project..." Sounds a bit lame in retrospect - "imperial Cathedral / money pit" would be far more apt!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/23 16:13:35
Phutarf wrote: Skalk: yes, you're right, there is that option, but sadly my OCD like tendencies won't allow me to do that - I'D know and would bug me forever...
I was honestly hoping that you would not say that, but it isn't unexpected. Hobbyists seem to be a very particular (if not peculiar) lot. At very least I hope you take a lot of pictures and make sure people see the work you are doing.
I know how absolutely huge that model is. About a year ago I spent a lot of time putting together GW buildings. I made some that were huge (and then tore them apart for smaller buildings instead) but the size I was working with is completely dwarfed by what you are building. It is going to take you months to finish this project.
Gitsplitta wrote: That's.... dirt... Skalk. Actual dust. (09/08/2021)
Cheers inmygravenimage - blog re-named as hopefully you'll find . Oh, and yeah, I think I'll need to open them up too - guess what I'll be doing tomorrow....
Skalk: sadly I'm somewhat obsessed, and I'd rather take YEARS to get this right rather than do a bodge job. Well, that and it's cost me an arm and a leg already!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/23 20:54:02
What kits are you using? And more importantly, how many of each are you at so far?
How modular is this going to be at its end-state? I know you mentioned building and painting it in pieces, but how much will it come apart when finished? If your vision is one complete buliding, forever glued together, then have you consideredmagnets for connecting large sections together in a more easily transportable fashion?
And finally, have you thought at all about paint schemes?
Automatically Appended Next Post: And have you considered stained glass at all?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/10/23 23:22:49
Kit wise - here's a pic of what I lovingly refer to as 'the pile':
To date (and hopefully not too much more!)
x1 Imperial Sector
x2 Sanctum Imperialis
x4 Basilica Administratum
x6 Warhammer movement trays (although 1 unused - went a bit over there lol)
x7 Shrine of the Aquila
Oh, and an Honoured Imperium kit for the statue - nearly forgot that!
PLUS: extra Basilica doors, floor tiles, Quad guns from Ageis defence line and Las canon from Imperial Bastion, all from eBay.
The main issue with doing a project of this size (aside from the obvious expense ) is that the kits only have a limited number of complete bits per kit - I wish GW would do bits packs of these do you didn't gave to have to go to the expense of whole kits, or root around in the secondary market..
One of my secondary goals, aside from making a decent BIG, semi complete building, was to only use GW kit parts except where absolutely necessary (such as filling gaps with plasi-card). I think this was to show that you can do more with the kits than just make the obligatory ruined-corner-of-buildings that everyone does. I realise that not everyone has the disposable funds to do something like this (tbh nor do I lol) but just shows that with a bit if imagination and perseverance what can be done.
I'm building it in 'sections' simply because it's easier, and will need to paint certain bits before they are glued together as I'll never be able to access some ares again. Not planning on making it modular as such - possibly the roof sections will be detachable, but that depends on the construction as it goes on.
And yes, I've toyed with the idea of stained glass for some of the windows, but on the basis of the how tricky that's been I'm not sure. What I DONT want to do is put a sheet of plastic on the interior of a window - if I'm going to do it I'll have to actually fit individually crafted panes INTO the holes.....
Paint wise - not sure yet. I'll worry about that later!!
Anyway, this is all getting a bit wordy - must press on!
Automatically Appended Next Post: Poor progress today sadly due to various reasons, so not much to update - just a quick series of shots to illustrate the level of detail I'm going into to achieve the best result I can - over the top to most I suspect but that's just the way I am...
Basically it's the link between the upper walkway and the top of the main tower through an open doorway, which I want to run flush: trouble is the deck plate is just that little bit too wide:
...so needed tiny bits filing out of the corners:
The door lintel also needed the upper row of rivets removing (and saving so they can be glued on elsewhere later...):
So now everything fits flush:
No wonder this is taking so long....
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/10/24 18:54:07
Sir your need for perfection is becoming pathological! Just the way all good hobbyists should be =p
Really having not checked in for awhile the progress you have made is incredible, the attention to detail is inspiring andI really cant wait to see this grow further, it will be easily the most inspiring buildingI have seenmade from these kits.
Quick rant- The person that designed those plates and the quality control manager that signed off on them should both have their favorite miniatures topple and fall off the walkways on a frequent basis. I carved every one of those skulls off my plates and it was a time-consuming and annoying task.
Gitsplitta wrote: That's.... dirt... Skalk. Actual dust. (09/08/2021)
Wow! I've been building some of these kits lately as well and have pondered doing something on this scale but don't have the vision to pull it off. This is going to be insane once it's completed. Consider me subscribed!
Cheers for the comments guys - good to know there are people out there interested in my rambles lol
Skalk Bloodaxe wrote: Quick rant- The person that designed those plates and the quality control manager that signed off on them should both have their favorite miniatures topple and fall off the walkways on a frequent basis. I carved every one of those skulls off my plates and it was a time-consuming and annoying task.
Totally agree with you Skalk - they are a pain for various reasons, and a right bugger to cut off too without damaging the rest of the tile surface.
Biohazard wrote: Wow! I've been building some of these kits lately as well and have pondered doing something on this scale but don't have the vision to pull it off. This is going to be insane once it's completed. Consider me subscribed!
Well, hopefully my efforts might inspire you Biohazard - I know I've stole... *ahem*... Been inspired by various ideas/techniques I've seen on here and elsewhere!
Anyway, no real progress today as have been busy doing other things, so instead as a slight divergence from the main theme thought I'd show you another long term WIP that may well end up on the display:
Not sure the tea light idea is practical - atmospheric maybe, but would be better achieved with some mini LED's - but that's waaaaay outside my modelling experience!
Anyway, re-reading me previous posts realised that I've not shown too much if the ruined/open side of the building - so here's a couple at current state of play - still loads more to do given I've been concentrating mostly in the intact exterior this week:
The scale of this continues to blow me away. I hope you have a local store that'd be keen to display it! As for lights, you can get good small leds with mini batteries very cheaply. The wife uses them on cakes (tardis, optimus prime etc.) Another option is the ones from inside light-up balloons.
Theophony"... and there's strippers in terminator armor and lovecraftian shenanigans afoot."
Solar_Lion: "Man this sums up your blog nicely."
Anpu-adom: "being Geek is about Love. Some love broadly. Some love deeply. And then there are people like Graven.
inmygravenimage wrote: The scale of this continues to blow me away. I hope you have a local store that'd be keen to display it! As for lights, you can get good small leds with mini batteries very cheaply. The wife uses them on cakes (tardis, optimus prime etc.) Another option is the ones from inside light-up balloons.
Just moving the damn thing around on the desk is a pain - moving it once it's done is going to be another headache. As for public display, maybe, assuming that I a) ever get it finished, b) enter it in Armies on Parade, c) win a store comp, d) win an award at games day!
On reflection, I think I will investigate lighting options before the build gets too much further - it would be a shame to have dark areas...
I really do think to that some lighting on this model is a must - but to get the atmospheric feel, some flickering lights are essential - with the tea lights you can easily strip them down to the basic elements, but maybe the better idea is to invest in some actual model railroad lighting kits? At the right scale (N guage I think), you can get not just pre wired kits but also actual lamps and I'm sure there's some gothic style victorian gas lamps for sale out there...
Here's some useful links though to get you thinking
I thieved a couple of lights off the wife. I worked out that you could cut the longer hanging cod lights And mount the whole battery unit below. If you were very very patient/obsessive you could actually mount it within the hanging assembly.
Theophony"... and there's strippers in terminator armor and lovecraftian shenanigans afoot."
Solar_Lion: "Man this sums up your blog nicely."
Anpu-adom: "being Geek is about Love. Some love broadly. Some love deeply. And then there are people like Graven.
Phutarf wrote: Thanks for the comments guys - funnily enough changing the blog name has garnered somewhat more interest! Lol...
Anyway, just a quick addendum to highlight my detail obsession - first pic is one of the main tower floor plates:
Pretty dull, so what? I hear you say... Well, for me, it's the bit that frankly no one will see unless the are good at contortionism - the underside:
The skulls HAVE to all face the same way.....!
I need to get a life....
Detail obsessionists unite! My best contribution is how I built this 3800 piece model:
All the bricks have to face the same direction - even the ones you can't physically see! Back on-topic, this looks amazing! I can't wait to see it finished!
See, you're trying to use people logic. DM uses Mandelogic, which we've established has 2+2=quack. - Aerethan
Putin.....would make a Vulcan Intelligence officer cry. - Jihadin
AFAIK, there is only one world, and it is the real world. - Iron_Captain
DakkaRank Comment: I sound like a Power Ranger.
TFOL and proud. Also a Forge World Fan.
I should really paint some of my models instead of browsing forums.
). In order to fit the access tile in line with the other tiles meant cutting off the rear lip - filing away the underside of the access tile in order to allow it to sit on the wall's corresponding supporting lip was also a right pain:
. Oh, and yeah, I think I'll need to open them up too - guess what I'll be doing tomorrow....
6000 - Emperors Scepters
8000 - Splinter fleet arzak 
9500 - 2nd Company Classic 
5000 points UAD/N.Munda 7th/8th/9th 
Inquisitorial Deatchments, Arbites/Beret Troopers: 1K 
Craftworld Altansar: 3k 
) is that the kits only have a limited number of complete bits per kit - I wish 
