Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So some of you might have seen the thread I made a few weeks back asking for ideas on how to convert a Temple of Skulls for a terrain conversion contest at my local GW... Well as you can tell, I decided to go with a watchtower diorama type scene instead.

So the competition is for the best converted terrain piece as judged by the staff members. Originally I thought it had to be painted (since thats what we were told), so I was going to rather quickly going to paint it up this week, but found that it was only conversion, and next month is for the painting part.
Mine is basically an empire watchtower that is being raided by marauder warband being led by non other than Wulfric. Sinse the idea is that Empire would try to hold the tower from the top, Ive decided to have the marauders climbing the sides of the building via hooks and chains (that I got from my FW Warmamoth! Never thought Id find a use for them!), while one of them trys to bash down the door with a flail. So take a look at the pictures and tell me what you think! Any ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated, as I still got a week to build it (competition is on the 31st).

Full front view


Marauder bashing down door with flail


Marauder getting ready to climb the tower


Wulfric and his standard bearer watch over the mayhem


SPLAT? Empire standard thrown off the top and on to the ground


This guy will have a pistol held up in his right arm as if being heroic and making a last stand... alone... against 5 marauders... and Wulfric... fail?


Currently stripping a marauder that will be standing on the second upper ledge (right above the skulls) while holding on to the chain


Pwnd?! Marauder that is slaughtering up above


Monkey watches in awe as his master is killed... His face is priceless!

Needs more corpses of both varieties.

Yes, more corpses

Pile the bodies high!

SilverMK2 wrote:Yes, more corpses

Pile the bodies high!

Blood for the bloooood god!
more skulls for khorne more bodies for the pyre! and um.... uh some stuff! looks really good can't wait to see it finished!

Hmmm, I was trying to come up with a way to fill in the rather blank spaces of the "path area" and that sounds like it will work! I just cant seem to figure out where I can fit in more empire bodies! I just dont want the top to be too clustered nor do I want the bottoms to be too clustered. I might add a corpse of two of marauders that got shot down before even reaching the building however... Any ideas for the empire bodies?

I would imagine there would be guys inside hiding, and thats why the marauders are still trying to break down the door. That was the only reason I had kept it at so few guys

You need a Marauder throwin an Empire...whatever they're called (don't play fantasy) off the top of the tower! Other than that, maybe a couple of guys around the door that got their heads bashed in by that flail toting guy?

Yeh, through that gap at the top.

Yes, agreed with Crash - more people attacking - perhaps some actually part way up the chains?

Have you thought about a boarding ladder?

Thanks for all the ideas! Will definitely take them into consideration for when I finish it up this following week...

@SilverMK2, I actually have a marauder thats being stripped thats going to be climbing up the chain a bit further up as to get that point across better

I agree with Crash, needs to have an soldier being pushed off the tower.

I really like that crumbled corner. I'm torn between the desire to leave it empty, stressing the damage to the tower, itself, or to use it for something a little more dramatic. Like an unbalanced Empire soldier in the midst of toppling backwards over the edge as the floor gives out beneath him (although the positioning of the dead banner bearer could be taken to imply that this has already happened), or adding a piece of rubble leaning outwards from the bottom of the break and repositioning the hook on top of that, as if the walls were being pulled down. Either option could add a bit of dynamism and narrative, I think.

I like the lone pistol-wielding soldier, but I feel like the standoff is a little... cliche? I'm thinking arm cocked, pistol to the sky, back against the wall, head towards the corner, as if preparing to turn the corner and fight... with absolutely no knowledge of the chaos marauders sneaking right up to the same corner. Lends a bit of comedy to the scene or a touch of drama, depending on how exactly you choose to model it (I can see it being made to feel tense or cartoonish).

Just thought I'd throw some vignette-style ideas out there, as I feel like narrative and dynamism are what really set the great dioramas apart from the merely well-built/-painted. If that's not a direction you want to take, then I'll just throw my lot in with the "moar corpses" crowd. It's looking good so far, but some additional carnage would bump it from "scheduled demolition by crew with crappy haircuts" to "siege by a badass warband" territory.

So thanks everyone for the ideas, odviously went on added the corpses as I said I would! And I finally got around to putting the guy on the other side half way up the wall...
@oadie, your idea for the lone pistoleer, was actually exatctly what I was trying to describe, you merely said it clearer and better than I! While I don't think I will put marauders right around the corner, hes definitely going to come off as a fighter! Although as you will see in the new picks, for the lawl, I decided to put the arm/head of the guy covering his ears (not glued on just resting there) and now Im having trouble deciding what to do! The fighty pistol guy, or the empire baby thats too afraid to fight! Thoughts?

Let me know what you think of the piece now as a whole! Its got alot of little details that add to it, but it also gets the point across that Wulfric and his force are bearing down on empire forces!

Edit: Also mind you none of the corpses are glued down yet so if you have any thoughts on better placement, please do let me know!

"ALMOST THERE!"


Dead....Dead....Dead.... Ooo hes ali....dead...


Somebody isnt too good at defending the west wall!


There wont be any more drumming from this fella!


At least he has a raised area to rest on! Oh wait hes dead too...


Alternate guy in the back... Afraid empire soldier or fighty empire soldier?

You can thank me later for getting you some of those bits and composition ideas, buttler

I reckon fighty soldier, it's moredynamic and exciting, but I the other one is a good idea too

Great minds think alike, and all that...

I'm with Pagarus. Initially, I was just throwing ideas out, but seeing it now, I think "stand and fight" fits better with the overall feel. Besides, the head you have on him makes him look less like he's terrified and more like he has a KILLER headache. Don't think they include "wetting my pants" faces in the standard kits. Due to his placement, back against the corner, I still highly recommend trying to model him at the ready. I don't think you could get the same feel with a standard pose - he'd just look like a guy in the midst of fighting... well, no one. And in the wrong place.

I like how you braced the climber's feet on that little ledge, as well. I don't believe that GW makes any appropriate models sculpted mid-climb, so getting a natural pose isn't easy. Your positioning helps make his ascent a bit more believable, even if you can't get the pose exactly where you'd want it. It's all in the details, it seems.

I'm also glad you added more corpses. I think it really enhances the piece. Oh, and the placement is spot on, in my book. I wouldn't change a thing. Don't know how stiff the competition will be, but I'd give this high marks, were I judging. Keep it up!

Yeah, I had decided to go with the "ready to fight guy" a little after I posted it, mainly cause it will looks better, but also there isnt any empire guys alive in the scene let alone any that are fighting, so having one that looks like hes about to try and fight would indeed fit the theme and enhance the over all feel I think.

How but a couple Handguns poking out of the front windows?

If you're able (and from the rest of the post, I think you should be) I think your work is beggng for a slumped empire soldier leaning against the side of the watchtower, head lolling, with a big mean crossbow bolt sticking out of his stomach.

@Platuan4th- Aha! I actually had thought about that at the very start of the terrain peace but must have completely forgotten about it until you mentioned that! Ill see if I can dig some up and try is out... It would also help explain the idea that theres a handful of empire guys inside, tis why the marauder is breaking down the door!


@Pagarus- I love the idea, I just don't know how it would work with the rest of the scene.

What I mean by that is, Ive tryd to make every little bit of the scene justified. "This guy climbs the tower, throws a guy off and stabs another" "This guy stabs an empire soldier and climbs the wall" etc etc. However, since none of the marauders (or empire guys for that matter... cause you know, friendly fire and what not) how crossbows or bows, it would be somewhat random and unjustified as a whole I think.

I might be able to do it with a javalin however, and put one of the bundles of javalins with the horsemen to justify that.

Yeah, I thought you would say that- I was already thinking it. It's just a thought, and I think your reason for not wanting to include it is very valid


Automatically Appended Next Post:
i just thought- have you got to use a certain sized rectangular base, or would you be able to go for a more organically shaped base. At the moment, I'm not sure the base shape suits the diorama (in the wilderness). I would have thought that square/rectangular bases are better for urban dioramas?

Well then. Project has changed! The competition was this past Saturday and apparently, my terrain piece had been casted out due to it being more or less a diarama. Needless to say I wasnt too happy about it, especially since I brought the terrain piece into the store the past 3 weeks to make sure it was good to go and would be ellligable...

On another note, they changed the prize (this being the 3rd time, and resulted in a major arguement with staff and people who made terrain) and now the second part of the contest (the converted/painted portion) will have the table prize... and I am now forced to completely restart my terrain. So why not make it a Orcified Watchtower to go with my main army!

So heres some pics of what Ive started, and sorry for the pictures being rather low quality. Its rather hard to make out some details, but Ill be sure to add pics once Ive started painting...
As for building I think Im pretty much done, except from carving up more spikes to add to the front, unless anyone can lend out some good ideas!

Front view... lots of spikey bits (even some spears that are hard to make out)!


Giant blast hole was made into a balcony type thing


Back view...


Side view...


It seems like the pictures are making the wooden frame things that are overlapping the fortress look very odd, but Im sure it will look much better once painting has started... So any ideas before I start painting?

It's a shame they have been arsing you about, especially if they discounted you from entering even after you bought all the stuff from them. And changing the prizes is really stupid too. I'd be tempted not to buy anything further from them if at all possible.

Having said that, I like the balcony and the added woodwork.

Heh, yeah there was alot of people unhappy about various competition results that day and their constant poor communication is getting on alot of peoples nerves...
And to be honest, I didnt even buy the watch tower from the GW store... I tend to buy all my GW stuff from a flgs thats quite a bit cheaper so Im sure they wouldnt notice it too much from me haha!