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2023/02/13 11:43:33
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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My long term project is close to being finished - i am only struggling with the base plate - i can just as well share it.
I have also started with the first Hobbit hole... and just could not resist to begin with bag end.
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2023/02/13 11:54:22
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Longtime Dakkanaut
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suffice it to say my only comment is as follows
wow
that is seriously nice
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2023/02/13 12:26:16
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Horrific Hive Tyrant
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Beautiful work!
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2023/02/13 19:02:52
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Posts with Authority
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Ooh, lovely.
Is the ivy part of the mould or added on? It's difficult to tell in some pics.
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2023/02/13 20:40:14
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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@all: thank you!
Mould? What mould? 😄
Perhaps I should also post a few pictures from the building phase… the model consists of about 80% foam, 18% stewalin (for casting the statues and the previously sculpted columns) an some plaster.
So yes… i did use (selfmade) moulds.
But not for the ivy.
The ivy is made of sisal rope and… dried parsley.
Fortunately, I made fotos from making the last batch of ivy, so I could even make a tutorial…
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This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/02/13 20:43:46
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2023/02/20 18:30:21
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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More windows for Smial #1 - i think it is enough. Maybe an cellar entrance...?
But it needs chimneys and of course the iconic tree on top.
On to #2 and #3 - those will be smaller
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2023/02/21 10:48:30
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Posts with Authority
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Ravengrove wrote:@all: thank you!
Mould? What mould? 😄
Perhaps I should also post a few pictures from the building phase… the model consists of about 80% foam, 18% stewalin (for casting the statues and the previously sculpted columns) an some plaster.
So yes… i did use (selfmade) moulds.
But not for the ivy.
The ivy is made of sisal rope and… dried parsley.
Fortunately, I made fotos from making the last batch of ivy, so I could even make a tutorial…
Oh. Duh. Sorry.
Even better, then. The hobbit holes are shaping up to look equally great.
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2023/02/22 17:03:45
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche
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Wow amazing stuff.
I also learned a new word today "Smial" the Hobbit word for Hobbit holes or burrows.
Cool.
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2023/03/05 13:24:03
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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Still Smials - but this time the large oak tree that sits on top of Bag End.
The wire work is about ...40% done.
It already looks like a tree, but i want to add many more, smaller branches with a thinner kind of wire.
The loops will later be cut and turn into split branches.
And i also have an idea how to do the surface structure and the bark.
Automatically Appended Next Post: and all windows that i made for bag end so far
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/03/05 15:54:36
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2023/03/09 19:20:59
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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The tree is growing.
But adding the fragile, silver branches takes even more time than i expected. So far, those alone took about 3 hours - if i continue at that pace, this step alone wil take about 15 hours.
But it is really worth it - it even looks by far better in reality than on the photo
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2023/05/06 08:51:58
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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Weathertop is still on hold.
The smilas, however, make some progress.
By now, i have most of the styrofoam-pats for all three smials finished (two are almost identical, one of them is a gift).
The tree grows more and more branches - that's still going to take a while.
I am also beginning to make sketches for the layout, positioning and the shape. And i realized: epecially bag-end will be much larger than i thought... with the tree, almost as high as weathertop with half its footprint.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/05/06 08:52:18
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2023/05/24 20:22:03
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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partial painted prior to assembling.
This is because of the glass in the windows - i prefer to glue them in after painting.
Several chimneys and the tree are still on the workbench.
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2023/06/13 20:24:18
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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The wire-work-phase of the tree is finished, next step will be obscuring the wire-structure and to get something resembling bark.
The smials are by now 3-dimensional - still a lt to do, but by now one gets an impression on where the road leads to
The tree will eveantually sit on the large smial. Of course...
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2023/10/16 17:17:10
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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Still not done, christmas is still the deadline.
Visually, using wall paint for the tree turned out nice enough - but the idea has a downside. The wire underneath is flexible - but the paint is not. I added another layer of PVA-glue and hope this prevents the paint from crumbling.
I am not sure how i am going to do the leafs - but this is still a few steps away.
For the smials, i found something to add color to the plants (blossoms) in the gardens in the last step - something i will also use when i turn to eventually finishing weathertop. No spoilers yet
Time to make fences...[url]
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2023/11/08 09:44:21
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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The tree is approaching it's final phase - obviously, it lacks green.
All three smials are in a similar stage than Bag End which i took photos of.
All three will get a bench - and let's see how far i get with those fence elements.
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2023/11/10 12:25:52
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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another photo from an earlier step.
First the tree after coating it in wall-paint and saw dust.
And half-finished materials for further steps.
In the lower half leafs and vines for ivy. In the upper section what is to represent flower blossoms - and in the middle DIY-"flock" for twigs.
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2023/11/15 09:13:04
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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Getting somewhere.
The small smials are pretty much identical - especially with the protective paper.
The turf is adding up layer by layer - it begins to look like what i want it to. But it is still an early stage of making it green. Gardening? What is the right word for it?
Teasers for the next round:
I also realised that i have not even closely enough fences - it is not even enough for bag end.
The first photo is also a preview of how it will look once the tree is finished.
i am also beginning to prepare the ivy, make bushes with blossoms... the parts start to look like they may turn into a garden.
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2023/11/18 16:01:25
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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Started to turn the surroundings into a garden - i think i am at about 40% here... likely less.
The yellow, pink and blue foam was way too bright in the first step, so i added some ink. I am not yet happy with the result, but compared with how it looked before, it is already an improvement.
The ivy lost quite a lot of leafs during applying it - but that was to be expected and i make (much) more leafs (for the tree) anyway.
I will add much more plants - and some will need some more treatment with color and maybe turf or something else that looks more like leafs.
I am also going to look how grass fibres will fit in.
And of course i will need to deal with the white plaster stains on the stones. The chimneys need paints, more fences are already on the workbench
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2023/11/25 15:54:02
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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Still working on the plants - and i think it is still a lot to do. More and different plants.
The bright colors of the blossoms and the trees feel somewhat more like "my little pony" than "Lord of the rings"... perhaps a few drops of wash will help here.
Bag End needs more fences, all need grass.
I still need to clean up plaster residues on stones.
But... the end is in sight.
And then, there is of course still the large oak...
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2023/11/25 18:46:18
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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[MOD]
Making Stuff
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Looking fantastic!
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2023/11/26 03:08:42
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Guard Heavy Weapon Crewman
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Looking amazing - Love the work on the tree - That's a lot of effort but the outcome is wonderful.
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Guard, Templars, Dungeons & Dragons, Terrain & More.
Way too little free time. |
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2023/11/26 13:31:00
Subject: Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fixture of Dakka
CL VI Store in at the Cyber Center of Excellence
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really looking good.
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Every time a terrorist dies a Paratrooper gets his wings. |
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2023/11/29 06:55:26
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Death-Dealing Ultramarine Devastator
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Great stuff, your work inspired me to go out and buy some XPS foam. I have no idea what I'm going to make out of it yet though.
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2023/12/03 12:26:12
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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in between, while i am still in the middle of gardening...
Grass was NO good idea.
It may have different reasons...
too long fibres (thinking of it, 6mm is definitely too long!), a china-grassmaster that doesn't seem to work, too much grass...
And in addition, it is just a mess.
The (diluted PVA-)glue needs to be sprayed at this point (if i do not want to apply it just to spots) - so the glue gets almost everywhere... and so does the grass. 5 minutes applying, 0.75h cleaning it up again.
But the other plants turn out qite nice so far.
A few stones here and there...
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2023/12/05 17:48:58
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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Enough plants.
Bag End still needs more fences and leafs on the tree (and something around the roots).
I am really unsure whether i want to risk adding (much less) grass to the other Smials as well.
I would say... last mile. Some of the bushes (the bluish ones, not the ones with blue blossoms) look really crappy - i need to do something about them, but i have a few ideas. Some ink/washes and micro-leafs should do the trick.
... oh, and i need to place some of my real leafs! They add "autumn" instead of "spring" - but they are just so great.
The first photo shows the one without, the second photo the smial with grass.
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2024/02/25 16:03:27
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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It may well never be finished... but what comes later is quite likely to make little difference on photos any more.
In future months, i will add a few more pigments here and there and more fences.
One of the smials is gone - it was a christmas gift.
Bag End received several additional inches of fence and i toned down some of the plants. It is still quite colorfull - and even more so on the photos. And foremost... the tree is finally done. The leafs just took forever the way i made them... not perfect, but with enough distance, it suffices.
I think i will make a few more shots as soon as i got a better background - and then, when i found and painted the right kind of inhabitants.
Oh, i also made some repairs to weathertop.
Not, it did not get really damaged in the usual sense - but i didn't apply enough color to the ivy. I used dried parsley - and this natural material turns white over time, so i applied more green to it.
The next step here is adding a last layer of green flock... as soon as i get another spray bottle.
And then, also this project will be finally done and just needs inhabitants... and a small camp fire.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/02/25 16:09:16
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2024/03/20 07:56:17
Subject: Re:Middle Earth - Weathertop & the Shire
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Fresh-Faced New User
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Finally finished.
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