Thursday, 31 March 2016

Russian Church, part 11

 During the Easter break I took advantage of the fine weather and the free days to work outside on the long neglected base for the Russian church. I had cut the polystyrene for the base a couple of weeks ago, but it just sat there while the painting of figures took precedence.


The church is intended to be a significant feature in the game to be staged later this year. It was to be mounted on a rise, one edge of which will be steep as though dropping off into a ravine or gully, while the other sides are more gentle. A stone path leads up to the front steps of the church and an earthen track leads down through a small graveyard at the other end. 




It had been my intention to surround the crest of the hill by stone walls, in various states of repair. However, the thought if making a metre of stone walls from scratch was just too daunting, so I made wooden fences. This is probably more in keeping with the rural nature of the church. The fences are set far enough from the church itself to allow the troops to stand inside the base.





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19 comments:

  1. Neil Moulden1 April 2016 at 01:35

    WOW. The base really makes a difference.

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    1. Mark Strachan1 April 2016 at 07:03

      Thanks Neil. It is one of my more satisfying pieces. In the game it is planned to debut in it will be one of the centrepieces in the game, a location known as the "Church Heights".

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  2. Jonathan Freitag1 April 2016 at 01:47

    Fabulous! Really, what more needs said!

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    1. Mark Strachan1 April 2016 at 07:07

      Thank you Jonathan. It has been lots of fun making this. Look for some more Crimeans in the next week...the Light Brigade has arrived!

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  3. Phil1 April 2016 at 02:58

    Most impressive church, great job!

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    1. Mark Strachan1 April 2016 at 07:07

      Thank you Phil. I really want to see it in use now.

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  4. Russ1 April 2016 at 05:42

    Words almost fail me! That is one astounding piece of work! It looked bloody good before the base was made but now its just perfection. Thats one piece of modeling to be very very proud of!

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    1. Mark Strachan1 April 2016 at 07:00

      Thanks Russ. I am pleased with this. The problem is it probably won't make it onto a table before October, so there is this growing desire to stack it full of figures just to see how it looks occupied by four infantry battalions!

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  5. Natholeon1 April 2016 at 07:53

    Simply brilliant. The graveyard is a nice touch.

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    1. Mark Strachan1 April 2016 at 08:24

      Thanks Nathan. the graveyard should probably be inside the church grounds, but then how would the troops be able to fit in there? I' m not quite sure how robust the grave markers will be in the rough and tumble of play - as it is the church and the base are separate pieces so that they can be safely transported.

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  6. Anonymous1 April 2016 at 16:04

    A magnificent bit of work Mark. As mentioned by the others the base really does set it off. Are you sure you cant cast it? 8O)

    The idea of allowing room for the troops to stand on the model is a wise one.

    Would you mind if I 'stole' a picture or two for my blog? You will of course be credited.

    Salute
    von Peter himself

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    1. Mark Strachan1 April 2016 at 17:12

      Thank you Peter. No it will not be cast. No probleem using a couple of images. If I get any sort of chance over the weekend (which is probably slim as her indoors has "plans" for the weekend) I may take a few images with the church yard occupied by some troops, which might make it more interesting.

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    2. Anonymous1 April 2016 at 21:45

      Thanks Mark. I'll keep an eye out for a garrisoned Orthodox church.

      Salute
      von Peter himself

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    3. Anonymous7 April 2016 at 15:28

      Two images appropriated. Many thanks Mark.

      Salute
      von Peter himself

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    4. Mark Strachan7 April 2016 at 18:44

      Duly notes, sire.

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  7. Stuart S2 April 2016 at 21:08

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. Mark Strachan2 April 2016 at 21:32

      Thanks Stu...even though I just managed to remove your message by mistake.....by my reckoning I can fit four battalions in there.

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  8. John4 April 2016 at 08:28

    Hi Mark,

    I think that base is absolutely spot on! Really complements the church itself! Hope you enjoy being able to get troops in action around it!

    I'm actually a bit jealous because you could work on it outside! Just spent a week away in the wind and rain in Northern England (but loved it anyway) so am a couple of days behind!

    Cheers,

    John

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    1. Mark Strachan4 April 2016 at 10:27

      Thanks John. We had our wind and rain the Thursday before Easter - gale force winds and torrential rain - but Easter itself was great weather, warm and calm. It was really good for making this base because I used an epoxy putty to coat the poylstyrene (to make it more robust) and leaving it in the warm sun accelerated the cure time for the putty.

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