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- Main Gate & Level 1 - Details
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Wall 1 and the Main Gate4 sections of Wall 1, the main gate with its main flanking towers and 2 smaller wall towers for trebuchet were the first to be made. Construction was of 5.5mm foamboard. As long as you use a VERY sharp knife the cutting is simple. PVA glue holds it strongly together when dry. I use masking tape to hold the pieces together overnight while the glue dries. One of the great advantages of having drawn these sections in great detail in AutoCAD was that I could print out the curved sections of the ramparts at 1:1 scale. I could then use this as a full size template for cutting out without having to spend ages drawing and measuring unusual shapes. From the photos you can see that I have allowed for two internal floors so that battles can be fought there in some scenarios. Good Castle DesignIf you look closely you will see some minor differences between my model of the main gate and the model for the film. There are some details on the film model which would be considered poor design by a real castle builder. For example, in the film model the main wall joins partly behind the tall narrow towers. This allows troops to go from the main walls to the walls either side of the entrance area in front of the main gate. I decided to follow good design practise and separate these two sections of wall by the tower. In good castle design sections of wall would be separated by towers so that if one section of wall was breached, the towers would provide strongpoints to stop the enemy troops flooding along the whole length of the wall. Towers also provided high ground which would allow defenders to fire down upon any attackers that breached the walls. DetailsDetails will be added to the main gate over the coming months once the construction of the other levels is complete. In the mean time click on the link below to see the construction of the next levels.
NEXT PAGE ==> Levels 2 to 3 |
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Above. Oblique view of the main gate. The sections have been completed in foamboard. No detail has been added yet and the painting is still to be done. |
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Above. The main gate and flanking towers. A 600mm steel ruler can be seen in the foreground to provide an idea of scale. Mounted Rohan and Warg rider figures on the ground and foot Rohan on the walls give an idea of the enormity of the White City. |
Above. Three of the five pieces that make up the main gate and flanking towers. The detail at the top of the walls, texturing and painting is all yet to be added. |
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Above. Rearward view of the flanking towers for the main gate show the inside floor levels. Some of the walls have been cut away to allow for ease of play. |
Above. Close up of the main gate wall with 2 Riders of Rohan to give an idea of scale. The gates are still to be made. Notice the archway made from successive layers. This type of detail takes longer to construct but will add greatly to the realism of the finished model when painted. |
Nunawading Wargames Association Inc.
Lord of the Rings
Making Minas Tirith
Main Gate & Level 1
