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Making a Mûmakil

Figure Gallery

Making Minas Tirith

-  Main Gate & Level 1

-  Levels 2 to 3

-  Levels 4 to 7

-  Central Rock

-  Details

-  More Details

Making the Mines of Moria

-  Watcher in the Water

-  Precipitous Paths

-  Balin's Tomb

-  Treacherous Stairs

-  Bridge of Khazad-dûm

-  Flight From Moria

Levels 2 & 3

Level 2 consists of Wall 2 with ramparts and also the inclined street section behind the wall. Level 3 consists of Wall 3 with ramparts and also the inclined street section behind the wall.

Because Minas Tirith is split in two by a great rock it made sense for storage to make these in two modules, with the rock separate :-

1. North-east lower levels (Levels 2 & 3)

2. South-east lower levels (Levels 2 & 3)

Laying the Foundations

Construction commenced by marking out arcs of cardboard for each wall. The thickness of the cardboard must be allowed for.

The thickness varied depending on the cardboard I was able to get at the time. I tended to use 5mm to 6mm thick for the reinforcing pieces (joining pieces) and reinforcing ribs. For the ramparts and inclined streets I often used two thicknesses glued together for added strength.

I used 3mm to 4mm thick cardboard for the walls as this was easier to bend without damaging the outer face too much. 

Make It Robust

Since Minas Tirith will be displayed at the open day, it must be able to survive transport. So thought must go into the construction, including reinforcing pieces (see pictures). 

In real or model construction a triangle is one of the most rigid shapes. This is why steel or wooden trusses are constructed from a series of triangles. The reinforcing ribs (see photos) used a triangular shape in one dimension for rigidity, two flaps for joining to curved walls and 90 degrees in the other direction to allow the walls and walkways to join at the correct right angle. The flaps also provide a larger surface area for stronger gluing.

Layer By Layer

Before gluing the wall cardboard, I marked lines for the placement of the sloping street, the rampart and the reinforcing ribs. Remember to allow for the thickness of the carboard to be used for the inclined street when marking the line at the top of the reinforcing pieces. Marking is easier before gluing on since the walls were curved.

The outermost wall of this section (Wall 2) was taped into place with the base reinforcing rib of cardboard using masking tape. Then reinforcing pieces were glued in place with hot melt glue.

BE CAREFUL WHEN USING A HOT MELT GLUE GUN AS THE HOT GLUE CAN CAUSE NASTY BURNS.

Two strips of cardboard were glued on top of each other on the inside of the wall to provide support for the the rampart and street along its entire length. This was not done for all walls, but where the cardboard to be used for the ramparts and streets had creases which would reduce their strength.

The Bridge Adds Strength

Because the roadway between walls 2 and 3 in the south-east section is so low compared to the wall height, there is a risk that in transit the top of wall 2 could be pushed in towards wall 3 and crack the glue or tear the cardboard down at the roadway. This was fixed by adding a bridge up high to reinforce. The bridge was made of cardboard with decorative sides added in 5.5mm foamboard (see picture at right).

Details

Details will be added to these levels over the coming months once the construction of the other modules is complete. In the mean time click on the link below to see the construction of the upper module. 

NEXT PAGE  ==>  Levels 4 to 7