Mûmakil

After seeing the film "Return of the King" just after it was released in Melbourne, I knew I had to make a Mumakil to fight against my Rohirrim. Games Workshop had no mention of releasing one at that stage, so I set about making my own. The one eventually released by them is a very nice model, but much smaller than the ones in the film. 

First Catch An Elephant

The "Lord of the Rings Weapons and Warfare" book by Chris Smith (Harper/Collins Publishers) suggest they stood between 50 and 100 feet tall. This would make the model about 210 to 420mm high (without tower).

I also did a search on the internet and found just a limited number of images available from the film. Using the pictures which showed figures near the feet of the Mûmakil I estimated that the back of the model elephant needed to be about 250mm above ground level.

The other criteria was for there to be at least a 40mm wide gap between the front pair of legs and also between the back pair of legs so that a cavalry figure could ride between them like in the film (assuming it did not get swept aside by the tusks or squashed underfoot). 

I went searching the bargain shops for a large resin elephant that was not going to cost too much and found one that was almost perfect.

Tower

The first construction step was to make the tower. The preparatory sketches of the Mûmakil found in the appendices of the four DVD set of "The Two Towers" was helpful here as well as studying frame by frame the scene when Frodo and Sam first encounter the "Oliphaunts" as they call them.

The size of each tier was worked out carefully on paper to ensure they were the right size to fit the number of figures that I wanted. There would be nothing worse than ending up with a platform not quite big enough to fit the figures.

Some of the platform bases were made from 5.5mm foamboard and some from leftover pieces of plasticard.

The supports were made from lengths of plastic tubing, reinforced with wire to make it strong. I never like relying solely on glue for such constructions as they often come apart at the wrong time when subject to the rigours of a public participation game.

The edging was made from interfacing material. I used one piece per level to end up with only one glue join, but because of the unusual shape it meant I spent a lot of time cutting paper to make a pattern that would fit perfectly.

Painting was the usual multiple shades of brown to represent timber on the platforms and supports. The cloth edging used a little purple mixed in with brown.

Three lots of wire under the main platform are shaped to the elephants back and spine so that the whole tower sits stably.

Elephant Blanket

To make it easier to transport due to its height, and for games where Legolas cuts the supporting rope and the tower slides sideways, I wanted the tower to be able to come off the elephant. I did not want this to happen accidentally during a game.

So I decided to attach the tower to an elephant blanket with trim to represent the ropes. The arms of the blanket would be held together with Velcro to make it grip firmly, but be easily removable when needed. Although not exact to the movie, it gives an appropriate effect.

Again a pattern was made with paper and scissors before cutting the material. I wanted a royal looking Mûmakil, so I chose a crimson velveteen material and dark gold rope braid for the edging. My wife helped with the sewing which sped up the process lots. 

Once velcroed in place, the wire under the tower was marked onto the material. The blanket was then removed and cotton used to hand sew (very slowly by me) the wire onto the blanket in the appropriate places.

Re-angle the Head

The only thing I did not like about the elephant model was that the head was tilted upwards too far. The driver would be facing skywards as would the bigger tusks when they were made. I wanted the tusks to be towards the ground but with just enough clearance for a horse rider to go underneath. This would make obvious whether a rider was in the "zone of death" without the need to resort to a template.

After a few days to work up the courage, I cut the head off and then a wedge out of the neck so that the head could be re-positioned. The head and body are hollow inside so I cut some closed cell foam to use as a connecting support inside between body and head.

The body and head where then properly reconnected using Selleys Knead It. This is a two part epoxy that is like a stiff plasticine. By kneading it you mix the two parts of the epoxy. Do not mix too much at once as it does set very quickly. Before fully setting, I used a hobby knife to marked the lines to match the existing elephant hide.

A few shades of grey paint later, the head was strongly re-attached at a better angle and blended in to the body.

New Tusks

The old tiny tusks were cut off and then new tusks made. They are made similar to the Watcher in the Water. A former made of three strands of florists wire was bent to shape. Then the wire was covered with Fimo (or Sculpy) and cooked briefly in the oven for 20 minutes.

The tusks were connected to the body using more Knead It and the Mumakil was ready for a trial run.

More Details

More details will be added later, such as rigging (I'll use embroidery thread for this), sharpend stakes on the tusks (I'll use Fimo/Sculpy and pointy toothpicks) and maybe the third set of small tusks. If I feel really pedantic I might even make the ears a lot smaller but with the building of Minas Tirith occupying my time it will have to wait for a while.