G'day All,
Not a lot achieved this week as I "Did a Dave" (or perhaps "Had a Sarah") and slipped in the wet, cracking my left elbow and scraping my elbow and hand pretty badly. Thankfully nothing was broken or otherwise badly damaged, but it did make holding stuff both painful and awkward.
Unable to paint properly until yesterday I decided to do something much less detail oriented, but still fun and super useful. This is a blackhouse, scratch built from handmade stone blocks over a structure of corrugated card. The stone blocks are made from high density foam cut into random sizes and then shaken like crazy a in a container with rocks until the corners rough up and lose their sharp edges. If you have a small person handy this is a perfect opportunity to make use of them whilst giving them a legitimate excuse to make one hell of a racket.
After gluing everything together I gave it a coat of Mod Podge to seal it, then blasted it with black primer followed by a grey zenithal highlight. I finished the random stone work with oddly applied green, brown and black washes plus a green slimy wash around the base.
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| It's you turn to weed the house Bob... |
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| Your massive hair is gonna hit the lintel Steve... |
It's got a multitude of uses from my Celtic myth project, through dark age gaming, even up to Border Reivers which I'm considering now Wargames Atlantic have a Conquistador plastic kit that can be repurposed for Elizabethan gaming.
Not much more to say other than it was fun and simple enough. I've got plans for several more variations in a couple of sizes, plus a cattle pen or two and some walls.
Points-wise it's roughly 1 x 6" cube so equates to 20 point.
Cheers,
Millsy
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Sorry to hear of your 'Sarah' this past week. I hope you're well on the mend for our final dash to the Challenge finish.
I love this blackhouse. I had no idea of the term, so thanks for the wiki-learning for the day. Hmm, I wonder of the etymology in relation to our Mark's name. I love the rough stonework and the verdant turf roof. As you say, it's such a versatile structure that can be used for many periods and settings. Well done, mate!
- Curt
Oh no! Sorry to hear about your “Did a Dave” or “had a Sarah”.
ReplyDeleteHas there been a past Challenge with so many personal injuries?
Glad nothing was broken and you’re on the mend. 😘
Nicely done, Millsy! Sorry to hear you "Did a Dave" - hope the ouchie heals up quickly. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat build Millsy, it's a fab looking building.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to make those stones. Looks brill.
ReplyDeleteNice piece of scratch built terrain. The stonework seems a bit fiddly, but worth it in the end.
ReplyDeleteI really like that Millsy, its got a bit of class
ReplyDeleteHope you’re well on your way to mending! This building is fantastic! I don’t have any little ones at home any more, but next time my niece and nephew come over, I know what crafting project they get to help with!
ReplyDeleteI'll need to try that brick-trick with my son. Good looking house, Millsy!
ReplyDeleteThis is absolute genius. Such a simple build and yet so effective. I’m very tempted to have a go myself now!
ReplyDeleteGreat work Millsy! And as we know, it is the coat of green-slime-adjacent wash that sets off every piece of terrain, right?
ReplyDeleteFantastic little piece. I love the sod roof. It reminds me of an old photo I saw in a book on Scotland; the blackhouse was set against a hill and the family standing outside it were all barefoot- they looked just like hobbits!
ReplyDeleteRest up and be careful! Wonderful looking structure, I like the techniques you’ve used.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! I encourage you to give this a go if you have a use for stone buildings. It's one of those things where roughness, odd shapes, etc. only help the overall effect.
ReplyDeleteThis is really great mate - just the sort of wonderfully authentic model you can use for over a thousand years of gaming periods. If I ever get my Border Reivers project going, I'll have to have you over for a BBQ and project day :-)
DeleteNice build! I always thought it was ‘blockhouse’- I’m learning lots today!
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