"28mm Stone Barn & Stables" Topic

I decided to write down a list of buildings that I thought would be really useful for a village or small town setup and all the usual building types were on there including a stone barn. Having decided to pluck this one from the list as it would be a relatively simple build I looked for inspiration and the first stop was the internet. Looking at loads of pictures I came upon a picture of a 28mm Barn & Stables from Grand Manner and it did look really pretty indeed! From there I looked on their web site for more details and hopefully more pictures as I really did like the look of this structure and although there was only one picture there were some references to the base size which gave me an idea how large it might be.

The size given for the base was 340mm x 175mm and it has a lift off roof, which to me was not something I wanted as this is a pet hate of mine lift off roofs as they always seem to get plonked on the side of the table for most of a game when figures are inside which tends to ruin the aesthetic for me. These guys make some really lovely buildings and if you can afford to pay £360.00 GBP painted to this standard then you are indeed very lucky indeed, even the £104.50 GBP unpainted price is way more than I can afford to pay for one building and therefore this is why I choose to build my own.

Here are some pics.

There are many more photo's plus construction details on my blog here: link

That looks really nice. Well done.

Hello Wargames Designs,

Very nice! Splendid design and well made. I too have been designing and making paper models. Mine so far have mostly been 17th century German type structures including two large homes, some row houses . . .

TMP link

and finally, a church. All are 15mm scale.

TMP link

Currently I'm making some Dutch buildings that might be at home in the late 16th century.

I think we are using a similar process. I design and print the details or "skins" and then glue them to foam core. Occasionally I add some extra details with wood or foam. There is also a small amount of painting. Lately I've been texturing my models with a clear sealer. I can especially use this on stone details but I also use it for wood and roof tiles. It creates more of an illusion of 3D by breaking up the smooth surface.

I left a reply praising your work on your blog. I used my Gallocelt moniker.

Cheers!

Gallo

Hi Gallo,

Love the buildings! I have yet to do any half timbered houses, but looking at those I will have to make the effort for my ECW collection. Maybe a small cottage or two first to test the water.

I have to say that it a lot easier to do wallpaper covered buildings than to make them from card plaster and wood.

Cheers Steve.

Hi Steve,

Easier indeed! Faster, neater, and cheaper (cheaper especially appeals to me!) Thank you for liking my models.

I first design in Adobe Illustrator and get the scale, size, shape and placement. Then I export that to Photoshop and add all the textures, the brick, stone, wood, tile, glass, etc. Once completed, I print in color 200 dpi on card stock. I cut out the pieces and use them as templates to cut the foam core. I use cereal box card for the roofs but of course, these are covered with tile or shingle texture printed on card stock.

Next, I use a thick sealer that dries clear and will allow some texturing before it dries. In this way I can simulate wood, stone and other textures which admittedly isn't that noticeable but is more apparent when the light is at the right angle. Finally, I spray with a clear flat finish that somewhat waterproofs the model.

I haven't made any ECW buildings but I plan to do some in the future. Half-timbering is interesting to design. Each region seems to have it's own peculiar style. My German houses are framed similar to Rheinish style, typical of the Palatinate.

For ECW it is good to keep in mind that many houses would have been built in earlier times, for instance, the later 1500's, and would still be used in the Mid-Seventeenth Century. One difficulty I foresee is the thatched roofs that were quite common at that time. I have tried covering cardboard with wool cloth (glued on) then covering that with Durham's Water Putty. I then textured the putty while still wet with a comb.

As I mentioned, I need to complete some Dutch/ Belgian houses for late Sixteenth, or Seventeenth Century. I hope to be posting photos of these soon. Then It will be time to make my German Schloss.

Once again, my compliments on your work and best of luck with the ECW!

Cheers!

Gallo

Hi Gallo,

I do have a few different thatch roof wallpapers, one I bought which I think is actually very nice and others that I made myself with various brushes I made in photoshop that were originally intended for adding human hair to photos. The thatch I bought was made by photographing a model thatch roof and does look good as older worn thatch and you can find photos of it on various buildings that I have made on my blog.

As for most of my design work I simply take actual photos of stonework or brickwork and make a larger map of it on paint and then add different effects to it in photoshop by messing around with colour values, contrast, sharpness etc until I am satisfied with how it looks.

As for the paper it is just normal printer paper which needs to be pliable when pasted with PVA glue for all the tricky bits. The windows and doors I add afterwards cut from sheets of various doors and windows I either make myself or have taken from paper kits I have bought. I do add thinned paint for weather effects, dirt, muck and mud etc. Final finish is acrylic wood varnish which is cheap and protects really well as well as stiffening up the paper.

Hello Steve,

I looked at your blog again and I was especially interested in how your thatched roof looked on a finished building. The example I saw looked really great. The photos you used for the thatch served you well. It will be a while still before I build some houses that will need thatched roof but I may very well use the paper method.

Cheers!

Gallo