25/09/2024

Entrance tower and front part

I'm determined to push forward on this project as much as I can. Now that the bazaar is done, it's time to make the entrance and to fill that ugly empty space just on the front part of the board.

If I'm going to build a gate of some kind...

...let's build a big one
The idea of a tower looked appealing to me. It adds some volume there and gives the impression of an access gate to the medina of the town.
Now it is time for a new item I got last Christmas again (even before the Christmas lights, I think!)

Lattice I got from a nativity scenes shop
I know, I know. But this project got out of hand long ago, so just another little silly addition wouldn't be that much!
While deciding how to better put the lattice, I built the general shape of the tower. I'm thinking of adding something on top of it. The idea of an astronomy observatory is appealing, but I'm not sure if it really fits in there. 

Just an idea. To be considered later

Some paint later. Note the addition of that tiny building on the front

Let's add the lattice and tissue paper:

Cautiously optimistic

The tricky part was to wire the tower. The garland came from the entrance to the mine (down left), but I wanted it to go towards the central block (to the right of the tower). I could make the wire go upwards and downwards again, but given my needings, it was more efficient if the wire went through the upper part. So I made holes on the walls and connected them with a tube, the wire going through it:

A picture speaks a thousand words

This is the final test. Will the light look good through the lattice?

Hooray!

OK. Now let's pay some attention to the gate of the tower. It has quite a large archway. It needs some decoration to fill all that awful emptiness.
More printed paper. Cheap and easy!
 
I considered the idea of adding flags and banners hanging from the ceiling, but it was kind of too much. However, I thought some additional detail was in order.
 
So I did this for the lintel
 
It's a crude sculpt indeed, but it doesn't need more detail, it's relatively hidden and maybe it was sculpted looong centuries ago and is highly eroded by the winds of the desert. It's simply an element to add "visual noise" as I call it.
While the greenstuff was curing, I built some more stuff...
 
Upwards!

You can notice that I'm trying to avoid paralell lines, I'm breaking symmetry and trying to add some more little chaos. When finished, the area looks like this:

This neighbourhood is alive

The way into the lower baazar

That tower needs something atop, but still haven't found the correct piece
 
Well, it now feels like something! I think it all looks quite ethnic and it fits the whole theme in the board.
 
Just a little bonus for this post: Next challenge was to take the lights from the central building (the newly built element) to the left again, where the final stage of the board awaits. How would I do that?? For sure I didn't want to destroy more pieces, and I found it difficult or even impossible (apart from absurdly inefficient) to take the lights again through the same way they had previously come. Then I risked it all:

On the open!

Lanterns made with gaming tokens
 
Right, I'll try to make some street lamps with the wire on the open. But that will be an issue for another day!

For the moment let's just recap:

The whole progress

This how it all looks!

And this how it all looks at night!

You see, there's so little left to do, just the sector on the left of the pic. At the time of writing this I can say I'm making some fair progress, so I feel quite optimistic.

Hopefully more updates coming soon!

20 comments:

  1. Oh, Great to see more your masterwork!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It's a shame it looks like little progress, but it's indeed quite a lot of work!

      Delete
  2. Es increíble Suber! Desde luego parece una ciudad/pueblo vivo! Espectacular!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ¡Gracias! Estoy intentando dar esa sensación, bloques sin relación, sin urbanismo, con aspecto caótico, amontonándose unos sobre otros. ¡Necesito más espacio!

      Delete
  3. Absolutely love the new different levels and angles- it really does feel like a town that's grown and changed over 100s of years. The new entrance is great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! My aim is precisely that, a maze of piled up blocks and buildings with no sense of order at all. Still growing!

      Delete
  4. Another great addition. I love the lattice-work.
    Bill.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It was an unexpected idea, pure serendipity. I was on a family trip last Christmas and I found the lattice at a modeller's local shop, so it was a matter of pure opportunity! In the end I'm happy that I took the chance, it adds some character to the building, I think :)

      Delete
  5. Yet more inspirational progress. I too think that the lattice is very effective indeed. The lighting takes it to another place!
    Alan Tradgardland

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much! At some point this town turned into a Nativity scene, but I'm not quite sure of when the transition ended!

      Delete
  6. Awesome work Suber.
    I agree with Axiom that it certainly looks like a settlement built over time by whoever had the money and muscle to put something up, no planning permission from the local authorities required 😂

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Haha, you're right, it's some kind of "oh, I have some adobe left, let's build a new house now that nobody's looking!"

      Delete
  7. As ever, this is really nice work. The mural and wall sculpture work really well. At the moment, it looks like a diorama from a museum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much! Quite a compliment! (Blushes) Anyway, it looks dirty, worn out... The museum of slackness!

      Delete
  8. The build and all the details add new sectors and elevate each section, and fit the rest of the build perfectly Suber. I think an observatory would be a great piece to top the tower, with maybe some defence guns as well, if that doesn't feel right maybe a bell tower, seen that used a lot recently in Star Wars.
    On the entrance to the mine, it could do with a broken cart, being repaired, or maybe some mining tools, or even some crated up pieces of what's been extracted from the mine, or a mix of all three.
    One last thing that would really add life to the board, are the local pests, as in real life, nature finds a way to adapt and make use of what humans build.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much! Oh, there are some pretty useful ideas there! I'm noting them down, thank you!!

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm happy that I've finally found the will to keep on working on it :D

      Delete
  10. Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm adding more stuff every day, I'll try to bring updates soon!

      Delete