Two dormers and one well

 

The third Rohan House complete with two dormers.

The completed well.

Note the uplift on the top piece of thatch is now fixed.

Yes, it is all a bit ramshackle.

Better try next time, now I know what I'm doing.

Still bucket hunting.

Well construction for Rohan House

When butting the dormer thatch up to the jerry-built fascia boards,

a chunky piece of plastic has to be removed from the part shown above.

Components for the well include a container made of thin rough  timber.

That's it, top left.

My good friend John buys his bread in these things

and one is earmarked for imitation thatch.

Rather a large (paper clip) handle.

The 'roller' is a piece of bamboo barbeque skewer

and the handle a piece of cocktail stick.

Rope will be cotton.

More difficult is the search for a bucket.

Well, well. A Rohan House well

While faffing with the dormers, I had another go at the well.

A little higher and the stonework a little improved.

Now waiting for the inner and top to dry.

Rohan House - two dormers

 I thought to avoid pinching a dormer from another house and leaving it with non, I'd use spare bits and pieces to make two extra dormers.

I used a card former or pattern, copied from a dormer window,

then cut the window arch from two pieces of spare (19?)

The front window planks are a piece of thin balsa glued to the card pattern 

and the windowsill is rod balsa. Both lined as planks or grain.

The window is made from spliced and cut lollipop stick,

mounted on a green painted piece of paper, then glued in place.

The arch has to be lifted forward the thickness of the card

when gluing the two together.

Two copies and one original. 

I did consider making the windows triangular

but had trouble with the Dwarvish copyright.

I would also have to create some new fascia boards.

28 and 29 are used on the left. Just a trim on the bottom yet needed.

The set on the right are originals.

More Gripping Beast livestock

Unleash the dogs of war!

Not that way, you cowards!

 

Saga (Gripping Beast) livestock

 The Gripping Beast livestock have turned out OK, not brilliant but OK.

I'm wondering about putting fence posts around the same sized boards,

weaving wire in and out as wicker, and loosing them in there.

Otherwise they'll eat all the damn grass I've put round the houses.

The two little lambs would look ridiculous on the provided bases

so I'm on the lookout for a couple of tiddly winks.

The ring is a stab at building a well.

Unfortunately, I let the filler go too hard before inscribing stonework.

...and MY axe! Hobbit Hole touch-ups

 A pile of kindling chopped at the front door after Gimli finally made a visit to drop off an axe. I had to clean it. Encrusted with Orc blood it was! Even then, he made sure that it was accepted as a loan. You'd think that with the number of axes secreted about his person that he could spare just one. There were two hidden in his beard!

The axe is part spear shaft from a Warhammer Elf and part a scrap of frame. The kindling, simply split and splintered lolli stick and the chopping block a cut down twig. Cheating, I know - it's not painted.

2nd Rohan House done

The addition of grass, using the new applicator, plus a few logs and damp patches in the pig yard, just about finishes it. 

Now to give thought to number three.

Clever balls ups this time include spilling the new WWS Basing Glue

and failing to clip on to the area between shed and house

meaning that the grass there is rather flat.

Rohan pigs in straw

 

As happy as 4 pigs in clover, without the clover.

The pigs have some straw and the gate is up and secure.

The small gaps in the fence are plugged to stop piglets from escaping,

not that we have any.

Hobbit gate and wood shed

 Well, at last Sandyman turned up to put a rope latch on the gate.

 He's also removed the Dwarf trap and replaced it with wooden angled supports for the woodshed.

Simply cotton in an eight loop, painted grey and then with a dark wash.

It's glued on the gatepost and can slip over the gate to release it to open.

I am realising that the gate is made from some massive timbers.

Rohan (Gripping Beast) pigs

 

So, the animals have all arrived and look great.

They take a fair amount of work before you can start painting

as there are quite a lot of mould lines and escaped material.

A couple of pits too, which I failed to notice on these pigs.

Painting them was nearly a disaster. As they are metal I spray first with a primer.

(This I forgot with the first two and had to scrape the paint off. Planning!)

Then I used Cobra dark brown spray which is either too thick

or I sprayed too close and eradicated much of the excellent detail.

It was worst on the pigs but 'I think I got away with it'*.

The base paint is Rhinox with added black on legs and belly

with black for eyes and trotters.

 Then I dry brushed with mixes of

Scrag Brown, Vermin Brown and Tausept Ochre.

They come with thin bases supplied by Renedra.

I'm not sure if I should use them or not on these 'static' animals.

I'm still thinking about the gate but I do have some straw for them.

Next post should show them both.

*I remember Fawlty saying the same in 'The Germans'.

Traders

 

As (my) precious-s-s little progress is being made lately,

I thought I'd put up a shot of the excellent little bundle

that arrived this morning from Gripping Beast.

Two horses drawing a cart full of sacks, barrels etc, a hand cart

and four stalwart civvies to delivery it to (or from) market.

I'm looking forward to seeing them around the Rohan village.

2nd Rohan House - Piggery

 

I had some thoughts about the second Rohan House.

What is the point of having a pigsty and letting your pigs wander off.

So with zero planning, I used the fencing provided for two houses

and set them round a corner of the board.

I've mixed brown and grey earth for that area,

figuring it might well be brown and churned up.

Also, I realised that the fence should have been glued together,

before installing it and that there's no gate!

Hobbit Hole gate and more

 I'm sure Ted Sandyman does it deliberately!

All he had to do with the woodpile roof was to give it two diagonal supports.

What does he do? Two damn great poles almost perfectly designed

to trip up dwarves visiting after dark!

Hi second job was to lay turf over the little hummock at the rear of the hole.

He even messed that up!

(Despite using my static grass applicator, the grass failed to stand up. Obviously using a poor conducting glue - a £4.00 bottle from The Works)

He did a much better job on the gate, however, giving it two more struts,

lifting it clear of the path and even giving it another coat of paint.

He says he'll be back this afternoon with a rope tether but,

as The Green Dragon is now open, I doubt it.