28mm Seminole Indian War Fort

 So, I've had this on the drawing boards for a while now, and finally built it. I play a lot of 28mm Skirmish Gaming during the Seminole Indian Wars, and have always wanted a complete fort.  I was originally going to build the log sections with wood dowels, but since I've acquired a 3D ABS printer, someone had created a French & Indian War Fort sections on www.Thingiverse.com (French and Indian Wars - The Modular Fort by Earsling - Thingiverse) that I could start with as a base. I modeled my fort pieces after Fort Foster, located in Tampa/Hillsborough County, FL, but could be used to create any Seminole War era fort that you would like.  I would think that the pieces could be used for a Wild West Fort as well.  For more information on Fort Foster: Fort Foster - Wikipedia

THE FORT WALLS

Here are the raw 3D prints.  There were single straight sections and a corner section. The creator of the 3D objects also had a double straight section, but I was having issues printing it on my printer. So, just doubled up the single on the double base. 

 

Typical Seminole War forts had a raised firing platform at least a foot off the ground. This would give the soldiers the ability to fire 'down' on any fort attackers, as well as to stay out of the mud while walking a post. The base of the 3D print already provided me with the support for one side of the platform.  I just needed to provide the front support and beam, and some floor planking. These were cut from some 1/16" basswood sheet that I had. Wooden coffee stirrers would work as well. The base is made from 1/8" mdf board. 

Here's the assembled platform.

The mdf base was covered in watered down white PVA glue, then covered with sand. After drying, the base was painted brown.  Once dry, it was dry-brushed with a sand color.  After that dried, randomly applied white glue was covered with a green flocking mix, leaving some areas of dirt/sand visible. For added details, I will add some grass tufts at the base of the wall. 

Here is the finished platform side of the wall. The top of the palisade wall is painted a pine color and the walls dry-brushed.  

I needed a larger 'corner' section, so I combined the small corner piece with two, single straight pieces. Then created a series of support and beams to support the corner platform, and even added stairs. 

The Platform boards are in place. 

Detailed the same way as the straight wall sections, the base is sanded and flocked, and the walls are dry-brushed.

Unique to Fort Foster, one of the corners has an opening (embrasure) for a cannon to fire from.  This corner faces a bridge that crosses the Hillsborough River, so the cannon protects the river crossing. Therefore, I needed a custom piece. 

Here, the Cannon corner piece has been painted brown. A ramp was included at the corner so that the cannon can be removed to the parade field. 

Here is the finished cannon corner, finished the same way as the other pieces. 

THE MAIN GATE

Another custom piece is the main gate.  It is as wide as a double, but includes the framing for an operable gate. Here we have the inside, with a 28mm Soldier for scale. 

Here is the finished gate from the outside. The base is finished as the other pieces. 

THE BLOCKHOUSES

The Blockhouses printed as 2 pieces, the bottom/base and the top.  I mounted the base to a 1/4" thick piece of cork. This allowed the door to be positioned so that one would step out onto the raised walkway. The top piece has pieces of cork glued to the underside that fit to the inside corner of the base.  That way the top fits on top of the base and does not move. 

There is a 3D print of the roof, but I chose to build it out of foam core board instead.  Much easier, lighter, and quicker than printing it. (The 3D print was solid.) 

It's not that difficult to build it out of foam core board, especially when it is scrap board from work. 

I 'shingled' the roof with 1/2" strips of thin card board (Cereal boxes, cracker boxes, etc.) I cut a 1/4" cut into one side of the strip, to represent individual shingles.  I cut off an occasion corner along the 1/4" cut as wood shingles are not perfect. These strips are glued to the foam board with PVA glue.  The shingles strips start at the bottom, and are overlapped 1/4" for each successive row.  

This is what it looks like when the roof has been shingled.  I've done this for 15mm buildings before, but instead of cereal boxes, I used brown paper bag (Grocery bag) strips which is much thinner.  

Here is the blockhouse all painted and weathered. The base has the same sand and flocking method as the walls. 

THE QUARTERMASTER STOREHOUSE

This building started as a cedar incense burner with removable roof.  It had an undersized door on the wrong side as it needed to be on the end.  The new doorway was cut and framed out with balsa strip. A ramp to the door was constructed of sheet bass wood. The base was covered with PVA glue and sand.  

The new door was cut in the gable end wall, like the actual storehouse. 

The side door was filled in with a piece of the scrap cut out of the end wall. 

The incense burner came with a roof, but had to remove the chimney, which left a hole.  he hole disappeared once the new shingles were added to the roof.  I added some bass wood soffits around he roof perimeter.  

The final Quartermaster Storehouse after painting, dry-brushing and flocking of the base like the others. 

THE POWDER MAGAZINE

I had found these mini-Lincoln 'style' logs at a dollar store (Can't remember which one). 

This is the parts assortment. 

Decided to build the powder magazine using these log toys. The actual magazine building isn't very tall as it does go underground slightly, to keep the powder in a cool, dry place. 

I put the model on an mdf base, with glue and sand.  I infilled some gaps with trimmed balsa wood to look like timbers. Framed out the roof with bass wood soffit pieces, and then added shingles like the other buildings. 

This is what it looks like with the final paint, weathering and flocking. 

The Fort is now ready to receive it's first garrison of troops. 

Some Tips on Painting...

I'm trying something new right now, so I thought I'd put down a few thoughts about the strategy for painting miniatures.

Painting 'Now' Technique(s)

I was reading about a different painting technique and decided I'd give it a go on my 28mm wild west figures.  Essentially the process is this:

1.  Prime the miniature black.
2.  Dry brush the figure with white. (black will remain in all the low spots.)
3.  Paint your figure with a layer of color(s).
4. Add a layer of lighter shades over the base color.
5. Dry brush white over the top to highlight the uppermost details.

The result is a figure that shows a better amount of shading and highlighting than I am used to doing. (progress pics to come soon showing the stages.)  The results have eliminated the need to do a dark wash and the shadows are still in the appropriate places.

Painting 'Past' Technique(s)

Here is how I've painted my miniatures in the past:

1.  Prime the miniature. (Black, White, or Gray.  See notes below.)
2.  Paint your figure with a layer of color(s).
3.  Add a layer of dark wash (thinned down black or brown paint and water) to get some shadows in the low spots, folds, and etc.
4.  Add a layer of lighter shades over the base color.
5.  Dry brush white over the top to highlight the uppermost details.

Selection of Primer Color:

Here are a few colors to choose from:

White: All of my early figures, 15mm and some 25mm, were painted white.  This was because they were 15mm ACW and Napoleonic figures, and 25mm Star Wars with brightly colored uniforms.  The white base coat makes the colors come out that much more brighter.

Black: I now paint all of my figures with a black base coat.  I started with my 20mm WWII skirmish figures and carried it through to all of my newer 10mm Zulus, and 28mm ACW, Seminole Indian, and other skirmish figures. The black base coat tends to dull the colors somewhat, giving them a muted/dirty/used tone, exactly what I wanted for those time periods.

Gray: I tried to use a gray base coat, but I just didn't like the results, not to mean that you won't.  It gives a result somewhere between white and black.  Some of the pro-painters swear by it?

Painting 'Future' Technique(s)

With this 'new' technique, at least to me, I've eliminated the dark paint wash step. I keep reading about doing ink washes and I know some live by it.  I'll probably give it a try on some future miniatures and will report on the results.

Here's some pictures of my Deputies in Progress using my 'New technique'.

(Color Schemes are taken from 'Pale Rider')

#1: The Primed Black Figures.

 #2: The figures are dry-brushed white.

#3a: Color being added to the figures, under-layers first.

 #3b: Color being added to the figures, outer layers second.

#4: Additional lighter shades & highlights.

#5: Final shading. (Coming Soon.)

#6: Bases, flocking and details. (Coming Soon.) 

28mm Wild West General Store, Undertaker, and Prison.

Well, another 28mm Wild West commission project is finally finished.  I hate it when life and work (which has been picking up) gets in the way of games.  (It may be my last commission project for  a while as my terrain and miniature painting are suffering.)  My last client that I made a Sheriff's Office for, had another request for his upcoming games, which will be some type of Pulp/Wild West game utilizing 'Mud Men' and such.

Building #1 is a combination General Store with an Undertaker shop next door. Building #2 is a Prison, drawn on the inspiration of the Alamagordo Prison in the movie "For A Few Dollars More".  So here they are in their finished glory.

Here's the General Store and Undertaker Shop, as it is transformed from mdf board and foam-core board into a finished terrain project:

The 1/8" mdf base with foam-core walls.

 

Balsa wood details are added to the facade.

Details to the facade are added, including the wood sidewalk.

The roof and other wall details are added. The Undertaker roof (tan to the right) is made from layers of sandpaper glued to foam-core. 

 The General store roof is made from strips of 'cereal' box cut to resemble shingles, and then layered onto foam-core, just like shingles.  The windows and doors openings are framed with balsa wood strips.  The wood clapboard siding is made from more strips of 'cereal' box and overlapped just like the real thing.  

The building has been primed black, and then covered in a coat of brown paint.  

The flat, sandpaper roof received another coat of black paint while the sloped, shingle roof was dusted with a grey spray paint.  

Here, color has been added to the facade with  a different paint scheme for each building.  The Store names were requested by the client.  Some other details are out in front includes a ladder, hitching post, waterin' trough, and a variety of barrels (from Hobby Lobby), with a paint job for Whiskey, Salt, Flour, and etc. 

Inside the General store is a shelving unit (removable) that has and assortment of boxes, cans, glass containers, and etc.  A counter was made of 3 barrels with a flat piece of wood on top. A couple of coffins are displayed in the Undertaker's shop and some freshly carved gravestones are outside for purchase.  

On the left is the General Store.  The showroom is the larger room to the front with the storeroom to the rear.  On the right is the smaller, Undertaker shop.  The covered space in the back is his wood shop, where Mr. Black constructs new coffins.  The doors are freestanding on flat metal bases so that they can be closed, opened, or removed. 

The finished model. 

The finished model.

Here's the Alamagordo Prison, as it is transformed from mdf board and foam-core board into a finished terrain project:

 

The 1/8" mdf base with the plan drawn in as a guide. 

 The courtyard is in the upper right corner.  The two guard-rooms are to the left and below the courtyard.  Beyond the two guard-rooms are the six prison cells.  

The 1/8" mdf base with foam-core walls.

 Note the layer of foam-core paper that was removed and carved into adobe bricks.

Round, wooden roof beams are added to appear to protrude from the walls as is typical with adobe style buildings. The foam-core walls have been covered with drywall compound to replicate adobe walls.  Note the bars on all of the windows that were added before the drywall compound.

The drywall compound is not added over the carved brick areas. That area will be covered with pva glue and then painted.

Here's the interior after the drywall compound was added.  

The model has received a primer coat of black, followed by a tan paint.  

 The model has received a primer coat of black, followed by a tan paint.  The model was glued down to the mdf base (that had been covered with glue and sand, and painted brown) after the tan paint was dry.

 The building has receiving it's final paint job and highlighting.

 Note the details that have been painted...bars are black iron, the adobe brick is a reddish-brown color, and there is some graffiti on the prison walls. (someone's marking the days.)

 The final model.  Ballast, rocks, grass, and weeds have been added.

  The final model. Note the bars/grillwork has been added to the cells. The doors are freestanding on flat, metal bases so that they can be closed, opened, or removed.  

 The final model.