The 1990 Warhammer Townhouse Project

Hello to one and all. 

It has been a fairly hectic two weeks since my last post. Normal story - school (in this case, reports), dentistry (receding gums) and home improvements (ripping out the ghastly old kitchen and replastering ready for the new one to be fitted) and so on. That doesn't mean that I've been idle... quite the opposite in fact as I've been busy working away on the second stage of my White Dwarf modelling articles project. 

Last time the seminal Warhammer Cottage was the star of the show and this time it's close cousin, the Warhammer Townhouse Mk1, gets it's time to shine. In the end, I constructed four models and experimented with the final two largely to see what I could achieve with random household items and DIY favourites that all of us have lying around the house. 

Here, check out my endeavours.

Obviously, I am pleased with them. All of these models are constructed from foamboard, balsa wood and the carboard from old cereal packets. The chimneys are made from the plastic tubes you get on new paintbrushes, snipped to size and superglued on. The walls were textured with watered down polyfilla or in the cases of the rendered buildings, pure polyfilla smoothed on. As before, I used some 'less is more' modelling flock to add a little character and colour variety to the models. Plasticard was cut to size and used as a base, adding strength and security to the scenery pieces. 

Let's have a closer look at the models.

This was actually the final model in the sequence so I was very confident constructing it. I felt secure enough to experiment, hence the balcony style windows and the brickwork. I added some freehand designs to the plaster to give a little character but it all looked a little false. A little distressing and weathering helped to tie the detail in and add a little realism, at least to my eye. The roof was made with strips of cereal box card snipped with scissors into cladding. The zigzag pattern on the roof came from an old piece of kid's wool winding card. What do you all think of the freehand design? Should it stay or go? 

This was the second model I produced and I felt the urge to experiment with the layout of the windows and support beams. In my mind, these buildings would have all been uniquely different, even in the fantastical setting of '80s Warhammer. So why not mix things up a little? Again, I used the other side of the wool card to decorate the roof and used a decent sized blob of PVA to hide a small error around the chimney with flock. Surely no-one will notice?

This was my initial build and the closest to the example given in the article. Everything about the construction of this model was identical to the Warhammer Cottage save about ten years. You may have noticed my handpainted doors. I ummed and erred about how to present these and in the end decided to paint them in the style of the Warhammer Townscape doorways. That publication, and the card buildings from other earlier ranges, are a huge influence on me. Not sure if I have quite got the colours right yet so watch this space to see if I can improve things further with future buildings. 

The paving slabs were created in exactly the same way as the roof only I used a slightly different colour mix when painting them, just to give some much need differentiation to the slate grey tiles. 

For me, this is the classic Warhammer building. I'm sure that I will build more in future as they feel very therapeutic to construct. Go on, have a go too!

Though the plans for this model appeared in White Dwarf 131, the previous issue showed off some of the studio's attempts a month earlier. One of those models was a thatched roof job that caught my eye. You can just notice it to the left handside of the photograph I used to begin this post. Obviously, my skills are not a patch on Dave Andrews or Phil Lewis of old but I still fancied a crack at one. And its probably worth pointing out, I've never tried to create a thatched roof before in my life.

Perhaps it shows?

Anyway, I f you are interested in how I built the roof it is simple. Wire wool. I simply cut the stuff to size and stuck it on with a hot-glue gun. Over that, I painted pure PVA and them several coats of black acrylic paint - the thick stuff from art shops not the Citadel stuff I use for miniatures. The final touch was to drybrush in layers of grey before washing over with green and brown glazes.

The shutters, again inspired by the examples given in WD130, are just snipped cardboard painted and weathered as normal. I tried another 'Townscape' style doorway too, complete with keyhole - which I went back and added to the other models. 

I didn't provide side views last post so I am doing that now. Here you can see the different placement on ancillary windows and beams as well as detail of the brickwork. Again, this was achieved in exactly the same way as the roofs. 

I used the readymade pollyfilla that comes in a tube to create the texture for all of the walls. Either watering it down and applying with a brush or smearing it on with the card spatula. This kind of rendering is extremely effective and well worth experimenting with if you haven't tried it before. 

Trust me, it was my first time. 

And the final sides of the buildings. Which leaves us with one unanswered question. What to do with the windows? I've left them black but I've seen other people paint on glass or tint them in different ways. Some people have used varnish to give the windows a glassy look. If any of you dear readers have any tips for this please do pass them on, I'd love to return to these and my cottages at some point for the final touches. 

Right, first day of the Easter holidays tomorrow. So plenty of time for me to hobby at long last. With the articles in White Dwarf 130 and 131 now complete on my little odyssey its time to open the dusty pages of White Dwarf 132 and attempt the Mines and Hills of the dwarfs.

Wish me luck. 

Orlygg