Fall of Acre - Update 3 (1 Viewer)

[mestell]

I have the day off today. Seeing two great dioramas (AWI, AK Traffic Jam) in the past couple days inspired me to work on my Fall of Acre diorama this afternoon. I had not planned to provide an update this soon but a little while ago UPS delivered the two tower facades I had John Gittins (JG Miniatures) custom make for me, plus the campaign tent (also JG Miniatures) of Richard the Lionheart. I just had to show them.

The updates:
a) I have added the two tower facades at each end of "Acre".

b) Richard the Lionhearts advance party has established his camp site where he will be able to direct the final days of the siege. Richard is scheduled to arrive next month some time.

c) I have covered the forground hills with plaster cloth. Tried using Paper Clay but there was too much shrinkage and cracking after it had dried. The plaster cloth was messier to work with but it covered much much better.

Enjoy the pics.

Mike

 

[kogu]

Very good, Mike,
those custom made wall and tower sections really pay off.
The tower sections are an excellent idea for space-saving and yet beautiful display.
It is going to great, no doubt, keep up the nice work.
Konrad

 

[Youngster]

That looks great! Thanks for keeping us posted!

 

[marco55]

Your getting there Mike.Is the ground base your using form board?
Mark

 

[Saber]

Coming along nicely! That tent really goes well with this series. I'm going to wait till your done then steal your best ideas for myself.

 

[debrito]

get better and better, I am anxious to see the end of your project...good job mike.

 

[mestell]

Your getting there Mike.Is the ground base your using form board?
Mark

Hey there Mark -

Yes it is 3/8" foam board. I can get it in different thicknesses at my local Michael's Craft store. Trims up easily with a utility/xacto knife and glues down very well with elmers yellow wood glue. When you look down at it, it looks like a topography map. It will eventually be covered with plaster cloth.

Mike

 

[Leadmen]

Thanks Mike for your pictures and explanations of your diorama project. Looks like it is taking shape very well and will be nice when finished. I never tried plaster cloth over foam. Is it harder to work with then Celluclay? I am practicing with foam board. John

 

[pnadworny]

looking good!!!!!!!

 

[mestell]

Thanks Mike for your pictures and explanations of your diorama project. Looks like it is taking shape very well and will be nice when finished. I never tried plaster cloth over foam. Is it harder to work with then Celluclay? I am practicing with foam board. John

Hi John -
I first tried using PaperClay over the terrain features I have created with stacked/carved pieces of beadboard foam. PaperClay is similar to CelluClay except for it is "ready to use", unlike CelluClay which as you know is a dry product which you mix with water and then knead into a "clay-like" consistency. Anyway, I placed thin layers of PaperClay over the foam and molded it over the shape of the structures. It basically dried overnight but there was a considerable amount of shrinkage and cracking (fissure-like) which I was not very pleased with. Thinking that CelluClay would react in the same manner, I picked up some Activa (same company that makes CelluClay) Rigid Wrap (plaster cloth) at Michael's Crafts today. Followed the instructions, placing it right over the PaperClay material and the beadboard foam. It was messier to use than PaperClay (you have to dip the strips you cut into water to activate the plaster) but it did a great job of covering - dried quickly and did not shrink or crack. I now am planning to use plaster cloth for the remainder of the project, when I had originally planned on using CelluClay/PaperClay.

Mike

 

[Leadmen]

Thanks for the detailed instructions. Now to my wife's dismay I have another trip to Michaels. I got some brushes and trees early this week. She would like to see something made after all the diorama gathering trips. John

 

[chiefs70]

Very well done! I am more impressed with this line every day and your diorama is a great inspiration.

Eric

 

[Capitolron]

Mike

OUTSTANDING !

What a great display in the making ! Give us some details on the custom pieces that JG made for you - how much ? - how long did it take ?

That Acre Walled City really looks wonderful. What a great job.

Ron

 

[bearybones]

Mike,

Those custom tower facades were a very clever idea and I think John did a very nice job on them. I'm sure we're all enjoying watching your diorama take shape. Sure is looking nice. Thanks for the continuing pictures.

George

 

[Jagdpanther]

Its coming along real nice! Cant wait to see more.

 

[mestell]

Mike

OUTSTANDING !

What a great display in the making ! Give us some details on the custom pieces that JG made for you - how much ? - how long did it take ?

That Acre Walled City really looks wonderful. What a great job.

Ron

Hi Ron, et al -

Thank you all very much again for the kind comments and encouragement. I have 3 pieces of the "Acre walled city" that were custom made for me by John Gittens (owner J G Miniatures). These are the Undamaged wall section, and then the two tower facades. I contacted John via email and described to him what I was building and what I needed in the way of customized pieces. He responded almost immediately with a very positive "can do" attitude. I then coordinated the final specifications and delivery through Mandi at Treefrog Treasures. The undamaged wall section was made from the JGN24B Damaged Wall but the upper ramparts were left intact and the wall front is not scarred as if hit by catapult projectiles. The cost was the same $122 delivered - no extra charge for the customization. The two tower facades were made from 1 regular JGN24 Tower. I had John slice a tower (on either side of the window sill) into thirds. This left 2 end pieces with the arched doorways, each about 2" in thickness. These are the piece I wanted. John finished the cut edges of each piece for me. The middle section which contianed the windows were discarded. Again, the cost to me was the same as a JGN24 tower, $122 delivered - no extra charges for the customization.

I think the undamaged wall section adds more interest than the repetitiveness of every wall section having the same damaged areas would have. The two tower facades also make a nice "ending point" at which the walled city butts up against my house walls - looks more finished.

Working with John and also Mandi couldn't have been easier and I am more than happy with the final product. Here are some closeup pics of the pieces:

Mike

 

[Capitolron]

Well THREE CHEERS FOR MANDI !!

I really love hearing stories about dealers who go the extra mile to help a customer. That is out standing - GOOD ON YOU MANDI and TREEFROG - outstanding service like that deserves everyones business !

and

A VERY BIG THREE CHEERS FOR JOHN !!

When a great company like JG will go out of its way to produce custom pieces for a customer - well, that is wonderful & very, very cool

Mike - You are doing such a great job on this diorama and I believe all of us Crusader Collectors are starting to think about up grading our own dioramas - looks like JG might be getting some more orders !!

Please keep us up-to-date on your progress - it really is something to admire.

Ron

 

[JPB]

I'm also a JG minatures fan.

Not only is the fort great, I also love the Batlle of the Bulge sets.

JP