Friday 8 November 2019

Terrain 10 Big old northern European church

In June I posted the last church I painted up which was a small English Hornby plastic model and I mentioned that I was painting another church from TT combat, which is a model from their WW2 range so I guess it's French/ northern European? Anyway its for 28mm figures and is realistically large!
It's also made of MDF,I have been working on some other TT combat MDF buildings for the Italian wars and have tried to work out the best way of finishing them. The thing is if I add texture then I run the risk of losing the etched detail, so I may as well have made them in foam board. The other option is to do thin washes so as not to lose the detail.That's broadly what I've done and here it is with an Essex musketeer.








I've also done a bit of dry brushing and have done the spire as stone, the roof as tiles and the chapel roof as lead. The roof lifts off and I've got some heroic looking pews that I might paint at some point but I can't honestly see why I would use the interior, still nice to have the option. It's a good kit with the instructions online and went together pretty easily.
I think it's alright,I don't think it's brilliant, it's so big which makes sense for skirmish games like bolt action but I realise that I now want slightly undersize buildings. I will be able to use this for St Johns Barnet and the smaller church can stand in as St Marys Monken Hadley, although I have been tempted by another smaller chapel!
As I had to work through the summer we had our family holiday last week at half term and we all went to the Amalfi coast, no photos of castles and fortifications but as this post is of an ecclesiastical bent I thought no one would object to some medieval cathedrals, first up Amalfi in a Byzantine style.



Nice door made in Syria, I really like the contrasting stonework. Next up the Norman cathedral of Salerno.






It's a really nice cathedral,Norman on the outside, mostly baroque,apart from these pulpits which are great I think.
I also wanted to go to Salerno while I was in the area as it was one of the beaches my dad landed on in WW2, he did Sicily,Anzio and Normandy as well in a landing ship tank and was left with an abiding dislike of general Mark Clarke, which I learned about at an early age. It was also Salerno where he and his shipmates looted a piano from the first floor of a bomb damaged hotel with no stairs, so nice to wander and try and guess which one it might be!
More terrain in the pipeline and some more Italian wars stuff.
All the best Iain


52 comments:

  1. Lovely model, all that window work really elevates it to something special. Enjoyed your photo's - my own father hit the Salerno beaches.

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    1. Thanks Norm! Glad you liked the photos, which unit was your dad in?
      Best Iain

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  2. Pretty cool! Will you add anything to resemble the stained glass? I have another 28mm church and it's an issue I haven't been able to solve.
    Oh, and really beautiful pics!!

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    1. Thanks Suber! Maybe I'll have a go with some gell? Good luck with your church!
      Best Iain

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  3. Great model and really enjoyed your travelogue and family connection to the places you visited. No photos of you storming ashore? A lost opportunity!

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    1. Thanks Jonathan! Nice to have an additional reason to visit!
      Best Iain

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  4. Thanks for the Salerno pictures, haven't visited this place (yet)...and splendid model!

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    1. Thanks Phil! I'm sure you'll make it sometime!
      Best Iain

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  5. Great model and excellent photos of the real thing in Salerno!

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    1. Thanks Cyrus! I also made it to Pompeii,Heracleum and Oppontis, right up your street!
      Best Iain

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  6. The church looks great, I could do with one of those for my Witchfinder world. The curse of MDF buildings is deciding how to finish them. More recently I have opted for a light sand and PVA mix, certainly along the lower areas or growing woollen 'vines' to disguise some of the joins.

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    1. Thanks Michael! Yes I can see it in a witch finder game of yours, it's the degree of additional finish that's needed I guess.
      Best Iain

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  7. Beautiful piece of scenery Iain and I love the photos from your trip.

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    1. Thanks Oli! Just a pity I didn't make it to Naples to take some photos of fortifications! Almost swung it but not quite!
      Best Iain

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  8. Great work Iain, I think you've done a good compromise on adding to the texture effect, while not losing the etching.
    Beautiful reference pictures from your holiday

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    1. Thanks Dave! It's a bit of a balancing act with MDF I think.
      Best Iain

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  9. Splendid looking church.....holiday snaps really interesting as I am keen to get to sicily hopefully soonish

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    1. Thanks Matt! Yes Sicily would be good too!
      Best Iain

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  10. That Church is huge ! (There's also a St, Mere eglise one too, that looks even bigger). I'm with you in that whilst I like big buildings they're not always practical for gaming big battlesm but make great centre-pieces for skirmish-style games. Finoshing mDF buildings, hiding the joins detailing the exteriors and so on, leaves meundecided whether or not I like them, though some are really good.
    I'm always interested in seeing architectural features and I doubt any serious gamer wouldn't enjoy seeing these (and other) great examples.

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    1. Thanks Joe! Yes this is called a chapel! I pretty much agree with everything you say as far as MDF is concerned I haven't come down on either side yet!
      Best Iain

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  11. That's one big beastie of a church Iain, lovely model with excellent details. I think you have finished it well.

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  12. Cracking job on the model Iain. Unless you're going to do some swash-buckling sword fights in the church I wouldn't bother with the pews either.
    Lots of inspiration for your Italian Wars games in the other photos. I love that pulpit - ecclectic mix of styles: some of the patterns looks Islamic, some Anglo-Saxon even (well it does to me) and then there are the columns.

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    1. Thanks Nundanket! Yes there seems to be a bit of everything in that pulpit! I think your right about the Anglo Saxon/Islamic/ kitchen sink finish too!
      Best Iain

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  13. Nicely looking church, Iain! You did it very well!

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    1. Thanks Dmitry! I thought of your Byzantine troops when I saw Amalfi cathedral!
      Best Iain

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  14. Great work on the church. Hope it graces a battlefield soon

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  15. Brilliant church, maybe some colored tissue paper stuck on the inside of the building over the Windows? The architecture pictures are great. Always humbling to think these things were built without power tools etc.

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  16. Nice work and a nice model, though like you say rather large for wargaming purposes!

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  17. That's worked really well - I started just looking at the photos and didn't realise it was an MDF kit at first - well done!

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    1. Thanks Rob! That's good to know, maybe not so bad!
      Best Iain

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  18. I agree that bigger buildings are better for skirmish games or those regular games but on a larger table. But the church looks outstanding and top notch. 😀

    Cool vacay pics. Beautiful setting.

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    1. Thanks Stew! Glad you liked the non wargaming pics too!
      Best Iain

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  19. Looks excellent! Colored cellophane glued to the inside of the windows could make some really impressive "stained glass"!

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    1. Thanks Peter! Yes, now I can't see myself using the inside I might stick some gell on the inside.
      Best Iain

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  20. Very nice, and I quite like the larger buildings, on a larger table of course. Lovely pictures of the Amalfi coast architecture as well, Iain.

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    1. Thanks Lawrence! Yes nice architecture!
      Best Iain

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  21. Quite an impressive terrain piece! Love the windows.

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  22. Bell work lain and nice trip. if you pass by Florence and if you have never been there I recommend the Stibbert museum.

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    1. Thanks Ronin! Haven't been in Florence for 24years but I do hope to go again and will look the Stibbert museum up!
      Best Iain

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  23. A beautiful place of worship, very nicely done Iain!

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  24. One of the loveliest church models I think I've ever seen. And even to scale!

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Thank you very much Stokes, very kind!
      Best Iain

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  25. Another trip of yours I am envious of mate. Pics are lovely.

    That church looks good too! The washes were the right choice.

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    1. Thanks Dai! Worked out ok in the end!
      Best Iain

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