I have finally completed the pieces for the board on the 3d Catan game that i’m making. For a progress update, check out my 3d Catan hobby page.
Tonight we’re going to playtest the completed board. I have high hopes! 
Next phase: Casting the towns, cities, and roads using metal. Should be lots of fun; i can’t wait.
This miniature building is based on the Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers movie. It is a typical Rohan house. I got the idea from a post in the Hirst Arts message boards that referenced a set of schematics on a games workshop website. I decided to try my hand at making it. This is my first building project that used something other than Hirst Arts bricks (although I did manage to use some bricks for the stairs).
Click here for the building instructions. The completed project:
With 
I was experimenting with using stained glass windows and water effects (even though you can’t see the water because of the angle). I used those little plastic beads that you have to melt. I don’t like them. It hardens too fast, leaves little air-bubbles and dries a little yellowish. Oh well. The stained glass windows did turn out good though; i used a special hobby paint that allows you to paint on a glass-like surface and it dries just like stained glass.
Oh wait – there was another first. This was a painting technique. Around the sconce, you’ll notice that the light from the flame is reflecting on the wall; it looks better in person. I’m still working on this technique, but it shows great promise.
Here’s my first attempt at some custom scenery. I built a small tomb out of the Hirst Arts blocks, and made my own custom lid mold for the top. The base is simply a piece of cardboard covered with dental plaster and flock grass.
Every now and then I run across someone who’s done an amazing job of building something using the Hirst Arts blocks and further done a superb job of painting the thing. Here’s a paint job that would make anyone envious:
HereHere’s a great site with little how-to’s on making various things using the hirst arts castlemolds.
Click hereI promised pictures. Many more are coming, but here’s the first. It’s also my first attempt at using the Hirst Arts castlemold bricks. This is the prison tower (building instructions came with the mold).
To give you a sense of scale, this tower is approximately 7.5 inches tall – it works wonderfully with 25mm scale miniatures.
I enjoy painting miniatures. I don’t really play with them, I just like to paint them. Odd? Perhaps. Everyone at the hobby stores seems to think so. Why would I buy a miniature if i’m not going to play with it? Oh well. Eventually I’ll post pictures of my work.
But the point of this article is not about painting miniatures. It’s about dungeon building. Even though I don’t game, building little dungeons has begun to fascinate me. About a year ago I started looking for some way to display my miniatures. And I came across something called Dwarven Forge. It’s a company that sells these amazing pre-built dungeons. I was immediately awestruck and thought “this is what i need to display my figures”. However, i also had a creative itch, and really wanted to create my own dungeon and paint it myself. After much searching, i strumbled across Hirst Arts. Wow. There’s nothing to describe the amazing things you can do with the Hisrt Arts molds. This site sells molds – you cast your own bricks and create your own dungeons/buildings/castles/masoleums/whatever your imagination can devise! I immediately bought a mold and went to work. Dwarven Forge – goodbye. I’m currently in the process of buying the molds necessary to create a diorama in which to display my miniatures. I’m also going to build a DragonChess board using these molds (see a future post for more on DragonChess). If you want to learn a little more about these two dungeon building products, there’s a great comparison article written by two guys – one who favors Dwarven Forge, and one who favors Hirst Arts. Check it out here and see for yourself. –>Scott