SITC Finished

At last I've completed my dwarf mine buildings for the Second International Townscape Challenge - Beyond Human.  I'm a bit late compared to Merjin and Bodvoc, but still within the December deadline.

I kind of slowed down at the end as I kept thinking of ideas to decorate the bases, in the end I went fairly minimal with this.

First up is the Metal Hut that you can see being built here.  I chose a sort of 'industrial grey' for the colour scheme with a base coat of Vallejo Game Color Sombre Grey overbrushed on top of a black primer.  Then a highlight of VGC Steel Grey and a final drybrush of VGC Glacier Blue.  the doors and window were painted dark blue, I'll use this as unifying colour across the three buildings.  The various extra bands look good emphasised with a line of Vallejo Game Ink Dark Green to show where algae has stained the building when it gets wet.  I like this effect, and use it on most of my buildings, as can be seen on the rest of the buildings below.

Next is the Wooden Shack, being built here.  I've gone for a dark weathered look, rather than the chocolaty brown of the original card building.  Over a black prime I overbrushed VGC Scorched brown, followed by VGC Leather Brown, then a drybrush of VGC Stonewall Grey and finally VGC Bonewhite.

Bother, I missed edging the base

Finally, the Stone Cabin (see the build here) has a basecoat of Vallejo Model Color German Grey over a black prime.  Several of the stones are picked out in browns and lighter greys to give variety to the end result; it doesn't matter what browns and greys are used.  The whole lot is drybrushed with VGC Cold Grey followed with VGC Stonewall Grey.  A final drybrush of VGC Bonewhite then a wash of black.

I find it helps to think of the purpose of the buildings when it comes to building and detailing them.  In Terror of the Lichemaster, the Wooden Shack was the sleeping quarters of the dwarves, the Cabin was where the dwarves brewed up and hut was a tool store.  When I had built the stone cabin I thought it looked more impressive, and better suited for the dwarves' sleeping quarters.  The Wooden Shack can be where they brew up, rest and play dominos (seriously, that's what the scenario pack says).

The final decorations, or greebles, were finials on the Stone Cabin made from beads and a length of wooden skewer, and GW dwarf shields on each gable.  I made a wooden box out of stir sticks to hold rubble, presumably the dwarves are sifting through it for anything interesting, and I made some pit props out of match sticks, textured with a saw blade and washed with Sepia wash.  These are piled up ready for use by the wooden shack and the metal hut.  I have a few more greebles planned, but my Renedra barrels have gone missing and I'm out of thread.  I would like to add a tool rack on the side wall of the Wooden Shack, and something, I'm not sure what, on the base of the Stone Cabin.

I had also planned to make the mine entrance from TotL, but I'm running out of time.  Fortunately I found the original model I made back in the 1980s.  I think with a bit of repainting and rebasing it'll do fine and fit in well with the set.

I set out to try and make some buildings that looked 'dwarven'.  I think I've succeeded.  I'm particularly fond of the Stone Cabin, and I think this might be the look I'll use in future.  I might even add a lean too, in true Warhammer style, but using the techniques and look of the Metal Hut.