BUILDING BLOCKS
In a hobby that seems fixated on the 3D printing of scenery, this month we look at Chris Otterburn’s alternative approach.
“I have wanted to build my own 28mm Helms Deep since reading the
Two Towers as a kid. I recently built a gaming shed, which gave me the space to start bigger projects. Watching Lachlan Linton Kean on his Zorpazorp YouTube channel, it inspired me to start planning a Helms Deep build. “Lachie” used XPS foam and Hirst casting blocks: these have been described as ‘Lego for grown ups’. I thought – why not just use Lego? I bought a Lego Helms Deep set and began construction: it soon became apparent that the set was too cramped for wargaming.
“I purchased a second set but even combining both sets it still felt a little small so I ransacked my kid’s toy box stash. Result: another four feet of Deeping Wall! The beauty of Lego is that you can tinker with it, disassemble and reconstruct until you are happy with the build. I ended up with a bunch of sub-assemblies. Due to the structure and strength of the bricks, I only needed to glue certain parts.
I attached as many of the wall assemblies as possible to still allow access for painting. The assembled sections I keyed with fine sandpaper. On the large flat areas, I glued cereal box rectangles and masking tape rectangles to give stone textured effect. I made the wall section above the culvert lift out to represent a scene from the Peter Jackson Films.
“I decided on four boards: one would be the Keep, two wall sections plus a causeway board. I set about constructing the rock from random bits of foam and polystyrene. I am a big fan of using leftovers and repurposing items. It was a dilemma how to merge these different elements: it would have taken an awful lot of filler... My wife suggested papier mache – I was skeptical at first, but it worked amazingly well: it was really quick and looked effective. I then added some smashed up slate and sand to blend with my old terrain boards. The whole build received a coat of PVA water mix. I sprayed various greys and browns, and some white on the wall sections.
“The whole build received a brownish wash, then a drybrush, concentrating on the wall sections to contrast with the rock. The timber hoardings are made from matchsticks and coffee stirrers, scored with a wire brush. The gates are cereal boxes, glued over the Lego and they have opening doors.
I redid the static grass on all of the boards and added a few hundred tufts... The boards are greener than in the movie but I needed them to blend with my existing terrain boards.
“The build went smoothly, aside from the resin pour – which leaked and adhered to the table surface. I am particularly pleased with the caves carved out of the back of Helms Deep, although I am tempted to construct further cave system boards. I feel I have fulfilled an almost lifelong dream. My mates and I are enjoying a truly immersive Middleearth wargames on the boards.”