Terrain Projects for 2020/21

As part of the Chinese/Asian town project, I wanted to add a gateway similar in style to one I saw at the movie town set in Shenyang.

Paifang or Gateway

I’d seen traditional Japanese Tori style gateways, but nothing that looked similar to a Chinese Paifang. Then I spotted a Tori on E-bay that could pass as a Chinese version. Eventually I will build an entrance with a more traditional Chinese Paifang, but for now the E-bay find will do.

A paifang, also known as a pailou, is a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure. Evolved from the Indian subcontinent’s torana through the introduction of Buddhism to China, it has developed many styles and has been introduced to other East Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

The gateway I purchased on E-bay came in two parts and was 3D printed. The first thing I had to do was give it a quick wash before applying a white undercoat.  The roof I tried to give a terracotta colour, and then the supporting element under neath I painted a bright blue.

I was going to paint the struts and poles a bright colour but decided to go with a dark wood colour instead. The model itself was quite nice and at a reasonable price and would definitely purchase a 3D printed model again.

Bridges

I needed a couple of bridges for the game table to go over a planned river. I don’t plan to stick the bridges down permanently so I can place them wherever I want. There are plenty of different types of Asian style bridges on the market for a variety of prices. I decided to go with the TT Combat bridges simply because they came in a pair and they aren’t too elaborate in design.

The style I wanted are called Moon Bridges and are high arch foot bridges generally associated with both China and Japan. This type of bridge was originally designed to allow pedestrians to cross canals while allowing the passage of barges beneath. When constructed using the climbing ascent and descent, it has the further advantage of not using space from the adjoining fields for approaches to the bridge.

The two bridges from TT Combat were really easy and quick to build. I painted them both using contrast straight on to the wood without an undercoat. The blue dried a little darker than I had hoped for but it’s fine as is.