For Whom the Bell Tolls

I love foam core (foam board?) when building ruined houses. Like most materials used in this project, you can buy them at the Dollar store.

It is easy to cut and it assembles well to make walls.

To make it look better, the trick is to texture it. A lot.

Some people like to apply wall splacking/dry wall compound/plaster all over the walls, but my favorite technique involves a sharp heavy rock.

I press (bash) the rock repeatedly against the foamboard with different edges of the rocks to produce a nice worn out texture.

To add even more texture to the walls, I stipple PVA glue over the walls before applying tile grout (the grey stuff you see on the walls). I have used baking soda before for a similar effect on the walls. 

I did not tried to cover every surface of the walls. 

This stuff gives a nice texture, but it was a real mess in my office.. I would rather do it outside, but I live in Canada and it is getting cold and rainy in October. 

Plain flat walls are not very interesting.

These weathering steps don’t take very long, but they add visual interest to wall sections that would otherwise be boring. It will also make the painting process more interesting as the added texture will take up drybrushing/stippling and washing well. 

The bell that will sit on top of the tower is from the initial Warcry set. I heavily textured the balsa wood next to it so it would blend in.

Windows

Most of the windows/window frame were scratch-built with wooden matches.

Over the years, I have used different glues when making windows: crazy glue, PVA glue, hot glue gun. Each has its own advantages and problems. 

For example, the hot glue gun is faster, but it makes a big blob of glue on a tiny window frame, plus it makes annoying “spider threads” all over the build. 

For a few windows, I decided to experiment for the first time with Lego Windows. The main benefit was to get a window with a curve. 

To make it fit with the rest of the windows, I textured/carved/ruined the Lego pieces for a more rustic look.