Battle Scenics: Castle

By Ken Hajek of Battle Scenics
intrepidmac@yahoo.com
www.BattleScenics.com

Ken was disqualified from the display building contest because he is part of the gaming industry. But…his castle and terrain are so incredible and well documented that we gave him a Pro 4-in-1 Kit anyway! It turns out that he had borrowed his tools from his local gaming store, and needed a set of his own.

“Attached are some photos of a castle I built for the contest…a good reason to get me off my duff and produce some much needed gaming terrain. The process of building the castle stayed within the guidelines of making something completely or mostly out of foam and utilizing the Hot Wire Foam Factory foam cutting tools. In my opinion these are the only foam tools that anyone will need or should want, period. I did use a few strips of foamcore and balsa just to show others how easily these tools accommodate other materials.”

1. Building the foundation was accomplished by gluing two foam sections together, I used these since they would not really be seen in the final product anyway. You need to have some visual idea to work with. From there its like putting pieces of a puzzle together. In this puzzle you have to make all the pieces. I continued building upward using smaller shapes. The rocks are formed by bending wire to various shapes. The Freehand Router, Sculpting Tool, Pro 6 Inch Hot Knife and Engraving Tool are used extensively throughout.

2. The entry way is carved and various stones and brickwork are etched. The individual shapes go together to form a solid structure.

3. The front wall is made in the same manner. The exposed brickwork is made by cutting out uneven shapes and etching in the bricks. The video has excellent tips for this kind of work.

4. Details of many shapes, sizes, and depths are made with minimal tools and fuss. I highly recommend these great products to beginners and pros alike. The more you experiment the more you discover. A lot of techniques I used were done on the fly, testing them out on a piece of scrap foam.

5. The whole thing continues to go together. Look how easily the grooves are cut to accommodate the balsa “timber”. The surface is roughed up foam. Cool effects can also be achieved by mixing Foam Coat with your favorite paint before applying. Final details were added and the model was painted and sprayed with a clear coat. Next the battle begins. Once again I must say how pleased I am to have found such wonderful tools. I see many years of use in the future.