Battlefield Monument
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By MCGHIEVER - Dec. 31, 1969

This project was designed to add visual appeal to a wargaming table while satisfying two goals: the structure needed to be plausibly found in an otherwise open and unoccupied field, and it shouldn’t block troop movement with a large footprint. To that end, it is a bit of commemorative architecture, a battlefield monument to the fallen of some previous battle. Secondly the arched design means troops can pass directly underneath it.

The piece is basically 4.5” square and 6.5” tall. The specific design came about because I wanted to use the Turret mold, which I had just purchased, and some of the decorative Gothic Panel bricks I hadn’t managed to work into anything else I’ve built. I was also intrigued by the idea of laying arch pieces on their sides to make a horizontal circle. This means I started with an idea for the top and just designed downward row by row. The turret itself required some sanding and filler to fit together nicely. Initially I had the 1” diameter round bricks from the 4” tower mold at the bottom of the four columns. However it made the monument look a little too tall and a little too much like it was supposed to walk around or something, so I sawed them off. I considered putting a miniature bell in the turret but realized it would be completely hidden from sight anyway. The base is corkboard with Woodland Scenics ground foam for some sparse vegatation.

For a small project I sure used pieces from a lot of molds:
42: Gothic Arena Accessories (the corner arches)
43: Gothic Panel Accessories (the decorative crenellations and column legs)
53: Bridge (the stair piece, cut in half, in the four corners)
60: Prison Tower (1.5” arches laid in circle, basic bricks)
61: Turret (turret, foot of columns)
63: Octagon Tower (trim pieces on the underside of the arches)
201: Floor Tiles (.75” square tiles above corner arches)
250: Small Brick (decorative bricks along each side)

Average Rating: 4 out of 5  3 Ratings      

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 Created  Comment
 Aug. 27, 2007, 08:55AM
 By: NOLSEN
Nice job, well painted. Never thought of using cork. Good way to use up some of those little decorative bits that are left over.
 Aug. 24, 2007, 12:04PM
 By: MCGHIEVER
I design with the conviction that structural soundness need not be hyperrealistic in a fantasy setting where magic is available.
 Aug. 21, 2007, 09:31AM
 By: TAR_ELENDIL
A good-looking building that would be a nice addition to any wargaming table. The finish is very high quality.

The only issue I have is that a real building like this would probably not be structurally sound, due to the very flat arches you used at the lower level. But that could probably not be helped if you wanted this building to fit in the Small Entries section.

That's the only thing I would change. Everything else is just great.
 Aug. 21, 2007, 06:59AM
 By: ABAROTH
A great combination of pieces from 8 different moulds. Good-looking piece - well designed, neatly built and painted. I particularly like the finish you got from the cork tile base. (I'll be stealing that idea for future use.)
 Aug. 19, 2007, 08:53AM
 By: DUKEDREAL
I really love the support legs for the dome. This makes for a great terrain piece on the table that could be placed anywhere on the board and in many different settings. Overall a great build that is an interesting design.

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