Author:  Created:  Rating: EJSAUNDERS Oct. 12, 2002, 07:09AM   17 Ratings     12345     Selecting a Mold   Thank you for taking the time to come and visit Voidgamers, and another thank you for reading this article. I hope that if your a new customer to the world of Castlemolds™ by Hirst Arts, this article helps you in some way, and that the rest of these articles in the series help you to get the most out of your purchase. If you are a new customer, this chapter is all about the types of molds available, what each 'kit' mold will build, and give you some estimate of how hard each mold will be to cast and assemble.  Where I say detail in the comparison chart below, I don't mean the actual relief on the pieces, but how intricate the finished piece is 'from the box', i.e. without modifications, additions or extra fine detail.  Extra details like arrow slits, gargoyles or such increase the difficulty in painting and finishing of the piece slightly.  However, this guide can also be of use if you've bought your first mold or two and want to move on to something a little more challenging either way, it should give you some idea of what to try next. Building/Mold Type of Building Detail Level Difficulty Rating Wizards Tower Two Square, Joined Low Easy Dragon Inn Two Square, Joined, Roof Medium Easy Prison Tower One Square, Stairs Low Medium Octagonal Tower One Octagonal, Stairs Low Medium Warlock House Two Square, Joined, Roof Medium Medium Egyptian Pyramid One Pyramid Low Medium Station Builder Varies Medium Medium Circular Tower One Circular, Stairs Medium Medium 8" Circular Tower One Circular, Stairs Medium Medium Schematic Pyramid Varies High Medium Roman Temple Columns, Roof, Plinth Low Medium - Hard Tomb Roof, Arches Average Hard Cathedral Two Square, Architecture, Roof High Hard Travelers Bridge One Rectangle, Arches High Hard Gothic Church Two Square, Roof High Hard Bell Tower One Square High Hard Ruined Tower Two Circular High V. Hard Dungeons Varies High Varies Working with Bruce I have compiled this as a fair guide for how hard the 'kit' molds are. The time taken is theoretical, since each and every person will use different procedures and products to assemble and construct their models.  It is based on the assumption that "if you had all the blocks available without casting any" you could complete the model within this time frame.  Please note, these are for a general guide and are in now way 'set in stone': Easy - Could be assembled by the average 8 year old with parental help. Could be assembled within an hour or two. Medium - Could be assembled by an above average 12 year old, but those 14+ would find it easier and have more success. Could be assembled in under five hours. Hard - Could be assembled by the average caster and modellist with reference guides. Could be assembled in an afternoon or evening. V. Hard - Attempt only if you are an experienced caster and modellist. Requires reference guides and could be assembled in under two days.   Bruce's comment: "Keep in mind the complete novice could in theory build the very hard models.  It would be difficult, but not impossible"  As Bruce says its possible for anyone to build the models, but what looks good to one person, may be unacceptable for another. If you feel experienced enough, and really want to try a difficult project, go ahead and do it. Every attempt made will give you a better understanding of the process and increase your experience as a modeller! Both Bruce and I suggest a beginner starts with something like the Wizards tower or the Dragon Inn mold, because these two 'kit' molds are easy to construct for a novice, and will both give you a good range of blocks to produce other creations from. Once you've built either of these two 'kit' molds, you will get a better idea how the blocks work together and hopefully will inspire you for future projects that you design yourself.   Beginners Molds  I suggest a beginner start with something like the Wizards tower or the Dragon Inn mold, because these two 'kit' molds are easy to construct for a novice, and will both give you a good range of blocks to produce other creations from. Once you've built either of these two 'kit' molds, you will get a better idea how the blocks work together and hopefully will inspire you for future projects that you design yourself.  Neither of these two molds are more difficult than the other to construct, and both will give you a good basic set of Castlemolds™ blocks to work on other structures you dream up yourself.  However, the wizards tower doesn't require any specialist finishing products or third party materials (other than glue and paint), where as the inn does require a roof, either made from one of the roofing molds, or from cardboard or plasticard. I would also suggest for those wanting just plain blocks, they consider the basic block mold (#40) or for more specialist pieces, any of the #1xx and #2xx series of 'basic block' molds.   The Wizard's Tower  The wizard's tower mold is a great starting point for any beginner, since it provides a decent set of basic blocks, as well as some interesting pieces such as the gargoyle and arrow slit windows, both of which can be used to create that massive fortress you've wanted to build since you were little. The tower is, in a basic sense, two square columns that are joined one slightly higher than the other.  The level of intricate detail of the piece is low, save for some fiddly bits on the gargoyles, but they can be drybrushed with the tower to save having to highlight them separately.   The Dragon Inn  Again, another good basic kit mold that has an array of useful blocks.  This structure initiates you into the realms of using other bits and pieces, such as cardboard, to get a perfect finished piece - in this instance for the roof.  Combining other materials with Castlemolds™ blocks is a great way of getting realistic textures together on a model, and it also helps keep the weight of the finished piece down. Again the basic shape is two squares, this time with sloping roof.  Detail is minimal, although you do get 'wooden shutters' for the windows, but they aren't terribly complex and can be drybrushed to good effect, so don't get any problems painting or detailing.   The Prison Tower  This mold adds to the basic premise of the wizard's tower by adding a staircase and 'faced stone' detailing on the corners.  Not as difficult as some of the other molds, but the staircase can cause problems because it needs to be lined up and stuck on straight so may add some architectural difficulty for those not terribly proficient with model building and casting. Detail is similar to the wizard's tower, although the stairs do add some drama, but overall detail is low and so requires no specialist advice.   The Octagonal Tower A very nice piece that is great for constructing fantasy and science fiction scenery and buildings.  The arrow slits on this model add charm, although not difficult, lining up, as with the circular towers (see later) is tricky for beginners. This mold is also the only one that provides the octagonal blocks, and so if you specifically need these in your construction, they only come in this mold at present.   The Warlock's House Another great piece of work from Bruce and a fairly easy construction although some of the pieces do require special care when they are being de-molded.  Currently the only mold to feature the fieldstone bricks and very popular with players of MageKnight™ and other dungeon-crawl games. Detail on this isn't too severe but it does need more dramatic highlighting to really show off the finish and shape of the fieldstone relief.   Egyptian Pyramid Another mold that currently is the only place to find pyramid cone blocks.  Very useful for players of both historical war games and science fiction settings in an 'Egyptian' style world or similar background such as Games Workshop's Necrons.  The smooth version can be slightly more annoying to line up correctly, since its not quite so noticeable on the textured version and if glue or filler seeps out between the blocks, you may find it needs sanding flat to get an attractive finish. Detail again doesn't require specialist advice, but getting a straight pyramid can be tricky.   Station Builder The first of (I hope) a series of science fiction molds.  This is again the only place to get certain blocks, and the round and angled pieces on this mold are great for creating bunkers, pipes and other useful sci-fi pieces. A reverse effect is noted on this mold.  By that I mean that the lack of detail on the blocks (they are smooth) can create a problem since they cannot be drybrushed and must be highlighted in some other fashion.   Circular Towers I've lumped both circular towers together since they are well both circular, and towers.  Both are equally annoying to assemble since there is no real way to ensure construction remains round and I've built a few that look like the leaning tower of Pisa.   Detail is similar to regular blocks, with the exception of the bracing block, which can thankfully be drybrushed to good effect.   Schematic Pyramid Creates some fantastic science fiction pieces alongside the schematic floor tile and station builder molds, and to be honest, you'd want to get all three to make the best structures, although there are always lots of possibilities with any mold.  Detail is high due to the inlaid tracings (the patterns), and so careful highlighting and painting is required, along with ensuring your castings are bubble free.  Lining up the blocks is likely to be tricky and so using a ruler or jig would be recommended.   Roman Temple This mold is a great source for pillars for use in gothic architecture and is suitable for both sci-fi and fantasy settings.   Some of the blocks are smooth like the station builder mold, and so will require different highlighting methods, but the pillars themselves can be drybrushed with ease.   Tomb  Great mold for adding a gothic feel to your constructions.  This mold has pillars and decorative tiles which are detailed, but can be highlighted effectively with drybrushing.   Not a mold for the beginner since keeping your tomb straight can be really annoying!.   Cathedral Probably the second most detailed (decorative) of the buildings with the exception of some of the newer tile sets and the bell tower.  Another construction that requires patience and straight block stacks to get perfect.  Detail is high, but can be drybrushed to good effect. The main problem with this structure is that it isn't a kit mold, but requires four molds and some third party materials to construct.    Traveler's Bridge Good source for long arches and decorative pieces that can compliment other molds.  Not a terribly hard project to construct, but one that requires a jig to keep the whole thing straight and plenty of room to store.   Gothic Church Another big structure that requires either a roof mold, or cardboard to complete.  This mold will also require additional standard blocks, which are available separately on several molds so you will need another mold to complete this structure.   Detail is fairly minimal, but you will be required to modify some blocks to complete the structure and so should not be attempted unless you've got a steady hand an sandpaper!   Bell Tower Another piece that requires additional molds to complete (standard blocks).  This is probably the hardest of the projects and really is high in detail.  To get the most out of the piece you will also need some card and see-through plastic to construct the stained glass windows.   Ruined Tower A difficult project to attempt for the beginner since it requires a perfect alignment of the pieces and additional tools to add rubble and break the blocks.  Detail is fair, but can be effectively drybrushed.   Dungeons You will need both molds 265 and 266 to construct any basic dungeons that can be used for games like MageKnight or HeroQuest.  Although the basic detail is no more than a regular block, adding details to your constructions may mean details become harder to paint and model. The new gothic mold adds some interesting pieces, noteably the very thin and fragile metal grating, which will require careful casting and de-molding to ensure it stays in shape.   Basic Molds & Tilesets   Roof Tile Molds The #200 series of roofing tiles, which includes the wooden shingle, the clay tiles and the gothic blocks are all fairly straight forward and can be cast without major problems, although I would say that on occasion the largest size of the clay tiles and the wooden shingle blocks can snap so do be careful removing them from the mold.  Try to ensure you use enough plaster, and ensure they are dry before de-molding and this should stop this problem occuring..   Wooden Plank Mold Another #200 series mold, and this again is for customising the other molds, or for use on its own with other materials, such as card or foamcore.  The only difficulty with this mold is that casting the pieces too thinly (i.e. not enough plaster) will result in almost every single large plank snapping - ensure you leave the pieces to dry thoroughly before de-molding them and ease them out from the side rather than the ends so it's less likely they will snap..   Floor Tile Molds The #200 series of floor tile molds, which includes the smooth, the cobblestone, the fieldstone and the schematic pieces are all fairly simple and don't require specialist instructions, however the difficulty for some is getting them level and painting them.  The smooth stones are particularly hard to highlight correctly, because there is no detail on them for drybrushing and highlighting on the 'edges' will not give the block a fantastic finish.   Small Brick Mold Another 'accessory' mold that can be really handy for getting more 'life-sized' blocks and structures.  No major problems and since they are detailed they can be drybrushed well, however sometimes over excessive brushing or using to wet a brush can mean the finished piece looks dirty and unattractive..   Flagstone Tiles & Accessories Molds Nothing major to report here either, but some of the detail, especially on the accessories molds can be tricky to paint and highlight well, so practice drybrushing and overhead lighting highlighting (I will explain this method in a forthcoming HACC article) before painting some pieces, noteable the skull and river/lava sections.  Public Comments Please log in to post a comment    You must be a registered member to post comments. 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