Friday 23 October 2015

Scratchbuilt Windmill

After seeing Tony´s excellent scratchbuilt Windmill (HERE) I realised that "Card town" is  missing one..so...


"In Progress" pics.
Cardboard, toothpicks and a stick from  firework rockets for the base construction.(The Trestle)

The sails had always put me off making a windmill, getting them all the same size being the main concern, but after  a bit of thought a solution is found.
The small block will be the "poll end" (the hub holding the sail armsWhy are they slightly traingular when virtually all windmill sails are rectangular? I simply liked the look. The Piece at the top is the "Tailpole" used for moving the the mill  to face into the wind ( called winding or luffing )


The Windmill in Situ in Bodstonia HERE

Wednesday 14 October 2015

Ancient Roman Harvester (Vallus)

In Roman times a harvester, called the Gallic Vallus,  was developed
Described by the historian Pliny the Elder in 77 AD.   According to Pliny,
"on the vast estates in the provinces of Gaul very large frames fitted with teeth at the edge and carried on two wheels are driven through the corn by a donkey pushing from behind; the ears torn off fall into the frame."
There is another Version with an Ox pushing a similar looking device, and both types appear to have had either teeth or long prongs at the front to rip the corn heads off.

The conductor should be at the back of the frame and acts as a  counterweight and to guide the harvester to the right, to the left, up, down. A conpulsor works at the front,  pressing the ears of corn forward until they get stuck and ripped off  in the teeth of the  "comb".  

The Vallus is built from CD casing, the wheels are from the Airfix Waterloo French Artillery set.

 
The rake is scratchbuilt and the bod is from Linear-b´s Spartacus Uprising Defeat set.

 
A relief from Trier showing a gallic harvester. . How effective was it compared to a scythe? Tests with reconstructions Show that they do actually work and can clear a field faster than with  scythes with as much or as little wastage.


 

Monday 12 October 2015

Ancient Roman Town

I´ve never put up any pics of the buildings as one town, and seeing as the Project won´t be going any further..here´s are all the buildings grouped together.

A couple of "over the Roof tops" pics
Links to previous Posts containing most  of the buildings shown in the top Picture
Forum Romanum
Houses  for "plebeians"
Insula
Forum Romanum Mk II
Roman Baths /Thermae
Upper class roman house
Roman Taverna - MKII
Admin building and row of Shops
Slave market and temple
Merchants house

Anyway..as the Project is closed and it seems a shame to just store it in the cellar, the whole lot is up for sale. Price? I´ve got something in mind*  but I prefer to be open to "suggestions" so if your interested, tell me what you think it´s worth.

*For the whole town, I could re-make individual buildings if anyone´s interested but I would like this lot to stay together.

EDIT. The whole town has now been sold .

Thursday 8 October 2015

Medieval marching monks

With accompanying kniggits.
The overfed Monk on the mule is from Strelets, Crusader Transport 1 set. The Monk with the staff is a conversion from the same set and Adolphus, (reading ) a conversion from the Strelets Norman Train set.
 
 

Sunday 4 October 2015

17th century farmsteads - Finished

With a new house, a Hay barrack and some other  bits and pieces (all scratchbuilt)  added.

First off, all grouped together as a small farming community.
 Now as individual Farmsteads (as originally planned)
House with vegetable / Herb garden
Cabbages made with green crepe paper
The "Woodcutters" house
Barn with Hay Barrack and Wagon
The "Bakers" House with bread oven

Buildings - Card with clay roofs
Fences/ladders/surrounds for the raised beds  - Coffee stirrers and lolly sticks
The Cabbages - green crepe paper
Bean Poles and Logs - Bits of birch twig
Wagon - Thin Card and strips of Wood.
Hay - Plumbers thread
Moss - Bits of rubber foam (that was left outside in the rain etc  to go green)
Bakers oven - Clay

Forgot...the buildings with their respective "Stedders" can be seen HERE

"O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!"