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Snorrastofa
Please scroll down for more details of the project
Welcome to the Snorrastofa fortified viking settlement page.
Here I will post progress on the model and it's eventual inauguration in Reykholt, Iceland.
The model is 28mm scale and consists of several different types of building typical of the period and location; more of which will be posted below of course.
Part of the model will be on show at this years Salute (Apr 11th) and hopefully the completed model will be at Partizan (May 17th). The model is designed to be interactive so people will be able to play on it.
Update 1 - The samples
The first part of models like is this is a set of samples that will help tie down finishes and details for the rest of the project.
Three simple samples at the moment which consist of part of the palisade walls, a corner of the stave church and a cold store for food etc.
At the moment the colours do look a little flat, but that will change on the actual model as I'll be able to go in with the airbrush and add tonal variations.
Some of the colours have been thrown off in the editing so I'll be doing a larger groundwork sample to allow for more variation in what is shown.
There is a good chance to see some of the models in a slightly different form in the webshop later in the year most likely including a palisade set.
There is quite an eclectic mix of buildings in the compound including storehouses, living quarters and not least, the stave church which was actually built and assembled in Norway then flat-packed and shipped over to Iceland!
The stave church will be one of the first buildings made as it should be making an appearance at this years Salute.
Update 2 - The baseboard begins
A larger groundwork sample was needed (more for myself really) and so I made an A4 sized area including the churchyard berm to hopefully give a better impression of the differing textures and colours that will be applied to the whole model.
Some 'sculpt-a-mold' was applied on top of a craft foam substrate and it was then painted my usual warm grey ground colour. Although they won't really be seen I added some drybrushes of warm browns and tans to the ground before adding the flock mix
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The flock is a mix of several manufacturers and grades/sizes as this gives a better natural look to the whole thing. Some Gamers Grass tufts were added here and there to break it up a bit.
The base board construction is mainly 9mm mdf and an upsidedown box is created which is the substrate for the whole model. Sides are then added which have been infilled with a layer of 10mm craft foam and then a layer of 25mm expanded polystyrene.
The sides have been added to allow for the hot pool, which is at a lower lever than the main compounds and will be made apparent when I move onto the second baseboard in a week or two (see main picture at the top).
The berm was 25mm craft foam cut with a chamfer on it and glued to the base. The black and brown cut outs are to locate the buildings after the base has had its texture applied.
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As mentioned before, 'sculpt-a-mold' will be added to the whole base. It's basically shredded tissue paper mixed with plaster powder and when mixed water it makes for a good material to cover large areas.
It does take a few days to go off properly but when dry is a good hard surface to work on. Hopefully the texture is apparent in the photo; it's a good, uneven surface instead of the flat surfaces people are used to playing on.
Update 3 - The baseboard continues
The baseboard for the first half is very nearly complete. It will need some remedial work when I get back from Salute (joining the two halves together properly, hiding the join etc) but for the time being it will do.
Once the sculpt-a-mold was dry (which takes several days) everything was painted with my normal groundwork cover, given a quick drybrush of some lighter tones and then the first layer of flock was applied.
The texture from the sculpt-a-mold isn't as apparent as it was in the previous photos but it is there and is visible in person.
I applied two layers of flock, allowing the first one to go off properly before adding the second. It was glued down with slightly watered down wood glue and then I added some tonal variations with an airbrush using lighter and darker colours of the main flock colour.
This is the overhead view of the church base showing the tonal variations and bare patches where footfall might occur. I've also added several types of grass tufts to various places to help break up the monotony. Mainly Gamer Grass and about six different types including some blue flowers
There are still several things to add, like slate paving to the church, gravestones and the actual buildings. The church is progressing well and the next update will concentrate on that.
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