Building Balcarres' and Breymann's Redoubts (Part 5)

 

What was relatively small progress this week due to rugby and the cold weather has started to turn the corner into the Balcarres redoubt model looking like it is on its way to completion. I've added further courses of logs to the outer wall and used some lightweight filler to deal with some of the gaps between the foam blocks and begin to smooth out the hills. Drying time is expectedly slow but there's a working week to go before I'll do anything else. I did also give the bottom edges of the hill a soaking with diluted PVA to get it under the lip of the chamfered foam and secure/seal it before I do any more landscaping.

Here is a picture of the west face of the fortification, including a 50mm square base of infantry and a 6-pounder gun to give an idea of scale. The real redoubt could house over 1000 men and had places for 8 guns and I'll be using it with armies at a 1:10 figure/man ratio and 1 model gun = 2 real ones, so I think this looks about right.

If you have been following the project you might spot the addition of a new log wall extending the northern (farmhouse) section down into the valley. Here is a closer look at the work-in-progress:

You'll also notice that I've given a squirt of paint to the area that will be difficult to get a brush into when the model is more complete.

I'm now able to get some troops and guns positioned to check things for height:

I want infantry to be able to level muskets over the top of the wall, but I think it can bear an extra one log in height based on these pictures, which will mean adding some extra uprights too, so that will probably be the main job next weekend, after which it might be a good idea to give all of the logwork a wash of diluted PVA to tie everything together. So, gluing logs and uprights on Saturday, then wash on Sunday and leave it dry for the following week...? After that I think it will be time to add modelling compound to build up the earth bank - but I'm expecting that to take three weekends or so as I'll do it in sections to manage drying time and the risk of shrinkage.

To finish for today, here's the whole thing from the north end down towards the south:

Adding that extra length of wall helps draw the eye to see the northern end as significantly narrower than the southern section