Making the Watchtower

Step One
Start by cutting out four pieces of dowel. 5" long is about the right size but you can vary it depending on how tall you want your watchtower to be.

Step Two
Next start the platform by cutting out a square of cardboard. Each side should be at least 4" but again it can be varied.

Step Three
Now measure along one edge of the square and find the exact centre. Draw a dot 1/2" on either side of the original mark. One cm above each dot draw another and join them all up to make a rectangle. Now simply cut it out.

Step Four
Now cut out three 4" by 1 cm strips of balsa wood and use a hobby knife to weather them by cutting out little grooves. Now lay one of them along the opposite end from the rectangle you have just cut out. With the other two simply lay them out as shown and use clippers to clip off the end once you have glued them on.

Step Five
Now start cutting and laying 1cm pieces of balsa wood following the pattern I have shown, or using your own. Remember to sketch out the pattern before you lay the wood.

Step Six
Now repeat the process for the other side so you have both sides looking the same.

Step Seven
Again, using three 4" by 1 cm strips of balsa wood, lay them around the edge of the structure so the excess sticks over the bottom side. I would recommend using superglue for this, because if you leave it out with PVA, the strips may slide away and look wonky when they are dry. Now with a fourth strip, cut it appropriately to fit into the gap. On the two sides of the gap, just get a shorter strip to fit in with them.

Step Eight
Now to build up the railing… Start by measuring a model. I measured them to be about an inch or so high. Bear in mind that they need room to reach over the rail, so I simply lowered the poles when I stuck them on. At every corner (apart from those of the gap) I stuck a piece of Balsa wood (1 inch by 1 cm) like so:

Step Nine
Then, to make the supports better, I stuck another piece (again 1" by 1 cm) in the exact centre of each side and the edges of the gap. To finish off the railing, simply place a length of balsa wood using the supports to hold it up.

Step Ten
Now to finish the construction put a dollop of Milliput on each of the stilts (the dowel) and place them in each corner of the platform, being careful to get it right! Put it on the bottom, that is the side without the railings which has a little divot. To help make sure that you line the stilts up properly, stand the structure up and leave it to dry.

Step Eleven
The ladder is simple to make. Just get two 6" BBQ skewers and measure them an inch apart. Now cut up some matchsticks and place them evenly along the skewers.

Painting the Watchtower

Step One
Apply sand and a few rocks to the base and then spray the whole model in Chaos Black, and if there are any missed spots just touch them up with Chaos Black paint.

Step Two
Drybrush the whole model in Scorched Brown, even the base.

Step Three
Now just drybrush the whole model in Bestial Brown (yes even the base).

Step Four
Finally, drybrush the watchtower very lightly (not the sand) in Bleached Bone. Drybrush the base in Snakebite Leather. Apply some static grass and/or moss and you are finished!

I hope you have enjoyed this article.