The Tavern



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The Ruined Tavern is the first large multi layer project I made using Hirst Arts Castlemolds ™. The idea comes from a cardboard house from the “Mordheim” game. Comparing this project in size with the cardboard version realizes me that the 25 to 30 mm scale buildings that you can buy pre-made or comes with games like Mordheim, not always fit in well enough size wise. Most of the time they are smaller. (that’s my humble opinion)


To make this project I used the following building materials:

Fieldstone Wall Mold- cast 26 times
Fieldstone accessory Mold- cast 26 times
Basic Blocks Mold- cast 25 times
Wooden plank Mold- cast 25 times
Clay Tile Roof Mold- cast 17 times
Windows Shutter Mold- cast 14 times
Windows Shutter Mold- cast 14 times
Alternative Plank Mold- cast 10 times
Foam Board
Acrylic Paints


The tavern consists out of 5 separate layers. Reason for this are the size, the weight, transport problems and the ability to change the layout of the building to your liking.

The surface of the building measures 8 by 10 inch and is 17 inch high This makes it a very tall building and will not always be that useful. In that case it is possible to leave one or two layers out to create a smaller version of the Tavern.

This is also my first attempt in combining two types of stones (the fieldstone and the basic stone). I used the fieldstone for building the corner structures and the basic stones for the wall sections between the corner structures. Using the 2 types of stones I did also let the fieldstone stick out more. This way it breaks the large surface of the total structure and makes it more dynamic.

To adjust the building to your liking, just add or remove layers. The nice thing of building ruined buildings like this one is that it is easy playable since it has easy access to all floors.


As for choosing color I decided to use a daring color combination. The overall impression is that it’s a purple building. Overall people like the choice of color but must of them has to think about it before they say so. Achieving this on one of your projects is the greatest compliment you can get.

Looking for the right color combination means that they complement each other. They must not conflict too much in a way that you use one sharp color besides soft toned colors, although sometimes this can give a surprising effect. (see the pillars of the "Diceroller" in combination with the rest of that building)

Before really starting to paint I’ll try some color schemes out on little pieces of the building to see how they look. If I like what I see I write that scheme down for future use.

Always try to look further than the base color. Dark hard purple looks frightening and makes you wonder if this is ever going to be a decent building. It is up to you if you think I’ve managed to do so.


Over 90% of this building is made out of building blocks of Hirst Arts Castlemolds ™ Finally there are a few items that are custom made by myself. The window shutters are also made out of plaster. I made them first out of wood and made a RTV mold out of them. In this way I’m able to cast the shutters endlessly. As for the alternative wooden planks on the first floor I also made a mold using pieces of the wooden plank mold from Hirst Arts.



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