“Helm Deep” is one of the larger projects. It took me three month to build from start to finish.
For this project I used cheap foam sheets for its base and mountain/rock sections. I also used building blocks from the “Hirst Arts” line, building large wall elements and turned these in to molds. From these forms I cast thin sheets of textured wall elements. Finally I designed some building blocks of my own.
A good way to get started on a project of this scale is to get this project on paper. From there you can start planning your build.
Starting with a wall test to see how the resin sheets would look like once glued on foam board.
After a satisfying test the first step is to build the outer wall section with the main gate.
Next part is the ramp that goes up from the main gate to the entrance of the second gate.
The inner wall and the courtyard behind it is next. Same setup as the outer wall section. Once the entire parts are covered in resin the structure becomes quite solid and is still light in weight.
With the main structure finished it is time to work on the base of the project. Two sheets of Styrofoam sheets lifts the project up by 10 centimeters. The rock face is shaped by using a hot wire cutter and textures with some kind of filler for wall and ceiling repair jobs.
The ramp to the main gate is made by the same recipe of the wall sections of the project with some rock elements glued on it.
After some Painting tests the rocks get their final colors.
I made some concessions on the length of the curtain wall and added the mountain that goes up at the other end of the curtain wall.
Time to start working on the big rock behind the keep with its impressive tower. Build up layer after layer of Styrofoam and within these layers the future tower is already visible. Another feature are the caves within the mountain.
The grand façade up front is made out of foam board where most of the white cardboard is cut away for a more realistic rock like look.
Working on details; connecting the mountain and the keep and texturing the rock formation.
The tower gets his distinctive form, again fully covered in thin resin sheets.
The chambers in the rock are textured and painted.
Almost done.
The final result:
