Finally I've had a chance to put together a few photos of my Armies on Parade display board.
Initially I had the idea for a bridge and triumphal arch when I saw the excellent artwork spread in the 40K rulebook of the approach to a temple on Terra. The scale/scope of the architecture was simply mind-blowing. I wanted to grab a little bit of that feeling and squeeze it into a 2' x 2' area.
I didn't take many photos during the construction process, and those that I did take were with my phone, so the quality isn't quite the same as my usual shots. I hope you enjoy them.
This was roughly 40% of the way through the construction. Each element had been designed by me and then rendered and cut on my friend Thomas' laser cutter. To reduce costs, the bulk of the structure was built out of MDF, and then clad in 1mm sheet styrene (plasticard).
Areas requiring precise detailing, such as the deck of the bridge, were etched from acrylic, which deals much better with the heat of the laser than sheet styrene can.
Additional detailing, like resin sheeting of grating texture and strips of plasticard, were carefully added to increase texture and depth in the final piece, essential for something this big.
Curves underneath the edges of the lower arches required careful filling (with expanding foam) and then cutting, filling, and sanding. Thomas looks on above, as the expanding foam amuses us both during a late night construction session.
Curious about the overall height, I asked my two little treasures to stand beside the display : )
The eagles on each side can be removed and replaced with any other design I might like to come up with. And the arch is a separate piece, so it could become and excellent objective for an Apocalypse game. Versatility (as much as possible) was always in the back of my mind.
And here the Bridge Guard stand tall, performing their task.
Cheers
Dave