Fembruary 2021 challenge WIP #3

Good day good people.

Today I turned 42 (feel free to forward all gifts to IRO No 11 Wanker St Australia) and what better way to celebrate than spending lots of time lost in the beloved hobby? Last night my wife prepared a Greek feast which was delicious and the kids and I had a few games of chess as well as Sonic The Hedgehog and some shooty fighter plane game. I also had several beers, several Moscow mules and even a Mango and Vodka smoothie haha. Needless to say I was in no state to do any hobby work but today was a chill day so I watched a movie with the kids in the morning and then got stuck in.

Keeping the Fembruary diorama on the kitchen table is key to me getting it done in time because I see it every single day and cannot avoid it nor help but tinker with it haha.

I’ve got to admit that I am seriously loving this project, probably, even more than all the other Fembruary challenges. I should also admit that there is a little trepidation with this one because it’s the biggest and most ambitious diorama I’ve ever attempted. Luckily our favourite diorama Guru, aka The Imperfect Modeller, is on the sidelines giving some advice here and there. What can go wrong huh? Well… my big clumsy hands, my knack of not really having a solid plan and the fact that this project is incredibly detailed and involved. Anyway, enough moaning, I really do like a challenge and I’m loving it.

So what I achieved today was finishing all the walls, including the annex, made a start on the roof (I need to paint/stain the inside first before I do more of the roof though). I also built the front door and finished building 90% of the bannister/rail/fence around the decking. Oh and I also added a round window to the annex too which was a right fiddly bastard haha. I had a two hour break to watch some telly and eat and then went back to it and added a lower platform and a ladder.

The photos will explain better…

The round window is made from a cut out milk bottle lid and matchsticks. Fiddly bastard of a thing. I used my magic mixture of superglue and bicarb Soda to fill in gaps around the edges.

Bulsa wood tends to splinter easily as it’s so soft, plus my scalpel needs a new blade but meh it adds to the rustic charm haha.

With the annex window complete it was time to finish off the walls.

As I said, rustic charm haha.

Next I built the front fascia of the roof. As mentioned before, I won’t do anymore to the roof until I’ve stained/painted the internal area of the house.

I added a door, which is only slightly ajar, then moved onto the railing around the decking.

Internal shot of the door.

How’s that for joinery and craftsmanship aye???? Hehe.

I considered a staircase to loop around and down from the decking but decided against it as it would make the whole thing look far too top heavy. It’s already quite too heavy. TIM had suggested adding more branches to the trunk but errrr ZOMBIES! Can zombies climb? Who knows and you know what I’m not about to take the risk and find out haha.

Then I thought a crude ladder coming down from a trapdoor would be cool but….

I decided to use a plastic ladder I had instead. However….

I needed a platform for that ladder and built this.

Again, look at that bloody craftsmanship haha. Would you believe I failed woodwork at school. Not because I didn’t like it, not because I wasn’t good at it. I failed simply because I rarely attended due to the fact that I was off chasing girls and generally getting into mischief haha.

The finished platform with ladder. I still need to put in the trapdoor on the decking. Remember this is a treehouse in a zombie apocalypse world so the next part to reach the ground will be a rope ladder that can be hoisted up if needed.

Another angle of the ladder and platform.

A shot of the railing. Another fiddly bastard haha.

It’s 11:42pm and my birthday is almost all over. I’m sitting in my armchair, listening to The Smiths and sipping some spiced rum. I’ve had a great day. Old age suits me I think hehe. I’m a little wiser, a little more eccentric and a little more senile but you know what gang, I’m happy.

Cheers

IRO

PS: Those of you who may not know, episode 47 of Imperial Rebel Ork Podcast is published and available. Be warned though, if you love elves you will definitely NOT love episode 47 haha. Stay cool.