The Gates of Minas Tirith

Tools:Xacto Modelling KnifeHB PencilScissors

Materials:Pressed board (1 24x48" sheet �of ¼" for base)�Foam Board (3 20x30" sheets of� ¼") Foam Board (2 20x30†� sheets of ½")�Lots of thin CardboardBalsa Wood (1 3x24" sheet of� 3/32")�Tiny Key-chain Rings (about ¼" �in diameter for door handles)Sand and GravelPVA Glue

Paints:Texture PaintChaos Black spray paintCodex GreyFortress GreySkull WhileVomit BrownBoltgun MetalScorched BrownDark FleshSnakebite LeatherBleached Bone

Introduction

This is my step by step guide to how I built the Gates of Minas Tirith, the White City. I chose this layout for my board

for several reasons, the most important of which is space. I have limited space for storing my terrain, so I needed to

make something that would not take up a terrible amount of space and would be somewhat portable. The overall

dimensions I settled on would fit nicely on a 48" table and I decided to make the gates off center so I could show �more of at least one wall. The tallest tower on the board is 10" tall and it fi� ts nicely into my car (terrain is no good if

I can't take it anywhere).

As you can probably already tell, all the measurements I will be giving are in inches as I haven't really gotten the

whole metric thing down. Hopefully this guide will inspire you to build your own version of Minas Tirith and give you

a few tips along the way.

Step 1 - The Layout

The first thing I did when starting my project was to draw down the layout with a pencil on the board I used as my

base. The board I used was ¼" thick and w� as 24" x 48". The following diagram shows the layout of the board as I � �drew it out onto the base, with all of the measurements.

Establishing the whole layout and drawing it down before building the model really helped me get all of the

dimensions right before I started it. I also wrote the height of each section down on the board as I laid everything

out.

Step 2 - Basic Construction

I used wood glue for basic construction as it is not only stronger than PVA but it sets much faster. Also, make sure

you have plenty of NEW knife blades as cutting foam board requires an extremely sharp blade or it will only tear the

foam which is extremely frustrating. As you are cutting, make sure you replace blades often. Following the

measurements above, measure out and cut the foam pieces from the ¼" foam board. I started from the left hand �side and built my way to the right.

Put the pieces together to make sure that you have cut them out and measured correctly before gluing them in

place with the wood glue. Once you apply the wood glue, it will set very quickly and if you need to change

something it will tear the foam board apart. After gluing the pieces together, I used masking tape to hold the pieces

together while the glue dries. This not only ensures a good bond but also makes for a cleaner edge.

To get the towers right simply cut them out as squares as per the measurements above and then measure in 1" �from each corner. Connect the dots and simply cut off the corner to get the right shape. When putting the tower

pieces together, it is important to bevel the edges to make for a nice snug fit. When cutting them, simply bevel the

entire edge of the piece in a ¼" so � that they fit well together. Again, masking tape along the edges will help clean

them up a bit. It is a little tricky and may take a couple tries to get the more complex pieces like the tall towers to

look tight.

The construction should quickly start to take shape as you move along. The little walkways that allow movement

from the gatehouse to either side of the model are one inch wide and a little tricky to get right. They are optional as

they are not really from the movie but I think it allows for greater movement along the model. It also gives some

added dimension to the gateway.

When putting the pieces together, I first put up the sides and then put the top on like a cap. It seemed to be the

most stable way to put the pieces together. In the long wall section I also glued some braces on the inside of the

walls to ad greater stability.

Step 3 - The Battlements

It took me awhile to come up with a plan for the battlements that I liked as they are an integral part of the models

look. After giving it a lot of thought I cam out with a design that I liked and one that I thought conveyed the look in

the movie and would not drive me insane. As it is, this one nearly did so. (joking) Each battlement is one inch wide

and two inches long. The "slot" in the middle of it comes down about a ¼". The exact design of it is something I will � �leave to your creativity, as I could not come up with a good way to translate the cardboard guide I made to the

computer.

Using the ½" foam board, I traced the guide out over and over again making the most economical use of the foam �board as I could. I then cut each battlement out very carefully using my knife. When cutting these out it is crucial

that you keep the blade as vertical as possible or you will end up with lopsided battlements. Again, make sure that

you switch blades often to keep from tearing the foam board. I made roughly 140 battlements for my model and

used about six NEW blades in my knife just for cutting them out. For some reason cutting foam board dulls blades

very quickly.

This step takes a lot of patience and is not for the faint of heart. It took me many tries to fine tune a technique that

worked, and then I still messed up many times. Not every battlement will turn out perfect, but when you're looking

at 140 of them the less than perfect ones get lost.

Step 4 - The Stone Wall Texture

Once basic construction is finished, you can begin adding the stone wall/brick texture. For this I cut up small strips

of cardboard into approximately ¾" x 11/2" rectangular pieces. I don't measure these out or anything as that would�

truly drive someone insane. A nice, heavy duty pair of scissors is a must and will make things so much easier. I find

that the cardboard backing from legal pads works the best, although you will wind up with a ton of pads with no

backing.

As you place the bricks it is important to leave some open spaces here and there. When finished it will add

additional depth to the wall and make for an even more interesting texture. Also make sure you alternate the bricks

so that they look like a brick wall would look.

I also glued some of the battlements in place at this time because I wanted to see what they would look like. This is

fine, just make sure your bricks are in place before you glue any battlements on as they should be glued on top of

the bricks.

I built the stairways at this time as well. Again, make sure you use a fresh blade when you cut these out. I simply

cut out a bunch of pieces and stacked them all up as shown in the picture. This is the best method I have found for

making stairs as it makes each step nice and sharp. The stairs are 6" long at the bottom and 1" wide. I also cut a �piece to fit on the backside of the stairs to hide the stacked appearance of the steps and to act as a handrail.

For the gate, the original opening is 3 1/2" wide and 4" high. For the offset appearance of the stonework around the�

gate, I cut another full piece of foam board with an opening that is 1/4" � larger than the original opening. I also

traced out the bricks for the gateway and used a little more care for these when cutting them out. I numbered the

tiles so that I could remember where they all went.

Notice, the design of the door is not the final design I settled on.

I made a stencil for the doors that lead into the towers, cut into the foam board a little, and cut out stone tiles for

around the doorway.

Gluing down the tiles is extremely tedious, but just keep on going until you get the whole thing covered.

The doors for the towers are cut out of thin balsa wood, with planks cut into the doors. I then cut very thin strips of

cardboard to act as supports for the doors and glued on tiny rings for handles. The doors are 1 ¾" tall x 1 1/8" wide.� �

I used basically the same procedure for making the back of the gatehouse as I did the front.

This is another shot of the back of the model, and shows how I tiled this area.

When making the hatches for the towers I cut a little piece of balsa wood into 1" squares, scored "planks" into � �them, cut out the tile where I would be applying the hatch, and glued it down. Later I would add little rings to them

to serve as handles.

Step 5 - Applying the textured paint

The first step in the painting process is to paint textured paint onto the entire model. I used regular gray latex paint

and added sand to it. It doesn't matter what color you use for the texture paint, as you will end up painting over it

anyways. The sand has a tendency to settle in the paint so I had to stir it often as I painted.

I recommend using a cheap paint brush that you won't mind throwing away after your done, because the sand is

very hard to wash out of the brush.

You also want to cover up hatches and doors on the model or just remove them while you paint. They are of course

not made out of stone so you don't want to get textured paint on them.

I next cut out the removable wall/battlement section. When cutting it out, I tried to follow the lines of the bricks as

much as possible, as this makes the section not quite so obvious. The hole that was left after cutting it out I filled in

with masking tape and tried to make it look like damaged masonry. I then simply continued on with the painting of

the model.

I continued to paint until the entire model was covered in texture paint.

The next step after applying the texture paint is to glue down gravel. I used a mixture of fine gravel I found outside

and sand. Let this dry for awhile so that it can set, then take the model outside and shake off the excess gravel.

Step 6 - Painting the White City

The next step once the texture paint has dried is to spray on flat black paint all over the model. I know it seems odd

considering it is the white city, but if you work up to white from black it will look more like stone work when you are

finished.

Now you can start dry-brushing the model. Work up from black to gray to lighter gray and then to white. I use flat,

round brushes when I dry-brush. You can also see the design of the finished doors in this shot.

For the gravel in the courtyard I used much finer gravel with more sand and glued it down more evenly. Again, once

it sets take it outside and shake off the excess. Again, spray the gravel and courtyard area flat black.The dry-

brushing can be pretty tedious as well, but it is important to take your time. It will really make the walls look like

real stonework.

At this point you can do some of the little detail painting. The door handles I painted with bolt gun metal. You can

also apply patches of static grass and little shrubs at this point.