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The making of Barad-Dûr
Part two
© Lotrscenerybuilder 2009
What we're trying to say is this: every miniature is the sum of all parts. While working on a big-scale model like the Barad-dûr we try not to become disheartened by the magnitude of the overall picture. Instead, our creativeness is solely focussed upon a single element: a belvedere, a wall, a gate. Thus, we forget about the rest of the tower and build, say, this gate. Next, we forget about most of the rest of the tower AND the gate and build the adjoining wall. In this manner we plod on until gate, walls and belvederes are completed. Of course the final arrangement of these parts is nothing but a copy of the fantasy of the Weta-designers: it is achieved by moving the parts about until we're happy with the resemblance. After that, the lot is glued together.
But let's not trivialize the undertaking: without an eye for proportions, any familiarity with spatial construction and a great deal of patience, certain modelling hurdles may become insurmountable.
An extra layer of 1mm MDF raised the surface after it became clear that we had misjudged some heights. For a while we were confused about the exact position of the stronghold with respect to the box. In the end, we settled for the yellow markings.
More wallpaper was added to create a seamless transition between the buildings in the front and the main structure behind it. Small variations in width produced a relief which broke the monotony and increased the suggestion of complexity.
This collection of different shaped fences illustrates once more our fragmentary approach. Our source material gave us a rather foggy notion of the ramparts that surround the central stronghold: a jungle of corrugated barrages, most of them crowned with needles and pins. Where the picture wasn't clear we had to improvise. By turns we used 'harmonicas' and 'strip-curtains' to obtain the variation that characterizes the arbitrariness of Sauron's creativity.
In the end, the stronghold was glued onto the main frame. The surrounding fences however were only temporarily put in place to get the picture; it would have been impractical to have them obstructing the upcoming carving of the lower rock-work.
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