Aedes Ars Watchtower Model Kit

If you want a kit with step by step instructions and just needs fitting together this is probably not the right choice. I mostly build wooden ship models which come with limited instructions and a lot of scope for personal decisions on how to complete the model. This kit has a lot of similarities, there are problems to be solved along the way and the finished result is very satisfying.Opening the box and looking at the bags of parts its not obvious how much spare material is included and I started the kit apprehensive that I would run out of some sizes of stones. Actually the manufacturer provides generous surplus of everything and I have a significant amount of material remaining at the end of the build. Likewise the adhesive; I only used about half the bottle. Its worth noting that the glue can be dissolved in water if a correction is required. I wasn't happy with the first attempt at the tower so I dumped it in a bowl of water overnight. The next day all the component pieces could be removed and wiped clean ready for reassembly. It seems like a white PVA glue and some trials I did with Weldbond showed that would also work if there had been insufficient glue with the kit.I didn't use a level to check the progress of the walls but relied on the pattern on the supporting cardboard. I did sand each level down to provide a flat surface for the next course. After making the first arch I built the other, larger ones off the model laying flat on pieces of parchment paper. The glue did not stick to the paper so on completion the arch could be peeled away and installed on the model.A sanding block and coarse paper is essential to dress the faces of the stonework. That makes a huge difference to the finished model. It also makes quite a mess. The powder from sanding the stone is fine and disperse widely. I retained quite a bit of the powder and used it as coloring added to thin plaster of Paris when making the ruined part of the model.It is well worth using a matt varnish when the model is completed; it really shows up the color of the stones.Aedes Ars does not give a scale for the kit and based on the doorways and the tower its not very consistent across the model. On completion I felt the doorway to the building and the window were too big so I added a pillar to the window and a set of steps to the building to reduce them in size and felt that brought them into line with the tower doorway and windows. I also added an extra layer of stones to the battlements at the top of the tower. This makes the model look roughly 1/72 scale.I bought this as a learning experience before building the Almansa Castle kit. I am very glad I did and I am sure I will make a better job of the castle with the experience from this kit.

Some of the parts were a little banged up in the box, directions were in another language and quite vague. You put this together brick by brick time, quite time consuming but the finished product will be quite nice to display. I bought it for scenery for warhammer fantasy, or any 28mm miniatures but it is too small to be an accurate size.

Super intéressant pour ceux qui aime la construction( poncer, ajuster). il faut avoir de la patience pour bien la faire