A watermill is a very iconic and distinctive building to include on a wargames table. There are a few commercial kits available but if you have the time, a scratch build is a very rewarding project! Do not feel daunted – the addition of a few 3D-printed items can really elevate your scratchbuild.
Ever since I started wargaming (which was only about four years ago), I have wanted to include rivers and streams on my table. It was not until earlier this year however that I tackled the challenge and made a full set of modular epoxy-resin stream sections. When I was making them and brainstorming what I would want to include, I decided I had to have a watermill! As a result, when I made my river sections, I included a piece that was partially open on one side for a watermill.
Initially, I was considering using a 3D-printed watermill I had seen online, but after speaking with Paul Edwards at Sabotag3d, I decided to scratchbuild a watermill, but add certain 3D features. These included the waterwheel, 3D printed for detail and convenience. So, with that in mind, I began researching watermills. I was designing this watermill for my France WWII tables, and found that searching French estate agent websites offered a great selection of inspiring buildings.
After I settled on a particular example, I sent photographs of the windows and waterwheel to Paul. Paul is a very skilled 3D modeller, and he was able to recreate accurately the windows and wheel according to my specifications. He promptly posted the pieces to me, and I put them on the shelf until I was ready.
Unfortunately, between receiving those pieces and starting, I lost the photos I had used for inspiration! That is the downside with using estate agent websites – the mill was sold! I had forgotten to download the pictures, and so I was obliged to recreate the building from memory. This was not too much of a problem, and it allowed me the creative freedom to include features from other mills I had seen, as well as make sure it was a perfect fit for the river section.
I have summarised the construction process in a step-by-step guide, but an important thing to remember is that you will save yourself a lot of headache if the initial construction is done carefully and precisely. This means planning the build first by drawing scale diagrams and then accurately transferring these plans to the construction material (in this case, 3mm Foamex). A good ruler and trysquare are really helpful for ensuring perpendicular and parallel cuts.
So, if you need a watermill for your table (perhaps you are planning to recreate The Eagle Has Landed?) why not try making one yourself? It is wheely fun! WS&S
1 The design was carefully drawn onto a sheet of 3mm Foamex, using a steel ruler and try-square to ensure the pieces would fit together accurately. I glued the sections using hot glue.
2 I had previously asked Paul at Sabotag3d to design and print a set of windows. These were designed to fit from the inside and protrude 1mm from the front surface. These were glued into place using superglue.
3 I hot glued small pieces of 10mm extruded polystyrene to the inside walls of the building in order to support the floor. I also thickened the gables with this, for both support and visual reasons. All the polystyrene was coated with PVA to protect it from the spray primer I would later use.
4 I first used cardboard from a cereal box to build a prototype of the roof, allowing me to test angles and fit. When I was happy with it, I recreated it using 3mm Foamex. The chimney was constructed from polystyrene and the dormers were 3D prints.
5 The waterwheel was again designed and printed by Paul at Sabotag3d, cut at the waterline. I used a pencil to create the brick pattern in a piece of 10mm extruded polystyrene, and used a bamboo skewer as the axle.
6 I salvaged some cornerstones from a plastic ruined hamlet kit from Warlord Games, trimming them and gluing them into place with superglue. I built the doors using coffee stirrers glued onto a thin piece of card.
7 The roof was tiled using a set of laser-cut rooftiles from Charlie Foxtrot. These were glued in place using PVA, and the ridge tiles were cut from a plastic straw. I used polyfilla to fill any gaps and hide seams.
8 I applied polyfilla to the building in two stages. First, I applied it in small sections and used a textured roller to apply a stone pattern. When this was dry, I applied polyfilla to the rest of the model, leaving the stonework exposed to represent flaking plaster.
9 After applying a thin slurry of polyfilla to 3D-printed and plastic parts, I used a brown spray primer to undercoat everything. Ensure that any polystyrene has been covered with PVA: otherwise the solvent in the spray will dissolve it.
10 I applied basecolours using a variety of Citadel acrylic paints. The stonework was painted with Karak Stone, the plaster was Morghast Bone, and the roof was Mechanicus Grey.
11 After the basecolours were fully dried, I applied a Flory Clay wash over the entire model. This gives a grimy patina to everything, and when the excess is wiped away leaves a suitable level of weathering. I used green and brown washes to model rising damp and flicked ochre paint onto the roof.
12 I placed the finished building alongside a river section I had previously made and drilled a hole in the building at the correct height for the axle of the waterwheel. I did not glue the waterwheel to the river or building to make it easier to store.
This article was featured in Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy Magazine 128. Discover this issue, and others, in our webshop:
