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Creative => Customs Gallery => Dioramas & Buildings => Topic started by: kenc on April 24, 2012, 08:42:52

Title: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on April 24, 2012, 08:42:52
Hi folks! After the completion of the outer side of my Sys-x cathedral, I finally have the time to start with the surrounding Steck city Kodosak. A steck city which had been stored in boxes until my new den was completed (as of about two months ago  :yippee: :yippee: :yippee: :yippee: :yippee: )

The city consists of 3 levels on different mdf tables, the cathedral is on the highest level and oversees the rest of the city. There are stairs everywhere to go down to the lower levels. Furthermore, I more or less completed the port, the guild street, the town square in front of the cathedral, the inn, some houses to live in. There is no scenery yet, therefore I need to complete the city first but about 50% is still in boxes, so this is what needs to be done:

installation of most accessories and furniture, town's people, boats, knights, city walls, towers, houses, prison, royal castle, forest, river, scenery, etc... enough for keeping me busy and finally realize a dream  :woohoo: :woohoo:


Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on April 24, 2012, 08:48:47
The pharmacy is finished as well. You'll notice the green painted shop window part in the front. There was once a prototype to be seen on one of the old box diorama's. the green part more or less has the same story as the red framework house, I presume Geobra made one in green to offer some more variation in the color of Steck buildings. The part has never been released, tough.
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Giorginetto on April 24, 2012, 09:28:25
Magnificent !!! This green building reminds me of the Ingredients shops in the game Skyrim !!!  :love: :love: :love:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: basilsdad on April 24, 2012, 10:45:54
Amazing!   :(o):  What a town structure, such a great combination of buildings!  Super job kenc!
Joe
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Rhalius on April 24, 2012, 10:50:15
It looks great, I love that harbour. (I don't envy clickies who have a peg leg or wear a skirt, if they tumble off those stairs they can fall a long way.  ;) )
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: tahra on April 24, 2012, 12:15:29
Amazing looking city!
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: tonguello on April 24, 2012, 12:15:38
OMG!!! That is amazing Kenc!!!!  :love: :love: :love: :love:
How did you come by the green house if it is only a prototype?  ??? ??? ???  :prays: :prays: Please tell!  ;D

Congratulations!! The cathedral was phenomenal and this 3 level city is even more impressive!
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on April 24, 2012, 12:48:22
OMG!!! That is amazing Kenc!!!!  :love: :love: :love: :love:
How did you come by the green house if it is only a prototype?  ??? ??? ???  :prays: :prays: Please tell!  ;D

Congratulations!! The cathedral was phenomenal and this 3 level city is even more impressive!

Thx, Tonguello! The green house is just a double tailor's house with a green painted shop window from the bakery  ;D
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: tonguello on April 24, 2012, 12:49:16
Thx, Tonguello! The green house is just a double tailor's house with a green painted shop window from the bakery  ;D

Oooooh! :lol: Now I get it!  :lol:
COOL!!!!  :love:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Wolf Knight on April 24, 2012, 13:05:40
Superbly magnificent Ken!!! A true work of art and architecture!!! Your diorama is breathtaking!!!!
 :wow: :wow: :wow:
Congratulations in your achievement!!! And thank you for sharing these pics with us!!!
 :clap: :clap: :clap:

And by the way, we need more picures!!!!!  :picsplz: :picsplz: :picsplz:

Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: bonniebeth on April 24, 2012, 14:16:46
 :omg: :omg: :omg: That is an incredibly awesome city, ken! Unbelievable!
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Bill Blackhurst on April 24, 2012, 14:17:13
Magnificent setup! Your first picture looks like an actual city back in the days! :wow:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Hadoque on April 24, 2012, 14:36:13
Wonderful!! 8-) 8-)
And I still go in shock again every time I take a look on your cathedral.... really astonishing.  :love:
Your whole set-up is truly superb and I'm glad your project is coming true!  :)
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: doug on April 24, 2012, 15:53:20
Very cool vertical city!

Reminds me a bit of Quebec!

doug
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Pynedor on April 24, 2012, 17:07:46
Fantastic design, kenc! This is excellently done and looks great. :)
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Skywalker on April 24, 2012, 18:31:15
 :wow:

WOW !

wonderful town and like said before the size of the cathedral is even more amazing now. i remember the green bakery wall from one of the boxes  ;) great you made them come to life.  :love:

congrats to this amazing town !
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Giorginetto on April 24, 2012, 18:32:27
I want one of these green bakery walls  too !!!!!!!!!!!!  :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on April 24, 2012, 18:57:43
I want one of these green bakery walls  too !!!!!!!!!!!!  :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit: :hissyfit:

You just need some Revell olive green paint, George  ;D  ;D  ;D
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: el jefe on April 24, 2012, 22:32:12
Amazing pics!  That cathedral is outstanding!   :clap: :clap: :clap:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Rhalius on April 25, 2012, 08:36:52
We definatly need to see more pics.  :)

A part of the harbour is not shown on the pics I think, could be great to see a picture of the street view too, like how the clickies would see things when looking down the street.  ;)
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Giorginetto on April 25, 2012, 08:46:44
You just need some Revell olive green paint, George  ;D  ;D  ;D

 :)9
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on April 25, 2012, 09:36:18
We definatly need to see more pics.  :)

A part of the harbour is not shown on the pics I think, could be great to see a picture of the street view too, like how the clickies would see things when looking down the street.  ;)

More is to come as soon as the streets are filled with stuff. One of the nice things of the diorama is that I can crawl under the highest table and look into the houses which have all open backsides, else there would be no playing possibilities into the middle of the setup. Thanks to you all for the nice comments  :wave:  :wave:  :wave:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Skywalker on April 25, 2012, 19:28:27
One of the nice things of the diorama is that I can crawl under the highest table and look into the houses which have all open backsides, else there would be no playing possibilities into the middle of the setup.

the force is strong in you  :)
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on April 26, 2012, 06:24:48
the force is strong in you  :)

Look who says that, diorama-grandmaster    :) :) :)
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Justindo on April 26, 2012, 07:07:14
That's an incredibly large, detailed, and impressive town, kenc!  I was amazed before at your cathedral and now I'm even more impressed.  Together, it all must be huge! :omg:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: hauden_lukas on April 26, 2012, 13:40:47
Very nice job! The different levels and the random-loooking arrangement of the houses gives the impression the city has grown gradually.
This is one of the most interesting cities I have seen so far.

Cheers,
HDL
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Amd on April 29, 2012, 07:09:19
Yeah, like the dream of a lot of us... Love it to the core... The levels make it look so alive.

The only thing i dislike is the photoshop sky you put in the first picture... No photoshop, is perfect w/out it! ;)
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on April 29, 2012, 14:25:34
Yeah, like the dream of a lot of us... Love it to the core... The levels make it look so alive.

The only thing i dislike is the photoshop sky you put in the first picture... No photoshop, is perfect w/out it! ;)

I know, I didn't put much effort in making (blurry cathedral) and editing (bad cutout and background) the picture, but I can't resist doing it  ;D As soon as the city is ready, I'll spend a lot more time in making better pictures too.
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: basilsdad on April 29, 2012, 14:39:40
More is to come as soon as the streets are filled with stuff. One of the nice things of the diorama is that I can crawl under the highest table and look into the houses which have all open backsides, else there would be no playing possibilities into the middle of the setup. Thanks to you all for the nice comments  :wave:  :wave:  :wave:
I was wondering about accessibility to middle for ease of play set up.  :P I am all thumbs and would end up knocking everything down in the process!  :lol: The more I look at the pictures, the more impressed I am with it.  Such a lot of love and effort went into it and it shows.
Joe
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: grangel on May 11, 2012, 08:09:59
 :wow: :wow: Masterpiece Kenc!! :wow: :wow:

I'm looking forward to see your new pictures.

I wish i had a playmo den.........
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Rhalius on May 11, 2012, 08:25:43
Same here, when I have found a better job that allows me to carry the monthly expenses, I'll make sure to look for a house with a room to spare for playmobil.  :)
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Georgeag1972 on May 19, 2012, 09:28:45
Wow!!! This is absolutely fantastic. :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg:
It's the first time that i see something like that!!!!
I like very much the way that you made this diorama, the idea to build a city with levels was amazing and the Cathedral looks wonderful. :)9 :)9 :)9 :)9 :)9
Excellent creation, congratulations. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Many thanks for sharing. :wow: :wow:

Friendly George. :hatoff:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Lindama on May 19, 2012, 11:52:22
excellent - lovely to see!
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on May 21, 2012, 07:44:06
The city is growing bigger. I added the lowest level and a city wall and towers. The total dimensions of the city is more or less fix. I know want to add some more towers and buildings where possible without sacrificing all of the open space, and of course a lot of accessories, klickies and scenery needs to be added as well. Behind the cathedral there will be a graveyard to house the zombies I posted a while ago. One of the next projects will be the addition of the royal castle/fortress, it will be placed on the second city level, right behind the city hall (the large building at the right). The plan is to make the castle a smaller version of the mighty Neveling. To rebuild Neveling, I don't have sufficient space and a lot of parts are used to build the city, but designwise it will be similar  :)  :)

Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on May 21, 2012, 07:49:53
Oh, and here are some klickies I customised. They're are all resident people of Kodosak, they will play a role in upcoming photostories.
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Georgeag1972 on May 21, 2012, 08:42:47
I'm in love with your city, you have done a great work with a lot of imagination and creativity, congratulations for one more time. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: The Cathedral is fantastic, I belive that with system x parts we can do incredible creations and this building is the prove. ;)
And the customs are amazing. :)9 :)9

Friendly George.
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: bonniebeth on May 21, 2012, 12:22:42
Some really great custom people, nice work! :bloom:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Wolf Knight on May 21, 2012, 13:15:32
Ah this is magnigicent Ken!!! I love every inch of it! Looking forward to the photostory!!! Excellent customs too!!!
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Pynedor on May 21, 2012, 13:50:17
It gets even better! Nice wall and figures! ;)
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: tonguello on May 21, 2012, 14:15:25
This is fantastic! The city is getting better and better!
Can't wait to see the graveyard and the photostories!!  :love:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Amd on May 21, 2012, 16:02:09
really nice!!

i like the gate, not a double high walls and no tall towers is a really wise decision, leveling up the city, and in case of enemy taking the towers they wont be in a privileged position.

are u planning to do other wall in to the city?? fortify another building??

your citizens look very nice too!!!
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: PlaymoFrankJon on May 21, 2012, 17:01:02
Wow , I like your city so mutch ! , It looks great , hope you make it bigger , so we can enjoy more pictures  ;D
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Basie10 on May 27, 2012, 07:25:15
what a beautiful cathedral!  It's a great town - I'd like to retire there one day ;)
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Rhalius on May 27, 2012, 15:53:58
the walls look great, there can never be enough pics of this setup.  :)

Although if it where me, I'd be too busy playing with it to make pictures.  :lol:
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Hadoque on May 28, 2012, 01:55:08
I just looked once more at your pics, and I noticed the darker colour of the lighthouses from the Pirates' theme in the 1st pic: Did you paint those grey, like the colour of steckwalls?
If so, are they handpainted, spraypainted or did you use Airbrush or something similar?

You're city is really good, like the others I like the "random-looking" position of the houses and the different levels. And also that the buildings are quite close to one another. I don't know if that closeness is intentional or due to limited space, but it is realistic as medieval cities (I don't have to tell you, we've plenty of examples around us) were build that way.
Which was also often the cause - together with the use of a lot of wood - that fires could expand rapidly and destroy almost a whole city.

Oh, and maybe one day we should put our collections together and hold an exhibition in East-Flanders  ;D
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on May 29, 2012, 07:41:00
I just looked once more at your pics, and I noticed the darker colour of the lighthouses from the Pirates' theme in the 1st pic: Did you paint those grey, like the colour of steckwalls?
If so, are they handpainted, spraypainted or did you use Airbrush or something similar?

Hi Erwin  :wave: :wave: Indeed I spraypainted the two lighthouses to make them have a more 'Northern' look.

Thanks for your nice comments, as a matter of fact I intentionally placed the houses randomly and close to each other for the reason you mention. Medieval cities were just built this way. Although not much multi-level there, I found inspiration into Ghent and Bruges, both Flemisch medieval cities with a lot of tradition and historical buildings.

Nice idea by the way to hold an East-Flanders exhibition, the belfry of Ghent or Het Gravensteen seem to be suitable places  ;D ;D
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: retronio22 on May 29, 2012, 15:57:28
OMG!How magnificent!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: Hadoque on May 30, 2012, 01:45:23
Nice idea by the way to hold an East-Flanders exhibition, the belfry of Ghent or Het Gravensteen seem to be suitable places  ;D ;D

Do you have a truck-driver license? I don't...  :-\

 ;D
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: hauden_lukas on June 01, 2012, 03:20:24
Hi Kenc,
Do you have some making-of pics you can share?
I am interested how you build the levels - tables only?
Cheers,
HDL
Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: stadswache on June 04, 2012, 05:22:33
every time when I see the cathedral I am amazed.

now with the town its superb..

unbelievable..

what is the size?

East-Flanders exhibition?? I will be there.......

Title: Re: In The Shadow Of The Cathedral
Post by: kenc on June 04, 2012, 06:56:27
Hi Kenc,
Do you have some making-of pics you can share?
I am interested how you build the levels - tables only?
Cheers,
HDL

Thanks HDL! For the tables I use 30mm MDF boards of 240x120cm size (pics soon). The tables are supported by 5 legs, 4 corners + one in the middle, else the weight of the cathedral/city makes the tables bend, plus they need to carry my own weight I the very middle of the city is hardly playable from the sides. As mentioned before, most of the houses are reachable from behind by crawling under the tables. Due to open backsides I can look into the streets. Details to follow  :)