Puttering this weekend, found some time to start work on the top bit. Cut some window/door openings in the turret, which I'm making out of a cardboard shipping tube. I was going to try to cut a few arrowslits, but my cutting skills don't seem to be sharp enough (hahaha) to make a job of it. Set that aside for now. So then I started the fortified-house section...basically a copy of Howard's approach with a few minor changes:Howard went with more windows, but I did away with the first-floor openings on the exposed sides (except for one which will be inside the castle wall). I added a bump-out on the front which the roof will carry down to cover (hopefully), but then I shamelessly copied Howard's timbered bit. I've got an idea how to add some interest to the wall areas where I deleted the openings.

I'm hoping the primer/paint I'm planning to use will cover the USPS printing on the old priority mailing box I used...if not, I'm hosed. I plan to go back and finish the turret before starting the keep. Then there's the walls and the gate. This project is alot of work...my hat's off to Howard for having the imagination/patience/skill to complete this.

Paul II

Paul...

I've used recycled express boxes before on many projects...the primer always worked to cover printing...my favorite primers are as follows (in no particular order)...the best ultra white flat interior wall paint i can afford...gray color anti-skid floor paint...gray primer and flat black spray paint from Walmart...premium quality flat white spray paint (the budget brands of white don't seem to cover as well as the higher priced brands)...sometimes i apply two coats no matter what primer i use...

Your castle/tunnel is going to turn out just fine...don't fret...there are no rules as to what surface details you add or don't add...yes...the castle/tunnel is a lot of work...stick with it...

By the way...I "shamelessly copied" details of the vintage original castle/tunnel when I built mine...that's our little secret...

Howard...

No worries, I only fret over issues of assembly and/or finish...the design/features aspect is the fun bit.

Started the keep this AM. Yours is 6-1/2 inches tall; I'm thinking of going an extra inch or so taller since I scaled this thing up a bit.

I also have realized I made a design mistake when I built my gate approach...gonna have to fudge that big time. The Marx set I had (pictured above) had a draw-bridge that could be lowered and raised using a small crank at the top of the inner-side of the gate structure. The bridge had chains attached which wrapped around the crank-spindle as you wound it up. When the chain broke (and it did frequently), I had my father repair it. I can still remember seeing him sitting at the kitchen table using a magnifier and a needle to bend the links back into shape.

I was hoping to finish this by the end of the month, but that doesn't look possible at this point. I got sidetracked doing a train repair. Still having fun...shooting for mid-February.

Made some progress on the keep walls yesterday:I think I'll need to complete the trim and paint the four sides before assembling, as once it's put together, I won't be able to get my hands/fingers up inside to glue in the window glazing. I can trim and paint the top after assembly, but anything that needs to go in from the inside will be a problem once assembled.

I went to Michael's this AM to track down a sheet of a finer grade of single-face corrugated...all they had was a few sheets painted with glitter. Fortunately, I had a can of spray primer-gray:I think I have all of the supplies I need now. I have a few sheets of acetate I can use for the glazing, but haven't figured out how best to draw mullions on it (or if I even need to).

Paul II

Making slow progress...got buried by another ten inches of snow earlier this week which needed to be dealt with.

The skeletons of the four primary sections are complete and I set them on the base just to see how they look proportionally. Each individually looks good, but they appear a bit crowded when arranged together:The fortified house and the turret look a bit "compressed" for the base. When I up-scaled everything, it looks like I should have made the base a bit bigger. Can't change that now as it matches the footprint on the top of the mountain/tunnel bit. I dumbed the design of the gate down a bit from Howard's more ornate version; I had a bit of trouble building it up from layers of corrugated. Overall, I'm okay with everything as is, but it makes seeing the details on the front of the fortified house structure a bit difficult.

I'll probably start painting today. A coat of primer first, then a coat of textured paint (latex wall paint with a bit of model railroad ballast added). Haven't figured out what the final color will be, but probably fairly dark to approximate the Elastolin original. Still a bit of trim and a floor for the top of the keep, a floor for the top of the turret, and a roof for the house (which requires a few dormers).

I think I'm going to try making the windows on clear overhead transparency which I'll run through my inkjet printer in copy mode. We'll see how that goes.

Paul ll...

Three thumbs up!...just remember that these castles were made in quite a few models over the years...so there are no proportions to follow exactly...somewhere in my somewhat disorganized file of images I have photos of pages from a book about the history of these castles...I’ll see if I can find and send to you...

Howard...

OMG! this is just fantastic. BTW if you re ever looking for "Castle inspiration", a friend of mine photographs these "toy castles" whenever he sees them https://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2 ... ds_24.html

The inspiration for taking this on goes 100% to Howard. He did such a spectacular job in his recreation, I just had to give it a shot. I'm not sure what I'll do with it when it's done, but it sure has been a blast working on it. It'll be perfect for the small Bing clockwork set I acquired a couple years back.

I got the four main components painted yesterday in homemade anti-skid paint followed by a dark gray primer. Next, I'll need to paint the trim, then perhaps an overspray of clear-matte lacquer. After that the window glazing goes in along with a few other details. The castle walls will be last...I have a couple of "dimensional" issues to sort out before I can get those done. Oh, and that drawbridge might be a problem...some work required there.

Another problem I ran into was the cardstock strips I glued over the corners on the keep just popped off with the first coat of paint. I used an "Xtreme" glue stick to paste them on, and the moisture from the paint dislodged them. Lesson learned, I pulled them off and repainted using the anti-skid paint, which acted as a filler and mostly hid the exposed edges of the corrugated at the corners. The cardstock corners I glued on using Titebond stayed in place, so no more glue sticks.

One thing I certainly need to fix...when I painted the fortified house, the end walls bowed out at the top. I'm going to try gluing a strut across the top to pull them in. Cementing the roof on would also likely fix the problem, but I want to have that a lift-off so I can insert a battery-powered light. A few things to sort out.

Perhaps the best part of this project is seeing some research on this whole world of toy castles manufactured over the first two-thirds of the last century. It's been largely unknown to me. Just amazing...

Speaking of glues...

Paul...My number one go-to glue for cardboard-to-cardboard and wood-to-cardboard is Aleene's(R) Original Tack Glue(R)...I also use Elmer's(R) Glue-All(R) when I want the glue to seep down into a crack or be absorbed in the the cardboard or wood...Elmer's doesn't grab as quick or dry as fast as Aleene's...

Glue sticks certainly do have their place in model building...my preferred is Elmer's(R) Disappearing Purple...

While building my bobby pin fence project... https://www.cardboardchristmas.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1957 ...I became a fan of Gorilla(R) Super Glue XL...I still use two-part mix epoxy cement...no brand preference...whatever is on sale works for me...

Howard...

Thanks for the recommendations on adhesives, Howard. There are many good ones out there, some better than others (i.e. be wary of glues described as "all-purpose"). Sometimes you have to pick your glue based on the what and how you are gluing. For much of this project, I have returned to Titebond's original wood glue. It's similar to Elmer's All-Purpose but it get tackier faster and I think it bonds tighter and stronger. I've had good luck with the extra-strength glue-sticks when gluing up paper and card-stock. Not sure why it didn't work this time.

To try and straighten up the sides of the fortified house, I'm using Weldwood contact cement. Apply it, let it sit for fifteen minutes or so, than attach the bits and clamp it with a few rubber bands. I usually get a good strong bond with Weldwood, and this is going to require one. Cure time is probably 24 hours. The critical part of using Weldwood is making sure it's mixed...some of the bonding agent has a tendency to settle to the bottom of the can or jar, and mixing it can be difficult. If you don't get it mixed, however, the bond will be significantly weaker.I tried using Gorilla glue when it first came out. It's a polyurthane-base, so you have to wet the surfaces of what you're gluing to get the best bond. I will admit, I tried using it on furniture construction/repairs, where stress can be amplified. It didn't seem to work very well, crystalizing over time and eventually coming apart. Plus the shelf-life is short...seemed bottles of the stuff went solid in a matter of weeks.

My current favorite glue is Loctite GO2. I've used it on everything - paper, wood, metal, cardboard, ceramics, and a few others, and it seems to hold up well. I haven't used it on any furniture or load-bearing joints. It's a bit of a mess to clean up, though, as it's not water-based.

When everything else fails, you're right, epoxy is the place to go, especially in the marine variation. That's the ultimate bond.