18th century star fort

[Darbyohara]

Greetings all,

I am currently constructing my first MOC, an 18th century fort constructed in the Vauban star fort style. I will upload the work I have thus far. I have about 40% of the fort competed, just taking my time accumulating parts needed to finish it.

I'm curious to hear any feedback or constructive criticism. I'm trying to make the fort as realistic as I can and any techniques or ideas on the bastions or merlons would be helpful. I've mostly been going off of pictures of forts from that era.

Any feedback is appreciated!

Thanks,

https://www.flickr.com/photos/131835395@N05/?

Images of progress.

[Capn Frank]

Looking good so far. Are you able to have angles less than 90?

Here's a Wiki link to Star Forts. Here's a diagram that shows the controls of the star fort's geometry in the Wiki article.

[Darbyohara]

Looking good so far. Are you able to have angles less than 90?

Here's a Wiki link to Star Forts. Here's a diagram that shows the controls of the star fort's geometry in the Wiki article.

I toiled with trying come up with a way to make the point of the bastions less than 90 degrees as a true Vauban design would have been. I was unable to come up with anything. I am open to suggestions.

Thanks

[Kolonialbeamter]

Hi there,

it's good to see another star fort in the making. Looking good so far

Concerning your issues with the angles, my suggestion is to not use (slope) bricks for the base of the fort, but wedge plates instead.

Here's a quick sample structure of what I mean:

By using differently angled wedge plates and hinging them you can achieve quite a lot of possible angles for the base. Also, this SNOT technique offers easy decoration possibilities for the walls.

Best of success for the next steps,

Keep it up!

[Capt Wolf]

I like what you've got so far. The stone effect is good, and I wouldn't worry about the 90-degree angles. The slope of the bastion walls conveys the right feel. I've been working on a couple different versions of a fort of this nature, and you've given me a couple of ideas.

[Captain Braunsfeld]

I agree: good so far!

[Darbyohara]

I like what you've got so far. The stone effect is good, and I wouldn't worry about the 90-degree angles. The slope of the bastion walls conveys the right feel. I've been working on a couple different versions of a fort of this nature, and you've given me a couple of ideas.

I'd be interested to see your progress on your version of this type of fort.

[Capt Wolf]

Nothing far enough along to photograph yet, although I do have some pieces coming form Bricklink that might let me mock up something. I'll try to get something up this weekend.

[2maxwell]

It looks good so far! Ive been interested in trying to make a star fort for a while, but never could seem to come up with a satisfactory method myself. I'll be watching this thread with interest, haha.

[Capt Wolf]

OK, I said I'd try to post something this weekend, so here goes. My idea was to focus on the iconic sentry box at the corner of a bastion of a Spanish fort. The sentry box is complete; now I just need to build the fort around it! No innovative techniques here, just slopes and burps. I've thrown the burps together and jerry-rigged a support structure for levels of the fort. It's VERY incomplete, but there's enough for you to see what I'm doing.

Here's the main view from the sea:

This view shows a little more of the construction:

This view is from the back side and shows the two levels within the bastion (figures were hastily thrown together and placed):

Finally, here's a more artsy pic:

All C&C welcome.

[Bobbtom]

Your work is really good, especially for a first MoC. I'm starting to think of making a fort like this myself. What resources did you use or recommend for starting out on mocs like this one?

[Capt Wolf]

Your work is really good, especially for a first MoC.

Thanks!

I'm starting to think of making a fort like this myself. What resources did you use or recommend for starting out on mocs like this one?

I googled a lot of pictures of Spanish forts. I also referred to Osprey Publishing's book on the Spanish Main in their Fortress series. Just get a good idea of what it is you want to model, and I think the LEGO implications can be figured out. Ths thread already has three different approaches to building the low, angled fortress walls of this type of fort.

[Captain Hannibal Joost]

Need so many slope to do :) But great result. Looks really like a stone wall.

Don't know if it can help, but here is a way to do the angle tower :

20140705 • Pic Wic • Villeneuve d’Ascq • Lego Pirates by Hannibal Joost, on Flickr

Edited March 17, 2015 by Captain Hannibal Joost

[Darbyohara]

OK, I said I'd try to post something this weekend, so here goes. My idea was to focus on the iconic sentry box at the corner of a bastion of a Spanish fort. The sentry box is complete; now I just need to build the fort around it! No innovative techniques here, just slopes and burps. I've thrown the burps together and jerry-rigged a support structure for levels of the fort. It's VERY incomplete, but there's enough for you to see what I'm doing.

Here's the main view from the sea:

This view shows a little more of the construction:

This view is from the back side and shows the two levels within the bastion (figures were hastily thrown together and placed):

Finally, here's a more artsy pic:

All C&C welcome.

I like the sentry box and I will probably incorporate one in a bastion that faced the sea side of the fort (1 or 2 sides of the fort will be on the water)

Where did you get the cannon balls? I've never seen parts like that before.

[Capt Wolf]

Need so many slope to do :) But great result. Looks really like a stone wall.

Don't know if it can help, but here is a way to do the angle tower :

20140705 • Pic Wic • Villeneuve d’Ascq • Lego Pirates by Hannibal Joost, on Flickr

Cool! Where was this picture taken?

I like the sentry box

Thanks!

Where did you get the cannon balls? I've never seen parts like that before.

The cannon balls are technic ball joints.

[Bob De Quatre]

Please do'nt quote posts with lots of pictures, thanks.

[Captain Hannibal Joost]

Cool! Where was this picture taken?

Thanks :) A toy store in the North of France, last year in July.

[Skipper]

Awesome. I'm in something of a dark age but still click through the forums, and it's really exciting to see people building forts in this style! Yours looks really promising. Nice army, too.

Because I used to obsess over trying to build these forts accurately, I've gathered a few links over the years that might be helpful in thinking about how to get more pointed bastions.

1) This really great MOC of Fort Ticonderoga. No slope in the walls, but it seems to look good regardless:

2) Another version of the above fort, but with a slope in the walls. The corners aren't very sharp, though.

3) LEGO's own, from MINILAND. Has pointed bastions and an outward slope in the walls, but I can't for the life of me figure out how they built it.

4) My own. The bastions are well pointed here, but the walls again can't angle outward. The walls also can't really be detailed.

Hope this helps!! Excited to see what you come up with.

[Kolonialbeamter]

I've gathered a few links over the years that might be helpful in thinking about how to get more pointed bastions.

Wow, thanks for that list, Skipper! Never knew that second fort.

This is a lot of inspiration.

[malt54]

Awesome. I'm in something of a dark age but still click through the forums, and it's really exciting to see people building forts in this style! Yours looks really promising. Nice army, too.

Because I used to obsess over trying to build these forts accurately, I've gathered a few links over the years that might be helpful in thinking about how to get more pointed bastions.

1) This really great MOC of Fort Ticonderoga. No slope in the walls, but it seems to look good regardless:

2) Another version of the above fort, but with a slope in the walls. The corners aren't very sharp, though.

3) LEGO's own, from MINILAND. Has pointed bastions and an outward slope in the walls, but I can't for the life of me figure out how they built it.

4) My own. The bastions are well pointed here, but the walls again can't angle outward. The walls also can't really be detailed.

Hope this helps!! Excited to see what you come up with.

Haha, the second fort is mine. And Skipper, I worked on the edges. I used the Idea of Kolonialbeamter with the wedge plates and covered them with goldbar bricks. I`m still not completely happy with it but i think its better now. here is the link for the new fort. http://mocpages.com/moc.php/412272

[blackdeathgr]

Hi from me as well and sorry if i bump a thread that was created long ago. In my opinion the first approach (Darbyohara's) to a star fort's slopes, seems the most elegant of all so far. My only question would be how he managed to attach so smoothly the sloped "wall" to the upper side of the fort (where the gray "floor" plates start), by leaving no gap between it and the plate used above. He did it in a way that the only visible gap was below the wall, something that you can easily hide, using plates, flora or whatever. I tried to do something similar in a previous MOC of mine but i had gaps on both upper and lower side of my sloped wall, thus making it look a bit unnatural/ugly. And since i would like to take another try on a star fort i would appreciate any tips. Oh, and btw hinged technique looks rather promising but it needs a lot of tiles to dress up the outer studded surfaces and the point where the two angled plates meet, leaves a difficult to hide gap as well.

Edited November 18, 2015 by blackdeathgr

[Darbyohara]

Update to the fort:

I have made some changes to the layout and structure of the fort (actually rebuilt it). I've increased the size of one bastion, added a gate, and lowered the plateau on which the fort sits to allow for a moat.

There will be a ravelin just beyond the bridge but I've run out of bricks. I also plan to finish the plateau for the ravelin and have it slope down to a field.

This fort isn't based in any actual colonial era star fort, just a MOC to test building techniques. I may redesign and rebuild the fort to mimic the Fort of Niagara or the Fortress of Louisbourg, then use that to create a historian diorama of the siege. I will need substantially more bricks tho.

I have accumulated some 70 redcoats and some 50 bluecoats as well as some 20 Indians and a 3 warships.

Feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,

[blackdeathgr]

A nice fort you were/are building! I think it was an inspiration for me to try building my own star fort. One advice you might find useful is to add a plate (green or gray one) at the base of the sloped wall to hide that gap between the ground and the wall. Apart from that, happy building!

[Darbyohara]

A nice fort you were/are building! I think it was an inspiration for me to try building my own star fort. One advice you might find useful is to add a plate (green or gray one) at the base of the sloped wall to hide that gap between the ground and the wall. Apart from that, happy building!

I am planning to use vegetation to conceal the gap.