At least this won't need rivets! 28mm Fort Matanzas

        I am much given to sudden enthusiasms but this is the result of an enduring fascination. Ever since I first laid eyes on the actual fort I have wanted to build a model of it. Many years ago I made a half-hearted attempt but it ended when I moved and the scarcely-started model was damaged.  Prompted by the release of the Lace Wars figures by Wargames Factory and by Joe showing up last week with some painted tricorne infantry and in no small measure by the release of the U.S.F 3-D survey of the fort just a few weeks ago I resolved to give it a go.

      Equipped with a print-out of the U.S.F.paper and a pile of photographs that I have taken over the years during visits to the site I descended into the man-cave and got out my trusty Proxxon hot-wire cutter and a pile of blue-board.

the first thing to do was to cut the base or plinth, 

in the real fort this is little more that a pile of rock 

to raise the fort and provide a solid foundation for the gun-deck and tower

I had decided to build the model in 1/48th scale to fit the figures and make calculations easy

 

the actual base has a draft angle to it, slightly narrower at the top than the bottom, this is my high-tech way of checking to see that the angle is correct, later it began to bother me and I went back and calculated it precisely, I was within a 1.32 of an inch

 

the base trimmed to proper size and shape

 

the actual base is a solid pile of rock, 

for gaming purposes I decided to add a hollow space under the fort, 

more storage for pirate treasure or a dungeon perhaps

 

rather than try something tricky and mess up my nice base

 I simple made straight cuts to remove the center section

 

then I got out my nemesis and hot-glued it back together 

(I am happy to report that -so far at least- I have yet to burn myself)

 to make the walls of the tower I split some foam-board into 5/8" sheets

 and then cut the walls from that

  

To determine the height of the wall around the top of the tower

 I used the tried and true method of comparing it to a miniature

 

I then glued the walls around the top of the tower, and the walls around the gun deck;

 the model was based on a sheet of heavy matt-board which also forms the gun deck

 

then I dug out my Spanish Succession artillery and stood them on the model to see how it looks, 

the ruler gives a sense of size

    There is still a ton of work to do on this model but at least this time I won't be applying a zillion rivets to the thing!