Making a Post Apocalypse Watchtower from Polystyrene and Cardboard

Making a Post-Apocalypse Watchtower

What you will need.

1 - Find a suitably shaped piece of polystyrene, that is, a piece that has a flat stable base and a pointy part going upwards. Bits sticking out can also provide standing room for your models. Remember, it needs to be smaller when it is finished than what you are going to use to store it in.

2- A modeling file or craft knife, a chopping board or another non-slip safe cutting surface.

3- Five small paper clips or blue tac, two small nails and some thin pieces of a twig.

4- Cotton thread and glue. 

5- Black primer, assorted poster paints and cheap brushes, protective cover.

6- Cardboard (about 1mm thick) 10 and a half inches long along the side by 4 and three-quarter inches wide. (12 cm by 27 cm).

7- Flat hardboard or similar to mount the model on.

The Base

Just primed, Note the un-even notches cut in the top edge. "Watchtower 1" by Ivor Cogdell 

Using a modelers file or craft knife, carve your steps into the polystyrene to get to the various levels and up the one corner of your pointy bit. Carve the top of the pointy bit level to what will be the ground. You can either have a small bare platform top without any protection for your lookout (using an old credit card or similarly sized cardboard shape, leaving it as it is in a worn rubble state or you can create a platform for multiple warriors. You can carve secondary lookout positions or passages, broken bricks that have come loose. 

Once you are happy with the layout, paint with black or dark primer outside. You may need two or more coats of primer to get good coverage. (Note_This will make the item flammable, so keep away from naked flames). 

(Tip- If using spray paints, do it outside, put the polystyrene in an old Pizza box or put plenty of newspapers down if you do not have a protective sheet, so you will not get paint where you do not want it to go.)

Note - Showing the original twig "Watchtower 2" by Ivor Cogdell

Next, using small lengths of twig, add climbing supports for your figure, staggering their positions, left and right to either side of the notches that you have cut into the tower. Make the hole with the nail first, otherwise the twig might snap. When selecting where to cut your twig, cut the section to be left sticking out at a Y section, cutting the base and one arm of the Y very short and the long arm of the Y going into the hole,You can add cotton to the tops of vertical stakes to give the impression of ropes and the Y joint gives a better securing point for the cotton.

(Note - Since the watchtower turned out to be bigger than I had initially imagined it to be, the base needs some extra support to balance it at the back, not been done as yet. An inch thick pillar added at some point along the back should do the trick).

The Watchtower

All the cardboard laid out "Watchtower 3" by Ivor Cogdell

For the watchtower itself, we move to the cardboard strip. The main section measures 3 inches along the side by 4 and three-quarter inches for the front of the roof. (75 mm by 12 cm). The measurements are based on 28 mm models, for other sizes, just reduce the size accordingly.

The back wall is 3 inches high and 3 and a half inches along the front.(75 mm by 9 cm).

 The floor is 2 and three-quarter inches by 3 and a half inches along the front. (75 mm by 9 cm).

 The front wall is 1 and a half inches high by 3 and a half inches along the front. (75 mm by 9 cm).

The windows can be done to your taste, mine were three-quarter inches deep by half an inch wide.
 (22 mm by 12 mm).

"Watchtower 4" by Ivor Cogdell

The sidewall pieces are 4 and a quarter inches long by an inch high. (11 cm by 25 mm). Cut out the individual firing slots to suit your model height.

The roof timber is 3 and 3/8 high by three-quarter inches  (85 mm by 2 cm), bent at the top to give whatever roof angle you prefer, a steep or shallow one. I used 2 and 3/8 inches (6 cm).

(Tip - this gives easy access for your hand to move your models about inside the tower.)

The trapdoor in the floor should be cut last and positioned over your entry point (maybe yours has two or more - that's fine), with a wide enough gap for your soldier to go through. Cut along three of the sides and bend the other side up.

"Watchtower 5" by Ivor Cogdell

Secure the watchtower to the supporting pillar (or pillars) with a small nail or two pushed through the floor. The position of this spot should use the weight of the cabin itself to aid in the stability of the overall model, not just put at the center spot of the floor.

Use the small paper clips or blue tac to fasten the side wall flaps to the structure, slip the wall pillar behind the left side wall flap, then you can attach the final paper clip to the pillar support flap under the roof.

Build complete "watchtower 6" by Ivor Cogdell

 (Tip - The reason for the paper clip attachment instead of glue is that they can be taken off again and it can be stored flat in a container, or you could use "Blue- tac" on the inside.  To disguise the paper clips, plop a bit of goo on them and stick another length of cardboard board on top of them or stick of foliage in front of them.)

Front View "Watchtower 7" by Ivor Cogdell

For extra stability, glue it to a larger base of cardboard or similar. (I am still looking for the right material to base my items on.)

Side View "Watchtower 8" by Ivor Cogdell

That completes the main construction, all that is needed is to paint it to taste, including the paper clips, a dark brown or black.

It does look a bit bland at the moment. Draw on or paint the planks of wood, occasionally change a plank colour, suggesting it has been scavenged from the wasteland. Carefully peel the top layer of the cardboard roof to produce a tin roof effect - (This is what I am doing now).

Maybe stick some patches on the side or distress it a bit. Add timber supports underneath it if you want, or walkways across to other structures, some foliage and extra rubble mixed in for effect. With a different thickness of twigs, you could produce a ladder.

 You could modify it with a gap in the sidewall and a quick exit rope coming from the roof to the ground or a zip line to another model!

The front roof strut (shown on the left corner) could be replaced by a pole (chopsticks ?).

The more little details you add in the better it will look.

A quick coat of brown paint to dull it.

Adding Corrugated roof look

Added detailing to the back

I am currently adding broken lolly sticks to the outside of my outpost, but first I added detailing with a black pen.

Here is the tower stretched out flat. Various colours of painted wood recovered from assorted locations in the wastelands were used in its construction.

This is the rear of the lookout tower. I need more lollies and they are yet to be painted. The roof is done, apart from painting it.

Lookout rear and roof painted

A second option would be to use the lookout section as a shack on the ground with an underground escape route.

I have some more wood to add to the front and sides. (25 May 2016).

It still needs to be given a weathered look to it.

Finally, bring on the massed warriors, let the battles commence and have fun.

Please send me a link to your site in the comments section.

Ivor Cogdell