Mikhail's Watch

[Fatespuppet]

11d-Mil

After all sorts of talk I've finally acquired a camera with which to bore all you folks with my own creations. My first posting is one of the buildings in and around Puppet's Cove. However, first I must present a bit of background material.

Built shortly before the onset of the War of Crowns and in service for more then 3 centuries, the channel fortress of Puppet's Cove plays host to numerous legends of heroism and valor. None more memorable then the 30 year command of Captain Nathaniel Mikhail for which the fortress now derives its name. Mikhail was mortally wounded while defending the powder magazine from an enemy saboteur. His sacrifice saved the fortress and the town from certain destruction, and the anniversary of this event is celebrated even to this day with parades and reenactments. The story holds that Mikhail's last words were "so long as this town survives, I will never truly die".

This event has also given rise to the legend of Mikhail's Ghost. It is said that on the eve of a storm a ghostly torchlight can be seen walking the now empty halls and ramparts of Mikhail's Watch. Rumors abound that this is the ghost of Nathaniel Mikhail checking his defenses as if in preparation for a coming battle. What is beyond doubt is that no life has ever been lost in Puppet's Cove during even the most terrible of storms.

Now some pictures. If these are too large please let me know and I can resize them.(oh, and sorry for the horrendous backgrounds) The modular wall sections and corner are at the bottom. As you can see, I don't really have a ton of details in my wall designs. The tops are removeable so I can switch figures and stuff around without having to remove them and replace them.

Front View

Rear View

Courtyard views

Wall defenses

Captain's war room(top removed)

Down stair column

Wall floors and captain's room removed

Corner section broken down

Wall Module breakdown

Modularity(also EXPAND!!)

[BlueBard]

Wow, impressive work!

I really like the yellow/black/white&blue mosaic in the floor and the interiors are quite interesting too

BTW, this topic wouldn't be better in the Pirate Forum?

[hewkii9]

Yeah, I agree, it seems better suited for the Pirates forum.

I like this a lot, the mosaic in the floor is nice and I really like the stone staircase.

[Fatespuppet]

I wasn't sure which forum it should go in, but since the historical forum hosts so many more castles and forts I thought this would be better. I've always seen canons as fitting into the fantasy/medieval scheme, and the minifigs were simply to add flavor and scale. If I replaced them with knights and horses would it be more welcome?

[Sir Dillon]

Hey Fatespuppet, really great looking fort! I'm glad you were able to share it with us.

Like mentioned though, this belongs in the pirate forum. While this is a 'historical' work, creations belonging in or resembling this time period are usually considered as pirate creations. :-)

[Norrington]

Damn. I was posting, and as I hit enter, it appeared that the topic was moved.

However, I like the many details, such as the tile floor medallion on the courtyard's base. The cannons should have wheels on their carriages so they could recoil and be reloaded.

I can't wait to se it finished.

[Mister Phes]

Yikes! Another impressive MOC! I'd say this one is a frontpager for sure!

[Admiral Bejaune]

Nice work. Looks good. Simple and effective just how a fortification is suppose to be.

[Gen. Knowledge]

Hi FatesPuppet,

I'm sure your MoC would be appreciated more here in the Pirate forum, but it's a great MoC fitting for any forum. I like the details you put into the fort. The tiling in the courtyard is my favorite. I also like how everything is accessible for play or staging. Are you planning to add to this fort?

Tony

[Nikola Bathory]

I think that this is great!!!!

A very good fortress and it seems cosy! I love it!

[tin7_creations]

very beautiful. love your attention to detail, those tile floors are great... my favourite part has to be the dock.

[Errorist]

Impressive fort you've got there Fatespuppet.

I really like the medallion and the tiles you built in the courtyard.

The modular structure shows its value once more.

I agree with Norrington about the cannons as they really need weels for the recoil.

I can't wait to see the finished product

Keep up the good work

Greetings,

Errorist

Edited August 26, 2008 by Errorist

[maiq the liar]

Oh, wow!

My eyes just...well, i'll leave the rest to you.

anyway, that is AMAZING!

[Fatespuppet]

Thanks all for the kinds words. I was always planning to add carriages to the cannons, but I couldn't find them in my giant parts buckets(read 40 gallon totes). I'm also missing a few canons that are no doubt lodged somewhere just out of sight.

The medallion was originally planned as a giant tile floor for a throne room that I never got around to building. I had it planned out on a base plate for years and finally decided to give it a home.

There are lots of details I'd like to add, like weapon racks, shelving, and some ammunition would be nice.

I actually view this as the first work in a larger town called Puppet's Cove. I've been fleshing out ideas while on phone conferences at work.

[Asuka]

A very realistic and interesting looking work indeed. Especially the fine balance between the smooth courtyard

and the rough appearance of the surrounding rocks is marvelous. An impressive and original fortress!

[Manta]

Amazing, I love the attention to detail you have, amazing fortress you have there, would be great for brikwars.

[Mister Phes]

Back stories can be interesting so today I'm going to focus on the back story of this MOC:

Built shortly before the onset of the War of Crowns and in service for more then 3 centuries,".

So what is this 'War of Crowns' - who was that fought between?

This event has also given rise to the legend of Mikhail's Ghost.

Have you ever considered getting one of those ghost mini-figures and...

[Fatespuppet]

Back stories can be interesting so today I'm going to focus on the back story of this MOC:

So what is this 'War of Crowns' - who was that fought between?

Have you ever considered getting one of those ghost mini-figures and...

I plan to slowly build more details of the town and add to this MOC as well. As I do so, I might bore you with more details about the war and the cove's role in the struggle.

As for the ghost minifig, I have a couple of the old glow in the dark ones, but I might go more for an all grey one if I ever get around to taking more photos.

[Teddy]

Dear Fatespuppet,

This modular fortress really turned out briliantly!

I don't know why you didnt like the corner tower? It really feels as an integral part of the build.

I really like the integration of the rock piece in the wall. It gives it a sence of "sturdiness" to cannon fire.

I also like the use of grey for a soldiers fortress. It just looks good. This fortress is universal and could be everywhere, from the

Caribian to good old Europe. Kind of reminds me of some mediterianian fortresses as well.

All in all I really like your design and the overall feel. The courtyard is just brilliant and really makes the building come alive.

As said before, some wheels would allow the canons to be refilled after the first shot.

But that is just a minor detail which can be fixxed fairly easily.

I agree with Mister Phes this is frontpage material.

Kind regards,

Teddy

Edited August 28, 2008 by Teddy

[Lt. Col. Thok]

Absolutely fantastic - great work!!

[Norro]

Wow! What a brilliant MOC! The fortress is practical and beautiful. The standards of fortification have really gone up of late in the pirate forum. I can't wait to see them all assailed by the new pirates!

Keep up the great work and God Bless,

Nathan

[Captain Blackmoor]

That's very impressive! I like the decorated square in the center of the fort

The interior is very cool as well and there's almost no difference between Mikhail's Watch and a real fortress!

[simonjedi]

which to bore all you folks with my own creations.

If this is the one you thing would be boring. I can't imagine what the interesting ones would look like.

Its a very impressive fort

Edited December 6, 2008 by simonjedi

[Sir Dano]

Very impressive, I love the architecture along the inside of the walls.

My only complaint is I feel you went a little overboard with the BURPs, maybe use dark grey bricks and slopes instead?

[NewRight]

Great MOC!

The court yard details have to be my favorite part of this large MOC.