Category: 3D Printing

Lutheran Church I

~ anthony ~ 5 Comments
Lutheran Church, Main St Sharpsburg Maryland 1862
(US Library of Congress)

Confession time, I have been working on a digital model of the Lutheran Church for probably the last two years. When motivation struck I would work on it, and when it would fade the model would just gather digital dust on my hard drive. Difficulties in maintaining a solid model* with such detailed geometry saw me start over a few times, but with renewed purpose I am going (to try) and commit to getting it finished.

Luckily John Banks has already done the work of providing close ups of the photo (right) on his blog post: Antietam battle damage at Lutheran Church, not so fortunate is that the close ups show that I had made a few errors around the windows and for the front door, namely I had made the sash windows both top and bottom as 9 pane glass while the photo clearly shows the lower sash is only 6 pane**, so these will need to be rectified.

Given that the church no longer exists and I have been unable to find any other photos I will make the assumption that the far side of the church is a mirror of the photographed side, and I will exercise some poetic license and the rear of the building can have an off centre door but will be devoid of windows.

Close up of front door and steps
(from John Banks‘ Civil War Blog)

The front door is quite recessed and from the photo (left) it appears to be of a traditional design. While the steps are quite “rustic” and almost falling down, so I will need to make sure these are modelled in a quite rough manner.

Although not related to the church per se is the photo below that shows a differing view of Sharpsburg’s Main St and is taken from the right of the church and looking down the hill. The house on the right (in the church photo) is now on the left and there are a few buildings offering inspiration, though they are simply variants of each other, so possibly quite easy to model.

Sharpsburg, Principal St Maryland 1862.
(US Library of Congress)

* A 3D digital model needs to be “solid” to print optimally. Which is to say it does not have any “holes” that lead into its geometry and thus create a model of exposed planes, rather than a “solid”. There are websites and plugins that try to correct these errors in the mesh, but there is no substitute for creating the model properly from the start.

** I know I mentioned somewhere else that I want my models to be as accurate as possible, while remaining usable and printable. Sometimes to get a usable model that is printable will mean small compromises in accuracy but it is something I try to avoid.

Reading (still): Welker, David A., The Cornfield, Antietam’s bloody turning point. (2020) ISBN: 978-1-61200-832-5

Dunker Church III

~ anthony ~ 4 Comments
Poor painting not withstanding the model is basically done

It was my second “real” post on this blog and was supposed to be the one of the major reasons for writing, chiefly being a collection of research notes and then a displaying of the final 3D models I had managed to craft from said research.

But life and the hobby seems to throw lots of “shiny” at us to serve as a distraction* and delay to our plans. Not to mention a slight pedantry that forces more than a few “do-overs” as I try to make it as perfect as possible.

No battle plan survives contact with the enemy

Helmth von Moltke

I think the same can be said that any wargaming project does not survive contact with the painting table. Or at least I find it so…so maybe my planning needs a little more work?

So fingers crossed, the next plan is to tackle the Lutheran Church from Sharpsburg, made famous by the Andrew Gardner photo, and then maybe the Miller Farm, so I can bookend the Antietam cornfield.

* I have supported all the Blood and Plunder Kickstarters, which sit unpainted next to my painting bench seemingly in accusation of their neglected state and teasing that they would be such fun…must resist…28mm…pirates…so tempting.

Reading (still): Welker, David A., The Cornfield, Antietam’s bloody turning point. (2020) ISBN: 978-1-61200-832-5

Pasir Panjang Pillbox I

~ anthony ~ 8 Comments

Pasir Panjang (Malay: Sand Long, thus “long sand”)

This is probably the best example of the British Naval Design Type 1 pillbox that still stands in Singapore, there are others in Malaysia* along what was the Kota Tinggi Defence line and I believe a rather good example still stands in Penang, also in Malaysia. Located, today, at the corner of Pasir Panjang Rd and Science Park Rd, the pillbox once covered the west coast beaches and the coastal approach towards the battery and storage depot located at Labrador Park, further East. Land reclamation in the west has seen the “beach” move a few 100m south, and now the pillbox is a landlocked landmark.

It is unknown whether the forces here took part in the Battle for Pasir Panjang since most of the battle took place on the long line of hills and ridges of Bukit Panjang (Malay: Hill Long, thus “long hill”) to the North but it was under the command of the 1st Malay Regiment, who were positioned to oppose any Japanese advance along this route. Although it is well within sight of Bukit Chandu, (Malay: Hill Opium, thus “opium hill”) where C Company made it’s heroic last stand against the Japanese troops, and having visited the site a few times in the past, there appears to be no “battle damage” nor is there any visible repair work that would suggest that it was involved actively in the events on 12-15 February 1942.

I always wondered at the merits of having the door into the pillbox at the side, and can only imagine that there once was some form of sandbag curtain wall to protect the entry, since it would make more sense being placed in the rear. However similar Type 1 pillbox’s built in Malaysia show the door also at the side. (eg: Southbay(1), Southbay(2), Mt Erskine Cemetery, and, Relau Pillbox which are all in Penang) and there are Type 1 examples at Pengerang Coastal Battery location in Johor, Malaysia, not to be confused with the Johore Battery that was in Singapore. And while I have found photos, my search skills have not found any that reveal the doors, but I am willing to guess that they follow the examples that still stand. Though interestingly only the Type 1 at Pasir Panjang has the addition of the rear curtain wall and extra firing ports.

A bit “fresher” and less weathered than it stands today(though I think I need to add a little tropical mould) this is my take on the pillbox. I have to decide whether the level of the earth at the right is a result of modern roadworks, or represents the original dunes above the beach. Maybe a foam insert that I can add if I want, but remove as well?

* I know Singapore and Malaysia were one country and known collectively during WWII as Malaya, but for the sake of convenience when taking about war sites I am going to refer to them in reference to the country they now exist in.