A Tale of Two Towers

Firstly this particular entry is very picture heavy!

As part of the 40mm AWI/ACW range I designed and Dave at Grand Manner has cast up, I have produced a 40mm Lexington Belfry or The Old Belfry at Lexington. (Code AMC-40-12).

The title, a Tale of Two Towers relates to the fact that I intend building two different versions of this particular model, firstly a modified casting to show the re-built, reproduction of the Belfry, as seen below and a later one showing the same casting built as the White Belfry would have looked in 1775.

Photo One - Shows the finished reproduction, based on a wooden plaque with modelling and historical notes.

Photo Two - Takes a step back in time and shows the original model during construction. The base is a 3mm plastic card box with lollipop stick weather boards.

Photo Three - The finished 'master' ready to be moulded and cast-up in resin.

Photo Four - The inspiration for the model - the battle of Lexington with the Lexington Belfry in the right background.

Photo Five - Yet another illustration, again showing the Belfry to the right.

Photo Six - A coloured postcard showing The Old Belfry, Lexington, MA. This is the illustration I used to build the modern reproduction.

Photo Seven - The first ever resin casting of the Grand Manner 40mm Lexington Belfry (AMC-40-12).

Photo Eight - The model is cast in three separate pieces, a main body, the roof section and the bell tower roof.

Photo Nine - The re-built Belfry, with a revised bell tower and a new diorama base built from sheets of broken cork, DAS modelling clay and stones from the garden.

Photo Ten - A close-up of the bell tower.

Photo Eleven - The main building painted over a black undercoat, using various acrylic paints and GW washes.

Photo Twelve - As above.

Photo Thirteen - Painting - halfway through. Note the white wooden plaque - a feature of the reproduction, which details the history of the original and reproduced tower.

Photo Fourteen - The bell tower nearly finished.

Photo Fifteen - The main building nearly finished. The figure is an O gauge figure from A C Stadden, a 1/43rd scale figure (40mm tall) of C B Collett. I wanted a contemporary figure rather than use a 40mm AWI Continental as I have done in the past. You can also see the beginnings of foliage on the base, made from ground foam and static grass.

Photo Sixteen - As above.

Photo Seventeen - A photo of the finished display piece that has been produced to be used at trade shows by Grand Manner.

Photo Eighteen - The finished diorama.

The plaque says;

The Old Belfry, Lexington, MA.

The Old Belfry in Lexington was built in 1762 and originally stood on a small hill adjacent to the village green. In 1768 it was moved to the common and between the hours of 1.00 am and 2.00 am on the morning of April 19th, 1775 the bell was rung to summon the local militia after Paul Revere and Willam Dawes had alerted the village.

In 1797, it was removed to the Parker Homestead in the south part of the town. In 1891 it was brought back to this hill by the Lexington Historical Society. Later it was destroyed by a gale in 1909 and rebuilt in 1910.

This particular model is a re-built and detailed model of the 40mm Lexington Belfry (AMC-40-12) model from Grand Manner. It is modelled and painted as it appeared in a colour postcard around 1919.

Tony