Thank you so much, Sam. That would also be an idea. However, I had been thinking of something like a weapons store, a supply storage area, or a wood shed, since space in the courtyard is very limited.
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People forget how important it is to have a good store of wood inside a castle in case of siege, it’s probably only second to water. Most preserved foods were dried, and could only be rendered edible by immersion in hot/boiling water. Then there’s heating up cauldrons of sand to pour on attackers (works even better than boiling water)…
M
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Yes… firewood is very important. Pouring heated sand on attackers instead of water also makes sense. Water is far too valuable a resource to waste like that. Oil or pitch, as often shown in movies, was simply too expensive to be used in that way. So in the end, sand was the right choice.
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The chimney was removed in order to install a crane. The shed is used to store defensive materials. These should be kept close to the battlements.
A crane is required to get the materials onto the roof. Otherwise, everything would have to be laboriously carried through the keep.
The roof of the shed was also repainted.
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Really nice little addition Frank! Is the crane scratch built or 3d printed or bought?
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Thank you very much, Sam. The crane is 3D printed, constructed in Fusion 360.
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Some figures have been added. There are now 6 figures in the castle courtyard, including a horse. Outside the castle gate, there are 4 figures, one of which—the guard—has not yet been fixed in place, as he is still receiving equipment. The donkey cart has been painted and fixed. Once again, a few AI-generated photos with backgrounds.
The figures are certainly not painted to a top-tier standard, but for a diorama they are acceptable as long as you don’t inspect them with a magnifying glass.
A few figures are still missing.
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Frank it’s looking more like a home! Lots of nice little bits going in now to fill the scene! I recommend some sacks and some barrels. Every castle scene I’ve ever seen in the movies has barrels and sacks. God knows what’s in them but they’re there! Keep going Frank!
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If you look closely, there are already sacks and barrels in the shed on the roof of the palas (the great hall building). So far, they’re only there for testing and haven’t been painted yet.
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Awesome work…..
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When I saw the cart I was looking for the sacrificial wine from ‘Robin Hood, Men in Tights’! Ha ha Wayne
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Thank you very much for the comments.
The castle itself was arranged around two noble ladies and knights who are preparing to depart. One of the knights is putting on his chainmail, while a young lady hands him his sword. The other has already led his horse out of the stable. Above, near the crane, stands a crossbowman from the castle garrison. There are also two guards posted on the keep.
The lord of the castle stands at the top of the stairway before the gate, accompanied by two noble ladies, as well as another guard. The guards—one on the keep and the one in front of the main gate—still need to be equipped with lances.
The king’s entourage has been completed with three musicians.
In front of the entrance to the farmhouse stand two maids, one of them holding a small child in her arms.
The donkey cart has been painted and also secured.
In total, there are 17 additional figures. I believe the set of figures is now complete (but who knows what else I might come up with).
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Wunderbar Arbeit, Frank! so viele fantastische kleine Elemente in einem so großen Stück! Es war ein absolutes Vergnügen, Ihnen beim Erschaffen dieser hervorragenden Szene zuzusehen! Vielen Dank fürs Teilen!
Translation; bloody excellent Frank!
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Danke schön. Freut mich sehr, dass es dir gefällt, Sam.
A beam for manually rotating the crane was added to the upper platform of the crane. The barrels and sacks in the shed on the flat roof of the palas and on the crane’s loading platform were painted, and the barrels were filled.
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Keep those little additions coming Frank! It’s all adding to the scene!
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Thank you very much, Sam.
A stack of firewood and three sacks of harvested crops were placed in front of the farmhouse.
Brushwood was added throughout the entire diorama.
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Mate, this is the sort of item that should be in a museum to show people what life was like at certain points of history! It shows really well daily life at that time. Lovely work as always Frank!
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Thank you so much Sam. A very nice comment.
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The second from last pic reminds me of a shot from the film El Cid I’m sure! Superb work.
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Outstanding work Frank, this really tells a nice story. It’s always appreciated when one can follow along w the build, especially an architectural model from medieval times.
Cheers 
Dave 
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