# City of the Damned: Building Mordheim



## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Hello everyone,
Quite some time ago, me and some friends of mine decided we'd really like to play some Mordheim! The difficulty with this however, is that ideally you need an entire ruined city to play in. So we started buidling one. Having the most experience of us in building terrain, I gave some workshops on making buildings, and sometimes we come together to continue our construction for an entire day. Having few time in between to build, the process is slow but one day we'll get there. In this project log I'll post the scenery we are building, and gradually add battle reports once our campaign get's started, so you can see our city and warbands in action! During the campaign, I'll still add pictures of any new scenery or models we'll make.

For those who don't know what Mordheim is:


It once was a prosperous city in the Empire. It was however, full of corruption, debauchery, crime and some say home to large cults dedicated to the Gods of Chaos. One day, a twin-tailed comet appeared in the sky, the meaning of which was hotly debated by scholars. Astromancers predicted the comet would land in the city of Mordheim, and when it did, it set the enitre city ablaze! Many buildings where ruined, countless people lay dead, some of whom had come to the city falsly believing the comet heralded the second coming of Sigmar. Today, some people say the comet was a punishment of Sigmar, for the vile inhabitants of the wretched city. Others speculate is was a cruel joke of the Chaos Gods. Whatever the cause, the city lay in ruins, but was abundantly scattered with the rare substance known as wyrdstone (warpstone) magic in solid form! Wizards and Alchemists pay copious amounts for even small pieces, so the city became a haven for men seeking their fortune within it's crumbling walls. 
The wyrdstone also attracted the interest of the Skaven clan Eshin, as well as vampires and worshippers of Chaos. It has become a dangerous place, full of monsters of chaos, a place were the dead don't rest easily and above all, a place ruled by the greed of men.


This is my oldest building, I started it construction before the plans of mordheim, but I made it so it stands quite nicely both as a standalone piece on a battlefield and amongst other buildings within the walls of morheim. It can be separated from it's larger base, leaving it nice and compact to fit within the city.









































It was based on a cardboard skeleton, with planking added on the upper floors and a thin layer of foam on the lower. The roof was the most work, each cardboard tile hand-cut and roughed up. The windows are made of mesh on a paper background, with wooden borders. The foam was sealed using PVA glue. It is unpainted to show the materials I used.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

wow...you want me to love you? because thats exactly how you do that.
I tought my nepews to play mordheim and it is always funny! unfortunately i have to do with the old cardboard terrain set...


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

In a platonic sense, of course. I will modify the rules a bit to make it depend less on randomness and to balance certain warband builds more. It'll still be funny, but more fun!
Here's the old inn painted up:

































With this base, it is suited for normal warhammer battles, but it is actually a tightly fitting outer ring:








This is how we'll be using it in Mordheim.


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## Loki1416 (Apr 20, 2010)

I approve of anything Mordheim. Your buildings are very impressive!


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## Haskanael (Jul 5, 2011)

that looks very good! always wanted to learn Mordheim but missing the people to learn it from


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

of course, platonic! (altough i worship Slaanesh, so you might never be shure...)
I just have noticed the w.c. :biggrin:


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Thank you all!
The outhouse is detachable from the base as well, so can also be placed somewhere in Mordheim.
Here's a small building I did in a very short time. The walls are completely made of foam, hardened with PVA. While the floor is thick with rubble, models stand still surpisingly stable inside the building. The small platform accessable by the stairs turn this small house into a formidable defensive position, as the stairway side of the house is the only direction in which can not be fired.


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Another small thing to liven up the city! ...Or rather not:








This piece is primarily made from matchsticks, planking and some thicker pieces of square wood. Put on a hardboard base with cardboard tiles. Hanging fellow from the zombie sprue, with the rope made from greenstuff, as well as the rope around the wrist.
I'm not sure if this guy still hangs here from the day the comet fell, or if he came to be this way more recently... Anyway, it serves as a setpiece to fill some of the more spacious areas in Mordheim. Desperate warriors can hide behind it for some cover, or use it as a grisly elevated fighting platform.
Hope you like it!


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

Really like it! Again, great stuff.


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## Lemmy1916 (Jan 22, 2012)

cool stuff buddy! as a former mordheim player i really approve that! i wish i had this kind of terrain to play back in the day


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Time for some work in progress! While this buidling has been pushed back because of some other projects, I'm also not entirely sure where I'll let the doorway on the third floor lead to. I was thinking about a bridge to another building, possibly a fire-escape. 
















The walls are made of cardboard, sandwiched between two thin sheets of foam. Wooden planking was added to the floors, doorways and walls. There still need to be added some windows, primarily on the first floor. I was thinking this building would be a store with a house on top, which explains the access to the upper floors being seperated of that on the ground level.
The basic construction went very quick. For this one, the details take the most time!

In game it is a formidable structure, capable of holding an entire warband! The balcony and windows provide excellent firing positions. The highest floor has enough room for a large fight. The two entrances can be very tight and difficult bottlenecks for any assailants to breach. However, this means there's also limited space to flee to once they do...

While it'll be a while for this is finished, most of the work has been done at this stage.


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

I've finaly decided where the doorway on the upper floor leads to. It will either lead to a fire escape:









Or to the roof of an entirely new building:









I will make a section of fenced off alley so no burglars could use the fire escape as an easy way inside the house from before the meteorites fell.

Comments are welcome!


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

This is an ambitious and well executed project, I will definitely be returning here for inspiration in the future. Good job!


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

i am somewhat devoured by envy and hope your majestic and beatifully executed project will be inexplicably shipped to my house.


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## cirs85 (Nov 9, 2011)

Lemmy1916 said:


> i wish i had this kind of terrain to play back in the day


Right!

The cruddy cardboard cutouts and plastic corners was the way to go... ended up stacking cardboard boxes and stuff after a while.

Really like the terrain you got going here, keep it up!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

I'm working on the flat-roofed building now, and I'm quite happy with the progress. Sculpting the water-spouts that prevent the roof from turning into a pool is quite fun and a good experience.


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## Sigur (Dec 9, 2010)

I can't believe i missed this thread before. I liked your ships thread a lot, but you just can't beat good scratch-built houses.

Do you still use foam for the walls on all of your houses?


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## Veteran Sergeant (May 17, 2012)

Have many fond memories of Mordheim, though our tables never looked half as good as yours. Really liking your work so far.


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Thanks guys! It'll probably still take a while before we'll start playing (with the exception of some practise matches), But hopefully I'l be able to finish up some more buildings before the rest has theirs finished. @Sigur, yes I do use foam for a lot of my buildings, though I glue it all to a cardboard frame. The foam is really neat to work with when making stone walls, as you can see in some places of the large building in progress above. These buidlings will however be spackled. The thin layer of foam allows me to create some more depth on the buildings as well, such as with the windows and doors. I also use tiny planks for my wooden buildings (and interiors), glued directly to the cardboard in some cases.
Woodwork on the windows is done:


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

As all Mordheim models are out of print, very hard to come by or butt-ugly, I've decided to sculpt some of my own. Both to have some interesting warbands and to increase my skills as a sculptor.
I've sketched some ideas for a magister or brethern of a tzeentchian Cult of the Possessed. They're somewhat plain, but small details will be added as I see fit while sculpting the models.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

eh, those are going to be great. let's see how you do fare with sculpting!


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

I might not be into warhammer anymore, but these are some nice pieces of scenery. Really good work.


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

I'm quite happy with the progress on my cultist/magister for my Possessed warband. Still WIP:


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

Wow, very true to the new game and very chaosy! Are you going to do a partial chaos star over the hood as though it's been made from a banner?


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Thanks @Iraqiel, I'm not entirely sure how I'll paint the model, but I like your idea. Chaos banners would however be quite rare in an empire city I think...


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

Tha Tall One said:


> Chaos banners would however be quite rare in an empire city I think...


Oh, I don't know... hidden shrines in the sewers, trophies from conquests of some noble lining a hall, perhaps a corrupt patron keeping a secret room for his cultists to meet and plot... I'm sure there could be a few reasons to find one there. Plus, Mordheim is a bit of a nasty place to be generally!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

@Iraqiel, you are right of course, though I'd imagine a secret cult would already have ceremonial robes and such.

Managed to finish the magister:


















I do like how his staff turned out!


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

Yep, that's a very successful magister staff you've converted there!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Thanks @Iraqiel. I've also started building an (inner) City Wall, including a gate. This will provide some walkways higher up, as they're all exactly as high as my last building.


















Additionally, I can use them for Siege games.


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

Looks good. Tell me, how did you do the brickwork? Is it just some time spent very patiently scoring away at a foamboard outer layer?


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Iraqiel said:


> Looks good. Tell me, how did you do the brickwork? Is it just some time spent very patiently scoring away at a foamboard outer layer?


Yes, each and every line was carved into the foam with a toothpick. Mistakes were erased with milliput, and I've had to erase some major mistakes on the backside of the gate. I'm currently working on the woodwork of the guardhouse atop the gate.


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Here's a picture of the gate finished. The doors are separable from the rest of the piece, making it perfect for both sieges and Mordheim. As a matter of fact, you might have seen the wall used in my latest siege.










I will post more pictures when the weather (and therefore lighting) is better.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

That magister is creepy...reminds me of KKK... only that they don't hate just black people...they hate everyone! Even themselves!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

neferhet said:


> That magister is creepy...reminds me of KKK... only that they don't hate just black people...they hate everyone! Even themselves!


Yes, I'm quite happy with his creepyness. Interestingly, Spanish flagellants rocked this look long before the racists did, and are probably the inspiration for the KKK. Curiously, any flagellants were prosecuted by the Spanish inquisition, making them kind of a secret cult. However, I won't paint his robes white.


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Here are some pictures of the finished wall on my new cobblestone mat!










The second picture shows the murder holes above the gate to pour boiling oil through.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

Nice wall!
Those religious fanatics though...:biggrin:


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

I've also taken some pictures of the city as it stands with all my buildings. I've made the wall such that it is accessable from some buildings.










Keep in mind that this is only my buildings. Once the others have finished theirs, the city will be 7 more buildings richer.


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## alasdair (Jun 11, 2009)

Awesome set of terrain.


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Another small update, I'm sculpting a Possessed for my Tzeentchian Cult of the Possessed.
Only the neck needs some more work, and I'm not sure what to do with the right hand.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

what about a big eye instead of an hand?


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

While I do like the idea, I would prefer to keep with my original plan of having him split in two, half human, half birdmonster. In which case I would like for him to have a normal hand. I was thinking about having it clasp a scroll or book or such.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

Tha Tall One said:


> I was thinking about having it clasp a scroll or book or such.


very nice touch. there are plenty of tasty books in recent sprues. I suggest the one found in the wh40k terminator chaos lord/sorceror


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## Roganzar (Feb 16, 2014)




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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Got another section of wall done, as well as a statue.


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

Nice work. That statue is one of my favourite pieces of fantasy terrain, and it fits damn well in with my pegasus models chapel and 4ground houses!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Thanks @Iraqiel! I always appreciate your commentary! I bought the set specifically for the statue, though I had to clean it up a bit (the skull for example).

Got the small building (nearly) finished, only the doorhinge needs to be painted. Found some brilliant posters online that I used on the wall.










Hope you like 'm!


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## Roganzar (Feb 16, 2014)

These things look great. I have to say I'm inspired to take a crack at building a building myself. Found a nice tube at work I'm planing on turning into some kind of tower.
Keep up the great work and maybe a tutorial might be thought about.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

wow. great stuff, as always.. and i'm just here contemplating to buy the "4ground" scenery to play a decent mordheim...


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

Tha Tall One said:


> Thanks @Iraqiel! I always appreciate your commentary! I bought the set specifically for the statue, though I had to clean it up a bit (the skull for example).
> 
> Got the small building (nearly) finished, only the doorhinge needs to be painted. Found some brilliant posters online that I used on the wall.


Well mate, I appreciate your updates, very inspiring. I like how you've done the plaster look on that latest one too, looking good!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Thanks guys! These buildings take a very long time to complete, but I'll try to document the progress of my next building for tutorial purposes. In the mean time @Roganzar, if you have any questions or would like some tips, you can always send me a PM. I'm looking forward to your work .

Those 4Ground buildings look really good @neferhet! Albeit expensive...

Oh and @Iraqiel, the plaster look is done by using plaster.


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## DeathKlokk (Jun 9, 2008)

Very nice stuff! I used to do things like this when I was younger and had more time. Now I barely get time to play, much less do intricate things such as this. On the upside I have more money than then so I've started building a collection of Tabletop World buildings!


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

Tha Tall One said:


> Those 4Ground buildings look really good @neferhet! Albeit expensive...


Expensive to build a complete city from, but still cheap compared to GW...



Tha Tall One said:


> Oh and @Iraqiel, the plaster look is done by using plaster.



You and your indecipherable gypsy magic!



DeathKlokk said:


> I've started building a collection of Tabletop World buildings!


Awesome stuff DeathKlokk, my wife has promised me their watchtower for christmas!


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

Iraqiel said:


> but still cheap compared to GW...


exactly my thought 
I wish i had your skills tall One!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Thanks again guys! I have actually looked at the tabletop world buidlings for inspiration. They are absolutely beautiful, though I'm not sure they'd work well in Mordheim on their own.



Iraqiel said:


> You and your indecipherable gypsy magic!


I do actually add a special ingredient to my plaster mixture: wood glue. It makes the plaster a lot stronger and easier to paint, by binding it more strongly together and making it less porous. I guess PVA-glue would have a similar effect.


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## neferhet (Oct 24, 2012)

Tha Tall One said:


> I do actually add a special ingredient to my plaster mixture: wood glue. It makes the plaster a lot stronger and easier to paint, by binding it more strongly together and making it less porous. I guess PVA-glue would have a similar effect.


AH! He shared with us the secret of his power! THE FOOL!!! And now, let's all become master modelists with this knowledge! MUAHMUAHMUAH!!!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Last week, we had another scenery-building day, and the buildings of my friends progress steadily now!

I do not have prictures of all buildings individually at the moment, so here's only one:

*Please note that this is NOT my work!*








*Please note that this is NOT my work!*

I do have some pictures of the city put together (albeit hastily):









And Mordheim by night:


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Nobody has been able to guess what I'm working on now.


















It's a crane! Essential for all building-construction!


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## Dazunil Spinerod (Nov 25, 2015)

As owner of the three prefabs on the city-table, and builder of the multi-storey town house (and close friend of Tha Tall One), I've had the privilege to watch the progress on Tha Tall One's buildings from close by. I'm very happy to be a part of this project, and was inspired and encouraged to work harder on my building because of all your amazing praises! So, thanks for that everyone.

In addition we played a small game of Mordheim in the city a few weeks ago, and even though not all buildings were finished, we couldn't finish the match (because we we're also busy with working our plaster gipsy magic on my building) and it was only a small introduction game, we still had a lot of fun. As compared to some video battle reports, the height and accessibility of some of the buildings we used, as well as the wall, gave quite a lot of depth to the game, which was very interesting and fun indeed. 

In the meantime my building has progressed somewhat further, the higher roof is done, except for the dormer-roof. Also the plaster is done, which turned out quite nicely after a quick sanding. If I find the time I will try and get some pictures online here, for those interested. I also have some pictures here and there of earlier stages of the building process, and will try and find as much of them as possible (since it is already more than two years since we started with this project, but I took very long brakes, and sometimes even waited for months before Tha Tall One hosted the next scenery building day).


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

The crane is nearly finished now!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

At last! I finally finished the big house! It is now fully painted!


















I added some rubble, but left some space for models to stand easily.


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## SonofVulkan (Apr 14, 2010)

That building is excellent. Lovely stuff. The attention to detail is very nice. :victory:


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## DeathKlokk (Jun 9, 2008)

I like it! One thing bugs me though, the wall edges. They're too clean. Should have some soot around the damaged edges.


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

DeathKlokk said:


> I like it! One thing bugs me though, the wall edges. They're too clean. Should have some soot around the damaged edges.


You are absolutely right!

















I've tried to make it somewhat subtle.


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## Iraqiel (May 21, 2008)

This project gets bigger, better and more inspiring as time goes on! Great work mate!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Iraqiel said:


> This project gets *bigger*, better and more inspiring as time goes on! Great work mate!


Bigger you say?

*Oh I can do bigger!*










































Yes, it's been a while.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Christ on a unicycle!

Stumbled across this just now. Corking work all around mate! :so_happy:


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Thanks @Tawa!

Finished the Magister!


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

Small update on the tower:


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