In the old days, you used to get yelled at for putting a pringle tube on the table. Now we deploy troops to guard 'em. Every industrial sector has to store materials, often in the form of powdered or fluid chemicals. This piece was inspired by docklands near to my home. This tower is similar to my single-tube project, bur the three tubes gives a larger area up top for fighting and hinders line of sight even more. After trying several configurations, I glued the three tubes to the textured side of a hardboard base. Painted properly, the texture gives a sort of 'cobblestone' effect. A also added some sand and light gravel to the board to increase the industrial/grimy feel of the piece.. The top platform is made from foamboard/foamcore. Because it is larger than the tubes, it makes life difficult for anyone holding the towers: As anyone climbing up will be hidden from view. I added the access ladder, stood off on 5mm blocks of foamboard. Mark and cut out the access opening, then glue the platform in place. I then added masking tape to the sides of the foamboard to protect it. Add various bits of pipework to your tubes plus any bits from you parts box. Cross the pipes and try to make some linking to different tubes.

I covered the top of the platform with netting from a curtain, holding down the edges with masking tape until dry. Painted black and weathered, it makes a good industrial walkway surface. Panel work around the edges, a manhole (from cereal packet card) and rivets (made with a small hole punch) add interest. The hand rails are made from a 13mm (1/2”) garden mesh, cut to height with a long pointed wire facing down. Bend these wire tails through 90 degrees and push into the foamboard and glue. The control column is from a toy sale Lego toy while the control wheel is a steering wheel from a pound shop toy tractor. A tool box from a 1/35 accessories set was added. I then sprayed the whole thing black, then with grey, using car primers. (Always use aerosol sprays in a well ventilated area.) I picked out the pipe work and other parts with a 'gunmetal' dry-brush . The control column is painted green and the edge of the wheel is red. I painted '108' freehand on the side and added a couple of labels made on my printer. I then gave the whole thing a dry brush in bleached bone, to bring out details and to give it a dusty look.