Desert Hospitality

First, another update on orders – we’ve shipped everything that arrived on or before Jan 4th (and some that arrived after that), and by the end of today’s casting session we hope to be up to Jan 10th, so the delay will be down to just over a week. We’re hoping that we’ll have cleared the whole of the backlog by the end of the month, but that of course depends on how many orders we get between now and then ! The cold weather here in the UK isn’t helping – the workshop is mostly unheated (yesterday it didn’t get above 6-7°C inside the building). This makes resin casting especially problematic – the resin is incredibly brittle and is likely to snap if you so much as look at it funny, so demoulding is a challenge. However, the temperature is forecast to reach a balmy 12°C on Monday, which will make things much easier (and it’ll stop the tea going cold within a few minutes !).

This week, we’re back in the (6mm) deserts with these three new buildings. The first is a Caravanserai – on Old Earth, these were roadside inns along major trade routes such as the Silk Road. In past times they would have food and lodging for both the weary traveller, and also for their horses or camels. In this variant it’s more likely to be fuel for the grav sled, but the idea is the same. They generally had a large entrance leading to a courtyard with rooms leading off from there. Ours has the same layout, with the addition of a tower to one side.

This one has been made into a small diorama with an oasis and outbuilding, to fit in with our other desert scenery.

Our second offering is a Fondouk, which has a similar purpose to the caravanserai, but more likely to be found in urban settings, and more of a drinking house. The sort of place where disreputable rogues, scoundrels and starship captains hang out !

Finally, and vital for the desert regions, a small water tower to keep everyone hydrated.

B300-114 – Water Tower – £1.50
B300-115 – Fondouk – £3.00
B300-154 – Caravanserai – £5.00