Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, resident Karen Rhodes is a crafter and modeler. Recently, she has begun scratch-building custom-made wargaming buildings, including this 28mm wonderful rendition of McPherson’s barn, a prominent landmark on the first day’s battlefield west of town.
She writes, “I started doing buildings around 20 years ago. Some of which are on my gallery page of my retail site. http://www.clayalley.com/gallery.htm
Her sculptures are of the buildings themselves – no landscaping or interiors. She has made structures in 1:144 scale, as well as 15mm, 15mm scale, HO scale, 28mm scale, and just about any other size which has interested her, including Putz houses. Karen does everything by hand — total scratchbuilding. She uses a variety of materials, foam, balsa, basswood, textured paper, clay, – just anything actually and in her words, “I do not rush. A building may take me 4 months or more to do depending on the complexity, size, etc. Each of the shingles on the McPherson barn was hand made…. yes, each one I cut and sized on my dining room table – not to mention each was attached individually. The underside of the overhand of the barn was carved.”
Here are some more of her photos of the 28mm McPherson’s barn.
CHARGE! Civil War miniature wargaming and dioramas 