Anker: Apartmenthaus

One more unusual, challenging building from the CVA booklet with building plans for GK-NF 10 to 14, the Apartment Building for GK-NF 12.

As always, click on the pictures to see a larger version.

One of the unusual features of this building is that it includes a basement level with several rooms and a fully built out stairs leading down from an ground level entry on the outside of the building.

Building rear with back entry and the balconies 

These balconies were the hardest part of the construction, In particular, the middle stones of each balcony floor are only held by the weight of several stone layers above, so they have to be added as late as possible.

Nevertheless, because I didn't think about a proper sequence of placing stones, this building was the first where I had a partial crash when half complete the 2nd floor balcony came down.

Side view

One of the creative aspects of the building is how it achieves a very regular, symmetric three floor outside with many variations in the height and thinkness of the wall layers.

Building front with main entrance and stairs leading down to the basement

Kurmainz Grenadiere

Here is the first combined Grenadier unit for the Zinna Reichsarmee OOB. It has four companies from the Kurmainz Infantry which I already painted earlier, and two from Ernestinisch Sachsen where I haven't done the basic unit yet. 

Kurmainz Grenadiers with Austrian style bearskin caps

The fun thing about "obscure" Reichsarmee units like Ernestinisch Sachsen is that they combined a mix of smaller units each with their own uniforms. In this case, the first battalion had Grenadiers with Prussian style mitres as seen in the front rank below (officer still missing...), and the second infantry battalion had companies with three different uniforms which I also reflect with a mix in the second rank of the unit shown below.

On the left, the two Ernestinisch Sachsen grenadier companies with their mix of four different uniforms, and even Austrian and Prussian style hats.

Anker: Bundesministerium

Here's another one of the nice CVA buildings from the CVA booklet with building plans for GK-NF 10 to 14, the nicely named "Bundesministerium für Freizeit und Hobby Berlin" (new office building for the, unfortunately fictional, "federal government secretary for Leisure and Hobby in Berlin").

Foundation layer with some distance keeping stones #60 to be removed later

The stairway is a bit fiddly, but a fun idea. Here it is still under construction.

This is the finished staircase, unfortunately it ends below half of the total building's height (not that I have any idea how to continue it higher up...)

Getting closer to the roof layer...

Now just the flat roof is missing

Building front with interesting decorative blue facade elements and a somewhat industrial looking exhaust pipe on the right

Side view with one of the large window fronts which are hard, but fun to build and also don't look too boring because of the differing window heights

Anker: Delling Church

Before ordering the next box, I decided to warm up with a few non-Richter builds for GK-NF 14. Here is one taken from the CVA booklet with building plans for GK-NF 10 to 14, the Delling church.

As expected from the pictures in the booklet, this is a wonderful bread-and-butter building, designed in a straightforward, nice and clean way. Simple subject, solid execution, and a very good use of the basic stones in the set (but no artificial use of the many small stones that are sometimes pressed into very optional, decoration-only roles to good or not-so-exciting results).

Starting the roof construction

A small set of stairs leads up to the entrance in the tower. A nice ledge in yellow structures the tower, another one in red holds the roof.

Note the absence of unnecessary decoration. Some of the tiny 79 and 80 stones are used for small windows in the roof - not very realistic but a nice way to increase the roof area with a limited amount of blue 45 degree stones.

The small arches play a realistic role for the windows / sound holes on the level of the bells.

Main entrance and facade, again with a simple form and structured with a few ledges in yellow and red.

Anker plans

Inspired by a great Youtube channel for a more current brick building system (no names named :) I've started to make plans to pick up my Anker stones again.

Currently I have the GK NF boxes up to 12A, i.e. box 14. You can see the stones here and some buildings here.

So now the question is where to go next.

The easy thing would be to build more with 14. I already started experimenting with New-Series buildings (finding that I can improvise up to GK-NS 12 with the NF 14 stones).

I would also like to revisit the alternative / non-Richter plans for GK-NF 14, e.g. the ones here or here. The Delling church from the BiK (first link) looks really promising, some other models in that booklet look nice, too. From the other link, the Hotel could be interesting (simple but big), there is also a nice church and a row of old houses forming one whole (with a nod to the Lego modular buildings that retriggered my Anker itches...).

Looking through these plans, I also came across a GK-NF 8 tower which looks really funky and unusual. That might make a nice diversion.

P.S. the GK-NF 14 town wall from CVA could also be a great backdrop to my next tabletop game...

I could also revisit buildings from box 10 and 12 and extend them, e.g. adding floors, width or detail. That's another idea I had when looking at the Lego Modular Buildings - they cry out to be customized with simple additions, that should also be possible for Anker buildings. One inspiration is this nice addition to the "Holy Grail" of Anker aficionados, the Große Burg.

The next obvious choice is to get box 14A and build the new models offered by that (and then to continue with 16A, 18A and enter the gothic era...). This will also open up the CVA buildings for 16.

I'll also think about a way to showcase Anker stones in our local Kindergarten. Not sure which box to start with, though - der Kleine Gernegroß uses half sized stones which are too easy to swallow, so maybe the Starter Set is a candidate (also listed in other sources in case of availability issues). This has no small stones (each stone has at least two edges of at least one base length).

Band Watch List

Similar to my podcast link list, here's a collection of Bands where I would like to track gig dates.

Metal

• Ahab
• Arkona
• Nile
• The Privateer
• Skillet
• Bastard Nation
• Deserted Fear

Venues

• MUZ Club Nbg
• Z-Bau Nbg
• Cafe Central Weinheim
• Plüsch Kirrlach

Local

• 3d1p
• Empty Bullets
• Beyond This Summer

Ansbach Dragoons

The second Reichsarmee cavalry unit for my Zinna project is done, the Ansbach Dragoons.

Set up in two ranks as normal tabletop gaming formation

In column