Dear all, welcome to my nativity in Minas Tirith.

The Idea was not to be exactly true to the reality but enough to show clearly that it’s based on Minas Tirith. My first mistake is that I started to build the catapult and I realized at the end that it was really huge. However the mistake was made so everything then was sized after the catapult, so the result is quite huge considering the vertical wall and the main rock .

The catapult was created basically with wooden parts, coming from wooden skewers, wooden spoons and other parts taken from the usual wooden rods that you find in bricostores. The were glued together. The metallic parts are created with painted thin cardboard with bolts directly painted. I used the actual model in the movie and recreated as best as I could.

Based on the dimension of the catapult I started to build all the single architectonic parts of the area, starting with the barbacane supporting the catapult, the building that resembles a church (that I used for placing the nativity), the big tower that you can see on the left and the other small structures around, adding basic details bit by bit. The material used is always light polystyrene sheets covered on both sides by a thin layer of paper.

Then to give a similar appearance and to have the architecture consistent, I prepared little models of arches and columns in clay and then i created molds of different dimensions in order to be able to cast all the elements needed in resin. The parts were then glued in the suitable places of the elements..

After that I built the basic structure. I used primary two sheet raised by several Paper Glasses (double) in order to have a structure sturdy but still lightweight. In the side you can see the tower finished. Then I started to add all the elements of the basic structure that are placed in the bottom of the nativity, already primed and finished. I filled all the empty parts of the main wall too. You can see the arches are all in place and all the architecture is consistent.

I created the rock on the right with simple foam covered a bit by polyurethane foam and then cut and refined with a cutter.

I proceeded then with the main structure of the walls in the back adding details bit by bit in order to have a sturdy structure that could be moved without damages..

At this point it was only a matter of details and coloring properly, so next pictures will show details of the single parts with some information. Enlarging the pictures you could see how each parts was made in detail.

Consider that for the two arches on the left and right side I added a mirror in order to give the impression that the street goes on and on. For the fountain I used the same material of the walls and then added transparent resin to give the impression of water. The little cart is done with colored wood, the doors were created with wood or with cast resin.

For the figures I just bought some of the appropriate size from a chinese shop: they are cheaper and better than the ones that you usually find in stores. For the Minas Tirith guards I used some Medieval infantry of the same size of the classic figurines of the nativity (though of different and not sturdy resin) and added to the diorama.

For the flags and banners I just printed out in color on paper and applied where necessary, recoloring the borders in order to give some authenticity.

Last, all the dirt that you see in the streets and on corners, or coming down from the walls (simulating moss) are done with different grades of sand, glued and colored in place with different shades.

And finally a full picture of the nativity.

Hope you enjoyed the build !