Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

I have a complete tutorial that shows you how to cheaply and easily make a spartan shield. It looks just like the ones they used in the movie 300.

But first you might want to take a look at a real spartan shield. The picture below is a shot I took of a real spartan shield in a museum in Athens Greece. The plaque reads: Bronze Spartan Shield - loot from the Battle of Pylos 425 B.C. This shield has seen some action.

If you want a closer look I have a bigger picture on my website here: A Real Spartan Shield

I also have a home video of the monument at the actual battlefield of Thermopylae where the battle of the 300 took place. It is on my youtube channel here: The Battle of Thermopylae monument

If you want to make your own Spartan Shield the tutorial is here: Make a Spartan shield 

Here is a picture of what it looks like when completed:

I do a lot of different dioramas and I do a lot of different siege engines. If you have been following me for a while you have probably seen some of my catapults, trebuchets and miniature castles. I recently got an email from a web visitor who has tied all these things together by making a large diorama of a castle with a very big front gate. But he also built the various siege engines that are attacking it.

This is a pretty cool project and it includes a trebuchet, battering ram and a Mantlet which is a portable shield that was used to protect warriors from arrows and other projectiles.

You can see the various aspects of his project on my website here: A Medieval Siege Diorama Project

You may also want to check out my 8 foot diorama called “The Battle Between Good and Evil” It has a castle with lighting, a mountain and a working waterfall.  A picture of this diorama is below.

I just completed this new tutorial and it is complete with a video. It shows you how to make the leg guards (Greaves) just like in the movie 300. They come out really good and you just need a few items including some cereal box cardboard, flour and water. This is part of my on going series of tutorials on the 300 weapons and armor. So far I have the Spartan Greaves, Spartan Vambraces (arm guards) the Spartan Helmet and the Spartan Spear.

Coming soon I will be doing the Spartan Sword, The Spartan Shield and the Chest Plate.

I have completed a new web based tutorial with a video on how to make wargaming terrain or a diorama using foam. In the tutorial I show you the different types of foam, explain good foam and bad foam, cover the different types of tools (including hot wire tools) and show you the process for making terrain out of foam.  Foam is very good for making fast and good looking terrain.

In this tutorial I make a castle scene. How to use foam to make terrain for wargaming or dioramas

I just finished a new Paper Project that you can download, print up and make yourself. It is the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens Greece. The project is a complete and free download that you can make. And it is a pretty easy yet fun project. Also included with the project is a youtube video that shows you the Paper Project as it is completed along with some actual footage I took of the real Parthenon in Athens. Here is the location of the project: The paper Parthenon - Acropolis