David Winter cottages and castles were made between 1998 and 2002 and often you get them second hand with chips and bits missing but they are really easy to repair.
My female partner has decided to collect them, through eBay and she currently has purchased over 100.
David Winter’s cottages and castles appear to be made with a material very much like Polyfilla which you can buy in various forms from most home repair shops and hardware stores and it is used to fill cracks and screw holes in the wall, amongst other things, because it is easy to apply and does not crack when dry.
If you buy Polyfilla, which is water based, in a made up form, it is easy enough to apply a small amount to cover chips and any damage which ideally will look much better when repaired and you can easily sculpt the Polyfilla while it is malleable, or ever after it is dry, with a hobby knife type tool.
When Polyfilla, in the container it came in, dries out, add a tiny bit of water to reconstitute the Polyfilla in the container, too much and it will be like liquid, so you have to leave it to reset, before you can use it again, this might mean leaving the lid off and stirring occasionally until you have the consistency you want.
Matching paint colors – take your cottage or castle to the nearest large hardware store, one with a computerized paint matching computer and get same sample pots made up in the water based colors you wish to replicate, pots cost a few Dollars each.
Try test the colours on a piece of paper or card, before you use them to effect repairs.
I think it is a good idea to put a small droplet of paint in a lid and add a little water, to get the wishy washy effect of the existing paint colors, but that is up to you.
When parts have been knocked off, buy a small container of PVA glue and a fine paint brush and coat each surface of the part and where it goes with PVA glue, however enough to just cover the area of both, pretty much the same amount as you would find on the back of a postage stamp.
Allow both pieces to dry, now covered with the PVA glue and when dry, coat one surface with a very light application of PVA glue, line up both parts and move one of them to bring both parts into alignment , then press together and allow to dry – Too Easy!!
When you are rebuilding undergrowth, just put a dob of raised Polyfilla over the damage and pick lightly with a pin or fine house wood nail, to give the look of a rough grassed area and when dry, paint as above.
A little effort can make a badly damaged cottage, or castle look like new, it just takes a little effort and is really easy to do.
Practice makes perfect!!
R
