Hey there,
I'm FINALLY done with this darned thing...it's not just ANY dice tower - it has a gearbox and pulley that actuates the dice trapdoor, an axe that beheads a Nikita Agent, and a working chain portcullis.
The body is made of 1/4" thick Basswood, covered in plaster for the purpose of making it look like an adobe building. The paint is a textured sand paint, and although the color isn't what I envisioned, it's pretty decent in person. The knob on the front sits on an acrylic rod that turns a keyed internal gear sprocket that is attached to a pulley which actuates the portcullis, and the rod itself rotates the trapdoor to release the dice into the catchbasin area. The gear also actuates an acrylic piston that raises and lowers the axe to 'chop' the agent's head off. The thought there is that if I sacrifice the chick every time I need some skulls I might get one!
Front view, from above the basin:
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