Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Old West => Topic started by: Mindenbrush on 12 January 2013, 04:19:46 PM
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Wargames and Railroads - I have not managed to work out whose blog it is but he has some excellent reviews and comparisons on Old West Laser Cut Buildings from at least 4 different companies and a very complex looking laser cut ship kit.
http://wargamesandrailroads.blogspot.ca/
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Not bad, though we might need a thread for all of the MDF Old West stuff --- since there are a lot of "levels" involved. For instance the Tri-City stuff can be purchased with full interiors, and the Battle Flag stuff is available in "super" level configurations for nearing 100 pounds. There are also a few other companies also doing Old West stuff too!
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I will admit to that being my blog, I'm glad someone is finding it useful.
One the Knuckleduster/Tri-City Laser buildings, you need to read the descriptions carefully, not all of them come with full interiors.
The Battle Flag buildings I have built are all from their deluxe kit line. The other line only consists of the small, single story buildings with flat roofs. They are still quality buildings but they don't have the details that I want.
If there are other laser cut MDF or plywood kits out there let me know. I'm interested in just about anything that is currently being produced.
Kris
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I know they don't all come with interiors...I know the guy who makes em. lol That's why I said they 'can be purchased' ;)
I've seen a couple blogs with a half dozen other companies, but I can't recall them. I also don't know how expansive their lines are. You've hit the big ones on the head I think.
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I guess that's my point though. On the Knuckleduster website they are advertised with full interiors.
If you are looking for furnishings though as opposed to shelves and counters Gamecraft Miniatures has a nice set that includes beds, chairs and tables along with a few other interesting pieces like a piano.
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I have the Sarissa Plantation mansion and barn ready to build plus a coup of the OW Heroic buildings on their way.
I intend to re-shingle the pitch roofs with shingles from Wild West Scale Model Builders http://www.wildwestmodels.com/Welcome.html . I have used their paper shingles on a Pennsylvania barn and they look good. I do have the "recipe" for making shingles the Herb Gundt HGWALLS way but that requires a jig and a scroll saw.
Wild West Scale Model Builders also do some very nice but expensive laser cut buildings.
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Builders in Scale also make a line of real wood shingles in different scales. I have used theirs and the Wild West Scale Model Builders paper shingles. Both work really well.
http://www.builders-in-scale.com/bis/parts-shingles.html (http://www.builders-in-scale.com/bis/parts-shingles.html)
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There is way too much useable stuff on the Builders in Scale site.
Which scale shingles did you buy - 'O' or 'S'?
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I bought the O scale shingles to try first. You can see the results here:
http://wargamesandrailroads.blogspot.com/2012/11/battle-flag-saloon-adding-some-detail.html (http://wargamesandrailroads.blogspot.com/2012/11/battle-flag-saloon-adding-some-detail.html)
I think they look pretty good but are a little on the large side. I think I would go with S if I decide to use them again. My biggest issue is that shingles are expensive and I have a lot of buildings to cover. I have purchased some "textures" from here: http://clevermodels.squarespace.com/textures/ (http://clevermodels.squarespace.com/textures/)
They have some good looking shingle textures, I'll just have to buy some new color ink cartridges for my printer and run some off to see how they look. If they look as good as I think they will then I can just run off sheets of them and apply shingles that way. I'll try cutting them into strips and applying them the same way I would other Builders in Scale or Wild West Scale Model Builders.
Oh and while I'm thinking about it here is an example of the Wild West shingles being used: http://wargamesandrailroads.blogspot.com/2012/11/calamity-buildings-finishing-details.html (http://wargamesandrailroads.blogspot.com/2012/11/calamity-buildings-finishing-details.html)
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Those Truewood Oak shingles look great. Is there anywhere in the UK that sells them (or a similar product)?
I also like your idea Heisler about covering the corners of the buildings with a cover strip. I may have to borrow that idea ;)
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Antenocitis Workshop has these from Builders in Scale: http://www.antenocitisworkshop.com/index.php/brands/?name=45
Feel free to borrow any idea you like! I'm sure I borrowed it from someone else. :)
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Here are three of my buildings that have received the first step in my painting process. Two are from Sarissa Precision and the third is from Gamecraft Miniatures.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qUSK2q0hT5M/UQ1_wox0xhI/AAAAAAAAGBg/XvpPWBER1YY/s640/Copy%2520of%2520Calamity.weather.2.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tjsPeRgRfU0/UQ1_tQStu9I/AAAAAAAAGBM/OWlHahzGaaA/s640/Calamity%2520Alley.weather.1.jpg)
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Those S and O shingles are fantastic. Man we are spoiled for choice these days. Thanks for the info guys.
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Having mixed experiences with my Sarissa buildings at the moment.
Plantation / Town House
I will start with the 'challenges':
1) I was having problems inserting the tabs into mating slots - seems there is some variation in the thickness of the MDF so the tabs had to be sanded down.
2) This thickness variation had a knock on effect with the delicate parts for the porch, veranda and window shutters - the laser had not cut all the way through so there was some careful cutting with a scalpel - not always successful.
To be fair to Sarissa they did offer to replace parts that were a problem but I need to have the building on the table for the 23rd Feb so could not wait for replacements.
3) Access to certain areas once assembled - I did leave the first floor veranda off of the supports from the ground floor porch but even then getting a brush in to paint the brickwork is impossible.
The access problem was soon solved as I accidently put the porch supports against my painting table without realising and they broke away :o :'(
Positives:
They do make up into nice buildings if you take your time and think about how you are going to assemble them.
I am considering painting as much as possible whilst they are unassembled – window shutters and the edges of the parts especially.
Also using a carpentry wood glue rather than any old PVA glue.
I primed the building grey using car primer and went back to using Humbrol enamels as the acrylics were not covering that well.
Graham W
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+1 to wood glue or even gel-super glue (Loctite makes a fantastic super glue gel which has been brilliant...gone through five or six tubes with excellent results on everything from models to buildings).
Yeah, I wish I had painted mine before hand...so I won't be going back and painting my old Sarissa buildings. I assembled mine when I thought I'd just have 4-5 buildings and some beige cloth, play a few games and retire it to a box....didn't happen.
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I ran into that same problem with the last batch of Sarissa buildings as well. Apparently they will get a batch of MDF that is out about 2.5mm. My feeling is that this is something that they should catch and they shouldn't send out kits made from this stock. I had the railroad station, two of the homesteads a small and a medium building show up with this. I did a lot of filing. Again they did offer to replace any of the parts but by that point I had everything together.
I definitely would prefer to see the porches as separate pieces on the homesteads. The attachment point is just to fragile and I broke it off during the assembly. I would recommend painting as much as you can before assembly as well when you have to deal with the porches.
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I finally decided to remove all the porch railings and will build a new set after next weeks game.
As Heisler said - separate porches - but with thicker supports would be an improvement.
I also noticed that after adding strips to the corners of the buildings to hide the interlocking pegs, the overlapping roof no longer fits............ :? Where is my scalpel.............
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I got my two buildings 'finished' for our mini convention at the weekend and got positive comments about the 2 Sarissa buildings :)
Painting wise I had primed them with automotive grey primer and then tried using acrylics to highlight but that did not seem to work so I switched to Humbrol enamels for basic colours and then back to the old reliable Ceramcote for the highlights. As with painting figures I find that if I wait a day to check colours I find taht the blending is normally okay.
Future buildings will have as much pre-painted before assembly especially such items as window frames and door surrounds.
Keep on building :)
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Glad to hear that your buildings got a good review. I agree, if I had a better vision before I started I would pre-paint as much as possible as well. Especially the interiors.
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I have an old prototype from TLC (and I'll be grabbing one of their new Liveries) and Bryant from Nashcon gave me an old Flying Tricycle (?) laser cut building from about 10-15 years back.
It's a nice Sheriff's office with jail cell...but boy is it wildly complex. Also the pieces are not precision cut enough to simply wedge together. It'll be a bit of a paint. I will definitely be pre-painting these this time round.
Previous ones (Sarissa and TLC) were assembled really quick for gaming, and the TLC ones were display prototypes I got for free (and thus had to paint them after the fact). Hoping for a better result.
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Flying Tricycle sounds pretty close. I built some of their medieval kits a long time ago for Mordheim. I'm still on the fence with the Tri-City Laser kits though. I like that they are wood rather than MDF, but I don't think they are well proportioned.
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Yeah, I'm not huge on the TLC kits - and I actually don't like that they're made of wood! lol
My preference for simple gaming stuff is still Sarissa - though if 4Ground made some, I'd probably go with theirs. Battle Flag looks great but is a bit too expensive for what I need (though they making chuffin' great centrepieces).
In the end, I'm happy just to be spoilt with choice.
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It is nice to have choices too! I watching Great Escape Games' Dead Man's Hand game announcements. They indicate that they are working with a company to produce a line of western buildings for them that will be released in April along with the game and, of course, miniatures. When you take a step back and look at the companies currently producing Old West buildings 4Ground is one of the few laser cut building companies that hasn't entered into that market. Although it could certainly be someone else I wouldn't be surprised if Great Escape was working with 4Ground. Fortunately we only have to wait a month to see.
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Yeah, I think 4Ground probably played it smart, and realized it was almost over-crowded now (there are what, a good 4-5 companies putting out decent MDF Old West stuff).
I still think 4Ground is my favorite company - so I wouldn't complain. I agree with you though, simply because they said "pre-painted"...which 4Ground does now.
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I will admit to that being my blog, I'm glad someone is finding it useful.
That´s one fine blog there, Kris. We seem to share some interest in lasercut old west buildings and western railways. My blog is not that well sorted, but I have posted my stuff here on LAF too. Find it in railway wargaming and old west sections...
Cheers
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I'll definitely go check it out!
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I stumbled upon this blog myself a little while back when I was umming and ahhing about WHICH MDF kits to buy, weighing the pro's/ con's and price, shipping etc against each other. I read all your comments on the kits and decided to go with three of Battle Flag's buildings in the end (Saloon, Bank and Sheriff's Office and Jail). Simply because I for once could afford to splash out on some decent kit, and according to the reviews I've read, BF is the bees-knees.
I have no doubt that they are every inch what I've read, just hope my modelling skills are adequate for the task...
Already been thinking about ordering some Sarissa's too, my BF's are in the post as of today!!! lol
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You will be fine. That's the good thing about the Battle Flag kits, great instructions and you can build the whole thing with a good blade in an x-acto knife!