10mm Sci-Fi Buildings and Roads for Dropzone Commander and Mechwarrior

[Chris Abbey]

This week Sally 4th launches their range of 10mm scale city buildings designed to be compatible with Dropzone Commander, Mechwarrior and other 10mm Sci-Fi wargames systems.

The initial range consists of seven buildings which are available in six different colors (Granite / Slate / Sandstone / Limestone / Olive Green / White) for 42 different variations of building. The building style is Art Deco, based on real world prototypes and the heights of the buildings range from two to eight stories.

The road system also comes pre-painted with dark grey road and light grey pavement. Road sections are 150mm square and firmly hold together using Sally 4th's Jigsaw road alignment design using jigsaw tabs hidden underneath the pavement sections. This prevents terrain being knocked out of alignment during play. All of the roads are dual carriageways with 110mm width of road with 20mm of pavement on either side. Road's come in packs of either 4 straights, T Junctions or Cross roads.

If there is sufficient demand we will produce a wider range of styles and sizes of buildings and design ruined variants of all of the buildings. It is also possible, if we receive enough requests that this range could be made available for 15mm gaming as well.

All models are pre-painted 2mm MDF kits requiring simple assembly using PVA wood glue.

Building prices start at £17.
Road packs are £13.75 for 4 straights / £14.50 for 4 cross roads or junctions.
: http://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/10mm-Sci-Fi-Dropzone-Commander-Scale-Buildings

[Daeothar]

Great stuff! 

I have been worried about the durability of the original DZC cardboard buildings, and have bought a sample plastic building previously (N-scale railroad stuff) as a possible alternative.

But having them in HDF/MDF would be another great option, and your buildings look like they'd fit in seamlessly with the DZC buildings.

However, I'm not too fond of the chosen building style. Even though I'm a huge fan of Art Deco, I find it clashing a bit with the DZC aesthetic. And since I'm planning on also using the terrain with my Robotech models, I'd rather have some modern or ultra modern buildings instead.

Pretty straighforward skyscraper-like structures, office blocks, appartment buildings etc.

So I'm looking forward to seeing what else you guys come up with!

[Elbows]

Very cool!  I was looking at some of those the other day.  While Battletech is actually 6mm I think you could easily get away with 10mm scale buildings.  They may be a little too artsy for my future Battletech/Robotech plans but they sure look nice.

[Chris Abbey]

Thanks for your comments, we can certainly look at doing some buildings that are not Art Deco. We just choose that style to be compatible with the existing range of Dropzone resin and card buildings that are all Art Deco. In fact the Art Deco styling adds quite a bit to the cost as the detailed etching is very time consuming to cut. The building sizes are all compatible with the the existing resin buildings from Hawk Wargames, so they should mix and match nicely.

[Chris Abbey]

We came up with this product line because our friends at Waugh Games over at Middlesbrough sell a lot of Dropzone Commander and host tournaments at shows. They liked our other buildings so asked if we could put together a set of 10mm Art Deco style buildings to match the sizes of the buildings used in Drop Zone Commander. I had not actually seen the game at that stage (I have since ordered a copy!).

I am very interested in feedback as to what we should do next.
What are the popular scales / rules for Sci-Fi at the moment? I used to play a lot of Epic 40K with 6mm figures but I understand this is no longer popular as Games Workshop no longer support it?
Is their a market if we made a similar range in 6mm or 15mm?

Would people like more Art Deco or straight modern buildings?

Would you like larger buildings or higher buildings?

Would you like ruined versions of these buildings?

We already have a 15mm modern road system available which is on our web site under 15mm modern buildings, however it is single rather than dual carriageway.

I have just added to bundle deals for all 16 buildings shown in photographs and for 32 road sections. Both of these are enough to cover a 4' square table and are discounted by 15% compared to buying the individual models.

I have also set up a coupon deal for LAF readers. The first five customers who order from the new 10mm range can claim a 20% discount by entering Coupon Code 'LAFDZC01' during check out.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Chris & Ann @ Sally 4th

[Daeothar]

I would be very interested in a range of modern and ultra modern buildings in 15mm (1/100). There is a booming market for 15mm scifi right now, so I'm sure there would be widespread interest.

Like I posted, those would preferably be office buildings, appartment buildings, skyscrapers, etc. But bunkers, communication centers, baracks, launchplatforms and other emplacements, hangars or factories would certainly be welkcome too!

[Elbows]

Chris,

I can't really speak with any numbers or conviction but there is a chance 6mm might become popular again in the near future.  Catalyst Games has been pushing the Alpha Strike model of Battletech quite hard lately (it's a more skirmish-like, non-hex-map version of Battletech), and Palladium Games is releasing Robotech RPG Tactics within the next month or two - another game at 6mm or 1/285th scale.

I don't know if this will turn into more desire for 6mm buildings, and I think honestly that 10mm buildings would work fine as a substitute in most cases.  I see a lot of Battletech players running the DZC card buildings, etc.  So there is a chance of a slight uptick in the 1/285 range.  Only time will tell what the market really is for the stuff.  I have a buddy who does laser-cut stuff so I was just going to have him cut me up a couple dozen buildings (very simple designs etc.) on the cheap...but I'd definitely be interested in seeing what you guys come up with.  The prices are a bit much for me at the scale I'd be gaming.  (ie. I'd want dozens of buildings on the table, and I couldn't really afford it!).

[Chris Abbey]

New building added to range. This is a three story block of shops with flats above, featuring an overhanging first floor supported on arches and an arched alley way cutting through the center of the building.

Available as a pre-painted kit in a choice of 6 colors.

Plenty more photos on our site http://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/10mm-Sci-Fi-Dropzone-Commander-Scale-Buildings

This range will be coming soon in 6mm & 15mm!