Review of 4Grounds North European Church

[Porthius]

Hello Lead Adventurers,

I have posted a review of 4Grounds North European Church on my blog for anyone thinking of buying it when it is released:



http://miniatureofmind.blogspot.co.uk/

[Anna Elizabeth]

Nicely done on the review, it was everything I would want to know.

[syrinx0]

Very nice looking kit. Thanks for the review.

[Eric the Shed]

This looks like a carbon copy of the petite properties dolls house church 1/48 scale. The difference is price?..

[Porthius]

Thanks for reading and hope it was useful.

Hi Eric the Shed. There are quite a few other differences. From what I can tell the petite properties church kit only gives you the basic MDF structure unpainted and not textured. The 4Ground model only requires assembly as it is pre-painted/textured and very detailed making it tabletop ready once constructed hence the reason it is double the price!

[The Dozing Dragon]

Nice review and great blog. Some very impressive painting there so have joined up!

[Drachenklinge]

have seen some 4ground-buildings in the flesh ... and when reading things like that I am more and more pleased with them. Not long and I am "willing to part with my money".

thanks for sharing
DK

[carlos marighela]

This looks like a carbon copy of the petite properties dolls house church 1/48 scale. The difference is price?..

For the keen of eye, the layout looks near identical to the old Dapol HO scale plastic kit. I suspect they have all used the same basic structure/ plan as their basis.

The 4 Ground one does look quite nice, the edges where the bits connect doesn't quite do it for me but overall it looks like a nice model. I take it the stained glass windows come with the kit?

[FramFramson]

It's very nice - for MDF - and I do need something like this for my tabletop, but I would still prefer proper exterior texture and £115.00 is astronomical.

I wonder if it's possible to just buy the windows?

[tin shed gamer]

Fram
Just do it old school quick water colour sketch,and print on over head projection acetate.then you've got the windows you want.
But I'm with you the price is too high considering there are resin models you can pick up for less.
It's a nicely thought out review,for me it shows the limit of Mdf modelling with this new trend for prepainted buildings I can't help thinking of 3d jigsaws when you can see so many jointed darkened ends.I do like the speed of model building mdf allows,in fact I'll be picking some up at Partizan. But not this.

[FramFramson]

Sorry, I specifically meant the frames not the glass (though getting ready-made glass is nice too).

Certainly they're something you could make yourself with a bit of layering, but it's very nice to have fine, sharp ones already pre-cut. Pointed arches aren't too bad to cut yourself, but once you add the quatrefoils or roundels, that stretches out the time required to make a hand-cut replacement immensely and greatly increases the chances of a small screw-up ruining your work.

[Porthius]

Hi Fram,

When I called regarding the replacement bits I needed they said that individual sprues were generally £2 each. Maybe give them a call and see what they can do for you.

Glad the review was of use to you gentlemen.

[Captain Blood]

For me it shows the limit of Mdf modelling with this new trend for prepainted buildings I can't help thinking of 3d jigsaws when you can see so many jointed darkened ends.

I so, so, SO agree with you.
I cannot believe how MDF has caught on. The biggest stands at Salute were all the MDF merchants. They've gone from nothing to ubiquity / world domination in the space of about 4 years.

I think the way they are designed is extremely clever.
I can understand that people like the idea of pre-painted / pre-coloured buildings, so they don't have to do any work themselves.
But a/ they are ludicrously expensive and b/ they look SH*T!!!!

Sorry, I cannot get my head around how or why they are so popular... It really makes me despair.
As you say, they look just like the old wooden jigsaws. No surface texture or relief, no 3D depth to parapets etc, all the finishes far too uniform and brightly coloured, and all those hideous joints. Godawful.

Well, I am going to keep on saying this until the rest of the wargaming world sees sense   
 

[carlos marighela]

I so, so, SO agree with you.
I cannot believe how MDF has caught on. The biggest stands at Salute were all the MDF merchants. They've gone from nothing to ubiquity / world domination in the space of about 4 years.

I think the way they are designed is extremely clever.
I can understand that people like the idea of pre-painted / pre-coloured buildings, so they don't have to do any work themselves.
But a/ they are ludicrously expensive and b/ they look SH*T!!!!

Sorry, I cannot get my head around how or why they are so popular... It really makes me despair.
As you say, they look just like the old wooden jigsaws. No surface texture or relief, no 3D depth to parapets etc, all the finishes far too uniform and brightly coloured, and all those hideous joints. Godawful.

Well, I am going to keep on saying this until the rest of the wargaming world sees sense   
 

The pre-coloured thing doesn't do it for me and the latest iteration that 'realistic' paper external texture looks anything but realistic to me. It's the old equation you get out of it what you put in. To that end I think the Sarissa MDF buildings and those plain doll kits are much better ideas and a hell of a lot cheaper. You get a basic structure which lends itself to detailing without the graft of making the basic structure. That's a pretty good compromise and you can always paint over the burnt ends.

To each their own. These are probably a good buy for someone who is time poor and they certainly look a damn site better than a lot of home made terrain and most card models and nowhere near as fiddly as the latter.  The fact that this church is about twice the price of a plastic kit like the Italeri Berlin House (including the extra floor) or about four times the price of the Italeri Church, both of which would be larger models is passing strange. Needless to say the plastic kits are much better detailed.

[Eric the Shed]

Thanks for reading and hope it was useful.

Hi Eric the Shed. There are quite a few other differences. From what I can tell the petite properties church kit only gives you the basic MDF structure unpainted and not textured. The 4Ground model only requires assembly as it is pre-painted/textured and very detailed making it tabletop ready once constructed hence the reason it is double the price!

Yes you are right it does not give a painted or textured surface. Like the good Captain I personally don't like the MDF look but as a base to start working on its great. I covered my MDF dolls house church in sand and ballast...





as I said the Dolls house version is virtually identical and half the price.