Talk to me about Hirst Arts

[Verderer]

Linka molds are 1/76 (OO-scale) , so they're not so well suited for 28mm. That said, I know a few people have used them for 28mm nevertheless. The main problem with them is too small doors etc. I have used some HA bits with Linka, but this was for 20mm. I wouldn't use Linka for 28mm, to be honest.

And another point to consider is that Linka can be very difficult to cast. If you thought HA is tedious to cast, Linka really takes the cake. The pieces are very fragile, and often come out broken. Especially the tiny bits, which is why I don't even bother with those.

Those Terrascenic molds don't look too hot IMO. I'd go with HA. But that's a personal opinion, of course.

[Rhoderic]

That's disappointing to hear. I'd started thinking that if I ever got into Victoriana or wanted to build a city for my Pulp games, those Linka moulds would have been a good, relatively cheap resource. Truth is, I simply can't afford buying finished scenery in the quantities needed for a cityscape, and scratchbuilding it is too complicated (what with the brick facades and all). Also, paper terrain is not an option in my world.

[Verderer]

HA has one particular mold that might be very useful fo that kind of thing: I think it's called the small brick mold. Like the name says, it has this smaller brick pattern than regular HA blocks, and the pieces are a bit larger, so building is quicker. I intend to use it to build an old west bank or something. It's number 250 on the HA list. That, and maybe the Roman temple mold might work well, you know, to build some fancy facades. (I had a plan to build the Berlin Branderburg gate using these molds, but that particular project is on hold indefinitely. You know how it goes. 

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

If price is the main concern, how much were you thinking of spending? I honestly believe that it would be worth the effort to simply make you own moulds...

[Rhoderic]

If price is the main concern, how much were you thinking of spending? I honestly believe that it would be worth the effort to simply make you own moulds...

The thought has crossed my mind. I'm only afraid that without a lot of foresight and/or trial & error, the pieces wouldn't come out right. The problem as I see it is getting the wall sections to be modular and still join up relatively seamlessly.

It's an avenue I might continue exploring. But you might be overestimating my experience and confidence with this hobby

[gamer Mac]

I agree with Verderer. I have had no end of trouble using the linka moulds. Always breaking. Useful for rubble though. I have some of the stone moulds instead of brick, which are OK for scale but as stated very few of the doors or windows are any use. Not worth the expence for 28mm. Even though I got my two sets cheap from ebay.

[Dewbakuk]

I have all of the Egyptian molds. Really like them but they are labour intensive. So much so that I've never got around to finishing casting 

For large brick areas, there are plenty of textured plasticard ranges out there which could be put over cork or foamboard.

[Dolmot]

I found some pics of a fantasy siege game we played a few years ago. It features a good selection of my HA buildings and, of course, plenty of painted miniatures.

*click*

If there are still open questions or any new ones then please do ask.

[flooglestreet]

Hirst arts makes a wall builder mold. This will cut down on the number of bricks you have to cast. You will still have to cast individual bricks for the door ways and windows.

[Rhoderic]

At the risk of sounding like I'm trying to shoot down all the good suggestions:

- Textured plasticard is another thing I'm aware of, but since that only gives you the blank walls, with the windows, doors, covings etc. needing to be added separately, I still think of it as fairly labour-intensive. There's also the issue of making corners join up (quoins would work of course, but I find those rather limiting).

- The Hirst Arts Wall Builder Mould makes "bricks" that are 1" x 1/2" ie. way too big for actual 19th/20th century brick houses. Even the "Small" Brick Mould makes bricks that seem a tad outsized at 1/2" x 1/4".

Again, I'm not deliberately trying to be an insufferable grouch, so please forgive me if I'm coming across that way. It's just that these are options I had already thought of and dismissed to varying degrees when I said that there's really no cheap, easy solution for making urban buildings in bulk.

[Dewbakuk]

Actually there is, we just all need to keep badgering Skrapwelder until he releases the moulds he's made for just that purpose!