August 23, 2012

MDF Blockhouse scale

Here are some pics showing the scale of the MDF Blockhouse from Warbases.


              With a Infinity Morat miniature. The Infinity miniature is a bit tall for the door.


                            With a Perry Brothers civil war plastics mini. Size works great.


With two Privateer Press minis. The human model works great. The Trollblood, which are larger than humans, is a little big. 


                                 With two Reaper minis. They are a little big, but it works. 

August 22, 2012

First MDF terrain

I have been interested in purchasing mdf terrain ever since I first discovered it on the web. This type of terrain seems to be pretty new. The price, of course, always appealed to me. I googled around for mdf terrain and noticed that there really aren't any companies in the USA that produce such terrain. I also noticed that the foreign companies that do make it do not have US carriers selling their stuff. Seems there is a market to jump in there.

Anywho. I discovered Warbases through my googling and saw a few mdf terrain pieces I really liked. Now, their website it not too grand. The main thing I do not like is the lack of pictures for their terrain. For instance, I was drawn to the Blockhouse under their French and Indian war range. I can use it for historicals, fantasy, whatever. On their site, however, they only have one picture. Doesn't show it to scale with any minis, doesnt show the inside, nothing. I looked past that and saw the price, only $15, nice! But wait, international shipping! Ugh.

I decided to email them through their contact link. I stated that I love their products but shipping makes it not worth it. I also asked if they considered using a supplier here, like TheWarstore? They responded very quickly, and very nicely. After a few emails they decided they would send me the Blockhouse with free shipping! I was pumped!

A little later the Blockhouse finally came in. I opened the box and all of the mdf pieces were inside a ziploc bag. The first thing I noticed after unpacking it was the smell. Yes, smell. There is an odor that is caused by the laser cutting of the mdf board.

I then took the pieces out and looked them over. I love the detail in the wood!










After I looked them over (and washed my hands to get the smell off) I realized there were no directions how how to assemble. At first I did not like this, but once I started I realized it was actually very simple.

I thought about painting it, and what exactly I wanted done. I decided that it would be pointless to paint the wood, hell, it is wood. Looks great to me. So I taped off the wood areas and just spray painted the stone part with black base.

I then drybrushed the stone and started assembly. I glued everything in place with normal elmer's pva glue. All the pieces fit great. I love how you can remove the roof and have the option of two floors. I also love the removable walls and doors for the upstairs floor.








All in all, great piece of terrain for a great price! I just hope they continue producing new products, and get a supplier in the US.

After all was put together I noticed a few things.
1. I need to dry brush the stone again, its too dark;
and 2. I do not like the roof. I wish they would have added detailing in the roof, such as shingles, wood, something. Looks odd as one big flat piece when the rest is detailed. I think I will cut out shingles from cardboard and glue them to the roof.

If you look at their site they have a few other buildings. There is one cabin from the French and Indian war line that matches the Blockhouse. There are also some buildings from their Dark Ages line that would go, but they have no detailing, nor do they have windows. That was disappointing.