15mm Crescent Root European Buildings

Following my purchase of a Crescent Root European village four years ago:
http://tinmountain.blogspot.com/2015/12/crescent-root-15mm-world-war-ii.html
I have been keeping an eye on their new releases. These are great models and have the advantage of being pre-painted and assembled. The original 15mm MDF buildings are no longer available, but I purchased half a dozen from the new range European range which complements them nicely.

Here are two of the recent purchases side-by-side:

With a few close-ups showing some of the very nice detail, including recessed windows which is achieved by virtue of an inner and outer skin to the models, and terrific texturing on the walls:

I went with the option of a stone look on some and sienna on others, while keeping all the roofs to a slate grey to keep them consistent with my earlier purchase:

All the roofs lift of to reveal layers of flooring. While these do have the 'typical' lasered MDF appearance and are possibly not to the same level as earlier models, they will nevertheless be highly functional and are a welcome inclusion:

Some of the models are quite large and represent good value, although with freight and the unfavourable exchange rate between the US and Australian dollar the overall cost did start to creep up a bit. These last two are my favourites with what appears to be a large apartment block:

And another which is a row of shops with accommodation overhead:

In my opinion these are superb models and I know I'll be back for more once this range disappears and the next emerges (although I'm already thinking I could probably use a few of Crescent Root's industrial-style buildings in the meantime - hmmmm).

For those interested the Crescent Root website is:
https://crescent-root.com/pages/Product/15mm/15mm.html

More 15mm Ancient Terrain

I recently managed to complete a few more 15mm terrain pieces from Forged in Battle, including a Roman market store:

Roman temple:

And another temple built of stone:

My plan is to put these together alongside another dozen or so Forged in Battle pieces to form two more DBMM built-up areas.

I have managed to do that with the FIB middle-eastern village set, but am not sure I am entirely happy with the result:

The buildings are a little too angular-looking for my taste. A couple were damaged in transit, and I was actually quite happy with that as it lends some variation to the models. I was also pleased to have found a home for the ruined temple piece I completed earlier.

I'm ploughing ahead with the last of the cavalry for my ancient Spanish project, and hope to have more on that within the next week or so.

15mm Bridge and Ruined Temple

Two more terrain pieces I managed to complete over the Easter weekend. Firstly, a 15mm bridge which I purchased from Baueda:

This is a very nice three-part model and includes some nice detail, conveying the impression of a bridge built by an army while on campaign:

I also purchased the additional expansion section which, when added, turns it into a long bridge which should be enough to cover most scenarios:

I also completed a ruined temple from Forged in Battle, comprised of a mixture of resin and metal components. Another nice model which I blockcoated in a Foundry sand colour and to which I then applied an ink wash and three successively lighter dry brush applications. As I was doing this the thought crossed my mind that I probably could have just gone down to the local aquarium shop and purchased something from there instead, but I was pleased with the overall result:

I'll probably end up incorporating this into a larger middle-eastern built-up terrain piece more suitable for use in DBMM. I have a few more Forged in Battle buildings in mind for this and will be making a start on this once I completed a few elements of Spanish cavalry.

15mm Celtic Village

While finishing the last of the Xyston Spanish scutarii I thought I'd allow myself a small diversion in painting and assembling the Hovels Celtic village:

I have always been a fan of Hovels models and have normally ordered them fully painted, so this was the first time I have attempted painting the raw resin myself:


They are lovely models to work with, and the set comes with seven buildings and a couple of pigs for the pig sty:


It was also my first attempt using modelling plaster for the mud. I gave it a couple of goes and still couldn't get the consistency completely as I would like it, but as long as it stays in place I think it looks reasonable enough. The fruit baskets are an addition from Baueda, who also make a very nice range of 15mm models and accessories:


I particularly like the cracked daubing on some of the models which exposes the wattle underneath:





















Overall I am quite pleased with the result, and it has encouraged me to get stuck into a few other terrain pieces I have stockpiled and which I now plan on attempting over the coming months.

Crescent Root 15mm World War II Buildings

I always think one of the nicest things in life is when reality surpasses all expectation, and this was the case with the purchase of Crescent Root's Series 3 15mm WWII buildings which arrived this morning.

I had been eyeing their products several years ago, when they were manufacturing in resin, but never managed to get around to purchasing any at the time. After an interlude of what must have been a year or two, they have now returned with rendered mdf models.

I have to admit that mdf terrain has never been my thing as I much prefer the feel of a resin building, and I have an absolute pile of Grand Manner and Hovels which I hope to get to in the next couple of years, but these are beautifully executed and I now have to consider myself a total convert.

Of course, like a kid at Christmas (or the week before at least) I couldn't help but unpack the lot to see how they looked:

The set comes with a mat, which I had to touch to double-check was actually flat and without flocking. The three-dimensional effect is very convincing:

Each building is multi-layered and, while I'm not a huge fan of laser-cut interiors generally, these look great.




Best of all, if one purchases the entire set, every house comes with an additional section which allows the roof and top floor to be removed, and a damaged one to be substituted:

The other nice thing is that every building has a base with paving stones and, in some cases, a garden:

The detail is great:

And, possibly one of the most important points, they arrive pre-painted and beautifully packed.

All things considered, one of my best purchases of 2015.