Well, my first question is what's out there in terms of buildings? I'm going to assume that 1/35 buildings will do as well, or model train buildings or cheap toy buildings in an approximate scale?
Someone has already mentioned that big buildings cost a lot to make and therefore I'd look at the big brands first or toys where the economies of scale can really lower the retail price.
Off hand, I can think of Tamiya in 1/35 which sells a few brick buildings or walls (I had them myself as a kid) and I know that there are quite a few molded foam buildings special made for 1/32 scale, but I think those are pretty pricey. Then there's Playmobil, I have their ships and some castles and I'm pretty sure that they can be used for 1/32.
And in 1/32 scale, how many buildings do you need, or can use? A true scale 1/32 is going to take a lot of room. OK, your turn.
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19 comments:
More than buildings, would like to have a modular system, something that can be assembled and disassembled to suit the needs for a specific game or scenario. It may be harder to plan, but will cover several eras and with a few parts will be possible to build many different buildings.
Making 1/32 buildings as others do, in plastic or resin, will be expensive and a huge investment, however should have a market ready to buy them. I have a Preiser castle, made in printed foam and is an interesting concept, being both light and very easy to build, however parts need to be glued and assembly isn't as easy as it seems as several glues attack the foam.
I don,t think there really are a whole lot of buildings out there in 1/32 that would be any good for your currant eras of 7 years war and napoleonics???
I only know of a couple of worth while pieces and the prices are kinda high.
The question is? Is how much do we want to spend and what kind of quality of a building are we talking about???
I,m not interested in some cheap plastic BMC looking thing that looks like a joke!
CTS and Conte have done a few foam buildings that looked good and were used in there playsets. CTS did a Hougomont south gate thats a 3-piece building that looks nice and because its 3 pieces you can switch up the buildings for different looks and Conte did a ruined church and a few other barns and buildings that look real nice. These buildings can be found outside of there playsets but can run at over $100+ a building or more.
What are guys willing to spend and what will the quality be?????
Then there are a few building scenic type pieces made by the metal companies, K&C and Britains come to mind and I think a few others also?
Britains did some Napoleonic era type buildings including a north gate set for waterloo and a few other pieces, not full buildings on a lot of there stuff but scenic type pieces mostly. Gates walls sheds ect... Nice stuff but a bit higher in price then some of the plastic guys might want to go???
Are scenic pieces included in the buildings subject??? Walls, gates, small sheds, tress ect...?
I just build most of my own scenics for the Napoleonic era because there is not that much out there. I use pink wall insulation foam and whatever else I find that works.
I built a windmill from plaster using my daughters small beach pail as a mold. I used foam for the roof and match sticks and balsa wood. I craved all the stones into the plaster by hand.
I also did a few good sized half timbered looking buildings that fit the era well.
Half timbered thatched roofed building would be cool if done right.
I,d be interest in buildings and scenics if the price is right and the building don,t look tacky and cheap.
FISH! <"))))><
For wargames set in urban settings, I have used vacuform buildings. Currently, Miniart make a number of ruined and half ruined buildings which work well. Unfortunately, they do take a while to put together, but they do look nice when done.
hi H - Building are a big investment - I actually use a few items as background features to my figures, but they are small such as barbed wire fence sections and bomb/battle damaged doorways and gates etc...
Not sure if I can accomodate anything bigger - the old airfix building from years ago such as the desert outpost and checkpoint set were a good idea but not keen on full buildings
9th
I like the BMC stuff for what it is - and one can really make them look good with the proper painting and treatment. I have several of Barzso's play sets and love his buildings but I am always careful of foam - it's more durable than I was afraid of when I first heard of it, but I still am very cautious when getting the buildings out as I do fear breaking it more than my old plastic stuff from my childhood.
Space limitations are my big problem, I barely have space to store what I have. I would love to see some buildings that one could easily assemble and disassemble after use.
Like Fish I make a lot of my stuff, like my 1/32 scale Alamo out of poplar wood with "stone"paint to simulate the adobe. I use Barzso's Mexican War and Barbary Pirates buildings for San Antonio.
Eventually I'd like to make some clapboard houses for my ACW figures. I'd like to see some European style buildings Napoleonic and the World Wars - again, something that can be easily set up and taken down - and durable.
I have largely scrath built my stuff: two minor damaged buildings. Would suite nappy period too - just look they got hit by a Howy.
I have airfix outpost - and stone bridge. Painted up they look nice. Just got two BMC ww2 fstone houses. Thinking of reinforcing inside walls with foam card but retaining easy cliptogether design.
The magic design concept would be ecollapsable buidlinges for easier storage. Thinking magnets would be the key component here.
But when it comes to scratch buld I could really do with good quality windows and doors fixings. That would speed the scratch build process up no end.
Toyed with idea of lego as you could destroy buildings during the game!!
I have buildings of Barszo and of foamscenes.
Look very good, but there is the same problem for all 1/32 wagramers : space to stock the lot.
I have had the idea the make modular building in cardboard.
A bit like Replicants (http://www.plasticsoldiers.co.uk/photos/replicants/100_3558.JPG) , but instead of using drawings, using photoshoped pics of buildings, with markings were to cut. Turning them into pdf, print and glue on cardboard, cut out, and you have a modular building looking more or less realistic, and do not need a lot of room store, and cost would be minimal.
I just have lack of time to really start with it.
There really is nothing on the market which is totally suitable either for making up a town/street or backdrops.
Miniart building are 1/35th scale and not complete. Modelling skill required.
Tamiya and Italeri only do small pieces in 1/35 scale.
CONTE, TSSD, BARSZO and HOBBY BUNKER do produce complete buildings but made in foam and therefore not collapsable for packing away
when not in use.
AIRFIX buidlings although of a reasonable size, break when you try to dis-assemble them.
NEWRAY do a couple of excellent Western ranch buildings but they come pre-assembled.
PLAYMOBIL,are useable but unless you can get lots of spare parts it does take time to make up complete buildings.
I think the modular system previously used by TIMPO, BRITAINS and a few other European manufacturers, is the way to go. It is currently used by PIKO. Their 1/32 buildings are excellent but very expensive, although modular plastic and you can buy spare parts to make the buildings bigger.
Designs would have to be thought out but working on a building wall being 5 inches X 8 inches then, with good fixing joints you could produce buildings in single and double story, (even taller)configuration which could be dis-assembled and flat packed for storage.
To start with only a few pieces would be required -
1 X Front with door and window/s
1 X Back with windows
1 X Side with window
1 X Side with plain wall(no door or window)
The sides could be smaller that 5 X 8 if desired, lets say 5 X 6. To illustrate the size just stack three HaT 1/32 boxes on top of each other, I'm sure you have some lying around:) this makes a box/building with an 8 inch frontage, 5 inches tall and 6 inches deep, approximately. Obviously a roof would have to be added, which could be pitched or flat.
Roofs would take up a few more parts, pitched being another 4 parts -
2 X Triangular side pieces(the same piece X 2)
1 X Roof front
1 X Roof back
Both roof pieces with an angled fixing to conform to the pitch and allowing the roof section to be made in a flat mould.
With a modular system then the complete building could be offered as one set, the Wall sections could be offered as an add-on set, enabling those wanting to make taller buildings. Lots of other configurations could be produced with the right type of fixings, which is the key to everything working together. A complete building would flat pack into a box approximately the size of a 1/32 scale HaT box, maybe a little thicker.
If collectors wanted to be able to use the insides of the building then a Floor section could be produced.
I believe the concept is workable and economic for HaT .
Dave M
Timpo and Britains used the same parts on several of their Western buildings to save on costs, just making them in different colours.
As I was thinking about it, Marx had some great stuff they included in their sets. I think the test is durability. I still have a ton of their accessories from childhood (The stuff that didn't get lost or stolen during numerous moves following Dad from post to post or my own travels), and the fact that "recasts" are used to fill out the sets made by today's playset makers. When I bought Conte's first two ACW sets I was treated (no sarcasm here) to recast sets of not only the Marx ACW battlefield accessories but also their weapons sprues. Still some great stuff, usable straight out of the bag or with a little painting if you like.
Multiple Toys used to have the snap-together houses which weren't bad in spite of the garrish colored plastics they used. Again, like BMC, they are what they are. I've always felt BMC playsets (at least when they started out - before the prices got so inflated) were worth the price for the accessories even if you threw out the figures.
Conte's recipe seems to be to build his playsets around a large foam scenic piece such as a huge German bunker or section of the Alamo wall and include a set or two of his figures with a few miscellaneous smaller accessories (with his ACW sets, as I said, he used old Marx re-casts).
TSSD has started with their Little Big Horn sets using large foam lancscapes such as "Last Stand Hill" or "Reno Hill" with sets of their figures filled in and some accessories to make a "Set." Paragon Plastics with their US Cavalry and Apaches are doing the same thing. Basing their sets around pieces of landscape.
Ron Barzso, IMHO, has come closest to capturing the old magic of Marx and even MPC. He has in the past created completely new figures for each new set, with character figures for each. He's had every thing from large sections of scenery to buildings and even forts. One thing that even impresses my wife is his attention to detail. In the Mexican War Battle of Cherubusco set there was the market place and even the little rattlesnake and (my peronsal favorite) a coyote which could be set up chasing a small bird (roadrunner?). It's the little things that make a battle come alive to both a dioramist and a war gamer (only speaking from memory here).
Recently, with his latest issue, "The Battle of Bushy Run" Barzso has been forced due to the economy to truly follow in the path of Louis Marx by doing sets that include items from previous sets along with a few new figures. The Bushy Run set contains a new hilltop stronghold, new Highland Grenadier and Rogers Ranger figures along with Indians and accessories recognizable from previous outings.
His Daniel Boone set did the same thing, still worth the price IMHO as some accessories bear repeating. Debating whether to go for the Bushy Run set, though I am tempted.
I think a well-done battlefield accesories kit in 1/32 scale would be well received, I personally prefer plastic or a sturdy resin for durability, as much as I like my foam buildings I am still nervous about it, as I said before. I've seen Fish's work (and some others) and really admire what they do, but work in wood again- because of durability.
I like the idea of finished doors and windows because that is where I've had the most problems in achieving satisfactory results. Don't know if HaT wants to go there though I wish someone would.
Hopefully, this adds to the discussion.
If I wanted buildings I'd make them myself....Keep the soldiers coming
Scott
Hi
I agree with Scott - please keep to the figures - uniform guides for Joe Public/Novices included with the boxed figures would reap more rewards to encourage more boxes to be sold. Nothing like a bit of inspiration to encourage them to paint different regiments/units. Rather than buildings would be better to develop the cavalry and artillery units mooted in earlier blogs.
9th
Tend to agree with Scott and Helmet. The figures work for me. I make do with what is out there, or make my own scenery and buildings, to the extent that I need them. I also understand that part of the pricing issue here is about volume against weight for transport and shipping. For me Hat makes great figures. Some accessories maybe, but in keeping with the current sprue arrangements. Also agree with Wayne that some of the BMC, and other similar stuff, works better than one might expect with a decent undercoat and some dry brushing.
Thanks
Neil A
Yep stick with figures.
Agree. Stick with figures and do more there.
priority cavalery , artillery
I guess I,m with the rest of the guys, the time wasted on buildings would be be better suited to doing more figures.
Lets get back to begging for cavalry and artillery.
Like the rest of the guys I,ll just stick to making my own buildings.
FISH!!!<"))))><
@All, OK, let's take buildings as a no-no then. I think there are some ideas here for those who want buildings.
Hatblogger,
There are no ideas here for collectors/wargamers that want buildings, who don't have the ability to model or the time.
Not a problem for me as I have both, but what's wrong with being a 'Full Service' company and offering all that collectors/wargamers need from one source.
Dave M
@Dave M, I think the above posts have answered that question.
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