About Me

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London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
A mythical beast - a female wargamer! I got back into wargaming in the summer of 2011 after a very, very long break and haven't looked back since. I must admit that I seem to be more of a painter/collector than a gamer, but do hope to correct that at some point in the near future. My gaming interests span the ages, from the "Biblical" era all the way through to the far future. I enjoy games of all sizes, from a handful of figures up to major battles (see my megalomaniacally sized Choson Korean and Russian Seven Years War armies).

Sunday 4 May 2014

Residential Building

I did manage to get some more long rubber bands, but couldn't find the spring clips I was after in any of the shops I looked in - the pound shop, Asda Home Living, Staples, Halfords, B&Q (who did have some very, very big ones but not the size I needed) and Maplins. I guess I'll have to take a trip to 4D Modelshop who definitely do sell them, but that can wait until I order some more buildings.

While I was in Halfords I did pick up a can of grey primer. The B&Q visit was also useful as I found some dark grey self adhesive floor tiles which would be great for doing a city playing surface. One pack is 305mm x 610mm, the other is 455mm x 455mm. I didn't buy any of them as the packs are a little bit weighty when you don't have a car and it's a 400 yard walk to the bus stop you need. I might make the effort tomorrow as I also want to pick up a paste table so that I can take the buildings outside to do the spray priming (assuming the weather stays sunny).

After my return from shopping, I started work on the third building. This was the residence and had some fiddly bits to do. The lack of clips did mean that I couldn't work as fast on this building as on the other two.





I forgot to show any rear views yesterday:


Broken down to show the different levels and the internal room layout:


Which is removable:


It sits on top of these corner posts when used as the ground floor, so you could hide objectives, plot points or even gangsters in the basement. It doesn't actually come with doors - I cut out the bits from the sprue which were in the right place.


It does fit in the upper levels as well....


....but it doesn't line up too well with the middle windows. This pic also shows a boo-boo I made when gluing the window detail panel to the front wall. I focused on getting the alignment with the sides and bottom right and forgot to check it was the right way round!

I might ask Sarissa about doing some alternative layouts. The building only comes with one. I might also ask about alternative rear faces for the upper levels which have more windows.


Fitting the dividing wall between the two halves of the building was a little tricky as it had no support. Until I came up with a cunning plan:



Yup, I propped it up with the "doors" and used some marker pens to ensure they were level.


Some pics with the other buildings now.




Those steps were right fiddly blighters to assemble!

Charlie "Cautious" Moran shoved the door part-way open and burst into the room. He didn't have time to appreciate the irony of his moniker, as Tommy "The Gun" O'Rourke got the drop on him from behind the door:



The great thing about these buildings is that the smaller ones will stack inside the larger ones, which will help with storage and transport:


I'm still deciding what buildings to add to the collection. I'm thinking 3 of the small commercial buildings, another large one, a second residence and the warehouse. That should give me a decent layout for big games as well as qualifying for the 6-building bundle. And some extra floors for some of the buildings.

Oooh, and maybe an out-of-town hideout as well for when the heat gets too much.

17 comments:

  1. I am loving those buildings and wilkos do some grey vinyl tiles at £5 a pop and they are light, maybe you could use them?

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  2. Also you need a Pete "PK" as a mobster Tamsin, lol

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    1. Actually Tamsin you should run a competition to have a named modster, lol

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  3. Those buildings are cracking - just right for your gangsters and their molls.

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  4. Those are great looking buildings and I'm glad to see your cunning plan worked out finding just the right spring clips is always and issue. The Perry Bros. old barn would make a perfect "hideout" or more the American farm house and barn combo that way the getaway car is hidden too.

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  5. hey guys, here's my blog. All about lord of the rings miniatures :)
    http://middleearthminis.blogspot.pt/

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  6. I just love the Sarissa Precision city block buildings... just got my self 3 of them ;)
    The gangsters looks great!

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  7. Nice street you have there. This really is taking shape quickly.

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  8. They are stunning Tamsin and almost as big as my house!

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  9. Really very nice. I hope the weather allows you to do the spraying.

    As to clips, do you have a Clas Olsen handy? I've found useful stuff there.

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  10. Very nice Tamsin despite it being fiddly. Would it have been far easier with the clips?
    Intrigued by the floor tiles as well pics please?

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  11. @ PK - I might have to take a look in Wilko next time I'm up in Walthamstow. That's a great idea about the comp.

    @ Dannoc - they'll be even better when painted.

    @ Robert - The cunning plan with the door pieces and marker pens? It certainly did the trick. The Perry buildings look OK, but I prefer the flexibility that the MDF offers over plastic.

    @ Jimmy - joined as a follower

    @ Hobbyworker - they are very nice buildings

    @ Dave - even nicer when painted I hope

    @ Clint - it's a start :)

    @ Michael - I know property in the South East is expensive, but you don't really expect us to believe your house is that small do you? ;)

    @ Loki - thanks :)

    @ Edwin - the nearest Clas Ohlson stores are in Croydon, Kingston and Watford so they're not really an option. It does look as though the weather will hold, so hopefully I'll get the spraying done this afternoon.

    @ Simon - it would have been quicker as I could have clamped more bits together. I'll take pics of the floor tiles when I buy them (or maybe take my camera to B&Q next time).

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  12. Very very cool buildings Tamsin!

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  13. My only gripe with the residentiala building is its lack of a rear or side doors.

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    1. I was thinking of making (or asking Sarissa to make) a fire escape, like you see in all the cop shows, to add to the rear. It would need a separate base, but that would allow you to use it or not.

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