15mm resin buildings

[Angel Barracks]

Should they be hollow to allow the placing of things inside?
Should the insides be detailed, or plain to allow better placement?

Assuming skirmishy type warband games.

[Rhoderic]

I’ve given up on buildings with lift-off roofs. They compromise the visual appeal of the building too much. I suppose that wouldn’t be the case if a perfect, near-seamless fit between the roof and lower part of the building could always be guaranteed, but in reality this tends to be too much to wish for and one ends up with terribly unsightly gaps, except maybe with the really expensive upmarket buildings that I for one can’t afford. Likewise, scratchbuilding becomes too much of an ordeal if I’m trying to make lift-off roofs that fit perfectly without leaving gaps, so I’ve given up trying to do that as well. To say nothing of buildings with multiple stories that lift off.

What I’m going to do instead – for small-scope skirmish games only – is to model the interiors of buildings as entirely separate pieces. It’ll still be a minor nuisance to “match” the windows and doors so they look the same on the inside and remain in the same relative locations, and there will be more for me to have to store, but overall I think it’s still a better trade-off (for me personally) than lift-off roofs.

As for modelling buildings with accessible interiors but then leaving those interiors blank and undetailed (by which I mean not even representing the texture of the floor or walls, or modelling the windows and doors on the inside), I can’t really say I see the point. The only reason not to simply represent the inside of a building as a 2D floorplan on a piece of paper is to retain the “in-world” visual aspect of the game. That’s entirely lost when a 3D interior is left as nothing but a blank space – upon entering the building the figures are suddenly transported “out of world” into some strange “limbo space” where everyhing is blank.

There is again a practical budget aspect here: If a commercially sold resin building is to have not only a well-fitting lift-off roof but also a properly detailed interior (with the windows and doors in the right places, and everything), it’s likely to be a very expensive upmarket piece that’s beyond my budget. So I’d sooner buy the building as a cheaper solid resin piece and then either model the interior myself as a separate piece or not model the interior at all (the latter only applies for larger-scope games where individual-to-individual combat is more abstracted).

Of course, when modelling interiors, some compromises have to be made regarding furnishings so as to merely create the illusion of a “lived-in” space without crowding the space with too many things that get in the way of figures and their bases.

[Angel Barracks]

From a makers point of view they would be a fair bit cheaper to make and a lot cheaper to post if they are hollow.

/me thinks

[Stroezie]

You could try the DMscotty 2,5D method.

Basically make the roof + outer walls lift-off with 3D interior.

The outer walls are represented by a low ridge ,with markings for windows and doors, which fits just inside the lift-off outer walls( so as not to create those unsightly gaps Rhoderic was speaking of).

[Rhoderic]

Angel Barracks wrote:

From a makers point of view they would be a fair bit cheaper to make and a lot cheaper to post if they are hollow. /me thinks

Yeah, in that sense they could certainly be hollow, like how many of the Brigade Models 15mm sci-fi buildings have cavities in the underside to save on resin. But if the roofs are going to be lift-off so as to make the interiors accessible, then there are other quality concerns in play. I wouldn’t buy a building with a wobbly or wonky roof that leaves gaps between it and the walls (unless I glue the roof in place and do some additional work on the building to cover up the gaps), and if the manufacturer takes the extra effort to make sure the roof sits near-seamlessly, I’d be afraid that would affect the price level.

The bottom line for me personally is that I’ve had too many headaches and disappointments with lift-off roofs in the past. They’re a fun idea but imperfect in reality unless the products are of exceptionally high-quality craftsmanship.

And if a building is to have a lift-off roof, it needs to also have fully modelled interior walls (complete with reverse sides of windows and doors), floors and other integral elements (stairs, fireplaces, etc), or otherwise what’s the point?

 

[Angel Barracks]

Rhoderic wrote:

They’re a fun idea but imperfect in reality unless the products are of exceptionally high-quality craftsmanship.

You had quite a lot of ill fitting roof sections then?
Seems a bit of care when casting and a quick bit of sanding would sort that out no problem.

Rhoderic wrote:

And if a building is to have a lift-off roof, it needs to also have fully modelled interior walls (complete with reverse sides of windows and doors), floors and other integral elements (stairs, fireplaces, etc), or otherwise what’s the point?

I have, over the years seen people saying they want to be able to put figures inside to denote they are inside, simple as that.
Not to use them inside, but rather than putting them on the roof or taking them off the table.

Also, someone may say want to bring out a range of 15mm huts, it would be acceptable if they all had the same straw type roof but different walls.
That way you could use the same roof for each of the different huts.
In theory.
If someone were thinking about that.

[Angel Barracks]

50mm diameter seem ok for a small hut?

[Rhoderic]

Angel Barracks wrote:

I have, over the years seen people saying they want to be able to put figures inside to denote they are inside, simple as that. Not to use them inside, but rather than putting them on the roof or taking them off the table.

Yeah, I s’pose…

We all have our bugbears 

[Rhoderic]

So you’re getting into 15mm fantasy terrain production, then? 

[Angel Barracks]

Just asking for a pal…?

 

[Norm S]

I have a 15mm Peter Pig resin church. It is hollow (from underneath) and the roof is not removable. The hollow nature makes the piece lighter and even so it is fairly weighty.

I had fieldworks stuff that was light with very thin walls and mostly open topped (ruins) with removable floors.

I would say weight is an issue for use of material (use too much), postage costs and ownership (I like light stuff) …. go as light as the technology allows. The removable roof is not a biggy for me, I always glue mine down and say that anything touching the building or on the building base is in the building.

[NTM]

Not bothered about whether figures can be placed inside or not I glue on lift off roofs etc. Hollow is good though as solid buildings are weighty.

[Etranger]

Given that the FOW rectangular bases almost seem to have become a de facto standard size for 15mm figures it might be worth making sure that you can get at least the small sized base into the building. (http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=3727 for dimensions).

I’ve got 15mm resin/plaster buildings that are solid (Peter Pig, Timecast, 15mm.co.uk Kensington/Mayhem, old FOW), hollowed out (Brigade) or with detailed inside walls/floor (Critical Mass Games, Stonehouse Miniatures). All have their pros and cons. It’s nice to have a detailed interior but they are fiddly to finish off & based figures are awkward to fit around them. Hollowed out ones are lighter (& presumably a bit cheaper to manufacture) & solid ones are heavy! If you are aiming for removable roofs then they do need to fit well. I can’t stand badly fitting pieces.

[Bandit]

Most of our new 15mm building line is solid, though we are looking at making them hollow. However, the purpose we have in mind is to reduce the shipment cost (a couple of the larger buildings weigh about 2 lbs…), not to provide a void for figures.

Cheers,

The Bandit

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