A few weeks ago, I ordered the new Crescent Root 15mm Series two building line. As with all Crescent Root buildings, you order each building ala carte. The new set is a factory complex of brick style buildings. The range runs the gambit of large factory buildings, out buildings, platforms and even accessory details. This allow one to custom build your set up as necessary. You can buy a single building to add to your town or go all out and get the entire complex if you are a crazy person like me!. All buildings are fully assembled and fully painted (you an buy them unpainted). You will find no unpainted edges like many prepainted mdf buildings on the market. I’m a big fan of all their lines and have the collection to prove it!
Crescent Root has been replacing all their building lines with a new lines. Were the last line was all painted mdf (and nice in itself), the new lines are multi-material (mdf, plastic, resign, etc). I suppose this allows them to control costs while providing for varied surfaces like you would find in actual building construction. Crescent Root has been dropping older lines of buildings and using this approach for all their newer replacement lines of buildings.
All the larger buildings have removable roofs and are suitable for games that allow you to place troops in buildings. Being a big FOW player, I picked up the line to add to my existing collection of Crescent Root 15mm European buildings (which are no longer available, but I’m guessing will be replaced in the not too distant future.
Here are a few photos of most of the line for you to get a better idea of scale. For more information, you can go to the Crescent Root site.
View of all the buildings. Each large square is an inch.
Top view of all buildings with roofs removed. The two on the upper left are the small out buildings without removable roofs.
Large Factory
Large factory (other angle) with platform.
Medium Factory
Large storage building.
Small out buildings (without removalbe roofs).
Medium storage building 1
Medium storage building 2
Separate platforms and ramps.
Buildings randomly placed on platforms
Various pallet and barrel sets.
Half height corner and straight wall sections.
So, with that behind me, I will go over the various aspects of the buildings and give you my masonry score!
Ease of assembly 5 out of 5 Bricks.
All buildings come pre-assembled and painted (with a little weathering to boot!). All “loose” pieces are for game play (removable roofs) or storage only (removable chimneys).
Ascetic look 5 our of 5 Bricks.
All buildings and accessories are nicely painted in the same style. This provides for a uniform look that looks great on the table. No need to do any touch up painting like many other pre-painted buildings on the market.
Ease of Use 4 out of 5 Bricks.
With the exception of the small out buildings, all the other buildings have removable roofs and upper floors. The roofs come off quite easily and sit well on the building (they do not fall down randomly like some other buildings. The floors are easy enough to remove, but they are inside the building. As such, it makes it a little tricky to stack up units in buildings (I will not use the upper floors in my games). Further, as the smaller outbuildings are solid, you cannot place troops inside. In all fairness, they are too small to fit a base of anything anyway. If it is important to you that all your buildings be open, then you should pass on them. If you prefer the cluttered look on the table (which I do), then do not hesitate to include them.
Flexibility 5 out of 5 Bricks
As each building and accessory is ordered separately, you can mix and match the buildings how ever you like. The options for platforms and rail lines just add to the possibility. There design will work for almost any factory area from the late 19th century to older factories in modern times. Being made out of light weight material, the buildings are easy to store (as much as buildings can be) and easy to transport. You can put them in a medium sized box and carry it with one hand, no problem.
Price 5 out of 5 Bricks
Generally speaking, you can never say a finished terrain piece is inexpensive, as you always have to pay for the finishing. For those that enjoy building and painting their terrain, go for the unpainted versions and save some money. For those of us that either have limited time, skill or do not get enjoyment out of terrain building, the painted versions are golden. Further, you will find that these are some of the least expensive painted buildings on the market, so your wallet will not suffer too much!
Overall 4.75 out of 5 Bricks
I have to say that I think Crescent Root buildings are fantastic. They look great, they are easy to store and transport and they do not cost a fortune. I continue to be a very happy customer! Mark Neimeyer from Crescent Root Studios is very responsive and very helpful. This is a line to keep an eye on if you are in the market for buildings. In summary, these buildings are well sculpted and painted and will look great on any battlefield. Bring out your inner mason and check Crescent Root out!
– Manteuffel