...at some time in their life, is a windmill. A model one, of course. How beautifully they set off your tabletop! And how I've resisted the need for one for so long is a mystery to me.
One problem is, I think, that sometimes the windmills people choose dominate the tabletop terrain rather than rounding it off. Using 30mm miniatures, a similarly scaled windmill is a big affair. I use 15mm size buildings with my 30mm figures, which I believe works nicely, and recently I finally came across a suitable 15mm size windmill from Ironclad Miniatures. Being a pretty basic Russian one, I thought it would fit nicely into an 18th century Central European landscape for my SYW battles.
I think I was right. The photos below show the model assembled but unpainted, and I am very pleased with it. The model is nicely cast in resin: there were no air bubbles or other faults on the model I received, and very minimal cleaning up was all that was required before assembly. The sails are a little fiddly to put together, but only a little. In fact the only fault the model has for wargaming is that said sails seem a little fragile and feel as though they might snap off easily, so care in use is required. But this is a fine little model, destined to provide a pleasant backdrop to many a future game.
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| You have to provide your own base. |
I picked up a couple of other models from Ironclad in the same purchase, plus what I hoped would be a compatible building from Hovels. I wanted to have the basis for a built up area that was of a more lightly-built and rustic nature than those I currently use, both for variety and also to have a village or small town that would provide a lower level of cover, and would therefore be easier to attack.
The buildings were the Small Log House and Eastern Front Barn from Ironclad, and the Regional Governor's House from Hovels, all in 15mm of course. Once again I was pleased with what I received. The Ironclad models come in a fairly large 15mm size, and you can see that their barn rather overshadows the supposedly grand residence of the 'regional governor', but this doesn't really worry me. The Ironclad models come with removable roofs and some detail on the inside. The barn measures around 110cm x 80cm x 55cm high, just for the record. The Hovels model is all in one piece, but standards of finish are just as high as Ironclad's. No annoying air bubbles present anywhere!
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| L to R, eastern front barn, small log house, regional governor's house. |
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| Alternative aspects. |
I find painting buildings so much more relaxing than painting figures - so much less fiddly, you understand. So you should see some of these buildings completed and gracing a game in the not too distant future.
And before I leave you, a reminder to SYW gamers - don't forget to visit:
Cheers for now.
2 comments:
Nice looking buildings!
Now all you need is a 30mm Don Quixote!
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