There is nothing quite as impressive in this hobby as a beautiful and detailed gaming table on which to push our meticulously painted toy soldiers around on a grand scale. My personal terrain choices have been seriously lacking and our local games of
Hail Caesar have become large and epic enough these days that the tables and terrain we have been using are starting to detract from the feel of what we are trying to accomplish. There are some things I can do to remedy this situation, and long term I have started to plan some modular terrain boards, but for step one I have purchased three very nice ancient buildings from
GrandManner.
I discovered the GrandManner site quite by accident while browsing a hobby message board. I was immediately struck by the professionalism and presentation of their site (not something you often get in this hobby). Their product line is extensive and includes buildings and other terrain pieces for nearly every historical period. I immediately ordered the
Single Story Large House ($31.00), the
Two Story Building ($34.47) and the
Medium Single Story House ($41.29).
Shipping from GrandManner was quick and efficient (but expensive, $53.69). Exactly one week after placing my order the package was dropped off at my door. The care taken in packing my order was obvious as each piece was individually wrapped in bubble-wrap and then encased in foam. They arrived without any damage. After opening the pieces, I was struck by their quality immediately. They are heavier than you would think and very well sculpted with some amazing details such as clay pottery near doorways, rugs tossed over the edge of a wall or in the middle of the room. All of the buildings have removable roofs which is a very nice touch and will make painting these much easier.
Dimensions of the buildings:
- Single Story Large House: 5" x 3.875" x 2.5"
- Two Story Building: 3.875" x 3.875" x 4.125"
- Medium Single Story House: 4.75" x 5.5" x 2.875"
Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Yes, they were expensive, but I am willing to pay a premium for this type of quality and detail for something that will last me the rest of my life. These will be a lot of fun to paint and I'm looking forward to getting them on the table for an upcoming game.
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| GrandManner Ancient Single Story House |
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| GrandManner Ancient Single Story House Details |
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| GrandManner Ancient Two Story Building |
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| GrandManner Ancient Two Story Building Details |
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| GrandManner Ancient Medium Single Story House |
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| GrandManner Ancient Medium Single Story House |
No question Grand Manner have some of the best terrain available, but also at a premium price. If you can afford it then great, but for me the P&P is a deal breaker and so I'll try and pick some up at shows.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll turn these lovely sculpts into works of art.:-)
Christopher
These look wonderful! I'm with you, Jonathan. With the cost, time and effort we put into quality basing and painting, terrain is an important component to the visual aspect of our hobby. I can't wait to see these in an AAR.
ReplyDeleteNow that winter is finally over, I need to get out in the garage for some of my terrain-making projects and step it up!
They do look cool. How do they scale to the figs?
ReplyDeleteI'll try to get some photos of some figures loitering around the buildings.. but they match up in scale very, very well.
DeleteNice looking buildings :)
ReplyDelete