The team at Micro Art Studios recently got in touch to ask if we would like to do a article on their new range of 15mm prepainted/colourised buildings. Being a massive scenery snob (I do like a nice table), I lept at the chance to expand my collection and try out a new look for my games – Mark.
Expecting a couple of samples, I was wonderfully taken aback with their generosity when a massive parcel arrived with enough buildings to allow a complete new board to be created with their range which will be used for the upcoming UK Nationals this September (23rd & 24th).
The Range
The studio has recently branched into 15mm bringing across a selection of their 28mm range. At present they have the following kits available:
WW2 Normandy Cafe (H00170)
– 2 buildings per set
– removable levels (do not glue!), you can use it as a ground floor building or with the 1st floor
– accessible interiors, infantry teams fit inside
– optional signboards (Cafe chez Pierre, La Maison du Petit Four, Boulangerie, Coiffeur)
– optional colors of doors and window shutters (beige, yellow, blue, green)
WW2 Normandy Restaurant (H00171)
– 1 large building per set
– removable levels (do not glue!)
– accessible interiors, infantry teams fit inside
– optional colors of doors and window frames and cornices (beige, crimson)
WW2 Normandy Townhouse 1 (H00172)
– 2 buildings per set
– removable levels (do not glue!), you can use it as a ground floor building or with the 1st floor
– accessible interiors, infantry teams fit inside
– optional colors of doors and window frames and cornices (beige, yellow)
WW2 Normandy Townhouse 2 (H00173)#
– 1 large building per set
– removable levels (do not glue!)
– accessible interiors, infantry teams fit inside
– optional colors of doors and window frames and window shutters (blue, brown/beige)
WW2 Normandy Townhouse 3 (H00174)
– 2 buildings per set
– removable levels (do not glue!), you can use it as a ground floor building or with the 1st floor
– accessible interiors, infantry teams fit inside
– optional colors of doors and window shutters and cornices (light brown, blue, light green)
WW2 Normandy Garage & Factory (H00175)
– 2 buildings per set
– removable roofs (do not glue)
– accessible interiors, infantry teams & vehicles fit inside
– optional open/closed doors
Getting them on the table/assembly
I must admit its been a while since I have built any MDF kits, in fact the last set I did was by 4Ground many years ago. That said, I was pleased that these went together easily and without the faff and complexity I remembered. Each set comes with a page of clear coloured instructions and I had no issues putting them together using just PVA glue. The smaller buildings took me around 30 minutes each and the more complex restaurant about an hour to complete.
Top tip…Many of the pieces have a protective paper on them which protects the detail below. This can just come off with a finger nail (oddly satisfying when you peel it off in 1 piece!). Make sure you catch all of these as on my 1st cafe I didn’t realise that the windows had a paper on and were actually all colourised.
What I do like about the kits is that they come with different coloured options for windows, doors, shutters, etc. This means that if you buy multiples of a set they don’t all have to look the same (something other ranges suffer from). The addition of extra details like multiple shop front signs and signage for the side of buildings further demonstrates the attention to detail in the design. As you can see in our pictures, it really brings the scene to life.
In game
Ultimately as nice as any scenery can be,it needs to be usable in the game. I have been caught out with this before with a very expensive (very pretty set) by Crescent Root. While it looks lovely, it isn’t designed for FOW and so the bases don’t fit. Luckily Micro Art Studios, built their 15mm scenery with the most popular 15mm game system (FOW!) in mind. You will have no issues getting your infantry stands into that vital hard cover.
The interiors also have detail and printed flooring which makes them look a lot nicer when you lift them apart to get at your figues. The 2 storey sets have removable roofs as well as the middle floor allowing you to get figures into both levels. Little guide pegs also make sure that when they go back together the floors are secured in place and don’t slide apart.
Value for money
Each of the (currently) available sets is priced at 25 euros so about 22 GBP or 28 USD. Given that many of the sets give you 2 x buildings for that price (and the singles are quite large) this stacks up really well vs others options on the market. For instance a basic battlefield in a box house retails at £18 (and is rarely available). Okay they are resin and pre-painted but these are cheaper and with no more than 30 minutes effort provide a much more charachterful and realistic looking option.
A better like for like comparison is with the 4ground sets. While they offer 2 buildings for about the same price they look much more basic in the colour and finish. You can find cheaper pre-painted/colourised MDF buildings on Ebay however, again they are a very basic, non realistic design compared to these. You get a much more professional finish with the Micro Art Studio buildings option for a few pound/dollars/euros extra.
Summing up
I’m excited to be showing off the new board and buildings at the UK Nationals. They really are top notch and well priced, so I encourage you to have a look at Micro Art Studios’s website for yourself. Even post us a picture of them on your tables on our Facebook page.
Finally anothe big thank you to Micro Art studio and I hope this has helped expose our readers to this great new line of buildings with which to really enhance the look of their games.
