Review- Ziterdes Windmill

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.ziterdes.de/ziterdes/en/index.php

 

 

The recently released Ziterdes Windmill is one of the most intricate sets they have made to date. It incorporates laser cut MDF pieces to their foam cast buidings. Something they really have not done before.

The complete Windmill house is comprised of 3 sets. To make it you will need the windmill house, the windmill, and the viewing platform.

To show the detail I dry brushed the house.

 

The Windmill House is one piece and cast in black foam with no air bubbles! Like most of Ziteres pieces I don’t have to do anythig to it, and I can go straight into painting it. Typical of Ziterdes scenery pieces it is loaded with tons of details. The farm house looks like it belongs in the country side. The stone work is very well done. The blocks vary in size, some are indented and others not. The faces of the stone are rough and look like they have been from a quarry. The wooden beams have wood grain carved into it, and the roof is covered in shingles.

The Windmill house measures 10″X4″X43/4″.

 

The windmill is compised of two parts- the windmill and the blades. The windmill is cast in black foam.

The windmill stands 7″ high and can be used as a stand alone piece or with the windmill house.
This piece was dry brushed to show detail.

The tower is in the shape of an octagon. The wooden siding is well detailed and has random boards nailed on to it hold it together. The coned roof is covered with shingles, and there is a decorative cover plate for the rotor.

 

To make the blades, you first need to separate them from each other. Then glue on one support beam to bulk up the look of the blade arm. Once dry glue on the blades to the rotor. The rotor has angled channels so it will be easy to properly align the blades. Attached the blades have a 11″ diameter!

The viewing platform is octagon shaped and measures 7″ in diameter.
To assemble the platform first cut off the tabs on the sides of the platform.
Next punch out any remaining wood in the guard rails. These should be very easy to take out.
Now glue the guard rails into the holes of the platform.

If you want you can glue the plaform to the house and glue the windmill to the platform. I left them as separate pieces for ease of storage.

Like I have said in many of my reviews I’m a big fan of Ziterdes and this piece lives up to the others.
It is easy to do, full of detail, and easy to paint and get on the table top.

I highly recommend checking out Ziteres pieces. If you don’t see Ziterdes products at your local gaming shop ask them to
bring them in through ACD Distribution.

Below are painted examples of the Windmill set.

 

 

Review- Ziterdes Iron World Scenery

http://www.ziterdes.de/ziterdes/de/

Forge World recently released the Zone Mortalis rule set. It was fun to play and is designed for indoor combat. There are many options for those that don’t want to

buy the Forge World tiles. The new Iron World scenery by Ziterdes is modular and can be used to represent the inside of a hive world or integrated with other scenery

for urban complexes, and industrial areas.

I have reviewed many pieces from Ziterdes and have been happy with all of them. The pieces are durable, light weight and modular.

The Iron World scenery is part of the Urban War range and is loaded with futuristic gothic details. The scenery will fit right in on a 40K table top.

Each piece is cast in black foam and can easily be dry brushed to completion.

The pieces have a rough texure to them, which is due to the 3d printing process they used to create the masters. The texture helps to add a weathered look and makes

it easy to dry brush.

Iron World Trench System

The Iron World trench system is comprised of four different parts. By purchasing additional sections you can have a highly modular system that can criss cross the

table top.

The T section measures 7″X7″ and the walls are 1.75″ high.

The L section (not pictured) measures 7″X7″ and the walls are 1.75″ high.

The Straight section is 7″ long and the walls are 1.75″ high.

Trench end cap is 3″ wide and the walls are 1.75″ high.

The Iron World bridge measures 7″X3″. It is designed to be used with the Iron World Ramp or Iron World Pier.

Iron World Ramp is 3″ high. The ramp has a small lip which will let the bridge sit comfortably on it. Each grated panel is separated by metal strips which helps to

keep the models from not tipping over.

Iron World Bridge Pier Quarter is comprised of two parts and is cast in resin. The pier is 3″ high and is designed to connect multiple bridge sections.

Iron World Bridge Pier Triangle is comprised of two parts and is cast in resin. The triangle 3.25″ high and is also used to connect up to 3 bridge sections.

The Iron World series has two different “rooms”. Each is a quarter section, so you will need 4 to make a full room. Both rooms are loaded with detail and each of

them has a door. These peices can work for diorama’s as well as for gaming terrain.

The Iron World 90 degree room is 7″X7″X3″.

Iron World 45 degree room is 7″x7″x3″.

The complete room measures 14″X14″X3″ and there is plenty of room to add in accessoires for cover.

Ziterdes offers resin cast barrels and crates for use with your terrain. These would be good for blocking terrain.

Here are painted examples of the Iron World scenery.

I’m really happy with this new set from Ziterdes. It is modular and will blend in well with any GW kits you may have.

If you don’t see Ziterdes products at your local gaming shop ask them to bring them in
through ACD Distribution .

 

Review- Warmill Security Compound

 

 

 

http://www.warmill.co.uk/

 

 

Warmill is one of many new companies manufacturing laser cut mdf terrain products. They have an impressive assortment of scenery and gaming accessories at reasonable prices.

 

Laser cut MDF scenery is kind of the “new kid in town,” as there are so many companies offering it now. I’m sure we will continue to see more and more companies offering MDF scenery as it is a cheaper and faster way to get your foot in the door.

 

I’ve been on the fence about MDF for a while now. As with anything, it has it’s good and bad points, but for me the main thing I don’t like is the way the connection tabs appear on the final product.
Due to the nature of MDF the tabs often appear in areas where it distracts from the final appearance of the model. Which brings us to Warmill. Their scenery is impressive and

the company plans ahead and does their best to hide and intergrate all of the connection points.

Security Compound

The Security Compound is one of the latest offerings from Warmill. It is the first in their Street Wars series.
The set is designed around the Infinity miniatures game, but will work with any 28mm game system.

This set is composed of resin, acrylic, and MDF. The acrylic pieces on this product really stand out. I have never seen this before, and it is what first drew me to Warmill.

The laser work is well done and really captures the feel of the Infinity universe.
The Security Compound set is comprised of 82 pieces and is pretty straight foward to put together.

 

Fence line

 

There are 8 long fence sections and four short. They are both built similarly.

The laser cut is well done and most of the pieces will easily fall out. Should you need to you can tease out the parts with your hobby knife. For particularly hard areas you

can scribe the back of each sheet.

 

Find the appropriate size resin foundation pieces.

Add a dab of glue to it and insert the fence posts.

Each long fence line measures 7″X3″, and each short fence line measures 3″X3″.

 

Watch Tower

 

The watch tower is composed of 7 pieces.

Start by gluing the ladder into the base.
Then glue the front wall to the base.

Next insert the two side pieces and glue in place.
Finally, add the foundation pieces.
The finished tower is 2″X6″.

Gate

The gate is comprised of 11 pieces.

Start by gluing the front face of the gate to the sides.

Next add the top piece, and the foundation pieces.

To make the sign holder glue the two brackets with the back support piece.

 

Attach this to the top of the gate.

Insert the sign of your choice, do not use glue so you can change the signs at will.
Along with one acrylic sign, Warmill gives you a full set of mdf signs.

(wm4)

Slide in gate door to complete the piece.
The finished gate measures 4.25″X 2″ X 3.75″.

Processing center

The processing center is my favorite piece from the Security Compound set.
Here, I show you how to assemble it, but it is best to paint the parts separately and then assemble it.

Start by finding the two back wall pieces.

 

Insert the acrylic sign onto the posts on either side of the front wall piece (the one with holes) and glue in place.

Glue the side panels to the two back wall pieces.

Glue the foot bases to the side panels.

The Menu Board

Glue the L bracket pieces into the middle supports holes.

Glue menu board into support brackets (use white glue to avoid hazing).

Attach the menu board to the outer support holes.

Glue touch pad holder into place.
Glue in touch pad and palm pad (use white glue to avoid hazing), and attach the model to the base plate.

Add the roof.

Attach the process center sign (use white glue to avoid hazing).

The finished process center measures 4″X3″X2.5″.

Building the Security Compound was fun and easy to do. The entire set can almost cover a 2ftX2ft area, and there are a couple of different configurations you can make with it. This will be fun to use in any post apocalyptic or futuristic tabletop war game.  I recommend picking up this kit if you are into futuristic war gaming. It looks so different from any other kits out there that you are sure to have something that many gamers will be envious of. I’m looking forward to future releases by Warmill.

Some tips about working with MDF.
The wood will quickly absorb any paint you apply to it. The wood may swell and the wood fibers may rise. To prevent this, you can seal the wood first with a wood varnish.

There will be a lot of left over wood sprue from your kit. These will be great to use if you are into scratch building terrain.

 

Review- GrassTech 2 Electronic Flocking Applicator

http://www.grasstechusa.com/

The latest flocking applicator by GrassTech USA is now one of my favorite hobby tools. The GrassTech 2, is the best electronic flocking applicator I have tested and is a must for all serious terrain builders. Flocking an entire board is now extremly fast and easy.

I loved the original GrassTech tool (see review ). It was easy to use and gave professional results. But it lacks the power of the GrassTech 2 and does not hold nearly as much grass.

The GrassTech 2 is large, sturdy and standing at 9″ is comfortable to hold.

It is powered by a 9 volt battery, and when turned on emits a soft blue light.

The device comes with a standard filter and hopper cap (not shown).

The GrassTEch 2 works by creating a electrostatic field which charges the polyfibre grass enabling it to stand up.

To use it, first fill the hopper about 1/3 with static grass.

Apply glue to the surface you want to add static grass to.

Stick a pin into the center of the glued area.

Attach the alligator clip to it.

Power it on and shake the GrassTech 2 over the glued surface. For best results, keep within 3-5″ over and around the nail.

When dry vaccum up the excess grass.

The GrassTech 2 is powerful and can easily do 6″ diameter sections at a time.

Here is a display board I made and flocked using the GrassTech 2. It only took a minute to grass the entire board.

If you make a lot of terrain and have had problems with your grass looking good, the GrassTech2 is well worth the investment. In a matter of minutes you will be
finished flocking a whole table.

TIPS

GrassTech USA offers additional size filters for use with the GrassTech 2. The size of the filters is dependant of the type of grass you use. Use the detail filter for hard to reach areas.

Mix in 4mm-6mm grass for more realistic looking results.

It is easy to make grass tufts with the GrassTech 2. Simply add a drop of glue and sprinkle on static grass.

If possible use good flocking glue. If you water down PVA glue some grass will fall flat.

Review- Grass Tech Flocking Applicator

http://www.grasstechusa.com/

Wargamers rejoice! Grass Tech USA’s flocking applicator will make our jobs much easier.

To add static grass to your scenery pieces, simply apply glue to the surface and then sprinkle static grass over it.
Then blow gently to get some of the fibres to stand up and turn it over to tap off the excess.

This procedure will work for small projects, but for anything larger the results are Okay at best.
The problems lie in doing larger surfaces like gaming boards.
When we flock a whole gaming board some of the grass will be standing up and most of it will be laying flat or matted.

There are products out there that help to get static grass to stand up.
Noch’s applicator works very well but due to the high cost it could be prohibitive for most players.
The Grass Tech by Grass Tech USA is only $39.95 and can produce similar results.

The Grass Tech works by creating an electrostatic field which charges the poly fibre static grass enabling it to stand up.

The Grass Tech runs off two AA batteries. To use it, apply glue to the surface you want to add static grass to.

Fill the sieve with static grass.

Stick a nail or any piece of metal into the center of the glued area.
Attach the alligator clip to the nail.

Hold down the red button (turning on the Grass Tech), and gently shake it 3″-5″ over and around the nail. A soft high pitch sound will emanate letting you know it’s working.
As the grass falls through the sieve, it will land in the upright position.

Allow the glue to dry and vacuum up the rest.

The electrostatic field is the strongest in between the alligator clip and the sieve.
For best results, work in small 6″ sections at a time. Be careful not to touch the sieve to the alligator clip.
Doing so will produce a spark or popping sound.

If your first coating of static grass comes out light, apply a second coat.
Simply mist some watered down glue onto the grass, or Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement and reapply more static grass.

This comparison picture shows standard flocking method (on the left) and Grass Tech (on the right). The Grass Tech clearly makes a huge difference in density and height of
the grass.

Static grass will look different depending on the base colour it is applied to.

Here are pictures of the same coloured static grass applied to a brown and green back ground.

The standard static grass we use comes in 4mm blade size. For a more realistic look, Grass Tech USA offers 6mm fibres.
Adding this to your mix will prevent the grass from looking like a well manicured lawn.

To test out the Grass Tech I made a simple display board. I was able to finish flocking the entire board in under 10 minutes.

The Grass Tech is very simple in design but very effective.
Some people have tried to make their own static grass applicators. This can be a little tricky to do and if not made right will shock you while you are using it.

The Grass Tech really is a must have for any hobbyist. I am glad to have one in my arsenal now.

Review- Ratgard Miniatures Design Bureau Hedgehog Anti-Aircraft Weapon System

http://www.mycnc.org/ratgard/

Ratgard Miniatures Design Bureau is one of many companies that are designing after market parts for popular GW kits.

Continuing with the rodent theme, their second kit from is called the Hedgehog Anti-Aircraft Weapon System. This 30 piece kit will make you a Hydra AA alternative. It will fit on both the old and new Chimera’s. The pieces are beautifully cast and are clean and air bubble free.

The Hedgehog takes many of it’s design cues from the Soviet Tunguska M-1. These aftermarket kits really help to give your army a different look, and show the differences between Imperial Planetary Defense Forces.

The kit is very easy to assemble. Just build the Chimera’s tracks and add the bottom plate. Then add the Ratgard top hull and the Chimera’s rear door.

The main body of the turret is comprised of 3 parts. Start by gluing together both halves of the turret and then the targeting system.

A optional nose cone can be placed over the targeting system. This piece is held in place by brackets.

Glue together the radar dish and attach it to the turret.

There are several steps to assembling the guns, but they are all easy to do. Start by gluing the recoil brake to the recoil seat ring.

Glue the gun seat sing to the recoil mechanism.

Glue the two parts together and add the barrels.

With the gun complete, you can now glue it to the turret. The guns can be glued at several different angels . Just choose which anchor point you want to use.

To finish the tank, glue the hull accessory to the body of the Chimera, and add hatch covers.

The Hedgehog is a very nice kit to have and easy to do. Ratgard also has a armour upgrade kit which will fit on the Hedgehog. I have been happy with all of the Ratgard kits released so far and I’m hoping they continue to release more.
If you are looking for a Hydra alternative I would highly recommend picking up one of these.

Below are painted pictures of the tank. Scenery elements courtesy of Quantum Gothic.

Comparison pictures of the Forgeworld Hydra and the Ratgard Hedgehog Anti Aircraft Weapon System

Review- Ratgard Sciuridae Infantry Fight Vehicle & IFV Hull Extra Armor Upgrade

Set

http://www.mycnc.org/ratgard/

Ratgard Miniatures Design Bureau is one of many companies that are designing after

market parts for popular GW kits.

The first kit Ratgard has released is the Sciuridae Infantry Fighting Vehicle. This

8 piece resin conversion set modernizes the GW Imperial Guard Chimera by it’s smooth

and rivetless surfaces. It will fit on both the old and new Chimera’s. The pieces

are beatifully cast and are clean and air bubble free.

The Sciuridae takes many of it’s design cues from the Soviet BMP-1. The low profile

turret, the top hatch and rear doors are obvious examples.

The kit is very easy to assemble. Just build the Chimera’s tracks and add the

bottom plate. Then add the Ratgard top hull and back door.

The turret is comprised of 6 pieces and is also easy to assemble.

The completed kit.

The Sciuridae Infantry Fighting Vehicle kit is simple and is fast to do. I love

the look of this kit and with the extra armour set it will make my command Chimera

stand out from the stock versions.

Ratgard IFV Hull Extra Armor Upgrade Set

The extra armour set is comprised of 12 parts. The casts are clean and air bubble

free. The set is very easy to add on to any Chimera chasis.

The oval shaped exhaust ports look a lot better than the stock version.

The armour panels fit nicely over the side of the Chimera and cover the cargo

compartment. They look like modern reactive armour plates and would be a good way

to help your command vehicle to stand out.

The kit comes with a optional driver window cover.

The blast plate is the final piece for the extra armour set.

Below are painted pictures of the tank. Scenery elements courtesy of Quantum

Gothic.

I am really impressed with the kits from Ratgard. All of the casts are clean and

free of flaws. They are also very easy to assemble. If you have a guard army and

want it to stand out from the rest, you should really consider picking up these kits

from Ratgard.

Review- Ziterdes Victorian Town House Set

http://www.ziterdes.de/ziterdes/de/

Although I’m fully capable of making my own terrain, I’ve grown fond of buying pre-
made pieces. Sometimes I just have too many projects going on and a company like
Ziterdes produces quality products that can go on my tabletop.

Ziterdes is a subsidiary of the famous NOCH GmbH & Co. KG. Their name is derived
from Mr. Wilhelm Ziegler-a guy who came to them with the idea of
making gaming terrain. Ziterdes stands for Ziegler Terrain Design.

All of the pieces come pre-painted and
are cast out of rigid
urethane foam which makes them very light weight and durable. Ziterdes has
approximately 250 different scenic items designed for use with 25-28mm gaming.

Victorian Town House

The Victorian Town House set is made up of 4 pieces (a roof, first and second floors and a stair case). Each floor of the building is a one piece foam cast, the stairs are made out of resin. The building comes pre-painted in grey and with a little bit of dry brushing all of the details will pop out. Each floor has detailed interiors so the battle can continue inside. The windows and doors can be easily removed with a sharp hobby knife.

Each floor measures 7” X 10”. Complete, the building stands at 8” high. Each floor can be purchased separately allowing you to build the house in any height you want. Each piece also has a inner lip built into it so the floors can easily stack on each other.

The building has so much character because of all the architectural detail built into it. The sides of each floor have granite quoins. The first floor keystone windows are a nice touch. However, the most eye catching feature of this building is the mansard roof with eye brow dormers. This building would work well in pulp and steam punk games.

Below are painted pictures of the building. Painted Mailfaux miniatures courtesy of Fernando Enterprises

This is a really great terrain piece and Ziterdes has several other buildings which would
work well with the Victorian Town House. All of these together would make a nice thematic table-top.

If you don’t see Ziterdes products at your local gaming shop ask them to bring them in
through ACD Distribution.

 

Review- Ziterdes Bank Building

 

 

 

 

http://www.ziterdes.de/ziterdes/de/

 

 

Although I’m fully capable of making my own terrain, I’ve grown fond of buying pre-
made pieces. Sometimes I just have too many projects going on and a company like
Ziterdes produces quality products that can go on my tabletop.

Ziterdes is a subsidiary of the famous NOCH GmbH & Co. KG. Their name is derived
from Mr. Wilhelm Ziegler-a guy who came to them with the idea of
making gaming terrain. Ziterdes stands for Ziegler Terrain Design.

All of the pieces come pre-painted and
are cast out of rigid
urethane foam which makes them very light weight and durable. Ziterdes has
approximately 250 different scenic items designed for use with 25-28mm gaming.

The Bank Building

The Bank building is made up of 3 stories. Each one is a one piece foam cast. The

building comes pre-painted in grey and with
a little bit of dry brushing all of the details will pop out. Each floor has detailed

interiors so the battle can continue inside. The windows and doors can be easily removed

with a sharp hobby knife.

Each floor measures 11 ½” X 8 ½” by 2 ½” high. Complete, the building measures 11 ½” X

8 ½” by 8” high. Each floor can be purchased separately allowing you to build the bank in

any height you want to.

Each piece has a lip built in so the floors will easily stack on each other.

The building has so much character because of all the architectural detail built into it.

The sides of each floor have decorative quoins. Each floor has dental cornices, and there

is a wide variety of windows. This building would work well in pulp and steam punk

games.

The ground floor looks like it could be a warehouse or garage.

Below are painted pictures of the building. Painted Mailfaux miniatures courtesy of

Fernando Enterprises (http://www.miniaturelovers.com/)

This is a really great terrain piece and Ziterdes has several other buildings which would
work well with the Bank Building. All of these together would make a nice thematic

table-top.

If you don’t see Ziterdes products at your local gaming shop ask them to bring them in
through ACD Distribution.

 

Review- Ziterdes Landscaping Materials

http://www.ziterdes.de/ziterdes/de/

NOCH GmbH & Co. KG is one of my favorite scenery supply companies. They are
widely known by the model train enthusiasts but hardly known to gamers. Ziterdes helps
to branch that gap by introducing war gamers to scenic materials that have long been
used by railroad fanatics.

Ziterdes has repackaged some of their parent company’ s items to market them to gamers
for scenery and basing. Along with standards such as static grass and ballast, they also
have water making materials, laser cut plants, trees, snow, and much more.

Summer Autumn Grass Tufts

The grass tufts are 6mm size static grass mounted on a flexible transparent base. The
grass fibers stand up and feather outwards. They are made up of a mixture of different
coloured rayon fibers. These grass tufts are great for representing weeds, uncut grass
along a fence, grass in the middle of a well worn path, and so on.

To use these, simply add a drop of glue and place the tufts on it.

Static Grass

Ziterdes has many different colours of static grass.

The Conquest Grass is a beautiful blend of brown, yellow, and green fibers. The bright
colours really stand out and make your scenery pop. The Scorched Grass is much darker
and is a blend of dark green, yellow and brown fibers.

I usually layer static grass and like to use these two together.

Static Grass Applicator

One of the problems with large patches of static grass is getting the fibers to stand up.
Often times you will find the grass laying on its side and looking matted. This little puff
bottle makes realistic looking grass easy to do.

To apply the grass, first paint on some Ziterdes Grass Glue. The glue has additives to
slow down its drying time. This makes doing large swathes of grass easy. If you use
standard white glue when doing large areas, as the glue dries, it will shrink leaving you
with an uneven and unsightly pattern.

Next, remove the cap and fill the bottle up to 50% with static grass.

Give it a slight shake to activate the static charge and then puff the grass onto the glue.

The grass fibers will be standing up and the glue will dry clear!

I used all of the products on the trench piece and was able to finish covering it in just a
few minutes.

If you like to make scenery pieces like I do, I recommend trying these items. If you
don’t see Ziterdes products at your local gaming shop ask them to bring them in through
ACD Distribution.