Crescent Root 28mm Series 1 Hybrid Buildings Review
Guest post from Jorg- photos by the author
Originally posted to
I recently received a few of the new to fill out my town collection (All Crescent Root MDF). I ordered the buildings online and they arrived in their normal timely fashion (usually less than ten days). As with all Crescent Root buildings, you order each building ala carte. The new set just adds more buildings to their middle east building line. The big difference is that these are not all MDF, but a hybrid of other materials (I’m guessing laser cut plastic and resin, with paper and MDF as appropriate).
The materials are not really noticeable, as everything is filled and painted (looking at the bottom you can see grey plastic or resin and you can smell a little MDF on a few pieces). The buildings blend in with the earlier line (see pictures later), but do have a slight color variation (which makes things look more realistic anyway). As with all Crescent Root offerings, all buildings are fully assembled and fully painted, with removable roofs. Each building is fully filled and painted, so you will find no unpainted edges like many pre-painted MDF buildings on the market. I continue to be impressed with Crescent Root and their offerings. My collection keeps growing to prove it!
Crescent Root has been replacing all their buildings with new lines. Where the last line was all painted MDF, 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.
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.
Top view of all buildings with roofs removed.
House with extension (front and back)
Small House (front and back).
Two Story House (front and back).
House with Court Yard (front and back).
Two story house on game table with other Crescent Root buildings sidewalks. IHMN Pulp game using 28mm Pulp Figures models.
So, on to the 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 gameplay (removable roofs) or storage only.
Ascetic look 5 out of 5 Bricks.
All buildings and accessories are nicely painted and weathered in the same style. This provides for a uniform look that looks great on the table. No need to do any touch-up painting!
Ease of Use 4 out of 5 Bricks.
With the exception of the small outbuildings, all the other buildings have removable roofs and upper floors. The roofs can be a little sticky, but come off reasonably easily and sit well on the building (they do not fall down randomly). 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 (they are too small to fit a base of anything anyway). If it is important to you that all your buildings are fully accessible, you should pass on them and stick with the larger buildings only. 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 however you like. Crescent Root also offers separate MDG sidewalks as platforms that you can use to give more of a three-dimensional look to your towns. Being larger scale, they do take up a bit of room, but with some creative packing (they buildings are hollow), you can pack them in a reasonable container. Being made out of lightweight material, the buildings are easy to transport. I fit all mine into a medium carton and can carry it with one hand.
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 (cheaper than some unpainted offerings), 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. If you are into middle east terrain in this scale, 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