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Scenery / Misc - 6mm to 49mm
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Displaying Reviews: 1 - 1
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Average Reviewer Rating:
 
Number of Reviews:
1
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The Good, the Bad and the...
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Reviewer
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Reviewed by Antar (info@totalmodel.com) November 25, 2003
There's only one thing a wargamer needs more than figures - and that's scenery. In fact it's not uncommon for some gamers to spend more time and resources decorating the battlefield than they do on their troops! Thankfully, these days, the gaming community is positively awash with companies ready to cater for your every scenic whim. German company Gelaendestuecke is just one of them. What makes these particular road sections different, however, is the fact that they come ready painted and - in some cases - complete with scenic grass. As you will see, this can be both a good and a bad thing!
This review focuses on a range of different 25mm - 30mm road sections produced by Gelaendestuecke. Although each piece has a slightly different road surface, for the scope of this review they are, essentially, one and the same. There are three different road surfaces available; a rough country road style with grassy edges, a cobbled road surface - again with grassy edges - and a simple tarmac finish complete with curbs and cobbled pavement.
The long straight sections measure approx. 40cm in length x 20cm wide - which is a very attractive size. Better still, they are only 3-4mm deep which ensures a wonderfully low profile. All three styles are modelled along simple but appealing lines. More importantly, they are possessed of enough detail to cross that fine gaming line that is often the difference between a scenic feature that is good to look at and one that is merely functional. When these sections are laid out end to end across the battlefield, they are in a class of their own!
As I mentioned elsewhere, however, this review is a game of two halves! Each road section is supplied pre-painted, so we don't just need to consider the quality of the models - but also the finish. In this instance, I am reminded of a scene from a comedy film starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas called Tough Guys. In the scene, Burt - who has just been released from prison - walks into a fast food joint and orders a burger. When he unwraps his food, he is less than impressed and challenges the man behind the counter. "I don't want this dry old thing," he says, "I want the fat, succulent burger that's on your menu!" The same is true of the paint finish on the road sections. In the catalogue they look fantastic. In real life it's a different story. To begin with, each section was (presumably) sprayed matte black. They were then drybrushed in various shades of browns and greys to bring out the details and relief. The trouble is, in some areas, this appears to have been done quite roughly - and at top speed! In places the hi-lights have been dragged and blurred into all manner of unattractive smudges. Worse still, on the country road section, someone has attempted to simulate cart tracks by drybrushing pure white hi-lights over a dark brown base coat. The effect is quite ugly.
Ultimately whilst I cannot say the painting is bad - in places it is very sloppy. For this reason, the road sections will lose 1 star from my review rating. Even so, I really like them and plan expand my collection. I can only hope that Gelaendestuecke will pay more attention to the painting side of their production or - perhaps - even offer the road sections as unpainted blanks.
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3
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3
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