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Scenery / Sci-Fi - 6mm to 49mm
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Displaying Reviews: 1 - 1
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It's fun to build and great to look at!
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Reviewer
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Reviewed by Antar Howarth (info@totalmodel.com) May 12, 2005
Every now and again I am presented with a review sample that sends an extremely pleasant spark through my funny bone. This small pillbox from Antenociti's Workshop is a perfect example. A cursory glance at its packaging gives not the slightest indication of what lies within. Only when you open the box - Pandora style - does the full story stumble out.
The H-Class Reinforced Pillbox is designed for use in 28mm sci-fi tabletop games. Whether you're a fan of VOID, Warhammer 40k or the gamut of similar games, there comes a time when your infanty's best friend is nice, sturdy fortification. This chunky little number certainly looks good for the part. Before you can deploy it on the battlefield, however, you'll first need to build it. That's right. This pillbox is a kit - in every sense of the word - and that's where the fun begins!
The box is stuffed - and I mean Stuffed - with all manner of goodies. I poked around with a curious finger for more than a minute before I cleared a route to the bottom. Most of the components are slabs of a very dense foam-like material, the use of which is becoming increasingly popular in the model world of late. The foam is so fine and compact it's almost like balsa wood and can be handled in much the same way. The only downside is that this material is known to blunt blades faster than you can say "swanmorton". Thankfully, you probably won't need to put this to the test as nearly all the pieces have been precut to size and shape already. Most are used as walls or supporting buttresses. A particularly chunky section is used as the roof - whilst several thinner slices are employed as the floor, etc.
Some white glue, a bit of patient hand-eye coordination and the bunker's sub-assemblies soon begin to take shape. Once these have dried it's simply a matter of putting it all together to make the whole. In less than hour you've got yourself a smart, blue foam pill-box!
Job done? Well, not quite. Lift the lid of the packaging and you'll notice that most of the kit is still inside the box! There's tons of stuff in there itching to get out and play a part in the construction. First there's a sheet of vac-formed checker plate which needs to be cut and glued to the floor. Then there are the two highly detailed resin bulkhead doors which are positioned at the back of the structure. There are also 4 other smaller resin castings of monitors and terminals which are used to decorate the interior.
Once you move outside things really start getting busy! The set contains a pack of slabs cast in herculite plaster. These are applied to the exterior of the pillbox as additional applique armour. Two small lengths of H section styrene (also supplied) are used to support two plates above the gun openings. Once all the slabs are in place the building starts to take on a character all of its own. But we're not done yet.
Just when you thought things couldn't get any more interesting you notice two plastic pots lurking at the bottom of the box. One contains a dark grey texture paint, the other a concoction known only as "konkrette paste". The latter can be used to fill any gaps around the joints where the various foam sections butt together. This adds a nice pre-fab feel to the finished piece which is perhaps why the designers encourage you to use it in copious amounts. The paint does pretty much what it says on the tin.
And that's it - apart from the bag of herculite bricks which you are supposed to break up and scatter around the base of the pillbox as debris. Oh, and the extra thin slice of foam from which you can cut out an insignia or emblem and stick to the roof.
And that really is it - except to say that this thing is an absolute joy to build! For me it was a completely new model-making experience. In some respects it was like assembling a kit. In others it's more like scratch-building. The only difference is that someone else has already done most of the scratching, cutting and preparing. All you have to do is put the thing together. Everything you need to build the pillbox (apart from the glue) is supplied inside the box. It will take you not more than a couple of hours to assemble and then, once painted, you'll have one beefy little fortification to deploy on your battlefield.
Ultimately, with this kit you get the best of both worlds. It's fun to build and great to look at. It also promises to be first in what could be a series of similar kits from Antenociti's Workshop.
Fingers crossed!
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14
out of
16
people found this review helpful
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Tell a friend about this item!