View of the new buildings with Zvedza KV1s. Each large square is an inch.
Crescent Root just keeps the new released coming this year. I’m not sure how much longer my bank account can hold up! Following their desert line, Crescent Root has released a new Series I 15mm Hybrid buildings to add to their Northwest Europe collection. These buildings are of a new series and add more hybrid material buildings to the Crescent Root collection. Like all the new offerings, these buildings are a hybrid of other materials (I’m guessing laser cut plastic and resin, with paper and MDF as appropriate). If they did not tell you, you would not be able to tell, as everything is painted (looking at the bottom you can see grey plastic or resin and you can smell a little MDF on a few pieces). 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 ordered the series online and they arrived in their normal timely fashion. Like all Crescent Root offerings, you order each building ala carte. You have the option of picking between four different colors, so can have multiple variations of the same building in your collection. To add a cherry on top, they now have the option of choosing between red or grey roofs! This is fantastic, as you can match your towns or go with a mix and match using the same buildings, but with totally different colors. I like the uniform roof look, so I went with grey and switched up the building colors to add a little flavor. If you have the earlier buildings like me, these blend in fine. If not, you have plenty of color choices to build your collection with. Crescent Root continues to impress with the options they give!
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 entire set.
Top view of entire set with all roofs removed
Front and back of house with outhouse.
Front and back view of L shaped house.
Front and back view of manor house.
Front and back of small house with yard,
Front and back of small house with separate carriage house.
Front and back view of railroad storage house.
Front and back view of ancillary building set.
Now, 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 game play (removable roofs) or storage only. Smaller buildings are single piece without removable roofs.
Ascetic look 5 our 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! You can also pick your color preferences.
Ease of Use 4 out of 5 Bricks.
With the exception of the small out buildings, all the other buildings have removable roofs and upper floors. The roofs 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 how ever you like. Crescent Root also offers separate MDF side walks as platforms that you can use to give more of a three dimensional look to your towns. However, as most of these buildings come with their own courtyard, these are only needed sparingly, if at all. Being 15mm, they do not take up much room. With some some creative packing (the buildings are hollow), you can pack them in a reasonable craft container. Being made out of light weight materials, the buildings are easy to transport.
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’m a huge Crescent Root fan. Each generation off buildings get better and better. These 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