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The Samurai visits Urban Construct and learns about scenery for miniature gaming
02-26-2012, 08:20 PM (This post was last modified: 02-26-2012 09:33 PM by samuraitrev.)
Post: #1
The Samurai visits Urban Construct and learns about scenery for miniature gaming
Hi folks your roving reporter has been off on another visit to find out more about the wonderful hobby of games and miniatures. This article will, I hope, give you an insight into scenery you can incorporate into your games.

I first became aware of Urban Construct’s products from visiting a games day at Kelham Hall. I did a previous article some of you may remember. There were many examples of terrain scenery manufacturers such as modular boards, hills, tree, hedges and rivers etc but nobody I was aware of on the market really did good quality post apocalyptic buildings. I was blown away by the quality and detail of these examples.

It gets better!
Most buildings you buy are just complete casts and what you see is what you get. However with these you can tailor them to your own specifications. You can have buildings complete or ruined. There are removable roof sections, walls, separate removable floors with stairways and even basements or sewers! The buildings, roads, sewers etc…are modular and can be re-arranged to vary the layout for each game.
Imagine a scenario where your figures land on the roof rappelling from a helicopter fighting their way down the floors into the secret lab in the basement. Not only that there are roads, fences, assorted junk, cars and burnt out cars. I emailed Urban Construct and asked if it would be ok to visit and do an article. Here’s what I found out.

ST: Good afternoon. Thanks for letting me visit.
UC: No problem. Would you like to come in?
(We make our way into a large impressive 18th century building which was once a flax mill.)
ST: How long have you being designing and making scenery?
UC: Three years now.
ST: Where do you get your ideas and what are your influences?UC: Many of my ideas come from films and buildings. For example I will visit the city of Sheffield and take photos of buildings of interest and work from them. See the Scientific Building I made. (See website). When researching the V2 Rocket, that I now produce, I visited the Imperial War Museum and took photos of it there to work from.
ST: (By this point I was impressed at his dedication to his craft) How long does it take to make a piece of scenery from conception to completion?
UC: Two weeks. Unless it’s a whole building, that can take about a month.
ST: The level of detail and realism you put into your work is amazing! Did you study architecture by any chance?
UC: I was a building engineer for 25 years. So I have a good idea when it comes to those details.
ST: Ahh that explains it. Do you ever make scenery to order?
UC: Yes. I’m building a castle at the moment that someone’s ordered as they want to do a Monty Python and The Holy Grail scenario/game!
ST: What scale are your buildings and scenery made for?
UC: They are made for 25-28mm miniatures.
ST: Which range of paints do you use?
UC: I use Vallejo acrylic paints.
ST: I bet it takes ages to paint these doesn’t it?
UC: Not as long as you might think. I use a spray wash made by Modelmates that shades them and highlight them with a big brush!
ST: What is your scenery made out of?
UC: They are made out of resin. Come and have a look. (At this point I’m taken on a tour. There are finished products boxed up and there are sculpts ready to have their mould lines trimmed using a large machine with a sanding wheel on it. There’s also a machine that vacuums all the bubbles out of the resin. I just look around in awe as it’s like Aladdin’s cave. At this point I spy a well model.
ST: Wow! I’ve been looking for something like this for the Game Last Night on Earth for ages!
UC: Yes I make them and all kinds of extras. There are the doors and removable tower sections too.
ST: So do you play any games your self?
UC: I enjoy playing Second World War and Post Apocalyptic games best I also like Dungeons and Dragons.
ST: Thank you for showing me around.
UC: It’s a pleasure it’s good to meet someone who appreciates it. Feel free to come back any time.

Check out the full range of Urban Construct’s products here http://www.wargameterrain.co.uk/

I can personally recommend these products. Dave at Urban Constructs is a genuine good guy who is dedicated to making top quality accurate scenery and buildings. I have ordered products from them in the past and the service is great. I bought two fully painted sewer sections to use in LNoE at only £10 each. Just to give you an idea of the work that goes into them. The varnish has been painted on 10 times. Just to get the right effect. There’s actually a 25% discount on sewer systems too if you check out the website. Scenery can be bought unpainted or painted. Now get spending and designing your own games!

You can contact Dave here at urbanconstruct@hotmail.com and he can give quotations for painted models, and he has some concrete type sewers ready painted and ready to go!

Hope you found this article interesting. I had a great time! See you again soon for my next visit. Check out the pictures below and as always please commentWatchmen02

A poor unfortunate is soon to become Zombie food in the sewers under Woodinvale.
   

See how the sections can fit together.
   

Check out this! With added buildings, fences, craters and road sections. See how it versatile it fits together. The LNoE Heroes fight for their lives!
   

Lets have a closer look...
   

No, come closer... look at the quality.
   




The streets were too dangerous to travel on. Zombies roamed through the town desperate for brains. (At one point I went "This is awesome a Zombie's coming out of that burning car" Dave laughed and replied "Now you're worrying me!"
   

It's not just the Zombies in town there's other things lurking in the sewers...
   

All the scenery you've seen and much more is available to buy at Urban Construct here http://www.wargameterrain.co.uk/
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02-26-2012, 10:23 PM
Post: #2
RE: The Samurai visits Urban Construct and learns about scenery for miniature gaming
Fantastic! I'm jealous you got to go behind the scenes and have a look at how this stuff is made Watchmen02

What you don't know can eat you... Zombie01
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02-26-2012, 10:26 PM
Post: #3
RE: The Samurai visits Urban Construct and learns about scenery for miniature gaming
This is some AWESOME swag you've got here!

In the event of a Zombie Apocalypse please do the following:
1. Grab a buddy
2. Grab guns
3. Start shooting
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02-27-2012, 05:42 PM
Post: #4
RE: The Samurai visits Urban Construct and learns about scenery for miniature gaming
Thanks for the comments victor and thegep. Yeah I had a great time! It really brought the Zombie Apocalypse to life. It was very cool placing the LNoE figures and all my Zombies on the scenery. Best-hobby-ever!
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02-28-2012, 11:04 AM
Post: #5
RE: The Samurai visits Urban Construct and learns about scenery for miniature gaming
Love these little tours of yours. Great idea bringing your minis along to pose in the scenary. They all look great together.
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02-28-2012, 03:11 PM
Post: #6
RE: The Samurai visits Urban Construct and learns about scenery for miniature gaming
Fun stuff, samuraitrev!

I pictured the shop owner having to go off and do business while you moved your LNOE figures around the models then coming back hours later and you are still engrossed. "Sir?...Sir?...I really need to close up the shop now. But you can come back another day and play some more if you like."

“By the time I realized the danger, it was scratching at my front door.”
― Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
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