Product Review question.

[StratoKhan]

Ok, I recently bought some scenery kits, 40k and otherwise. Should these kits get some reviews to go in the modelling section?

 

I picked up:

 

Games Workshop Manufactorum

 

Urban Mammoth Small Hexagon Construction Set

 

Also bought the bigger GW pack with one of each building but I guess that was a one-off. Additionally I remember some discussions regarding the quality of the Moonscape and the Battlescape? Those could be turned into product reviews too I suppose...

[StratoKhan]

I plan on taking pictures of the stuff once it's finished, or maybe if someone has some already painted pics we could slap those in?

 

It's a WIP article so far, I would be happy for people to add their thoughts and their opinions to it. I might be missing something and you could be the one that knows what that something is. Maybe someone can write one of the missing sections? Whatever you want.

 

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Games Workshop Manufactorum Review

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The Manufactorum ruined building kit is part of the latest generation of Warhammer 40,000 scenery releases. Released alongside the Warhammer 40,000 expansion Cities of Death, the entire range of new generation scenery kits put the old plastic ruins to shame in terms of size, detail and customisability. While Games Workshop had always focused on their miniatures range, the scenery releases have shown that for those not interested in making their own scenery, Games Workshop will provide them with some good quality equipment.

 

The Manufactorum is, as the name suggests, the industrial themed model building that is produced by Games Workshop. It can make a great objective and will look good on most Imperial-themed battlefields. Let's have a look at what you get when you buy it.

 

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The detail on these kits is very high. You can't fault the kit in terms of sheer amount of detail. Some of the more detailed panels are beautiful, such as the wall with its large fan vent detail, or the Adeptus Mechanicus cybernetic skull that juts out of the wall menacingly. However, as with most Games Workshop kits, there is a price to pay for it. The model is dripping with skulls and skull icons and perhaps it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume that skull effect floor tiles were at one point considered for these kits. Even so, it is something that is part and parcel of the Games Workshop hobby. The skull cartel strikes again, but in a game where each Space Marine Scout miniature has about 5 different skull badges sculpted onto his gear, is this really surprising? Apart from that, there are kits that are far worse off than the humble Manufactorum (I am of course referring to the Basilica Administratum).

 

One thing that might be problematic to some is the redundancy of detail that two identical sprues have. It has the bonus that if you like a wall section you can enjoy it twice, but that is of course also the main weakness of the kit. Large, uniquely detailed panels look very nice, until you assemble them as the kit suggests. One AdMech Cyberskull on a building looks fairly good and adds character, two of them on the same building just looks a bit off. Not all is lost however.

 

Most people are familiar with the way film sets work. A large town will sometimes simply be detailed facades that have no walls or apart from what gives you the illusion. So have GW skimped on detail on the back of the wall panels? Luckily, that hasn't been the case here. Turning the wall sections around reveals an entirely different design, that in contrast with the over-the-top detail of the front looks almost spartan in nature. For me this truly saves the kit, as you can therefore (not without a little difficulty though) build sections of wall that are relatively bare, in which you can afterwards showcase the more ornate back sides. It isn't entirely ideal as the redundant detail will then be present on the other side, but it is far less jarring to the eye.

 

One final thing to remember is that it is a nice piece of scenery. If you have some fairly basic scenery yourself, it might have the effect of making the rest of your stuff look bad. It also might not wholly fit in with the style of the rest of your scenery. This might be something to think about, but it isn't any weakness on the kit's part.

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Ease of Assembly

 

Work In Progress

 

Rating:

 

Solidity

 

Not having finished assembling the kit, I have not had the opportunity to test its durability. I will probably base it in some way however. It looks pretty nice and solid though. WIP

 

Rating:

 

Conversion Potential

 

The conversion potential these kits offer the savvy modeller is pretty high in my opinion. The walls aren't particularly thin, but it isn't too hard to sand down one side and fit them flush to a larger wall, perhaps one that is part of a larger, thicker structure. Some of the detail, such as the vent or the pipe could easily be added to a vehicle kit or some home-made scenery. Indeed, the most satisfactory way to enjoy the benefits of this kit is to incorporate it into some high quality home-made scenery, to speed up the construction of detail and add some good industrial flavour to your scenery. Everything is relatively straight, so it's easy to saw bits of detail away with just a little care. A lot of other railings, ladders and decorative pieces have been added with great effect to Dreadnoughts, Land Raiders and every vehicle in between.

 

Conclusion

 

Is the price worth it for what you get? WIP

 

Rating:

 

Conclusion

 

The Manufactorum kit seems to be part of a drive to make the Hobby more inclusive. Even the worst modeller can assemble the Manufactorum as easily as you would a tank (Actually, I remember what happened when I put my first Rhino together and I'm thinking it's probably easier.) The amount of detail present on the kit means that even the most basic combination of drybrushing and washes will make it look acceptable. Making the same building out of spare parts and materials is something far less people could do with any degree of success, due to either lack of interest or skill. For this reason I would be happy to give it full marks, but the copy & paste effect gained from assembling the components of this kit is a bit tedious after a while. Of course, when observed in the context of the other Cities of Death releases, this kit becomes more versatile. It can be combined with any of the other building kits to produce a varied selection of ruins.

[DV8]

Ease of Assembly

The assembly straight out of the box is very easy, but also very tedious, as the weight of the walls and the floor will mean that you need the glue to set before you add more pieces. I would highly recommend both accelerant, and a jeweller's saw or hobby saw if you can get your hands on one. The former accelerates the assembly process, and will allow you to finish a building in a fraction of the time without having to waste any time waiting for glue to set. The latter allows you to cut apart floor sections with ease, so you can create more elaborate layouts without being limited to the floor lengths given to you by default.

A great way to get some unique looking buildings is to not only combine multiple Manufactorum sets, but to also combine all of the various Cities of Death building types, as each of them have unique looking pieces that you can use to add flavor to your buildings and set them apart.

Rating: 4/5

Solidity

Absolutely solid. I've loaded entire armies into the top floors and provided you assemble it properly and with care, these kits are incredibly robust. There really isn't much to say here. I will say this...the model is not as sharp as some of the other Cities of Death kits GW has made.

Rating: 5/5

Conclusion

Very subjective, depending on how kit-bash savvy you are, and how much time versus money you're willing to spend. If, like myself, you're rather inept at conversions, and are quite lazy, the kits are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to get some phenomenal terrain for your table. For those more creatively inclined, you might be better off making your own terrain for less money. Again, it's up to you.

Rating: 5/5



DV8

[StratoKhan]

The speed of your reply is impressive. Thanks a lot for your help DV8.

 

=)