A Fistful of Lead [8]

Or rather, a Fistful of MDF, as I managed to track down most of the buildings and bits that I had on my Colours shopping list at the weekend. However, most of these did not come from Sarissa Precision as originally intended, with only a two storey medium building, a single story small building and some corrall fencing acquired from the Warlord Games stand. No one else seemed to be stocking them, so the choice was fairly limited and I had to look for alternatives.

Instead, I grabbed a couple of things from Warbases including a very cheap if basic gambrel barn to use as a livery stable and a full stage coach set complete with team, driver, shotgun toting sidekick and luggage. I added a 4Ground pioneer wagon to use as clutter and a bit of cover during gunfights. It looks a bit complicated to glue together but I'm sure it will be a useful bit of kit. The barn will need some planking and roofing but I'm looking forward to adding some finishing touches.

The big surprise, however, was the discovery of the excellent Products for Wargamers range of mdf building kits which covers just about every type of western structure you could want and at a very competitive price. I bought three kits in the end, although I could have added many more, including a saloon, a sheriff's office with attached jail cells, plus a splendid two storey hotel. This came with a variety of laser cut signs, so I can add the spares to some of my other buildings.

The saloon has already been assembled and looks pretty good, especially as it only cost me £14, which is peanuts for such a large and detailed model. There were one or two issues with the fit of some components and some head scratching due to a lack of instructions, but otherwise it was a quick and easy build. The laser cut sign is especially good but doesn't quite fit the frontage, so I'll re-use it on another building. These really are excellent kits for the money and available on line too.

I've also built up the other Sarissa Precision small building this evening, which is much more straightforward and quick to construct. The paint work was made even quicker by the use of Halfords spray primer, which covers well and provides a good key for any dry brushing or weathering. I have a game at the club tomorrow, so won't be doing any more kit bashing for a day or two but I will be tackling the two storey Union Pacific Hotel as soon as I get a free evening this week.