Batman Scenery Review - Construction Set and Dumpsters

Hi all!
I think it's about time that I catch up with some of my Knight Models reviews.
Over the next few weeks I will be look at 3-4 months worth of Batman and Marvel releases. Some on here and some over on the Wayland Games Blog.

I'm going to start off today with a bit of MDF scenery. The Construction Set and Dumpsters for the Batman Minis Game.

Both of these sets come packed in clear bags with a Batman topper. These bags mean you can see exactly what you are getting before you even leave the store or open it.
They also each include some very handy building instructions. Something a few of the MDF kits out there at the moment are missing.

The Dumpsters come as a set of two on identical sheets while the Construction Set is split between two sheets. These sheets include two skips (one Wayne, one Queen), a Wayne pallet, and a pair of barriers.
The Construction Set came off of the sheet really easily while the Dumpsters needed to have a craft knife run around the back of the parts lightly to remove them. Not too bad as it's something you often expect to do while building this sort of scenery.

Time to glue!

These Dumpsters were very easy to build with the instruction sheet handy. Each section is a couple of layers thick to add raised detail and the fronts have Gotham City cut into them to add a little extra of a 'Batman' feel to your board.
The only thing to watch out with this is the pin that runs through the back of the lids. You will need to run a file over the mould lines to get a good fit. When you do though, it lets you open or position the lids however you like. Another nice little touch.

The pair of Skips that come on the Construction Set were an easy build. You make the main structure and then add the details on top. This makes them very sturdy and strong.
While both are the same design, they have different logos on. One for Wayne Enterprises and one for Queen Industries. Batman's and the Green Arrow's own companies that are involved in several industries in the DC world.

The other items in the Construction Set are the two barriers and the Pallet. The barriers just need the feet gluing on so are beyond simple. They are handy to place around the board though.
The Pallet took a little more work as each strip attaches to roughly three others. Little bits of glue and a bit of patience is needed for this one but it looks fantastic when finished with a Wayne Enterprises logo displayed across the top.

So, how do they scale against the miniatures?

The answer? Really well! These bits of scenery are ideal for blocking paths, adding cover to duck behind and increasing your chances of a 'Ping' roll when being shot at.
The logos also also help make your board feel and look like an actual DC setting.

To buy these kits you are looking at around £4.80 for the Dumpsters and £7.99 for the Construction Set. Prices from Wayland Games.
While they aren't the cheapest scatter terrain on the market, for the quality I think they are a fair price.

Overall I would give them-

Dumpsters - 7/10 Badger Points

Construction Set - 8/10 Badger Points

What do you think of them?
Good additions to a board or not?

More scenery coming soon.
- Hendybadger

Review - Multiverse Gaming Corners Apartments, Street Lights and Sewers

Recently I received a great parcel from Mutiverse Gaming. Some samples of their new Dark City 30 MDF terrain range. A 3 floor Corner Apartment Building and a set of Street Lights and Sewer covers.

It's taken me a little while to get the post together due to issues mentioned in a recent post, but I can finally review these lovely kits!

First off, lets take a look at the sheets these parts come on.
In the top image, the parts on the far right are window sills and wall bracers. The second image has a small row of window details.
The 5th picture below was something I hadn't seen in MDF kits before. This 'grey board' is a thinner and lighter sheet used for extra details.

The parts came out of these sheets really easily. There were very small tabs on them to hold them in place, but they were taken out really quickly with a craft knife. They didn't even need cleaning up afterwards.

The Street Lights come in several parts. Most of them though are stacked on the main pole to create the light and case around it at the top. Very simple to put together and everything was a great fit.

The floors of the building were quite simple to arrange. As a corner building, it has 5 walls and the parts for each floor are all on a single sheet together. No getting mixed up with similar parts this way which is great.

One of my favourite things about this kit was fairly simple but very effective. Each floor comes with bracers that fit over the tops of the wall joints. Where with other kits I have had to hold or clamp parts together while they dry, these bracers do the job for you while also adding extra strength to the building.

Once the floors were dry, I found that they stack really nicely. Each slips onto the one below without being forced but due to the size of the pegs, they don't slip or move around at all.
The 'grey board' details with this kit really do add a nice touch. Edging bricks, window frames and door details pair with the window sills and small sill toppers to make a building that really stands out against its competitors.

The street lights and sewers are very nicely sized. As it's a 30mm range, they are bigger than most others on the market but it makes them look more realistic with models around.

The ground floor of the building also has movable doors. These are on stands and fit snugly in the door frames or can be opened for play inside the building or even as a quick route through instead of around.

So you can see the overall size of these kits, I have added the Dark Knight and his sidekick as that's the range I will be using them with.

As I was given these to review, I don't really want to comment on the price too much, but if you wanted the the Apartment Block is around £23 and the Lights and Sewers set are £4.50.
I think these are great prices and I will be buying some more for my table very soon.

All in all, I LOVE these sets. The ease, details, strength and size all appeal to me.
They are both getting added to my City board for my next game.

Time for the scores....

Lights + Sewers - 8/10 Badger Points

Apartment Block - 10/10 Badger Points

Keep and eye on the blog for more from Multiverse Gaming in the near future and a MASSIVE thanks goes out to them from sending me these goodies to review.

- Hendybadger

DC / Batman Review: Wayne and Queen Containers and Boxes

For this review I'm am going to look at something a little different.
The first products for Knight Models new Gotham Sceneography MDF terrain range.

The two initial releases are Queen and Wayne shipping Containers and Boxes.
For those that don't know the DC universe, Wayne Enterprises is owned by Bruce Wayne / Batman and Queen Industries is owned by Oliver Queen / Green Arrow.
Both companies are involved in all sorts of business and dealings around the world so it would be quite common to see products with their names on all around Gotham and Star City.

Both sets come in plastic bag packaging with a card top. Not overly protective but the MDF inside would be hard to damage.

Both come with a set of simple instructions. The Boxes are easy enough to work out but it's worth checking out the Container instructions before you start. These also show you how many of each you get. Two Containers and four Boxes.

The Containers (top) come on two MDF sheets with a set of four metal rods for the doors. One Wayne Containers and one Queen.
The Boxes (bottom) come on a single sheet. Two boxes and two cubes. Each design has one marked Queen and one Wayne.

The parts are all held on by one or two very small tabs. These will either need to be cut through with a small sharp knife, or you can choose to push out the parts and then cut or file the tabs off afterwards.

Next is the glue stage. As this is MDF, you will want to use something like PVA so building will take longer than normal models with super glue.

The first ones to tackle were the Containers.
The four large sides, hinges on them and back panel were glued and held together first. I suggest waiting for these to dry a little before moving on. While you are waiting, run a file over the bars quickly to remove any mould lines and then glue two of the four hinges onto the doors. The top or bottom two are fine but I did them in pairs so they didn't get mixed up.

Once all of that is dry, feed the bar through the holes on the end of the Containers, slide the door with hinges onto one end and then glue the hinges on the other end.

You will then get a stunning Container with working doors!

The Boxes were really easy to build. A dab of glue on to each of the tabs that sick out and hold the six sides together. Simple and effective.
The cubes have the company on all six sides while the crates only have it on the front. The back panel of these is blank.
Honestly, I would have preferred then to have the logo on both sides or at least some wodd effect detailing on the back instead of a blank panel.

What everyone wants to know though, is how they scale next to the miniatures.
As they are Wayne and Queen shipments, I have invited Mr Bruce Wayne and Mr Oliver Queen to help out with that.

As you can see, they scale really well with the models. A single cube or crate covers at least half a model and the opening doors let you play about with extra cover and movement on your board for some variety.

The fact these are marked with well known DC universe companies really helps turn your board into more of a Gotham or Star City than a generic town or dockyard.

In stores you can find the Boxes for around £6 and the Containers for around £10.
This might seem a touch high for MDF terrain but it is a large scale, highly detailed, very solid and a licensed product. With all that in mind, I think the prices are more than reasonable.
That reasonable in fact, I picked up 3 of each set!

Time for the scores.....

Boxes - 8/10

Containers 9/10

What are your thoughts on these?

Are you planning pick any up?

Check out the Knight Models store to see what they come out with next.

- Hendybadger