Tabletop World Building Review -- Townhouse III

[@Metanaut1]

I'm a caster, and mold maker. And those castings blow me away, they are extremely top quality. And you could find some tiny tiny magnets, drill some holes, glue, and a have them hold the roof in place.

[@syrmalcolm]

this is impressive. All that internal detail really seems to beg to have the windows routed out to show it off...

[@Terranscapes]

Nice idea.

[@DerekKinsman]

Their kits are so nice. They're likely vacuum degassing and pressure casting both the silicon and the resin.

[@Terranscapes]

I agree.

[@homericteacher]

I love their stuff. I have 6+ items and the quality is excellent. Shipping takes a long time but worth it.

[@ErikHafner]

love those Tabeltop World buildings!

[@tylerad90]

Seriously, one of the best reviews I have seen of anything. I especially enjoyed the deconstruction element. I love trying to puzzle out the manufacturing

[@Terranscapes]

They told me I was correct. They used actual stones for the master. :) I love reverse engineering things also.

[@borna1231]

Just in case anyone is interested, the newspaper headline says: "County road reconstruction finished" :D

[@toweypat]

borna1231 thank you :)

[@Terranscapes]

Awesome. :)

[@RogerS1978]

Originally the center would be wattle and daube but a lot of them were later back filled with brick or more rarely stone, the best detail I love is the supports at the bottom of the floors and the shingles :D pass a wooden roof that looks the same on the way to work every day. Thanks for the review, I've got to say I love the model.

[@youtubasoarus]

Incredible! I'm not even in to this sort of theme but that is a gorgeous model!

[@Spellfork]

That is one magnificent building!

[@bethanygraham427]

I have many , and have painted some, of their buildings and I LOVE them! For most of the buildings I use them in dioramas so I just glue the floors together as there is no need to see in the insides. However, the detail on the large models interiors (like the mansion and in the inn) is just too good to cover, so I will have to leave those separate....then I will find out how hard it is to fit them once painted :)

[@Terranscapes]

Nice. :)

[@oakboundstudio]

Pretty sure the stonework is standard styrofoam cut into small blocks and dented/textured with foil or shaking in a box with real rocks. Nice building and casting work though, impressively free of bubbles. I would be really curious to see how many pieces their moulds are in and where the pour channels are.

[@Zhool]

I use their buildings. They are amazing. The river set is excellent.

[@petertumminaro4528]

FYI I purchased their structures several times over the years. The latest models are a smaller scale. I have a couple old items that are more heroic scale maybe 30mm and now they are a bit smaller scale like realistic 25mm. Either way they totally rock. I don't believe any of the buildings they sell now are set to the older larger scale. They even upgraded the street blocks to a smaller size. My old street doesn't match the new street on the bridge. I am happy about the change even though I play with a lot of heroic size minis because I can fit more on the table. That means I get to buy and paint more of these wonderful buildings! Buy more and review more. Next time get the water wheel building or front gate.

[@Terranscapes]

Very cool.

[@jjhistoricalmodels]

very good the details of the finishing of the pieces, I love it, I will follow you to see your next videos. Regards my friend

[@Terranscapes]

Thanks.

[@leeperry7068]

That's stunning. Will you be painting it?

[@Terranscapes]

I'd like to... Not sure if I can fit it in. I'm taking on too much as it is. :)

[@opucam]

I'd like to see her painted, could she make a video? She is very beautiful, full of details. Thank you.

[@Terranscapes]

Oh dear. It's been tempting me but I'm holding off for a little while I think. It's paint it or work on Innsmouth and I don't want to lose steam on the project right now. :)

[@carlmayne3519]

Buy me one!!! ... or three - I love it!

[@LeonardoLimadeVasconcellos]

I don't wanna scare you or anything but as a matter of security you shouldn't display your home address in the video.

[@Terranscapes]

It took me a second to figure out where it appeared. I'm not worried. If someone wants to find me, my home address is on my website.

[@Muzzlepaint]

They use real stone in their Master Models

[@lifelonghalo]

that plaster looks like delicious sugar cookie dough

[@Terranscapes]

:)

[@RogerS1978]

Have to say I'm living in Salisbury and there are a lot of houses of that type here and the wood texture isn't that far from some of them now, although it has been appx 800 years of weathering. Also if you wan't I can take as many photo's of the interior or exterior of them if you want reference shots. Just let me know.

[@Terranscapes]

That's very generous of you. I don't want to impose on you though. :)

[@AlexNorway80]

I like to see u paint that house :) 👍

[@Terranscapes]

I'd love to but I have to hold off on that for right now. Over committed... :)

[@orrinellis856]

man that piece is gonna be thirsty for paint

[@Terranscapes]

It's hard to resist.

[@iceagemuppet]

Hey man just an fyi your address was exposed on the box...

[@Terranscapes]

No worries. It's on my website if anyone wants to stalk me. :)

[@spudspuddy]

looks like they model the original shape using cheese, thickest roof slates ive ever seen, the stone floor needs grouting or you'd trip over

[@igrespolice3247]

knowingly I know, they put stone on the stone, and they build it :)

[@Terranscapes]

I found that out recently. Very cool.

[@twincast2005]

Frankly their whole line makes me weep to various degrees, as in some ways it's the best on the market, yet in others it's the worst - all that production quality gone to waste by the same horrible pseudo-architecture again and again! 1) First and foremost the horrible state of disrepair (missing shingles & plaster) literally everything is in. Not even the poorest farmers wouldn't get those fixed, never mind the rich people supposedly living in the fancier of those houses! 2) The stone walls on upper floors revealed by the broken-off (and in a few cases never applied) plaster. Not so much because it would be prohibitively expensive for little gain, but because most of their floors are jettied, meaning they'd just come crashing down so quickly, the construction of these buildings would have never even finished to start with. 3) The severe lack of mortar in all stone walls (from the smallest well to the largest tower) and the woodworm-like depths of the woodgrain, although these might be barely noticeable from head height during normal play and display. 4) The inaccessibility (for the world's "population") of almost all upper floors due to a lack of holes in those floors and either ladders or stairs to connect through these as well as the complete lack of floors for attics despite almost every roof clearly having one. Furthermore, some larger buildings also lack access (by anyone) to one or more lower floors. The above apply to all of Tabletop World's "man-made" models, and for the civilian structures that's the extent of the issues, almost all of which I'd at least be able to fix myself, although the prospect of having to do so is a major turn-off for me. The military buildings on the other hand have all of these and oh so many more. Bare stone walls I'd be willing to chalk up to a fantasy setting and let slide (same for bare stone floors like in this video, by the way, although the product descriptions clearly label all but the Wizard Tower also suitable for historical 28 mm terrain), but how they're using buttresses, corbels, hoardings and loopholes is painfully counterproductive with clearly no understanding of them. Ironically enough, fixing these would all but require plastering the walls to cover up those major modifications.

[@Terranscapes]

I think you raise some valid points. But I think you may be overly critical in some areas. I think I mentioned the wood grain was a little extreme, and that is a widespread problem in the hobby. I think the roof degradation is another widespread problem. A lot of people feel there just has to be some shingles missing for interest. I wouldn't say this is a Tabletop World problem per se. **shrug** Similarly, plaster falling off is another overly used element. But it adds depth to the building walls and at small scales that can be helpful. Still, it is overdone in the hobby and isn't really that realistic in most cases. I think the criticism of the accessibility to areas of the buildings is a little strong, but valid if true realism is desired. Perhaps the criticism is more justified here since they put so much effort into so many details. Seems like an oversight. But I have seen many, many, many buildings that don't have accessibility between floors. It's more of fudge-it factor that most gamers are ok with. I think it stems from most buildings being too small in footprint for the scale. And it's often done for playability so you can fit more minis in the room. But having a closed hatch is an unobtrusive and easy addition. I would have included one if it were me. ;) I just did a quick look at the building on the shelf and I don't think they have flaws in the corbels in placement or design. After all, castles have stone ramparts and tower buttresses supported by corbels. I'm not an engineer however. But I've looked at a LOT of castles and I don't see anything that looks wildly unstable in this model. But I haven't looked at their entire line recently so I can't comment on other models. I think the mortar criticism is totally on point. In fact, I am planning on painting the building at some point and I will putting in some mortar. Aside from realism, those deep gaps make it much harder to cast and exerts a ton more wear on the molds. It gives it a striking look, which I think is their goal, but I would have put mortar in if it were me. Having bare stone walls is not necessarily historically inaccurate, but it would be extremely rare/never done for upper floors. Just too much damn weight and support needed. But for fantasy... O.K. I do agree with you that this building and similar like it are not well suited for historical gaming. The style is wrong, the construction is not matching any historical architecture you'd encounter, the scale isn't really specific and even across the range, and I don't think historical gamers buy them. They know already. They're history buffs. :) But there's not much harm from trying to market them that way. In the end it really comes down to 'do you like the look of it?' I think it's a pretty sweet building and I have always been a huge fan of their work. It's stylized and as such will appeal to some and not to others. Flaws aside, it is among the most (if not the most) detailed buildings available and I give them kudos just for that. :)

[@redgreen09]

yes nice stuff butt AARRRGGGG that same gooff tack the pumken off its not sapost be thaer the rest ok great i see the mice rung round it will see more and hay to all thare

[@Terranscapes]

A little mouse under the bench... That would be a fun extra touch.