Plast Craft terrain review

[Zac]

I posted a review of the Plast Craft Games TME Simple Module on my blog

http://zac.calgarygamers.net/tabletop/s ... ain-review

Nice terrain with an interesting "background" that makes it, I think, work well for Infinity

[Guges]

I find their terrain simply awful. It lacks detail, assembles poorly, and is WAAAAY overpriced considering what it's made out of. Seeing one of their final results compared to something like Warsenal, which isn't any more expensive, makes it look like a child glued it together in school. The buildings literally fit together poorly and look haphazardly scratch built when done.

Infinity players are much better off getting their own foamed PvC and making terrain out of it. It would be cheaper, and almost the same amount of trouble to construct. A buddy of mine built simple square buildings out of foam PvC that look a lot better than what these guys make and they didn't have any details whatsoever...

[farseerixirvost]

I find their terrain simply awful.

I respectfully disagree. I like both the aesthetic and easy build of the PlastCraft line. I agree it doesn't pack the detail of some of the other companies' stuff, but is detailed with both sunk in (lines, rivets) and external (door and window frames) details.

Seeing one of their final results compared to something like Warsenal, which isn't any more expensive...

Really? I looked at Warsenal's site and their cheapest single building was $25 (garage), and most were in the $30 range. Whereas I picked up the three-pack (two square and one rectangular) of TME buildings for under $30. Not sure where yoj got such gteat deals on Warsenal, but would love a link to the store selling it at the same prices as PlastCraft's stuff.

[Zac]

I find their terrain simply awful.

I respectfully disagree.

Please don't feed the troll.

[Guges]

I find their terrain simply awful.

I respectfully disagree.

Please don't feed the troll.

Why is it trolling to think a company is puts out a horrible and inferior product? I'm not saying it just to be negative, I'm saying it because I have seen their stuff first hand, and I would be pissed if I bought the stuff with a positive recommendation and was left with the garbage they produce. I am sure there are people who disagree with me, but I feel like I need to let people know what's behind all the fancy airbrushing you see on that desert table on BoW.

That three pack of buildings you're getting from Plasticraft is going to end up being smaller or roughly the same size as the Warsenal buildings of the same price. They will also be made out of an inferior material, look worse, assemble worse, and generally not give you as much for your money. The comparison is even worse with MAS, where the District 5 buildings for $40, give you a lot more terrain than $40 worth of plasticraft (if you split the buildings into three separate ones which is easily doable) and it will be a lot more durable.

[Plex]

It's interpreted as trolling because you use words like horrible and garbage instead of more reasoned complaints, and I know other folks have said the same thing to you. That's all the fodder I'm going to throw to the trolls.

I find the foamed PVC to be quite sturdy and easy to work with. Easier than MDF. For example it takes paint much better, err at least with less effort. The only issues I had with assembly were my own fault for placing things poorly and underestimating the speed with which the superglue would set on the material.

I like the Spartan aesthetic of the TME line. It's supposed to be quick, prefab housing and it looks like it. I like the smaller individual pieces for their stackability which eases transport and makes it quick and fun to change table layouts.

The kits also leave you a bunch of extra foamed PVC that can easily be made into scatter terrain. I've made beds, chairs, billboards, barricades, communication antennae and large reception/computer desks without even really trying.

What I don't like about the TME is that the tab system for doors and windows makes it impossible to open and close them on the lower floors of stacked structures which is a real bummer. I've also found the small connection points on the walkways to be prone to breaking and while it's nice that the pieces are all precut, it's unfortunate that the cutting occurs on the detailed side and sometimes some sloppy cutting can spoil the visual appeal of the finished product a bit. One last point, I wish the rooftops were large enough to allow an AD template.

I like my TME stuff and I certainly don't regret buying it. There's also a large amount of Warsenal terrain in my group (which is awesome!) so I like having a table that looks different. I can't speak to the Bourak stuff though, no experience with it.

[Guges]

So someone can call it "nice" terrain, but I can't call it awful? That's what makes me a troll? Again, only saying it that way because I couldn't have been more disappointed with the stuff and was thankful I hadn't actually bought the pieces I saw. They are that inferior to almost everything else out there made for Infinity.

[Todd]

I don't really care for it either, mostly due to the aesthetic. The lack of detail is significant, compared to the slight reduction in price versus stuff like MAS (the Haqq stuff is nicer than the TME kits, but a bit more expensive it seems). However, they do have quite a few accessories and and add-ons compared to say MAS, and I could definitely see someone preferring the durability of PVC.

Here's a break down for those under the impression it's cheaper than equivalent MDF products (Warstore prices):



$15.04



$9.55



$17.36



$18.99



$36.99



$7.69



$19.99

As you can see, three of the double buildings actually cost slightly more than a large MAS apartment with an additional roof kit (what you would need to make 3 individual buildings). Though, the double building is almost $4 less than the MAS garage (most direct equivalent, though I would consider the garage more of a specialty item). The MAS guard tower is about three dollars more than the plastcraft tower, but nearly the exact same price as two plastcraft single buildings (the guard tower can be built as two individual buildings).

If you compare something like the Bandua Q-building pack to the Plastcraft modular Building set they're nearly identical in price.

I'm not going to compare Plastcraft to Warsenal, because they're not really similar products at all. Warsenal is mixing different materials and layering in a way that most of these products aren't. Also, size and dimensions don't correlate very well.

The plastrcraft containers are the one product that's significantly cheaper. Personally, I think they more look like a random objects picked up from a dollar store to be used as containers than anything intentionally designed as such, so their value is a bit dubious.

So, in the end, it mostly comes down to taste.

[Guges]

Todd pretty much summed up all of the reasons why I don't like Plasticraft. Great comparisons Todd...

[Zac]

It's interpreted as trolling because you use words like horrible and garbage instead of more reasoned complaints...

Well mostly because its almost entirely hyperbole and he has a pronounced habit of not really listening to counters to his comments. Thats a troll in my books and its why I have put him on my ignore list

[Zac]

Here's a break down for those under the impression it's cheaper than equivalent MDF products (Warstore prices):.

YMMV. I can get the same amount of Plast Craft terrain at my FLGS for a lot less than an equivalent MAS or Warsenal piece. I wouldn't even order any MDF terrain online because the shipping would be crippling to Canada. Again, YMMV depending on what shipping is for you. In terms of my local options and options in terms of shipping it is the most reasonable price for terrain in terms of building an Infinity table that I have locally.

Personally, I think they more look like a random objects picked up from a dollar store to be used as containers than anything intentionally designed as such, so their value is a bit dubious.

It has a distinct design aesthetic and if you don't like it then its understandable that you wouldn't want to use it as terrain. Its meant to be modular industrial terrain and I think that if you're looking to build something that looks like a work site then its a good look.

MAS makes terrain that looks like high tech urban condos, Systema makes stuff that looks like futuristic hostile terrain modules and Bandua (sp?) has a sort of simplistic Adobe dwelling look.

They all have their own niche and I wasn't really all that certain of how to use the terrain until I saw a picture (in my review) of it assembled into a complex industrial table.

Its one of the few layouts that have walkways and multiple levels (aside from Bandua) that makes sense visually to me.

[Plex]

A little shopping around has me saving $3 to 4$ a piece on the Plast Craft kits that Todd has listed, but I can only scrape less than a dollar off of the MAS ones. And that's looking at the individual kits and not the combo kit that has 2 singles and 1 double for $22.43 which is what someone who wants a table of this stuff should load up on. That really adds up when building a 4X4 table.

Regardless, I chose the Plast Craft for the material not the price.

I do understand not liking the aesthetics of the line though, that's more than enough reason to look elsewhere if that's the case.

[csjarrat]

Have to say I agree with gauges. Bought a couple sets of their stuff and it's not nice to work with. Joints aline badly, it doesn't come out of "sprue" cleanly at all. It's bendy and not particularly durable either given its flexibility.
Still have a few bits to assemble but can't bring myself to finish it off.
It is cheaper than the other stuff in the UK, but Imo, you get what you pay for. At no point has this felt a superior product to warsenal or MAS.

[Guges]

Have to say I agree with gauges. Bought a couple sets of their stuff and it's not nice to work with. Joints aline badly, it doesn't come out of "sprue" cleanly at all. It's bendy and not particularly durable either given its flexibility.
Still have a few bits to assemble but can't bring myself to finish it off.
It is cheaper than the other stuff in the UK, but Imo, you get what you pay for. At no point has this felt a superior product to warsenal or MAS.

Yeah I would have been very angry had I bought the stuff myself from the examples I got to see.

[Todd]

Plex is right, I didn't realize that Warstore doesn't discount their PlastCraft stuff, but Miniature Market does. Still, even at their prices, and having seen them all in real life, I think I'd go with the MAS stuff myself. It comes down to what Guges mentioned. If it was about saving money, they're not nice enough looking that you couldn't scratch build something comparable or better, and in my opinion I wouldn't be saving enough money over the other more attractive options. Also, the ones I've seen in real life were not the same quality as the ones shown in their product images (not talking about paint job, but the quality of the cuts). Though, if you're looking to save both time and money, or just like the aesthetic, they're probably a good choice.

[Claudius Sol]

I have a fair amount of their scatter and bridges. Loving it so far.

Everything was easy to put together.
The PVC is durable and quite rigid once the parts are assembled.
The integration of corrugated cardboard is pretty neat and gives a level if detail I don't normally see.
Each assembled piece is very light and gives me no fear of an accidental drop.

Each of these reasons is why I prefer their products over MAS. Over Warsenal? I don't know. Over warmill? Maybe.
I recently got their crates and we'll see how that ends up looking, but I expect a similar good experience.

[Zac]

Have to say I agree with gauges. Bought a couple sets of their stuff and it's not nice to work with. Joints aline badly, it doesn't come out of "sprue" cleanly at all. It's bendy and not particularly durable either given its flexibility.

It definitely doesn't "snap" together like MDF or HDF terrain. And you do need to take a bit of time to make sure that the parts align together. I didn't have any issues with the parts coming out of the sheets with the exception of some of the small straight parts which needed to be worked out.

If you are concerned with the durability try using a textured primer. I am not sure if it is just the added grit or if there is an additional component in primer but a friend primed some of his terrain with it and it is very solid.

[Zac]

they're not nice enough looking that you couldn't scratch build something comparable or better...

I couldn't. I also don't have the time.

[farseerixirvost]

I will clarify my post above...

I invested in PlastCraft TME. I have had the same experience with the product as posited in the OP review link. I like it.

That said, I also like all the other companies' products as well. I *really* enjoy that they all have different aesthetics. If I were a game store owner, I'd most certainly create a table (or two) based on each company's set. Thus offering my players excellent variety. And it is good seeing the variety available for the game. Most certainly a breath of fresh air you don't get with the other major minis games (who either only make their own grim dark, or practically eschew terrain as something that just gets in the way.

But as someone who needs to make 1 or 2 tables at home for when friends come over, PlastCraft had all I needed within my budget. I crunched the numbers on a number of product lines and from several different sellers (including ebay). In the end, I could do one table of other company's stuff or two with PC given my budget. I opted for the latter.

YMMV

[Section9]

Personally, I want a variety of different terrain styles. Look at any relatively recently developed business district in your town. There's a big mix of architectural styles.

Your boards should be the same. Never more than 3 buildings of one make/architectural style!

[chromedog]

I found it better than MAS stuff (which didn't so much snap together as snap apart - leaving me with broken bits everywhere because NONE of their pieces were cut ALL the way through). By comparison, ALL of the PCG stuff came off the sheets easily and went together easily.

Small dots of superglue and I could get the walls and roof pieces together - then run a small beat down the gap. The buildings will support several TAGs when assembled, and yet the roofs still come off easily enough but don't dislodge at the slightest zephyr.

I'll be getting more of their stuff - and like Section9, I prefer my cities to have a mix of styles. It's only suburban developments that were done by ONE developer (aka the "McSuburb") where every building has the same style.

[Todd]

Given what's out there, I actually prefer using uniform buildings, and modifying them slightly to be unique. Sure, it would look more realistic to have different styles, but I don't feel like any of the product lines out there mesh well with each other visually. Actually, the sci-fi stuff CNC Workshop is making now seems to fit in really well with the stuff MAS makes (like they were designed by different people for different purposes, but still come from the same world). It's a shame they don't have a US distributor.

I found it better than MAS stuff (which didn't so much snap together as snap apart - leaving me with broken bits everywhere because NONE of their pieces were cut ALL the way through).

Yikes, sounds like you might have just got a bad batch. When I bought my buildings I had one sheet out of maybe 25 that had very minor issues. Considering you hear similar anecdotes about all of the companies (Spartan had some problems with it's entire initial run of starter set), I don't really hold it against any of them.

[Spears]

To be fair I think the blue/white plastcraft stuff has been fairly conservative. The medium should allow for greater potential than hdf. We saw a bit of this with the Bourak stuff so hopefully they can build on this rather than trying to compete with the rest of the stuff out there.
That said I don't particularly like any of their current products.

[Guges]

I found it better than MAS stuff (which didn't so much snap together as snap apart - leaving me with broken bits everywhere because NONE of their pieces were cut ALL the way through). By comparison, ALL of the PCG stuff came off the sheets easily and went together easily.

Small dots of superglue and I could get the walls and roof pieces together - then run a small beat down the gap. The buildings will support several TAGs when assembled, and yet the roofs still come off easily enough but don't dislodge at the slightest zephyr.

I'll be getting more of their stuff - and like Section9, I prefer my cities to have a mix of styles. It's only suburban developments that were done by ONE developer (aka the "McSuburb") where every building has the same style.

The only stuff I found that snaps apart are the MAS walkways which are horrible. They also cause massive LoF problems on the table and after you spend money on them, it's almost as if you didn't buy any terrain. The MAS buildings themselves are pretty amazing and surprisingly sturdy. I still have a whole table of them which have gone to many tournaments, put up with a ton of abuse, and still look pretty good.

Still doesn't compare to my Warsenal objective room which I dropped down a flight of stairs into a door and came out undamaged.

[Todd]

Ugh, those walkways are the worst. They look cool, but are so problematic.

Plastcraft's seem to have actually been designed with Infinity in mind.

[chromedog]

The only stuff I found that snaps apart are the MAS walkways which are horrible. They also cause massive LoF problems on the table and after you spend money on them, it's almost as if you didn't buy any terrain. The MAS buildings themselves are pretty amazing and surprisingly sturdy. I still have a whole table of them which have gone to many tournaments, put up with a ton of abuse, and still look pretty good.

Still doesn't compare to my Warsenal objective room which I dropped down a flight of stairs into a door and came out undamaged.

They snapped apart GETTING THEM OFF THE framing - because NOTHING was cut through. MY building OR the acrylic holoboards.
The walkways were the easiest ones to assemble and they stayed that way (LoF issues - solved with ad-boards I made myself).
The holoboards got I-beam framing that fit them and the building got tossed into the trash. The stench of burned wood just got to me one day and I binned it (having been IN a fire, I don't find the smell to be a pleasant one at the best of times)

[Guges]

The only stuff I found that snaps apart are the MAS walkways which are horrible. They also cause massive LoF problems on the table and after you spend money on them, it's almost as if you didn't buy any terrain. The MAS buildings themselves are pretty amazing and surprisingly sturdy. I still have a whole table of them which have gone to many tournaments, put up with a ton of abuse, and still look pretty good.

Still doesn't compare to my Warsenal objective room which I dropped down a flight of stairs into a door and came out undamaged.

They snapped apart GETTING THEM OFF THE framing - because NOTHING was cut through. MY building OR the acrylic holoboards.
The walkways were the easiest ones to assemble and they stayed that way (LoF issues - solved with ad-boards I made myself).
The holoboards got I-beam framing that fit them and the building got tossed into the trash. The stench of burned wood just got to me one day and I binned it (having been IN a fire, I don't find the smell to be a pleasant one at the best of times)

Sounds like you had a defective product because I have built a whole table of MAS buildings without any of those problems. While they have their flaws and I had some trouble putting them together, they are vastly superior to the Plasticraft stuff.

[chromedog]

Yeah - it probably was a bad batch - a number of locals had similar issues. Unfortunately, for MAS, whilst I can accept once as a freak occurrence, there is a whole "twice bitten" thing. And this soured me for now.

Others have Sarissa, warsenal or BP laser stuff - I have a mix of Sarissa, Warsenal, BPLaser, plastcraft, miniaturescenery and scratchbuilt stuff and card template stuff. I think I'll survive without the MAS stuff.

OTOH, their resin walls are very nice and I had ZERO issues with them.

[Arachas]

I'm getting a little tired of people calling Guges a troll when he's not doing anything wrong. Yes, he has a strong opinion, but no, he wasn't crossing any lines in my book.

Just saying.

[Guges]

I'm getting a little tired of people calling Guges a troll when he's not doing anything wrong. Yes, he has a strong opinion, but no, he wasn't crossing any lines in my book.

Just saying.

Yaaay!!! .