Sarissa Precision Town Villa for Gangs of Rome

A few months back we did a post on a simple Sarissa Precision kit and today we'll be looking at one a bit more complex, the Town Villa. When the three main sections are completed it will measure approximately 11.5 x 14.25 inches.

As mentioned in the previous Sarissa post, the instructions are plain straight forward illustrations which are easy to follow.

The kit consists of 11 MDF boards and 3 of heavy card stock for the roofs, doorways and windows.

The front section is a simple affair with the four outer walls and two inner dividers. The colonnade out front is the most complex part of the kit. Each column consists of 10 pieces. The two main vertical pieces interlock, the small ring slides on the bottom fist, then the larger ring and finally the square base. The four smaller vertical pieces then tuck into the four inner corners and base. Lastly the cross like cornice goes on the top.

Once all the columns are assembled they line up under the support structure on the front of the villa like you see here.

The roof for the colonnade has an MDF base and five low triangles which have tabs that go into slots on the card-stock roof.

Once dry, the colonnade roof tucks onto the front of the building like so.

The rear of the first section has nine small window frames along the roof line, a rear doorway and small porch roof that will interlock with the middle section.

The sections main roof has a long vertical ridge beam and five trusses. We found it helpful to glue one side first, let it dry and then do the other side. We also glued some extra MDF pieces along side some of the trusses for additional support.

And when both sides of the roof are thoroughly dry it will sit very snugly on top.

Now the mid section! The first side starts very much like the front with four outer walls but with only one dividing interior wall. There is a courtyard piece on the base plate in the middle of this section. The inner courtyard porch roof sticks out into this area.

Then you get to do it all again for the opposing side.

Once you finish this section you'll have two buildings with a courtyard in between.

The rear of the front section  will face the courtyard......

... and tuck into it like so.

The final middle section step, besides the roofs, is to attach the porch support for the rear sections porch roof.

The third and final section has a simple first floor, very much like the front of the villa, and then you'll need to build the second floor which is just as simple.

Attach the rear porch roof like so.

Here is the courtyard side of the rear section with the second floor on top.

The upper and lower back of the section has several window frames to install.

The flat top roof was a slight pain to get glued all together at the same time but it is doable.

and there is the rear section.

Now put the Town Villa sections together and there you have it!! As we mentioned it measures approximately 11.5 x 14.25 inches and is quite a center piece for whatever tabletop game you have planned!

Here is the top view,.....

and with all the roofs removed you can see plenty of space for action inside!

With a few additional kits and some ingenuity you'll have an entire city block before you know it!

Have A Gret Battle!!
The Old Crow

Sarissa Gangs of Rome buildings and Accessories

Well with our love of the 4Ground kits we put off Sarissa products until now. With the coming of Gangs of Rome from War Banner, Sarissa has developed a series of Roman buildings and Accessories for the game. Today we'll take a peek at this Semi Detached Small Mixed Shop.

The simplicity of the kit is kind of nice. Two mdf boards and one heavy card stock are all you need!

On the back of the cover are basic instructions on the assembly.

We took a couple minutes to glue on the door and window frames. Then we attached the four outer walls to the base, inserted the middle room divider and wrapped it with a rubber band to let dry.

The upper floor was very much the same. Four window frames, outer walls and a dividing wall. There are no stairways or working doors like in the 4Gound kits.

The roof is a heavy card stock with a simple mdf frame.

A quick awning over the stall doorway and there you have it. I wish we would have timed it because it couldn't have been much longer than 30 minutes from start to finish and we have a grand little building.

These kits are quick and painless for anyone who has built models in the past and a great starter kit for any new to the world of tabletop gaming! We'll show you other Sarissa kits as we begin to establish terrain for an Italian Bolt Action Campaign!

Have A Great Battle!
The Old Crow

Early WWII Polish Army For Bolt Action with Trenchworx Transport

Finally getting a few moments to assemble and yes, paint a few figures. Next on the list is the Polish Army for early war campaigns. These were some of the first models we purchased from Warlord Games for Bolt Action. However the Cromwells and Firefly of 11th army Black Bulls and subsequent British forces delayed their start.

Here is most of the Polish support units primed and ready to go! Everything from a light AT gun to the Polish 7TP Tank. One with a canon the second with the twin turreted machine guns!

We started painting with a unit of infantry and a hastily commandeered transport as they desperately try to stave off German attacks. A Trenchworx Crossley Tender. We imagined the Poles grabbing for anything that would move. These guys couldn't find any horses!

The Crossley is a nice resin kit, little flashing and it went together easily. Here are all the pieces ready to assemble.

And the assembled transport.

Add a squad of Warlord Games Polish infantry and off they go.

We wanted an old well used look with plenty of wear and tear with lots of dirt and rust.

Have a Great Battle!!
The Old Crow

How To: Make Impassable Terrain for Bolt Action or Warhammer, Historical or Fantasy War Games

Having Impassable Terrain on your table top battleground gives you distinct advantages and equal disadvantages. It can cover your armors flank or block line of site for your casters fireball. No matter which you are befitting from, it makes your table look great.

We started with a hardboard base and a can of spray foam insulation. When using the insulation foam, there is always a little left in the can and you can't save it! So, spray the remainder on a piece of old cardboard and let it harden. Once it dries you can peel it off and place it on your hardboard.

You can use White PVA glue or a hot glue gun. We added bits of foam, rock and debris to fill in gaps and add texture

Once you have everything glued and its dry, add a base coat of paint. We always advocate checking mis-tinted paint at your local hardware store, Home Depot or Lowes. We found this ugly dark green which works great for terrain projects. We then used light green and grey to drybrush on highlights.

Then glue flocking and ground cover into the recesses and add any foliage. We used an eclectic mix of HO scale pine trees and bushes plus a few oddball pieces clipped from plastic floral arrangements.

We diod two pieces at once. That helps you keep working on one while the other is drying.

And there you have it, instant gracious cover or pain in the rear site blockers!

Enjoy