Unboxing and Review - Terrain Crate Gang Warzone from Mantic - Part 1

As you may realise Steve and I (James) have been getting into Necromunda recently and have been playing through the missions on the board in the box set. We are now nearly through them now though and I have been looking around trying to find some terrain that is suitable both price wise and that will cross over and work for Necromunda and Warhammer 40k.

As you may know I have been experimenting with TT Combat's laser cut terrain which I reviewed the large crates HERE and the drum barrels HERE.

I was impressed with both sets and have been considering getting one of their industrial terrain sets. However, I just haven't been able to commit as I just don't like the look of the lasercut terrain.

Therefore I have been looking out and stumbled across Mantic's terrain crate series - in particular the gang warzone and industrial sets.

Mantic's Gang Warzone

I then read some mixed reviews of them but thought that the look, the price (which is very reasonable from Goblin Games!) and the fact that they are modular ticked all my boxes. In the end I got too excited and pulled the trigger on this box set...

My purchase - Mantic's Terrain Crate Gang Warzone

My purchase - Mantic's Terrain Crate Gang Warzone

The set cost £39.99 from Goblin Games - By far the cheapest I could find and a good discount from Mantic's original price.
The set looks great and all of the plastic pieces are already clipped off a plastic sprue (thankfully) and come in separate plastic bags split into wall panels, floor panels, connectors, barriers and accessories as you can see below:

All boxed up safely

Separate plastic bags

Some of the wall panels

The connectors

Although each piece has been clipped off a sprue I felt that the pieces needed filing down a little but you don't have to spend time doing this, I just don't like small plastic bits sticking out! However the connectors I felt did need filing a little as some of them wouldn't fit in the connector holes on the panels.

I felt the panels needed the sprue clip bits filing down

The filing did take a while but again you don't really need to do this as it is only terrain after all!

It is very clever how they have designed the set. Each piece is extremely well detailed - easily matching up to Games Workshop standards - and has connector holes in the same place on each piece. The connectors are either straight or cornered and fit really well once they have been cleaned up a little from the sprue allowing you to arrange the panels in whatever fashion you wish. To fit 2 panels together side by side you use 2 straight connectors to the outside and for any corners (or roof/floor panels) the corner connectors fit inside the corner so that you can't see them. It is fiddly to fit the corner connectors but they work fine.

A hastily assembled few panels

Also in the kit are some walkways and barriers that fit together great too.

Different wall panels, walkways and barriers

Walkways fitted together

I was really impressed by how modular and cool looking these pieces were. My original idea was to be that all pieces would fit together without glue so that I could swap them around game after game and have a different battlefield for each game. I am not sure at this stage whether this will work yet as some of the structures were a little wobbly after construction but I will keep checking this as I paint the panels as this may help.

Some of the accessories and ruins look really good and are very clever as you are able to connect them into the wall panels which not only adds character but will also make the structure more stable too.

Some of the accessories

Some of the ruined bits

More ruined wall panels

Wall panels and bigger wall connectors

Overall I am super happy with this set currently. It looks great as the panels are all detailed and what's more exciting is the potential for it to be modular and change every time I set it up. This is to be investigated following painting though of which I'm beginning now and will write another post on how and what I'm doing to paint all of this terrain!!

Let me know if you have had any experience of the Mantic Terrain Crates - either positive or negative - and of anything you think that I should look out for or consider as I put it together and paint the set.

All the best and i'll be back soon with part 2 - Painting.

James

fourdadsoftheapocalypse.blogspot.co.uk – A blog about Warhammer 40k and the Horus Heresy by four Dads