>EDIT Thanks for this great review of our products, www.AMERA.co.uk , as kindly pointed out at the top! Thanks also for feedback on the craters. We've recently produced a new set ref z250 which are proving very popular and will hopefully address any concerns" We welcome visitors to our facebook page and website with any more reviews or suggestions
--EDIT-- Hi there. Sorry to jump on the review, but it's worth pointing out that this is the AMERA Plastic Mouldings terrain. FRP just seems to be a US retailer. It's also available from www.amera.co.uk -- ArbitorIan
I've recently purchased 8 pieces from http://www.frpgames.com/
line of 28mm Future Zone Terrain. There were a few pieces missing from my order (due to "out of stock"), but I'll add them to this ongoing review once they arrive.
I very much enjoy building scratch terrain and have been looking for some basic structures in which to base my projects off of. The scenery from FRP comes in two varieties;
Vacuum formed one piece: The vacuum formed one pieces are rather lacking in detail. The detail is on the wrong side. Presumably the plastic is sucked down to the mold, the interior has very find detail, this leaves a really soft detail on the exterior. I would rather have seen it backwards, but whether because of price or manufacturing capabilities we end up with what looks like a mold in itself.
(Remember to click on the image to zoom in for up close detail.)
I would be curious to see someone make a jello dish from one of these, or possibly an ice sculpture. The plastic on these is very thick. Not like the Realm of Battle Gameboard, but thick plastic card, maybe 3/32" (~2.5mm). It seems solid enough that the hollowness of it shouldn't matter. I would like to find an expanding foam that doesn't expand too much and fill these up to make them solid.
Plastic assembly required kit: These are multi-part kits which go together as easily as a gingerbread house. Again you have the same problems as with the larger one piece-lack of detail. I really wish I knew why it is they do them this way, if the details were just on the outside-this product would be 5 stars all around.
The plastic used on the kits is much thinner than that of the one-piece. They say that you could build the kit as-it, but I highly recommend reinforcement.
The kits are better suited to the more advanced modeler. They are a great place to start for building a piece of great looking terrain, but don't expect to use them right out of the box. You need to cut the windows and contours out on each piece.
Terrain: 28mm Future Zone - Corner Ruined Building
Part Number: APMZ236
This piece is huge, the picture from the website doesn't do it any justice. Here you can see it next to my Warhound-does he get the cover save? Because of the thickness of the plastic, even though it's so large and hollow-it remains very solid. You could mount this directly to a 1/4" MDF board, but I would like to try filling it with an expanding construction foam to make it solid. I would be tempted to try and copy the piece with plaster since the interior is so detailed, but that would weigh a considerable amount.
For $30 USD you can't really go wrong with this piece. If you are new and still stacking books for terrain-this will be a great upgrade. And if you're looking for a nice LOS blocker for the center of the game, this piece will work great. Measuring over 1 foot tall and with a base of 1.5' x 1.5' you get your monies worth is scenery real estate. You can use this right out of the box, and it wouldn't take much work to base, paint, and flock this into something really special.
Terrain: 28mm Future Zone - Factory
Part Number: APMZ233
All their buildings go together rather well if you don't mind putting a little finesse into them. Originally I figured I would have to reinforce the structure for integrity, however it's proved to be somewhat solid as it. I added a couple supports to improve the looks, and although it may not be necessary-I will be filling in the mold insides with a filler. It's really questionable if you want to use the entire roof. It will make it very difficult to use the top floor. You could make the entire roof one piece and removable, but I will opt for just using some of the roofing pieces and collapsing the rest. If you don't mind doing some extra work and adding more details-this kit is great. It should be noted that I consider it unlikely that you could just glue it together out of the box, this is for the moderate to advanced modeler.
Terrain: 28mm Future Zone - Extended Admin Block with Buttresses
Part Number: APMZ228
Terrain: 28mm Future Zone - HQ Block
Part Number: APMZ219
Terrain: 28mm Future Zone - Admin Block Ruins
Part Number: APMZ215
Terrain: 28mm Future Zone - Crater Set
Part Number: APMZ201
You get 3 of these craters for about seven bucks. When compared to the GW craters which are 5 for seventeen, there really isn't any reason to get them. The GW craters are of a higher quality and thicker plastic, they're larger and just more detailed looking. Sadly I cannot endorse these.
Terrain:
28mm Future Zone - Demolished Buildings
Part Number: APMZ227
Terrain: 28mm Future Zone - Bombed Out Building
Part Number: APMZ211