Tuesday 13 May 2014

My 4Ground North West European Farm.



I got this awesome kit from my wife for my birthday but hadn't got around to putting it together. Last week in a spate of productivity I managed to get it done over two evenings (whilst keeping my wife, who was busy working, company). I'm really pleased with this kit and it has definitely cranked up the quality of 4Grounds products.

Before the pictures however a word of warning: after the farm I put together the row of three terraced houses and in my obsession to gets the joins aligned and perfect (and the lateness of the hour) I swapped two of the fascias around. This means that there is a door where there should be a window and vice versa. It's not drastic and will only take the addition of a basic door panel to repair. In detailed kits like the farm (and the new hotel complex) there are detailing sheets that attach to the buildings to represent stucco, plaster etc. These are very delicate and porous so you do not have much time with the PVA before it's fixed. Take my advice and just be aware of this as something as simple as a slipped fascia may lead to extensive filing (swearing and crying).

A big box for a big farm.
A veritable mountain of MDF.

Pegs and Elastic bands are your go-to guys for 4Ground kits. It's useful to cut them down so they are more flexible. 4Ground helpfully provides a good selection of elastic bands.
The Threshing Barn



The Cart house and Granary
Nice detailing above the arches and good defensible windows.
Removable stairs provides access to the second floor.


The Hay Loft





I like the details of the beams and the floorboards.

The Farm House

A great building with nice details such as the corner stonework and plaque.
You'll notice the chimneys are missing, the ones in the kit did not line up with the angle of the roof at all. I'll have to contact 4Ground about this (or just scratch build them).




 Pig sty and Chicken coop

The pig sty and chicken coop is pretty simple and has a removable roof and stairs.

Dairy


The dairy is a simple additional building that fits against the farm house.
I've not glued the roof so it remains removable.
To finish off a nice aerial shot with the kit assembled as shown on the website. You may notice I haven't built the walls yet as I am unsure of the layout or degree of permanency I'm looking for. 


This is a very well done kit, with concise instructions and makes an excellent range of buildings. Whilst I intend (I think) to eventually paint my 4Ground buildings to make them more realistic they are more than serviceable straight away. Next up I'm saving for the Hotel complex.


Thanks for reading,

BALM


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