MDF: the F is for folly

Back around 2007, my cousin called me up and pitched me on the idea of buying a laser cutter to manufacture and sell MDF dice towers and 28mm-scaled shipping containers.  I told him that it was a waste as the market was flooded with those and I couldn't see MDF scenery ever taking the place of resin and plastic kits.  I mean what buildings could possibly look better as lasercut basswood?

And here we are, 13 years later, and there are countless small companies cranking out surpringly beautiful scenery from sheets of wood.  I was wrong and the limits of my imagination led me there.  If anyone could have made it work, it was my cousin, a skilled modeler, tinkerer, and professional draftsman.  That said, I still think dice towers are dumb and everyone who wanted sci-fi shipping containers bought them early or raided one of the many liquidation sales when AT-43 was rejected by gamers who didn't feel like spending $35 for a pre-painted model of a gorilla with a bazooka or a set of rules that hadn't figured out how combatants could jump or climb.

Last winter, I was looking for a small project to occupy me during the cold and dark months, which here in northern Europe can run from October through April.  I had just finished painting a few Artizan Designs gunslingers and looked around for a building to put them in.  As luck would have it, Northstar was running a sale.  I tossed some Copplestone gangsters, two dozen Crusader hoplites, and an orange single story false front building from 4Ground into the virtual shopping cart.  Obviously, I'm not one to get bogged down by little things like focus or goals.

The building kit was a hefty bag of lasercut sheets that smelled like a campfire.

Over the course of two afternoons, most of the kit went together.  I'm not sure how much was my unfamiliarity with this type of model, or the fact that it was one of their first western kits, but the process was as smooth as taking the trash out by heaving the bag dowstairs to the cans and picking up the scattered trash afterward.

The directions were largely just photos, which left me scratching my head at times, trying to puzzle out what the picture was telling me to do.  When I did figure out what to do, the pieces often barely fit together.  My file set got regular use.

The final insult came while assembling the roof.  The main roof piece is large and on my kit, badly warped.  Even after spending days clamped to get it straight, there was still a pronounced bend.  Even after gluing in the supports and leaving the assembly in a mass of clamps, the whole thing is still warped.

I can say that I've done three other MDF kits since then, two of which were by 4Ground, and none have left me so frustrated.  Ironically, it's far simpler than one of their other kits I built, but it still took the most time.

The moving doors and roof hatch are neat features and the pre-painted aspect was nice.  A lot of thought clearly went into designing it.

On the other hand, the warping was frustrating.  Touching up exposed ends with paint still took another hour or so.  The kit is only £24, which at the time was about $32.   This is one of their cheaper kits and the prices can go up dramatically as the size and detail increase.  A word of warning on that pricing, though.  Shipping by Northstar or 4Ground has to come out of England.  That can add another £20 to the order, so plan accordingly.

On the whole, I like the result.  If Cousin Joe wants to buy that laser now and try his hand at MDF western scenery, I'd be glad to try out the result.