 As reviewed by Linrandir  This review is a little different than all the others you'll find here at the
Tower. Instead of selling terrain that's already been made, Hirst Arts sells
the molds to MAKE the terrain yourself. They're made from a high-grade
silicon rubber and are intended to be used a few hundred times before they
wear out.
The molds are made for use with plaster of paris, hydrocal, or anything of that nature. Mr. Hirst suggests hydrocal or plaster of paris. It also doesn't matter if you've never done anything like this before, because he's posted instructions on the website AND sends them along with every order. This particular mold is called the "Prison Tower Mold." Yes, you can follow the instructions and build a really cool tower for use in Anything involving miniatures OR you can go your own way and build ruins, a different type of tower (like...a PLAGUE TOWER) or really anything you can imagine. That's the great versatility of these things. As long as you have plaster and water, you're totally set.  There aren't any pictures of the Tower I am making to accompany this
review because I haven't had time to get very far in its construction(Got your back! Pictures as ordered!-Quasi), but
from what I have done already I can vouch for its utter simplicity in use.
You can use plain old Elmer's white glue to stick the blocks together, and if
you want to make your creations portable then all you have to do is use a
hobby drill (I have a Craftsman rotary tool, great stuff) and use it to drill
holes for pins. I'd suggest using something thicker than a paperclip,
though. It will also take some serious talent to screw the casting process
up, trust me. I tried.I deliberately mixed the hydrocal thicker than Mr. Hirst suggests, then poured it and did NOT do anything - okay, didn't do MUCH - to get any of the air bubbles out. It didn't matter, because the first casting turned out REALLY nicely. And, like I said, since these are simple blocks and arches and things, you can use them to build almost ANYTHING. If you want to stretch your imagination, go check out Hirst Arts' website. People build scale castles and Gothic Cathedrals with these molds, and it's a lot simpler than you'd think. In conclusion, I am VERY satisfied with this product. It is inexpensive and can be used hundreds of times. All you have to get extra for the construction is the plaster of paris or Hydrocal (I suggest Lightweight Hydrocal, you can get it for about $9 at any hobby store) and some water. It works, and when my budget opens up I will be getting some of the other molds he's got... -Linrandir |
