World Works Mars station Review

From Star Frontiers Network

Jump to: navigation, search

Top:Star Frontiersman main page | Up: Star Frontiersman Issue 14 main index


by Tom Verreault (jedion357)

Author’s Note: I’d like to start my review of World Works Games’ Mars Station product by confessing my natural prejudice against paper models. I’m a bit of a hardcore miniatures collector and painter and I greatly prefer metal minis over plastic. Concerning terrain, I’ve collected a number of resin models as well as scratch built buildings and the only paper models in my collection before trying World Works were simple little tent models. I suppose I shouldn’t call it a prejudice against but rather a preference for harder heavier models.

World Works website is very easy to navigate and though purchasing a download requires registering with the company that was simple as well. Once you’ve registered and purchase a download you’ll be able to re-download your purchases at a latter date by accessing your account (kind of nice in the event your computer crashes).

First impressions of the product after opening the download were very positive. The company includes a PDF on how to use the set as well as an instruction folder of nine PDFs covering assembly of the various sections of the product. The FAQ PDF was more or less a one page ad for the company but it does clue you in to the video tutorials available on their web site. All materials were full color with illustrative photographs and concise written instructions. I very quickly developed a feeling that World Works was interested in ensuring that their customers were successful at using the product sold to them. I would rate them as very user friendly.

The actual product is impressive; it includes PDFs of building, canyons, props, a vehicle, low walls and barricades as well as ground and floor mats; over 95 paper models! The ground and floor sections caught my eye as they had 1” square grid which is common to battle mat type playing surfaces for miniature based games but they also included a grid less copy of the ground maps for those who prefer a more aesthetic look. The company claims that the ground sections can be laid out as a 21” x 28” play surface however I made mine bigger by duplication some of the ground sections.

The learning curve for doing this type of model is very short and even my early results look good enough to me. After trying everything in the product at least once I’ve decided I don’t like the canyons and to not bother with interior walls. Despite that I love the product and look forward to purchasing another download with more vehicles in it. A Simple and small one story building can be slapped together in a little over an hour but a complicated multi-story building with all the frills added can take close to three hours.

Because of my hardware difficulties I printed my card stock for these models at the local office supply store and found that building cost $9 to $18 depending on how many details I want in the model. It’s tough to do a price comparison to resin models as they are not well represented on the market. All things considered I recommend World Works’ products for their versatility, light weight and ease of use.

Mars Station includes all of the following:

  1. 15 ground tiles - Mars terrain, industrial, floors and roofs. 1" Grid and No Grid options.
  2. 20 modular building walls, interior and exterior, flat or angled roofs, railings.
  3. Two man crawler.
  4. Street props. Lamp/signpost, concrete barriers, stairs and catwalk.
  5. Industrial props. Fences, five machines, horizontal and vertical storage tanks with base.
  6. Our Revolutionary Canyon building system (well worth the price of the set all on its own!).

http://www.worldworksgames.com/