By Joseph Forster

Firelock Games recently partnered with 4Ground to create a whole new line of Port of Plunder terrain and buildings for 28mm games set in the Caribbean. The folks at 4Ground very kindly sent me a selection of these products and I’ve been working away at building them up and I’m very pleased!

Below are some pictures of the “Hovels” or small, basic dwellings that are the smallest buildings in the Port of Plunder series. These buildings are easy to assemble, great sizes for Blood & Plunder games, and are very affordable to get on your gaming table.

Made of nicely colored laser cut MDF, you could leave these buildings the yellowish wood color or you can use the render powder to create a more realistic stucco finish on the walls which looks great!

The render powder took a little experimenting to use effectively and I had to try a couple different methods but I eventually settled on a relatively simple method that got me good results. I’ll do another post on the render powder later but here are some shots of assembling these two hovel kits.

This kit comes with everything you need except the glue. I expected to use the knife but never needed it!

The parts were clearly labeled and the assembly instructions were easy to follow.

It took me about 20 minutes to glue together the larger of the two buildings. Everything fit perfectly and it was very satisfying to see these well designed kits come together.

For a thatched roof effect, you brush watered down glue through what can only be referred to as “teddy bear fur.” This took a little finesse and I used too much glue on my first attempt but it still looks good.

I found the application of the stucco powder to be the most challenging part of the project. The powder is a bit messy and doesn’t always behave the way you want it to but it looks good once you tame it!

The Hovel 01 building has two rooms with a breezeway between them and two functional doors.

Hovel 02 also has two rooms but it is smaller and doesn’t have the breezeway between the rooms.

The roofs easily lift off for access to the interior.

The windows come with shutters that can be propped open (which is pretty fragile)

Or they can be glued shut or left off entirely and the windows still look fine!

The doors are fully functional!

Here’s the Hovel 02 alongside the Miniature Building Authority church building also available from Firelock.

I’ve bought several buildings from 4Ground’s catalog over the years and I’ve always been impressed. These are no exception. One of the best things about these is they have a very reasonable price point. At $14 for the smaller and $16.50 for the larger of these buildings, these are a real steal! For $30.50, these two buildings really make a game board look good and give some tactical interest to your skirmish.

The assembly was easy and fast and while the stucco application was more difficult, after two attempts, I found my stride and I’m ready to tackle a larger building!

Next I have one of the larger Colonial Houses in the works and I couldn’t be happier. This thing is huge! Three full stories tall, two sets of stairs, balconies, sets of functioning double doors and a really awesome tile shingle roof! Can’t wait to get this building finished!

I’ll be posting more on this set of 4Ground terrain as I get it completed.

I’ll also do a post soon with some tips and tricks for using the render powder effectively but for now, go buy some Hovels!