Leven miniatures review, part 2

As I mentioned in part 1, I also recieved Jocke's buildings. We figured we'd save the nice guys at Leven some postage since they were giving us the stuff for free. Now me and Jocke don't live in the same town, so he's a bit curious to see his stuff. Therefore he gave me permission to review his pieces as well.

 Dimensions. length 40mm : depth 35mm : height 22mm

First up is MIL03, a small airfield control tower, typical of RAF during WW2. It's very reminiscent of the Airfix 1/76 scale kit, probably because these towers were built to the same specifications. There are some very small casting issues on the windows where the resin didn't fill the mold, but it looks like it's easy to fix.

Big brother?

On the Leven miniatures website there is a staircase leading up to the walkway, which was not included. Instead a small observation tower is included which is not shown on the website. As there are doors leading out to the walkway I suppose the stair could be internal, and it was probably too small to cast properly. [Edit: I got a message from Mick at Leven that the model is redone, it now comes with external stairs, but without the rooftop watch office, as can be seen on the Leven Miniatures page.]



No stairs? Not even a wheel-chair ramp? It's a disgrace!

Next Jocke ordered the MIL13b hangar which is an absolute beast of a model, even though it's been deliberately reduced in size.

Dimensions: length 120mm : depth 80mm : height 28mm!

Even though the hangar is underscale it will still fit a spit or hurri between the doors. The model is hollow so you could carve out the opening between the doors if you want to fit an airplane inside. Leven miniatures have a large range of RAF buildings allowing you to build an entire airbase should you wish. I wonder if Jocke is planning some Operation Seelöwe games, or if he just wants to do Battle of Britain above some nice terrain.

Size comparison with the hangar and the control tower.

And I'm wondering if these would fit as german buildings, on the Carpiquet airfield southwest of Caen to be precise. On second thought that airfield might still be utilising the original french buildings.  So, would these fit as french and/or german airfield buildings? I haven't the foggiest, but I bet there's an Osprey book out there somewhere that I need to buy...

Dimensions: length 45mm : depth 16mm : height 13mm

Continuing the airfield theme is MIL27, a couple of Stanton Air Raid shelters. Not much to say about these, they are of the same size but of two different styles. Similar to Nissen huts, but these were made of concrete instead of corrugated metal. The different styles comes from the method of pouring the concrete in.

Dimensions: length 60mm : depth 25mm : height 17mm

Next up is IND05, a small brick industrial unit with sliding doors and corrugated roof. It's hard to see in the picture but yes, there is a brick effect sculpted on the walls. The reason the model is wonky in the picture is because to pieces of plastic rod is taped to the bottom, to be used as chimneys or ventilation pipes. This is a nice versatile model which could be used as a garage or a small workshop or part of a bigger industrial complex.

Dimensions: Tiny!

Last but not least... ok, last AND least, we have some tents.GEN14: ten canvas tents in two sizes. They are, well... tents. The smaller tents looks like sleeping tents to me while the larger are slightly higher and could be used for command tents or medical stations. Useful for that desert camp or if you want to set up a field hospital. Heck, most armies probably did sleep in tents unless entrenched or occupying a built up area.

As in part 1, I give these buildings a 4 out of 5. 

Good details, nice subjects and excellent value for your money. And GREAT service from Leven Miniatures.