Infinity Terrain - CNC Workshop Vehicles

SHOWING OFF SOME OF THE VEHICLES IN MY INFINITY TERRAIN COLLECTION

Terrain is incredibly important for playing Infinity, and though many, many companies have sprung up recently to produce a wide range of buildings and scatter terrain, relatively few have developed a range of civilian vehicles to fight around. CNC Workshop is, in my mind, one of the best, and their MDF vehicles look stunning. They have a science-fiction touch to them that makes them fit wonderfully in the Infinity world, without making them unusable for other sci-fi ranges like Warhammer 40,000.

For the tournament last month, I decided to paint up a selection of their vehicles to work in the Loading Dock table, where they would fit well with the large stacks of crates and shipping containers. The police vehicle was also painted up as I love the model - very reminiscent of the Tumbler from Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.

In this, the first of a series of articles looking at terrain for Infinity, I will assess different aspects of the kits such as their ease of assembly, painting and use on the game table. Onward to the pictures and discussion!

The selection as it stands - five different kits are represented here

The Heavy Industrial Forklift was the first model built and painted, and really shows the incredible results one can achieve with MDF - to think this all came from one sheet of A4 MDF staggers me

Everything from the engine block to the treads is made from one thin sheet of MDF

A bold yellow was chosen for the colour scheme, matching modern forklifts and industrial vehicles

Damage to the front strut by my own clumsiness was painted as rust to mask it

I am happy with the results on lights and cabin displays, and think the whole model pops nicely

The second forklift features a Radial Engine and modifications across the front bars and supports

This vehicle was painted in an olive green to match with some of the other buildings and crates in the collection

The radial engine is made from a huge number of different pieces, and was a bit of a chore to put together

Despite the extra effort in building, I enjoyed painting this forklift a great deal 

As with the other vehicles, no metallic paints were used on this model

The Mini Forklifts were too cute to pass up on

Yellow was chosen once again, to match their bigger brother

Weathering was incredibly important when painting these models - I wanted to give them impression they were battered and used

The Heavy Multi-Purpose Transport was the model that first drew my attention to CNC Workshop, reminding me of the colonist's vehicles from the movie Aliens

The Transport has a large flat-bed, which is the perfect size for their Containers. I do not have any of these, but may invest soon

Chips were taken from the sharp edges of the sides, to make the model feel more "real"

The Transport was painted yellow to match the other vehicles, and keep the terrain looking unified

Some mistakes in construction were played off as just symptoms of being an old, battered piece of rugged machinery

The Police Tactical Response Vehicle - always a firm favourite

Painted in the same scheme as their display model, I love the contrast offered by the flashing lights and the dash of colour added by rust, dust and battle damage

Keeping it simple was key - and the black dark! It can be highlighted too much and go grey very quickly

The most difficult aspect of this vehicle was the need to chamfer the corners of the main body - this was not easy, and my mistakes have had to be painted as battle damage

Busy little workers!

Crates by other companies such as Microart make for fine cargo

The vehicles really add a sense of narrative to any loading bay or cargo area

Police signs from Antenocitis Workshop work well with the Tactical Response Vehicle

Another crisis quickly dealt with

The size of the Heavy Transport is impressive, and very useful for blocking Line-of-Sight

The Mini Forklifts are still to scale, but do not offer a great deal of cover

The Heavy Forklifts offer better cover

Go-Go Marlene looks to interview some brave police officers

• Aesthetics - fantastic, the models always impress and look perfect for a variety of settings. They do not have the sleek high science-fiction look of some other companies products, but look rugged and fit well with the dirtier, less advanced areas of Infinity, such as Ariadna or a Nomad trading post.

• Ease of Assembly and Instructions - all of the instructions are found on their website, which is annoying as you need to have a computer to hand or print them out yourself, and in some of the pieces the instructions required additional work such as trimming and chamfering, which is not something I am particularly familiar with. Aside from these issues, the instructions were clear and the pieces fit together nicely, without being too tight or loose. Some glue required, so beware! 

• Ease of Painting - MDF always soaks up the paint, but if you are used to this, it is a breeze. The models are forgiving, especially when painted in a battered and dirty manner such as I have. The detail is crisp and the lines are not lost even with multiple coats, though they are fairly simple and a lot of bare areas are left for you to fill in with your own detail. Interiors of the cabins can be difficult, so prepare for them with pre-painted assembly or a very steady hand. 

• Cost - as a UK resident, the cost of shipping is factored into the price of the models, but even so the prices are, to me, very good. The large vehicles are all in the twelve-thirteen pound range, which I think is excellent considering their size and detail. It is certainly cheaper than some resin offerings. I would say the cost is a real plus for this company, and justifies the difficulties inherent in shipping across the world.

So there we are! I hope you have enjoyed this closer look at some of my terrain collection, and would urge you to check out CNC Workshop and their miniature scenery. All of their pieces, be they vehicles or buildings. are just fantastic and would look good on any science-fiction battleground.

Thanks for reading,

George