by Bob Barnetson

JR Miniatures is an American-based terrain company, in operation since 1989. It produces terrain and buildings for 6mm to 28mm wargaming. Since 2000, JR has significant improved the quality of its offerings and the breadth of its range.

JR Miniatures has released several new 15mm American Civil War (ACW) buildings. Those sent for review include a church and southern mansion (retailing for $17.00 USD) and a Victorian house and frontier cabin (retailing for $5.25 USD).

First Impressions
The four items arrived well packed in a cardboard box surrounded by Styrofoam packing peanuts. Each item was individually bagged as they are when sold in stores. The only damage to the models was a chimney on the Victorian House was broken.

Out of the bags, these models appeared crisply cast and free of flash. It is not clear what the material is but my guess is some sort of grey resin. Overall, the models were impressive and reflect the improvements JR Miniatures has made over the years to its line. Gone are soft-edged and slumped over buildings of the early years.

Church
The church is 10.7 cm long and 6.2 cm wide. The top of the steeple is 15.5 cm high. The steeple and roof are removable with a 7.5 by 5 cm cavity inside for figures. The roof has a lovely tile or shake pattern (with a few small bubbles in the casting) and the steeple is nicely done. Gothic windows and the main door (with pointed arches) are among the most noticeable feature of the church and give it a very American feel.

This model has a significant failing, however. The roof section sits more or less flat on the main body of the church but, when aligned flush with the front of the church, is up to 5 mm too short at the back. Thus we are left with a shelf on what should be a flush vertical surface. That isn’t the end of the world on a gaming model.

It does, however, compound what appears to be a construction error on the master. The textured roof panel on one side of the church has been glued on crookedly, thus the tile pattern rises upwards towards the back of the church. This is exacerbated by a slight dip in this corner of the building. This creates a large and irreparable gap between the roof section and the building. It is possible to grind the roof so it will sit properly, but this would put the wall boards in the peak off level by about 10 degrees.

Southern Mansion
The southern mansion is 13.5 cm long, 6.8 cm wide and 9 cm tall (top of chimney). The roof is removable with a 6.5 by 3.7 cm cavity inside for figures. The roof has a realistic shake pattern while the sides are planks of wood. After fiddling about with model some, I have three observations.

First, the roof does not fit on the model very well. It appears the roof mold was over filled and then portions of the over-fill were trimmed down. The result is that the roof does not fit onto the model. I’m not actually sure how to remedy this as I don’t want to sand the resin because of the dust and carving is too difficult to be worthwhile. I expect I will simply glue the roof down, fill the gaps and paint it.

Second, a larger house suitable for 15mm gaming in North America is much appreciated. This model would have been more versatile if it had simply been a larger farm house. The addition of the columns on the front means it isn’t useful for old west games or much of the American War of Independence (AWI).

Third, the proportions of the model seem off. I find this perception hard to explain because, when I do the math, the house would be about 49 feet long (i.e., a big house). I think the issue is that the front door is a bit oversized and out of proportion with the columns on the front of the house. Add on the steep pitch of the roof and the effect is a bit cartoonish. When compared with a similar product from, say, Timecast, the JR mansion is just a bit unrefined looking. It is, however, about two-thirds of the price and my aesthetic concerns are indeed hard to see when the building is on the tabletop.

Frontier Cabin
Arguably the most versatile of the four buildings provided, the frontier cabin is a nice model. The log-cabin walls are nicely offset by the field-stone chimney and shake roof. This could be used in games set during the French and Indian War, the AWI, the War of 1812, the ACW or even an old west game. You might even get away with using it during WW2 eastern front games.

The cabin is a solid casting and measures 7 cm long, 4 cm wide and 5 cm high. The shakes at the back appear dilapidated, but it is hard to tell if this is intentional or just a fortunate miscast. Overall, a useful piece, especially at $5.95 USD.

Victorian House
The Victorian house is a solid cast and thus a heavy product. It is a straight forward model, with hand carved brick and stone detail that harkens back to some of JR Miniatures’ earlier buildings. The detail is a bit too deeply cut for my taste, but the casting is well done and, for $5.95 USD, it is hard to argue with the price.

Comments
These buildings are fairly typical of JR Miniature releases I’ve purchased before. The buildings are useful for gaming but are not diorama quality. This is reflected in the relatively low price of JR products.

The most useful of the pieces is the log cabin. It is generic and very functional. It is also a single-piece cast and the textures (stone, logs, shakes) look okay even if the sculpting is mediocre. Generic items such as small houses, outbuildings, barns, fences and bridges are not sexy, but seem to me to be an excellent line for mid-range companies such as JR to produce. The Victorian house is also a reasonable model that could be used in various settings. Its lack of porch, wood sheds or coal bins makes it less interesting than it could be.

JR has typically had difficulty as it increases the complexity of its pieces. The southern manor house would have been more useful if it had been a single piece cast with an appropriately pitched roof and no pillars. As sculpted, it is limited in its applicability (not every house in the South has columns). The poor fit of the roof adds to the disappointment.

The church is a potentially useful building. I wouldn’t want three or four of these (as I might the log cabin or a set of out buildings), but it is nice to have a church of appropriate architecture for North American games. Unfortunately, the problems with the roof are significant and impossible to remedy. I don’t really understand how a problem like this could have gotten to the casting stage. Maybe it is an issue of shrinking during the mastering or casting processes?

Conclusion
JR Miniatures make low cost and useful wargaming terrain. It is widely available in brick and mortar stores and online. One of my favourite JR items is in fact an ancient fortress in 1:300 scale which has seen service in Greek and medieval games (with a paper keep added). The new additions to JR’s 15mm line of ACW buildings are welcomed.

These four buildings are a mixed bag, in terms of technical execution and utility. The cabin is a particularly useful product for gamers interested in North American conflicts. The Victorian house also has wide applicability. The difficulties JR has had with removable roofs make the mansion and the church a bit disappointing.

Pros

• Inexpensive and widely available.
• Cabin and Victoria house have wide applicability.

Cons

• Sculpting and casting of removable roofs is disappointing.
• Southern mansion has limited utility.