Architectural Heritage has produced a line of miniature buildings modeled on the Italian Renaissance. Two items I recently acquired from Grandiosity (www.warweb.com) include a Clock Tower and the Fortified Tower House. These buildings are great additions to your European tabletop scenery. Architectural Heritage's Italian Renaissance line bring some Old World variety to the collection of middle European stone farmhouses and taverns that make up the majority of the miniature structures that comprise our tabletop built environment.

NC 5-6 Clock Tower

This clock tower measures 1 1/8" square by 3 3/8" tall. Scaled out to its real world equivalent, this would be a 10' x 10' square about 30' tall. It's no Sears Tower, but still a respectable height for Renaissance architecture. Detailing is excellent with the brick walls, cornerstones, arches and tiled roof all done in great relief. The clock face has tick marks instead of numbers and no hands. However, a center pivot hole is provided to facilitate the addition of scratch built clock hands.

This is a great little clock tower and works for any situation where your tabletop town needs a cultural landmark besides the mayor's house or the bank.

NC 5-3 Fortified Tower House

This building measures 1 1/8" square by 4.75" tall. Scaled out, this would be a tower more than 40' tall. As the model features six stories, the approximate seven feet of headroom must have been a tight squeeze. Detail is still good with the brickwork, doors and window sills well modeled. The resin is of excellent quality. I found only one tiny bubble in the entire structure.

A typical tower house was designed to maximize defensible living area. This model features six stories with narrow windows suitable for archers. The ground floor doors are heavy massive affairs, capturing the spirit of the period wonderfully.

These buildings look great. They work well for southern France or Italy or other European regions that were heavily influenced by Renaissance architecture. Based on these two examples, I will definitely be adding additional buildings from this line to my collection.

More Reviews

Unexpurgated History of the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, Vol. 1 Book Review.
Architectural Heritage: 15mm Italian Renaissance Buildings Terrain Review.
Old Glory: 15mm Russian Seven Years War Cuirassiers Figure Review.
Merrimack Miniatures: 25mm Viking Long Ship Figure Review.