Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Micro Art and Sarissa Precision comparision pictures

This isn't a 'versus' article. This isn't me saying hey, look product 'A' is better than product 'B'. It's just me putting up some quick comparision snaps, as it's something people have asked me to do and I think people might find it useful. I'm sorry that some of my Pods etc are part painted, but I'm trying to get my table started and am in the middle of doing various articles with them so hopefully you'll let me off just this once. I'll do some measurement / height comparisons also, so those of you wanting to mix and match the sets will know what's what.

Walkways and Gantries

So first up we have the walkways from Micro Art Studios and the ganties from Sarissa Precision. First off some vital statistics the height of the MAS upper walkway is 5" whereas the Sarissa Precision upper gantry measures at a height of 6.5" or thereabouts. The MAS lower walkway measures in at 2.5" while the Sarissa Precision lower gantry measures in at roughly 3.5". So as you can see there's a bit of a height difference between the two systems.




In the background you can see the high Gantry from Sarissa Precision, compared with the MAS upper walkway in the foreground. I used the short gantries from Sarissa Precision in these shots.


A side by side comparison shows off the height disparity off much better. The Sarissa Precision Gantry is significantly higher in gameplay terms.


Here we have the lower options from both companies, the disparity in height is unsurprisingly carried over to lower options in both sets.


Again the side by side comparisons show the height differences off much better.


The lower stairs from both Sarissa Precision and MAS. They're not too dissimilar in length as it happens, which means the Sarissa Precision stairs have a steeper incline, as can be seen in this picture of them both.


Again the steeper incline is present with the higher sets of stairs too.

Buildings

The buildings in both ranges will of course be likely to form the backbone of any battlefield you'll want. Obviously currently MAS only offer the one 3 story building whereas Sarissa offer a plethora of modular building options. However, for these comparison shots I'm only going to focus on the Explorer, Habitation and Family Pods. If people want me to do shots with the warehouse it might be possible to twist my arm. If you don't mind I'll throw the vital statistics in with the pictures this time.

 

Here we see a comparison shot of the ground floor offerings from both MAS and Sarissa Precision, with there respective roofs off. The MAS building sits exactly 0" off of the floor whereas the Sarissa Precision building sits 0.75" off of the ground.


In this comparison shot I've stacked a Habitation Pod on top of the Family Pod from Sarissa, and have compared it with a full 3 story stack of the MAS District 5 Apartment 1 building. You start to notice the height level difference between each floor more at this height. The 1st floor of the MAS building is at roughly 2.5" while the 1st floor of the Sarissa Pod system will be at roughly 3.5" height. Not a surprise really given the height of their respective walkways / gantries.


The three Pods stacked on top of each other are actually significantly taller than the three story MAS building. The second floor heights are at 5" for MAS buildings and 6.5" for Sarissa Precisions Pods. The roof heights are 7" for the MAS building and 8.75" for the Sarissa Precision buildings.


In terms of foot print the MAS buildings are 4.5" wide and 8.5" long. The Explorer is 4.25" wide and is 5" long. As you can see from this top down shot the Explorer Pod isn't actually all that smaller in terms of actual footprint.


Obviously the footprint for the MAS building remains the same (not even I'm that thick). However, the Habitation Pod is the same length as the MAS building at 8.5" and shares the same 4.25" width with the Explorer Pod.


Finally we have the Family Pod at 8.5" in length and 8.5" in width. It really does have a pretty impressive footprint and helps loads when trying to fill up a board! Oh yeah and the MAS building is still 4.5" wide and 8.5" long... I totally didn't measure it more than once... honest. Look OK I did, but in my defence I'm blonde and I have a headache. Stop looking at me like that!!! Like you've never done something that dumb. Shesh, everyone's a critic nowadays.

Conclusion

There are actually some interesting size disparities you could play with between the MAS and Sarissa Precision buildings. If you wanted to construct a board with elements from both ranges it would be more than possible to do so. It would even be fun to play with the more Industrial looking Sarissa Precision buildings mixed in with the more suburban looking MAS buildings. Ultimately there's a good deal of choice out there, and I hope these pictures have been useful to some of you. Peace out!

EDIT: An extra top down picture of both the MAS walkway and Sarissa Precision Gantry, at the request of Chisel. See your request is my command!


Posted by Frontline Gamer at 17:47
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41 comments:

  1. Intrizic24 January 2012 at 20:31

    Could you add an overhead of the walkways please?

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    1. Frontline Gamer24 January 2012 at 20:34

      NO!!! :P

      Oh OK then as you asked so nicely. Give me an hour or so though as I'm about to sit down and eat dinner. :)

      Delete
    2. Frontline Gamer24 January 2012 at 21:13

      Hey Chisel, I've put a picture up for you. Hope it's what you were after. :)

      Delete
    3. Intrizic24 January 2012 at 22:50

      And this is why you are the MAN!!! and you know step 1 ;)

      Delete
    4. Frontline Gamer24 January 2012 at 23:36

      No problem, I'm here to help...

      I also know steps 2 and 3...

      ;)

      Delete
  2. GoldenKaos24 January 2012 at 20:43

    I can certainly see some interesting synergy happening there. I am torn now between choosing a new Infinity faction; currently between Yu-Jing's Imperial Service and Ariadna's French sectorial. Aaaaghh....

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    1. Frontline Gamer24 January 2012 at 21:10

      Do both!!! Or you no, don't be such a faction whore like me. It's totally up to you :P

      Delete
    2. GoldenKaos25 January 2012 at 00:54

      Only three factions vaguely interest me anyway, Yu-Jing, for everything Asian, Ariadna (but not the Scottish lot, I know too much about the invention of Highland traditions to like the entire kilt-claymore combo anymore) and *maybe* Haqqislam, but kinda barely. I do like the contrast between the Yu-Jing sectorials though, one being the under-equipped underdog, the other being the tech-heavy gestapo-troopers. I also can't seem to like anything that isn't a sectorial list, there may be something wrong with me...

      Delete
    3. Frontline Gamer25 January 2012 at 10:28

      No sectorial lists actually make sense to a lot of people who are just starting out, ironically, because they limit your choices and theme your force for you. Makes learning the game and entry actually less daunting. However, they are hard to use because you don't have access to either all the nice toy's or cheap grunts... or something. The two Yu Jing Forces are quite nice though.

      Delete
  3. SinSynn24 January 2012 at 21:31

    Well, somebody's got a nice set of Infinity terrain goin' on.
    Can't say I like one more than the other- they're both pretty darn cool.

    Pics need moar Tybs.
    Stop oppressing da kittehs!
    :P

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    1. Frontline Gamer24 January 2012 at 23:35

      I am indeed, and there's more still to come!!! ^-^

      Speaking of moar, there will be moar Tybbs and Macca soon, in fact moar kittehs all round!

      Delete
    2. SinSynn25 January 2012 at 04:40

      I'm actually wondering how I don't see a paw or tail in any of these pics?
      Dude, I have cat hairs painted onto virtually every model, because I can't do anything 'round here without him getting in my business.

      He knew I was going to see Underworld tonight, and I was going to wear my black jacket...so he napped on it, and shed profusely.

      -_-

      So I'm kinda surprised the kittehs didn't get involved in your photo shoot here.
      :D

      BTW- Kate Beckinsale is one of your country's most impressive exports, I think.
      As my cat Felix would say- Meow.

      Delete
    3. Frontline Gamer25 January 2012 at 10:24

      Ah I've learned a cunning trick to keep them away from me while I do my pictures. Cat treats in one room and then shut the door in the other!!! Admittedly it's hardly tactical genius, but it is effective.

      Delete
  4. Krotchy24 January 2012 at 22:18

    Thanks for the comparison pics. Tax money can't come soon enough!

    I'm thinking about setting up my Infinity table before I buy the miniatures since I've heard you need to have around 80% coverage.

    Does that sound like a good plan or should I play a few test runs of the game to get an idea of a table setup?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Frontline Gamer24 January 2012 at 23:31

      First thing I would do Krotchy is download the army builder and free rules. Get yourself some proxy miniatures and play a few games:

      A) To get a handle on the rules
      B) To learn what the different factions are like
      C) To understand what sort of terrain layout you need.

      I've heard the 80% scenery thing before, but I'm honestly not sure what it means. What sort of scenery etc. It's true that I think Infinity needs more terrain than pretty much any other game out there at the moment. It's also true that depending on the type of terrain you have games play out very, very differently and different weapons become important...

      I guess that's a long winded way of saying play some proxy games first. lol.

      Delete
  5. English pillock24 January 2012 at 23:26

    Greetings,

    Is there a chance that you can show the highest walkway of one and the lowest of the other? It would be nice to see if you can realisticly have one going under the other like some of the crazy walkways in Bangkok or cities in South Korea.

    Regards,

    English Pillock

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frontline Gamer24 January 2012 at 23:34

      Heya, I can tell you now that the MAS stuff won't fit under the SP stuff because of the side supports and realistically the SP stuff is too tall to fit under the MAS stuff. All is not lost however...

      SP do two Bridge variants on the walkway and I can confirm that the lower SP gantries and bridge options do fit under the taller bridge option quite easily. In fact that's one of the reasons they did the bridge options I believe, for crazy walkways. Hope that sort of answers your question.

      Delete
  6. English pillock25 January 2012 at 02:38

    Greetings,

    Thanks for the info.

    Regards,

    English Pillock

    ReplyDelete
  7. Heid25 January 2012 at 10:37

    Great comparison. Has anyone else noticed though that the SP pricing seems to be way off versus the MAS pricing for the catwalk/gantry stuff?

    The MAS set is €24 for 2xCatwalks, 2xCorners, & 4xStairs but, unless I've missed something, I get the equivalent from SP to come to £35 i.e. 2xHigh Long Gantries, 2xLow Corners, 2xLow Steps, & 2xLink Steps.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Frontline Gamer25 January 2012 at 10:46

      Nope I don't think it is. Because the MAS stuff isn't versatile or modular. You could quite frankly look at the MAS walkways as you buying stuff you don't actually want or need, which is a waste of money. For instance if you were to add just 2 more pieces to that list it would cost you £40 from Sarissa Precision whereas I'd be spending nearly £50 for the MAS stuff with wastage. I'd also point out that you can't reposition the MAS stuff really, you might be able to see in the picture I did for Chisel that one of the hand rails has broken. This is because when I took the stairs off for the shots it just snapped without me even touching it. It's not designed to be modular but fixed. Therefore I really don't mind spending more money on it if required so I can mix my gaming board up.

      Delete
    2. Heid25 January 2012 at 13:16

      Fair enough, but an extra 70% for versatility still seems like a lot to be paying. Don't get me wrong, I think that what SP have done with this range is pretty spectacular, in fact, I believe laser etched HDF is the new sliced bread, but I do think the only thing your comparison lacked was the pricing piece.

      The difference could be easily remedied by SP making some of the smaller pieces a 2x for £5 like they have with the corner pieces - I'm all for a simple pricing structure, but there are some obvious discrepancies in size, and therefore value, when almost every piece is priced at £5 each.

      Delete
    3. Frontline Gamer25 January 2012 at 13:31

      I clearly stated this was a picture comparison. And size comparison. It's not up to me to judge price discrepencies between the ranges.

      For instance if I only needed a stair set in the SP range that'd be £5. Yet in MAS I'm paying £20. It's up to you to pick your poison. Also re-reading your pricing of the SP stuff You could argue that the long steps at £5 each would cover both the lower steps, the link steps and the corner pieces. So that £10, Throw in the two Long High Gantry Option and you can get something else free in effect all for £20.

      As I said a price comparison in this article would have been utterly pointless as I've covered pricing in my reviews of both products. Which I like. The reality is MAS are offering a fixed kit, no choice, take it or leave it. SP are offering choice, but you can take or leave that as well if it doesn't suit your pocket. So to do a price comparison would quite frankly serve to only confuse the issue I was getting at which was people wanted to know the size and height differences. They can judge the products with that information in hand themselves when coupled with mine and others reviews.

      Delete
    4. Frontline Gamer25 January 2012 at 13:56

      @Heid, didn't mean that to come across as aggressive but it has after re-reading it. Sorry if you took it that way. Not my intention. Price comparison are just really difficult between these ranges. If not futile. :)

      Delete
    5. Heid25 January 2012 at 19:48

      Hey no worries, no offence taken - I guess it is a bit of an apples and bananas comparison, but I'm an accountant, everything boils down to cost in the end ;-)

      Delete
    6. Frontline Gamer25 January 2012 at 19:57

      If you're an accountant then you should know about these things!!! ^-^

      Honestly I think it'll come down to the buildings and board you want. And if you want to mix the two, the Gantries don't match up to either range any way.

      Delete
  8. Rich_B25 January 2012 at 15:22

    Cheers for the comparison shots, very useful! I'd not seen close ups of the MAS stuff before, it's impressively detailed but having seen it my previous gut instinct is firming that it just isn't all that practical to actually use en-masse in a game of Infinity. I definitely prefer the greater modularity of the SP stuff.

    My first three pods and a ladder kit arrived this morning, I'm very impressed!

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    1. Frontline Gamer25 January 2012 at 20:33

      Well I'm glad you like them! I think with the walkways it's horses for courses I really do. I like the MAS stuff as well as the SP stuff. It's just that because the SP stuff is totally modular I've got a 1001 ideas going of in my head about board set up that just excites me.

      Delete
    2. Rich_B26 January 2012 at 01:49

      It's that modularity that has grabbed me to be honest, it's taken me right back to the fun of creating huge Necromunda layouts, with the added bonus of building internal detail on top :-D

      Delete
  9. Gary Peach March Attack26 January 2012 at 21:25

    Just to add, this is the 1st phase of gantries, the design is such that you can remodel them with varied handrails etc. For now.

    We have another walled set to come, again all the parts from these are usable with them, and then theres more variants that can build on these. As for price. It really is a bananas and pears issue, agreed if you bought a matched set it may be more for the 1st hit, but its priced so that you can build or adjust your gaming table as your gaming needs dictate, buying 1s and 2s instead of full-repeat sets. The 1s and 2s can be different fron your 1st set and add more options to the game.

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    1. Frontline Gamer28 January 2012 at 09:33

      Yep hopefully I'll get some of those to review as well. ;)

      Do you think that was too subtle a hint Gary? :P

      I can't wait to get my hands on your latest design either!!!

      Delete
  10. inrepose3 February 2012 at 13:43

    Looking forward to seeing these at Salute this year. They look like they could be easily scaled down to a 15mm size for those of us gaming with a smaller scale.

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    1. Frontline Gamer3 February 2012 at 17:07

      Heya Robin, just the man I've been trying to track down! :P

      I believe SP's aim is to drop them down to 15mm at some point. But I'm sure you knew that already. Could you email me at TheFrontlineGamerBlog@gmail.com, when you get the time. Thanks.

      Delete
  11. Unknown8 February 2012 at 19:01

    Just started Infinity so thought I would look back at your reviews.
    VERY helpful.

    Had you set up entire boards with both the ranges yet?
    Or do you know anyone who has?
    Want to see something complete before I start buying to be honest.

    Would love to see a Sarissa only board, Micro Art only board and a mixed board.

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    1. Frontline Gamer9 February 2012 at 09:23

      Hendy I am working on it my good man. I really am. I'll stat chucking some articles up soon hopefully when Sarissa send me my buildings.

      Delete
    2. Unknown10 February 2012 at 18:54

      Looking forward to seeing them

      Delete
  12. Jordan8 April 2012 at 23:27

    Holy Hell! I'm going to give these people so much money. (cry)

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    1. Frontline Gamer9 April 2012 at 10:34

      Which people? Sarissa Precision or Micro Art? Or both? lol.

      I know what you mean though. they've made building a board up so easy!!!

      Delete
  13. Ishmael6 June 2012 at 22:31

    Great review. I received some of sarissa's pods+gantry this week. I already had MAS building and walkways. I had a couple of sarissa's buildings also. All in all, i do prefer sarissa's, as they seem to offer more options. Once painted, MAS' are absolutely fixed... try to put the pieces away and you'll have some broken pieces in your hands. Hell, you may have some broken pieces in your hands even while taking them away from the plank if you are not carefull enough. That's not the case of sarissa's, and that's make me happy ^^

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    1. Frontline Gamer6 June 2012 at 22:55

      Thanks for the compliment. I personally really like the Sarissa Precision stuff as it allows me to build the boards that I want. Just a shame I don't have more of it. I will be posting more reviews up of their stuff shortly too.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous14 September 2012 at 16:31

    Great reviews on the Sarissa range and Micro Art building. Any chance there might be a Warmill review in the near future?

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    1. Frontline Gamer21 September 2012 at 16:44

      Honestly I have contacted the guys at Warmill to ask them if they had any advice on what I should look to get for games of Infinity. Unlike Micro Art and Sarissa I've not heard back. So while I will probably look to review something at some point in the future, I'm in no real rush if I'm honest with you.

      Delete

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