TT Combat Chroma Terrain Set Review: A Nostalgic Build With Real Trade-Offs

Introduction

The TT Combat Chroma terrain set is a preprinted MDF terrain collection that leans hard into retro Warhammer 40k nostalgia. It arrived as a Kickstarter fulfillment, packed in two packages inside a single box. The set includes a large Stronghold structure, classic ruined walls, a classic platform, a classic platform bunker, a double bunker classic, a regular bunker classic, and a small Kickstarter accessory bundle with a couple of little frames.

The appeal is obvious: the classic color scheme emulates the colors found in retro 90s Warhammer 40k terrain sets. For anyone who got into the hobby during that era, this is a direct hit of nostalgia. But the real question is whether the finished result justifies the assembly effort. After spending three days building through the set, the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no.

What Comes in the Box

The packaging is solid. The box arrives with two packages inside, each containing preprinted MDF sheets. The parts are punched out of frames, cleaned up at the connection points, and assembled with PVA glue. The preprinted surfaces are vivid, with lots of textures and details on one side of each piece.

The accessory bundle is small but deceptively complex. Despite the small size of the pieces, they are quite tricky and fiddly to put together. The frames require careful punching to avoid breaking the spindly parts. The main structures, like the bunkers and the Stronghold, are far more substantial and boxy, with a satisfying weight to them once assembled.

One notable design choice is that no outward-facing visible areas are left as raw exposed MDF. Every visible surface is printed, which means many parts are doubled up to have printing on both sides. This makes the terrain robust and weighty compared to standard MDF kits, but it also adds significantly to the build time.

The Build Experience

Assembly follows the same basic process as any MDF kit: punch out the parts, clean up the frayed edges, and glue them together. The instructions are decent overall, but they can be tricky to follow at times. The parts are not numbered, and many of them look incredibly similar. On the ruined wall kit, the pieces are spread across six A4 sheets of MDF in no specific order, requiring frequent trips between sheets to find matching shapes.

The doubling-up of parts is the main time sink. Even tiny elements that make up small column parts need to be punched out, cleaned up, stuck together, and then attached to a larger piece. A single small step can require six tiny pieces to be handled individually. This adds up quickly across the whole set.

The small bunker took about two and a half hours to build while listening to podcasts. The bigger bunker took roughly the same amount of time, thanks to familiarity with the process. The Stronghold, the largest piece, was left for a future build session. Overall, expect these kits to take roughly twice the time of regular MDF kits.

The Ruined Walls: A Test of Patience

The ruined wall set is the standout for nostalgia, particularly in the classic color scheme. It looks like the cardstock ruins that came in the second edition starter set. However, the build process is arduous. Each wall section is three sheets of MDF thick, which gives a robust feel but makes assembly slow and repetitive.

The instructions for the walls alone span 250 steps. Just one incomplete wall section requires seven separate parts. The thin crossbar sections are especially prone to breaking when punched out of the frames, and the multiple layers of wall sections can pull away from each other at the edges as the glue swells the joints. A dab of superglue on the edges with a hard squeeze helps keep everything together.

After about three hours of work, only four of the smallest wall sections were completed, with six more remaining. The ratio of printed parts to dark brown cut MDF edges makes the effort hard to justify for some builders. In the same time, a foam board ruin with a basic paint job could be completed.

The Buildings: Worth the Effort

The buildings, in contrast, are genuinely worth the time. They look the part and, while trickier than normal MDF kits, are still relatively simple to build. They just take a little longer. The finished bunkers have a strong retro Warhammer 40k second edition vibe, which is the main reason to pick up this set.

For scale reference, the small bunker fits six 25mm base models or four 32mm base models. The bigger bunker fits 14 smaller bases and eight of the larger bases. This makes them practical for tabletop games with modern miniature sizes.

The printed surfaces have a slight gloss finish, which adds durability for tabletop play. However, in brightly lit rooms or when filming battle reports, a quick spray of matte varnish will soften the reflections without affecting robustness. For masking off torn edges of raw MDF, a rattling grime contrast paint is a close match to the laser cut color.

Final Thoughts on the Chroma Terrain Set

The TT Combat Chroma terrain set is a mixed bag. The buildings are excellent, with strong retro appeal and solid construction. The ruined walls, while visually impressive, demand a level of patience that may not suit every builder. The preprinted finish is a genuine time-saver for those who want tabletop-ready terrain without painting, but the doubled-up parts and fiddly assembly eat into that saved time.

For anyone with a soft spot for retro Warhammer, these kits will absolutely scratch that nostalgic itch. The classic color scheme is spot-on, and the finished pieces look great on the table. Just be prepared for a longer build than a standard MDF kit, and consider whether the preprinted finish is worth the extra assembly effort for your particular needs.

The set is now on its way to retailers for public release, so it should be available to order soon. If the retro aesthetic appeals to you and you have the patience for a detailed build, the Chroma terrain set is a solid choice.