I am an avid fan of the PC game and the books about Crimson Skies and when I saw these additions to the C/S board game, I had to start a collection. I'm glad I did. I have them all (I think) and they appear to be hand painted with intricate detail, I don't know if they are, but it appears so and they are durable. The small dials on each base guide you through the movements of each piece on the playing board. They direct you as to what your particular piece will do on your play in the game. Fascinating to me! I'm an avid aviation buff anyway and build radio control airplanes. I hope to take one of these and draw up the plans to build a flying R/C model. Too cool!