Latest Terrain Piece From Tabletop World

Tabletop World in Croatia have released their latest terrain piece, the Coaching Inn.

I've ordered a copy and it should arrive any day now.

My intention is to have it painted in time for Runefang VII in April

Kickstarter - Secret Weapon Miniatures - Tablescapes: Urban Streets

Mid last year I backed a Kickstarter by Secret Weapon Miniatures for their Tablescapes projects. They were looking to create 1 foot by 1 foot tiles that you could use in your gaming.

Now I have a Realm of Battle Gameboard (okay two and a half) but what attracted me to this project was the variety of themes they offered.

The initial offering was "Scrapyard" but as stretch targets they offered "Urban Streets", "Damaged Urban Streets", "Rolling Hills" and "Ruined Temple".

The ones that I was interested in were the Urban Street tiles, so I pledged for 36 tiles in a mix of Damaged and Undamaged forms.

Secret Weapon Miniatures have released WIP shots from the factory and I'll include them here for you to feast your eyes on!

The detail on the tiles looks excellent. They are being shipped in March and I can't wait to get them.

New Warhammer Terrain Pieces Spotted

The eagle-eyed have noticed what looks like two new terrain pieces in photos contained in the new Warhammer Expansion "Triumph & Treachery".

Araby, Khemri or Eastern Terrain

Some Sort of Portal

My guess is that this may be some sort of dual kit such as the Storm of magic fulcrums. Anyway key an eye out over coming months to see if some does eventuate.

Games Workshop have a history of hiding new models - particular terrain - in full view.

New Hills For Skitterleap

With Skitterleap on this weekend I though I'd use last Saturday and Sunday to make some new hills for the event.

Down in my garage I had a part sheet of 2" Blue High Density Foam that has been sitting there for a few years. Out came the marker pen, the jigsaw and some sandpaper and very quickly I had a selection of 2" thick oval/circular shapes.

I sanded the cut edges and then used Liquid Nails to glue some together making two step 4" hills. From here I mixed up some various grade sand and rocks and using PVA applied the mix to where the two contours joined.

A quick coat of brown paint and two lighter drybrushes and it was time to flock with static grass. Again I used my Grasstech applicator to make the grass stand up. I then picked out the bigger rocks with a variety of grey paints and PVAed some clump foilage and voila! Ten new hills.

Seven two-level, three single-level hills

Terminator model on 40mm base for scale

Hills will block Line of Sight to infantry and similar sized models

Terrain - New Flocked Hills

If I'm supplying terrain for events I like to take the opportunity in the weeks leading up to the tournament to build/finish one of my many terrain project.

This weekend I have Call to Arms and I saw this as a chance to finish some hills that I had on the backburner.

The hills are cut from polystrene, sealed with PVA and then painted. Finally I flock the flat surfaces with Static Grass. These now match the 3-4 GW Battlemats that I have and will form the basis for those tables.

Static Grass Application Underway

The Finished Set

Close Up Showing How Well My Grasstech Applicator Works

Two More Completed Terrain Pieces

With Horned Rat Gobbo VI this weekend I have been working towards finishing some more terrain for the event. I am looking to do 10 tables with five others to be done by other participants.

So here are two completed pieces people can look forward to battling over!

THE ABANDONED FACTORY

 THE HAMLET

I love tournaments for the opportunity to finish up various terrain pieces. Hopefully they will generate some great battles

Retreading the Realm of Battle Gameboard

My Gameboard gets pretty heavy use with typically two games a week on it. I bought it at the end of 2008 and painted and flocked it with static grass early in 2009.

Well after fours years of use the service was starting to show some wear. I took the opportunity last weekend to re-apply static grass. It was a bigger job than I thought it would be going through 0.4kg of grass (though a third was recoverable). Part of the reason was I used the Grasstech II Static Grass Applicator I purchased earlier this year. This causes the grass to stand end on end rather than lying flat.

It has resulted in a really thick verdant feel to the board. Here's some shots:

The Pool of Forbidden Love

As a lot of you may be aware, New Zealand legalised same-sex marriage earlier this year. In conjunction with the release of a new book for High Elves, this makes 2013 a big year for a lot of people.

Anyway it got me thinking. One of the arguments against same-sex marriage was "What next? Will a man be able to marry his dog?"......While this shows a strange contortion of logic, what if romance between the races was celebrated in the Old World?

Enter the "Pool of Forbidden Love"!

Here on the Warhammer Battlefied we have immortalised in stone, the instance where Cupid Trollslayer got his man.....well, snotling. Perched on a Heart-shaped rock a smitten slayer reclines above his one true love.

No doubt at future events Dwarf players will make a pilgrimage to the Pool, looking for the same or similiar companionship. But only if its in their deployment zone.

Walled Fields Completed

The next part of my terrain odyssey is to add some walls/fences/obstacles to my tables. To do this I have started by making some ploughed fields. These have the added advantage of also providing some Difficult Terrain.

Here are the first two I've completed:

The first one has been made surrounded by GW walls and hedges. The well is by Tabletop World. Lord of Change to provide scale.

The second again uses GW hedges, this time in conjunction with fences.

In both cases one end is open so it can butt onto buildings I've made to act as adjoining field.

Merchant's Townhouse Completed

Here are some pictures of the Merchant's Townhouse that I recently completed. It is a Tabletop World piece but it has been supplemented by GW walls, hedges and a tree.

I've given the merchant a vege garden and his stylist (who I'll call James) has planted some flower beds.

Really happy with how it came out - the full base largely blocks line of site - and I'll be using it in upcoming games. Those that attend Horned Rat will have the opportunity to fight for control of the house.

Full Shot of the House

Close up of Front Door Showing Flower Beds (thanks Sam)

Skullvane Manse Completed

I have had Skullvane Manse partially completed for a few months. Yesterday I decided to complete it. I have finished the base off with a variety of foliage and grasses. I've also added in some Tabletop World accessories.

This morning I got to use my Grasstech II  Static Grass Applicator. This applies a charge and makes grass stand end on end. It is very effective and gives a realistic look to the ground cover. I also got to use some moss to add to my Water Effects to give the appearance of a pond.

Hope you like it.

Tabletop World's Windmill Finished

One of my great loves in the hobby is high quality terrain and I don't think that there is a better manufacturer of terrain pieces than Tabletop World in Croatia. Over the past few years, regular attendees at the events I organise will have seen an increasing number of their pieces adorning the tables.

Late last year I bought their Windmill and this week after finishing a batch of Daemons I started to paint it.

Here's the finished piece:

I now have a few of their houses to do prior to Horned Rat Gobbo

Zuzzy Gaming Mats

Neil Williamson is looking to do an order for Zuzzy Gaming Mats. You can see them at the Zuzzy website but here is a picture of one:

If you are interested contact Neil here

Tablescapes Kickstarter Successful

The Tablescapes Kickstarter was successfully funded and the theme I was after unlocked quite early in the process.

I was very keen on the Urban Streets theme as I wanted a series of tiles I can use for 30k/40k battles. Urban Streets was offered in "Clean" or "Damaged". The concept art for the "Damaged" theme is shown above.

In the end I have pledged (and paid) for an 8' x 4' table or 32 tiles. I intend to take 16 Damaged and 16 Clean tiles. This cost USD 225 including postage.

Here are the first renders back from tooling:

I have also bought a four tile Display Board option where I will be able to get additional Urban Street Foundation tiles. The Foundation tiles are non-street tiles - effectively plazas where you can put buildings. Some come in the main sets but the additional four unlock far more setups.

So all up the Kickstarter has cost me USD$275 including shipping for a 9'x4' (or 6'x6') urban table.

I'll let you all see the product upon delivery (expected before October 2013).

Tablescapes Kickstarter

Here is a new Kickstarter I supported this weekend.

It is by Secret Weapon Miniatures and is seeking the funding of tooling costs to produce a modular gaming board (similar to GW's Realm of Battle). The tiles are 1' x 1' clipping together to make a battlefield.

Painted Prototype of "Scrapyard" 

This thing took off. It started Saturday and within 28 hours had been funded. The initial set is for Scrapyard tiles - pictured - but the stretch goals will unlock other themes. The second set is Urban Streets and I am very keen to pick up that set for my 30k gaming. 

Further sets to be unlocked are Generic (fields or desert), Ruined Temple and Trench Works. There is also talk of Alien (Tyranid) Landscape and finally Factory/Railyard.

I jumped in on the Earlybird Wargamer level which gives me 32 tiles. The price for this was USD 225 INCLUDING shipping to NZ. From this I can have an 8' x 4' board. Tying down the shipping is key to these Kickstarters and this one is excellent as it has a standard price. For once NZ is not being screwed by the tyranny of distance.

If you compare to the GW product it is about 50% the cost. I love my GW Realm of Battle boards (I have 2.3 of them) and if these are similar I'll be very happy.

Unpainted Protoype showing Back and Front

The Connectors - Looks Simple and Effective System

Spending the Surplus

With the Masters run and won, the tournament year is over. During the year I have run five events – Runefang, Horned Rat, Fields of Blood, Skitterleap and the Masters.


These events generated a surplus after costs of almost $600.

This surplus has been put back into terrain as follows:
• 8 Basecloths

• Fortress of Redemption

• 7 Battlefield in a Box Sets - Elven Tower, Elven Artefacts, Desert Hill, Oasis, 2x Bestial Huts, Large Wood

These Fortress and BiaB kits were picked up at 30-50% off from Wargames Supply’s closing down sale.


This has left a balance of just over $100 with which I have purchased four 6’ x 4’ gaming boards.

So if you have played at a DBM event, thanks very much for your support. Hopefully you’ll agree that the surplus has been well spent to support future events. As it currently stands there is now sufficient terrain to support 30 player events in both Fantasy and 40k.

Tabletop World Windmill Released

Yesterday I posted that I had been undercoating buildings I had purchased from Tabletop World. Well overnight they released their latest creation for sale.

The new kit is a Windmall (as you can see). It stands just under 10" tall and looks like it is, as with all their kits, well sculpted and easily put together.

The cost of this kit - including airmail postage to NZ - was Euro 67 or around $110.

In addition, as part of a Xmas offer you get a kit of additional supplies. Hopefully they will release the accessories pack seperately as I'd love to get a Dog House for my Town House.

 

Hoping mine arrives in time for Xmas!

Eldar Terrain - Miniature Scenery

Miniature Scenery are an Australian company who make mdf products.

In the past I have purchased a lot of their products - Drop Pods, Flat Top buildings, Painting Racks. They come as A4-sized flat packs with 2-3 millimetre pre-cut mdf sheets.

I recently noticed that they have released some new Eldar terrain.

The first thing I am going to say is that the finish on the photographed pieces is terrible. I know that they are trying to achieve an abandonned world look but they are seriously not helping the pitch.

I'm also not sure that they are still in the race. Gale Force Nine have released their Battlefield in a Box terrain in the period since Miniature Scenery came to the market and their product is far superior - resin, built, pre-painted - for not much more in $ terms.

In the past I would have been a buyer. Now? I'm not so sure.