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Post by tijnemanske on Sept 28, 2019 7:35:55 GMT
Recently I have made the transition from 15mm to 6mm wargaming. This new project started with the construction of a new set of terrain and scenery... I decided to use Hexes for this project, a decision prompted by stumbling upon the Hex Terrain Toolkit. The project is still in it's early stages and I would love some feedback. Below are two pictures and a link to my own blog where there is a lot more to be seen... There are many more pics and posts on my blog: Toy Soldiers off to War...
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Post by bruce on Sept 29, 2019 4:40:50 GMT
These look great and your scratch built scenery is vey impressive. Great idea, very well done. Slopes as well! I could not see the pictures on you website though. Bruce
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Post by tim on Sept 29, 2019 6:30:28 GMT
I looked at this system a couple of years ago and was very impressed with the look of it but the amount of work and time involved in making even a smallish battlefield (6x4 maybe) must be huge if you want to cover all the options and have a flexible setup.
Tim
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Post by tijnemanske on Sept 29, 2019 7:24:42 GMT
Thank you for the feedback! These look great and your scratch built scenery is vey impressive. Great idea, very well done. Slopes as well! I could not see the pictures on you website though. Bruce Thank you for your kind words. Making all the buildings turned out a lot easier than I expected. The small scale allows for only a limited level of detail. Even with a minimum of detailing, it looks convincing... There are a lot of manufacturors that make buildings far superior than mine, but I really wanted to make everything for this project myself (short of making my own grass and clump foliage)... Strange that you could not see any pictures. It's a shame, really, as there' a ton of pictures to be found. Did you try multiple posts? What device/platform are you using? Maybe this link will work better...I looked at this system a couple of years ago and was very impressed with the look of it but the amount of work and time involved in making even a smallish battlefield (6x4 maybe) must be huge if you want to cover all the options and have a flexible setup. Tim
Yes, that's the toolkit I am using! High quality stuff, quite easy to use and it yields very precise results. On top of that, the designer is a very nice guy and really knows his craft, always has some advice if you have questions... The Youtube videos are good, explaining it all, and in a very relaxed manner, too... I am just starting out and this is as big as my set-up goes at the moment. Luckily, making standard Hexes is easy and doesn't take a lot of time. However, making all the special components does take time. But then, these are the bits that make for the most interesting terrain. I am adding new Hexes constantly. At the moment I am working on several multi-Hex modules to make a small town or village. The toolkit is a very complete set of molds. So far I have used about half the options available, making flat, river and hill Hexes... More important, it also offers the options to make a foundation layer of interlocking 'snowflake' Hexes to prevent shifting. These are absolutely essential but take a lot of time to cut neatly (totally worth it though)... My table measures about 5x7 ft, so I still have some work to do. Though for the game system we will be using, the battlefields should be a bit smaller. The surface I have now will do just fine for a skirmish level game... Below are some pictures that show the process involved. The foundation layer can be seen in the second and third picture. Thank you for looking! Feel free to let me know what you think, your feedback is really appreciated... Martijn
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Post by bruce on Sept 29, 2019 16:11:13 GMT
Are there any vapors from using the hot wire? It looks pretty simple to use.
There is a lot of spatial recognition involved in the system, and for me, it would take a while to get the hang of it. But if I were younger and had more gaming years ahead and less investment in my mats, I would definitely consider this. For all the work, once you are done, it looks like you have a very adaptable system to easily set up very convincing setting for games. Perhaps more storage needed that for a rolled up mat, and more costly. But the outcome is lovely and once you are done, you have many configurations available.
Thanks for sharing this Martijn! Enjoyed your website as well. Bruce
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Post by tijnemanske on Sept 30, 2019 17:31:35 GMT
Are there any vapors from using the hot wire? It looks pretty simple to use. There is a lot of spatial recognition involved in the system, and for me, it would take a while to get the hang of it. But if I were younger and had more gaming years ahead and less investment in my mats, I would definitely consider this. For all the work, once you are done, it looks like you have a very adaptable system to easily set up very convincing setting for games. Perhaps more storage needed that for a rolled up mat, and more costly. But the outcome is lovely and once you are done, you have many configurations available. Thanks for sharing this Martijn! Enjoyed your website as well. Bruce Thank you, Bruce... Glad you have enjoyed my blog! It would be advisable to use the hot wire cutter in a well ventilated area (highly recommended, actually). The ammount of vapor depends on the type of styrofoam used and (primarily) the temperature of the hot wire. I use a Proxxon table cutter which has a variable temperature which you can adapt depending on the thickness of the styrofoam. Due to the design of the Hex Terrain Toolkit getting used to the system takes no time at all. I made about ten practice Hexes, half of which were good enough to be used. Storage is going to be a bit of an issue, but I do have some storage space. Might have to clear out some older projects... I do intend to make the set as versatile as possible, but to maximize versatility I will have to make a surplus of pretty much everything. Not a real problem, as I thoroughly enjoy making this stuff!
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Post by john124 on Oct 3, 2019 1:12:10 GMT
cracking terrain. looks excellent. I think terrain is most important in 6mm gaming. Yours would be an absolute joy to game on. John.
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 4, 2019 17:37:12 GMT
cracking terrain. looks excellent. I think terrain is most important in 6mm gaming. Yours would be an absolute joy to game on. John. Hi John, thank you for your feedback! I am awaiting my first large order of models, and I am looking forward to getting started for real... Meanwhile I am working on my first two multi-Hex village/town modules. The first one is based on the picture below. A church on a low hill, above a road... I want to create a town that wouldn't look out of place anywhere in north- western Europe, be it Northern France, Belgium, Holland or Britain... Furthermore, I want the town to be challenging to fight in and look reasonably realistic... More pictures on my blog... Thank you for watching. Feel free to leave some feedback, it's greatly appreciated!
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Post by tim on Oct 5, 2019 22:25:02 GMT
How do you make the roads Martijn, are they pressed in or engraved by hand?
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 6, 2019 5:48:42 GMT
How do you make the roads Martijn, are they pressed in or engraved by hand? Hi Tim! All roads are drawn by hand... Sure, it is a bit of a chore and there are always slight variations, but I can make them just the way I want them...
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 6, 2019 15:43:05 GMT
I have finished the multi-Hex module with the church... I have added a few trees around the module. Furthermore I added a small graveyard and a monument (I might need to look for a statue to add to this later, if anyone has a spare Napoleonic miniature I would be most grateful). Next to the roads I added a set of telegraph poles. I also completed a new wheatfield... Below you can see an overview of the set-up I created with the new Hexes... More pictures on my blog
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Post by john124 on Oct 6, 2019 17:03:59 GMT
Cor, that does look good!!
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 8, 2019 11:34:03 GMT
Cor, that does look good!! Thank you, John! Still a long way to go, but I will get there...
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 14, 2019 20:35:55 GMT
I have some more terrain progress to show you all... Two new modules... A bunch of new trees... And a few pictures of the set as it continues to grow and evolve... There are a lot more pics at my BLOGYour feedback is greatly appreciated, so please let me know what you think...
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Post by tim on Oct 15, 2019 5:20:29 GMT
Superb Martijn!
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 15, 2019 18:19:09 GMT
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 20, 2019 9:05:57 GMT
I have a couple of w.i.p. pictures for you... I have started work on a second multi-Hex toen module. This new module features a canal and a couple of bridges... You can also see the early stages of the buildings. The bridges are simple mock-ups.
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 20, 2019 16:12:20 GMT
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Post by tim on Oct 20, 2019 20:03:05 GMT
Precision work Martijn, very well done! and it looks very Dutch. (My great grandfather was from Groningen)
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 20, 2019 20:32:35 GMT
Precision work Martijn, very well done! and it looks very Dutch. (My great grandfather was from Groningen) Thanks Tim! Working with the Hex Terrain Toolkit doesn't leave a whole lot of room for error... Getting this one right was a bit of a puzzle. The look I am aiming for is (maybe a bit generic) North-Western Europe, suitable for battles in Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Great Britain, possibly Denmark and maybe even further North... I agree this piece has a certain Dutch look about it, must be the canal and those bridges;) Cool to hear you have some Dutch roots I am toying with the idea of adding a windmill sometime in the near future (for some more Futch flavor). As soon as I have settled on a design, that is...
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Post by davidsh on Oct 22, 2019 7:42:49 GMT
These look brilliant. Very skillfully done. Good terrain makes all the difference.
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 22, 2019 20:29:41 GMT
These look brilliant. Very skillfully done. Good terrain makes all the difference. Thank you, David! I agree, good terrain makes all the difference... I like something nice/semi-realistic to fight over, preferring lots of terrain... I am now working on a windmill... Bit of an experiment, I hope to show you some pictures soon!
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Post by tijnemanske on Oct 23, 2019 20:48:07 GMT
I have been working on another project, a windmill... From this... To this... As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated, so please let me know what you think. There are a lot more pictures on my BLOG
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Post by tijnemanske on Nov 2, 2019 16:27:17 GMT
The first multi-Hex town module is finally finished... All grassed and with a couple of trees added... Another shot of the finished module, complete with magnetized buildings... When integrated in the terrain, this is starting to look like a proper little town or village... Feel free to let me know what you think, your feedback is greatly appreciated! More pictures on my BLOG
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Post by tim on Nov 2, 2019 23:00:34 GMT
Fantastic Martijn! I wish this system had been around 20 years ago I might have stood a chance but I'm getting a bit old now to start it. What WWII rules are you thinking of using? I Ain’t Been Shot Mum! by Too Fat Lardies would be a good rule set for this. Company level skirmish rules. That plinth in the church yard needs a cross on it
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Post by tijnemanske on Nov 3, 2019 21:35:38 GMT
Fantastic Martijn! I wish this system had been around 20 years ago I might have stood a chance but I'm getting a bit old now to start it. What WWII rules are you thinking of using? I Ain’t Been Shot Mum! by Too Fat Lardies would be a good rule set for this. Company level skirmish rules. That plinth in the church yard needs a cross on it Thank you very much, Tim! I am not the youngest anymore, but I hope I can keep this up for at least a couple of years Actually, we are looking at several rulesets at the moment... We used to play Flames of War and intend to start with those rules . I also have several Battlegroup books, and I really want to give that a try, too. I Aint Been Shot Mum is on my shopping list for Crisis Antwerpen next week! As is Crossfire... All of these rulesets will be given a proper trial, see what works and what doesn't... I agree on the cross... I will make that happen!
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Post by tijnemanske on Nov 17, 2019 22:00:56 GMT
Over the last week or so I completed another batch of hill Hexes... From this... To this... With these new hill Hexes I made a new lay-out... Slightly rearranging the river to make some space for a large hill... I also attended Crisis in Antwerpen last week... I finally got my hands on some miniatures! Feel free to let me know what you think, your feedback is greatly appreciated! More pictures and updates on my blog: toysoldiersofftowar.blogspot.com
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Post by tim on Nov 18, 2019 23:21:41 GMT
Superb as always Martijn!
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Post by tijnemanske on Nov 22, 2019 22:03:11 GMT
Superb as always Martijn! Thanks, Tim! I have been expanding my foundation layer of snowflake Hexes... For extra cohesion I glue the snowflakes together in sheets of six... I had a set of twelve sheets (6x2) which already provided me with a playable (albeit small) surface. With the new set of nine sheets the surface will be expanded to 7x3 sheets, for a total of 126 Hexes... This covers almost a quarter of my gaming table, so I still have a way to go... Mind the gaps... The surface of the snowflake foundation layer has outgrown my collection of terrain Hexes. I am going to need a lot more basic Hexes to fill these gaps... My own German Panzers aren't finished yet, but my battle buddy has completed some of his French tanks... I thought you might appreciate the scenic shot...
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Post by tijnemanske on Dec 17, 2019 22:37:18 GMT
It has bean a while since the last decent update, but work and life in general have kept me quite busy... The pictures are a bit dark, but it was either this or pictures flooded with artificial light... I have made enough Hexes to fill in the gaps. At this size the board is large enough for a decent sized battle, though I intend to increase the surface to at least twice this size... So far, building this terrain set has been a whole lot of fun. Sure, it's a lot of work, but I think the result is worth it...
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