Lightweight Modular Game Board - WIP

[Allonairre]

Really impressed with this MSW, makes me regret having to get rid of the one that I had before I moved

[MDSW]

Very nicely done. And the frame looks good too. Are you going to make any different tiles or keep it simple?

I think I can reconfigure to 5 different layouts (I am not sure - any math majors out there??) After I get the river water all finished and a few more details I will post pics of all of the different ways to configure the layout, so I really don't think I will need to make any more boards to add to this.

Now, I actually may give this board to my Nephew and make another to keep at the house. I will probably add more rock croppings and details, since the rock/stone areas are so much more fun and interesting to look at than just the grass.

[omgitsduane]

A rocky craggy one would be pretty cool. Good work.

[King Ulrik Flamebeard]

That is really cool. The plain grass look is normal for tables but looks really good. I can't wait to see the completed article.


Kuffy

[MDSW]

This last bit here will have quite a number of pics as we have finished the board!! Here are a few of how the frame goes together:

Board19 (1).jpgBoard18.jpg

Essentially, the two sides with the hinges can be opened up all the way so the two boards lay flat against each other for easy transport and storage. I did not want to have to figure out a way to move a big 4'x6' "L". As previously mentioned, the two sides with the rubber bands allow quick loosening of the frame to shift the boards around. I found this to work excellent!! (Hooray for at least one crazy idea that worked!!) but I did find that the little bit of glue I mixed into the paint (for extra holding and durability) made the frame stick to the layout boards a bit, even when the paint was very dry (humidity, maybe) so a little rub with some cornstarch did the trick perfect - I guess any powder would do, as well.

I used Woodland Scenics Realistic Water for the streams. I had read quite a bit about it and heard there were a lot of better products out there, but I grabbed some anyway and thought I would try it.
Board19.jpgBoard19 (3).jpg

The foam did create a few bubbles (the instructions did say to seal foam as bubbles may occur), but this was not too much of an issue. The above photos show with just one layer. It took about 2-3 layers to get is up as needed. I was very happy with the way this stuff works and pours like slightly thicked water. It was easy to pull the edges out with a brush and the brush cleaned up well with a quick rinse. It comes out cloudy, but dires crystal clear with just a touch of shrinkage. I used a very light wash of Asurmen Blue between a couple of the layers and it gave the water an excellent touch of blue against the greenish base. Might be hard to tell from the photos, but I am very happy with the way the streams came out.

[omgitsduane]

amazingly simple and looks like it fits together quite snug. very impressive still.

[Allonairre]

Brilliant thinking with the hinged frame. This was always the problem with mine, I had a 6' by 4' (actually larger about 2m I think) table up the whole time, it was very unwieldy to move around. Mine did have a cupbord section though that I could store terrain pieces in to save some space.

That has come out really nicely it looks terrific!

[MDSW]

Here are a few snaps of the board in some different layouts. I did an extra heavy brush on with some thinned wood glue for super durability and I am glad I did. I mixed about 10:1 watter/glue and dabbed it on all over the grass. It is nearly impossible to rub off now, so that should make it last well.

King of the Hill - a river runs through it...
Board22 (2).jpg

Four Corners
Board22.jpg

Through the Valley
Board22 (3).jpg

In the Pass
Board22 (1).jpg

There is another with a hill on each corner of one side and a grouped hill on the other, but did not snap a pic of that one.

[MDSW]

And, here are some pics with an army on each side so you can really tell the scale of the board. Although it is 4x6 for some reason it just looks so small in the pics!

Board21 (3).jpgBoard21.jpgBoard21 (1).jpgBoard21 (2).jpg

Overall, I am very happy with the way the board came out. It is very light, as each board piece weighs under 3 lbs, so the whole collection is about 16 lbs.

Lessons learned for the future:
1. Don't need to spend so much time painting the grass areas (I mottled and dry-brushed different shades of green - it all gets covered anyway!) If you go lighter on the grass coverage, then it would be needed.
2. After the initial cut of the MDF foam and backer board, glue together before trimming to final size on table saw. I did this in two steps with a small shave needed on each edge after I thought I had gotten them done the first time. The final shave could have been the only shave needed for a clean edge and would have saved knocking an additional 1/4: off of each board panel.
3. Be sure to have a flat area to press down each panel after gluing or painiting. There was the tendency for the boards to warp just a bit during the drying process. I used the garage floor and a little weight when needed.

Final cost for the entire project: Approx $80 USD

[King Ulrik Flamebeard]

Looks great! Nice board, just needs some terrain now.


Kuffy