Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: FinnN on April 13, 2019, 12:02:16 PM
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I'm sure there's a thread somewhere for Aliexpress finds, but I can't find it so here goes...
This arrived today and the quality's fantastic, the photo doesn't do it justice really. It's a 1mx1m coarse felt mat with a random scattering of ochre flock and 5mm static grass. It looks way more naturalistic in the flesh than in these photos. Very little shedding as well. I bought two of them and it'd be very easy to blend/stitch them together to make bigger mats. Cost? $13.68 including postage per section:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100-100cm-Artificial-Green-Plant-Wall-Moss-Turf-Simulation-Lawn-Green-Plant-Scene-Window-Display-Fake/32954174966.html?spm=a2g0s.12269583.0.0.956a3f9dmRAgbL
Says sold out but it seems to be available from other sellers at about the same price. At the same time I ordered some more funky mats with 3D features but these haven't arrived yet.
Have fun
Finn
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Looking very good! Any pictures/ link of the ones with 3D features?
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Ironically I came across them when looking for cacti models and I was a bit worried it'd either be astroturf or something that would fall apart after a sneeze. I'm waiting for a couple of these (there's about 20 different options):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cactus-artificial-flowers-fake-plants-spruce-moss-for-decoration-garland-grass-stone-skin-simulation-lawn-bonsai/32962071623.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.212a4c4dKNxgrl
They're twice as expensive, but still pretty cheap. I went for one with irregular bumps and one with a field-ish pattern of ridges. Fingers crossed!
(https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1UlBnainrK1Rjy1Xcq6yeDVXap/Cactus-artificial-flowers-fake-plants-spruce-moss-for-decoration-garland-grass-stone-skin-simulation-lawn-bonsai.jpg_640x640.jpg)
(https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1ta0raiDxK1Rjy1zcq6yGeXXaK/Cactus-artificial-flowers-fake-plants-spruce-moss-for-decoration-garland-grass-stone-skin-simulation-lawn-bonsai.jpg_640x640.jpg)
Have fun
Finn
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Thanks, looking interesting will await your expert report on arrival ;)
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These look really good! Do you have any photos with minis stood on them? That would be very helpful if it's not too much bother.
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Well everything I have to hand is not going to fit in too well, but this should give you an idea of scale at least. I think it'd work really well for boggy ground or anywhere with black or volcanic soil.
Have fun
Finn
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Really cool ! thanks for sharing !
I think they would work very well for viking stuff, for instance. I see other models perfect for normandy too !
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We have some of these mats in my work, I had dismissed them as the fabric they are made from seemed to separate especially around the raised areas.
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Well that's now on my buying list!
Edit: And purchased
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Interesting, might try one. Best bit is the Google/ Weibo translation. Pure genius:
This product is not the quality of the product, the parents shake off the hair before installation, the installation does not affect the installation effect! )
(This is a high-simulation lawn with silky hair. The foam is originally very light. It will definitely be a little bit of hair loss. Parents should first use the planting bucket before using it. It does not affect the effect. This, it won't be lost all the time, but we haven't done any fighting in the factory, so we need the buyer friends to receive the baby and then use it again, so that it won't lose hair! Be careful!)
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lol That's gold!
Does that explain why I lost my hair at a young age, my parents friends did not receive me hence the hair loss?
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lol lol lol
lol That's gold!
Does that explain why I lost my hair at a young age, my parents friends did not receive me hence the hair loss?
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I have some similar products that I gave a solid spray of a matte varnish to keep from shedding. Not recall who made but I got them at a craft store going out of business sale so around 80% off. For many of the items, I enhanced them with some overspray of floral paints (not so dense as other paints) and they looked even better from a pretty good starting point.
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Might have bought one! ...
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Yay my shares in Moss Mats PLC have doubled!
Anyways, the other mats arrived and it was sunny today so I thought I'd update with some outdoors pictures which show the colours more accurately.
I think the first ones to arrive with the "yellow" background are probably the best, but the others are interesting. The one that looks like fields in the Aliexpress listing look nothing like them (not sure if it's partly because they're squashed in the post and could be fluffed up).
Top to bottom: one of the yellow mats, the green 3D one, brown mat, brown 3D
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And some action shots from a game of Saga last night at the club I go to. We play in a pub so the dark murky colours are accurate! I actually hadn't noticed how much the lighting affects the colours before...
Have fun
Finn
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Really cool ! Thanks for sharing !
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Well that really makes it look great. Are they hard wearing in the pub, that's probably the real test :) (But seriously wanting to know if they are after playing on them, I might get a second one when mine arrives).
Also, how easy would it be to pull bits out if you wanted to make a track?
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I’m a sucker for buying stuff from AliExpress, and now these mats are seriously tempting me.
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Check your local craft stores. I have found a variety of items like these - though not in such large sheets. Not sure what they are using as 'backing' but is a bit of a pain to work with but can be made to look quite good.
BUT MATTE SEAL FOR CERTAIN or you will be dripping crap all over the place, top and bottom. I actually glue my pieces to wooden bases so the bottom seal isn't necessary but the top seal sure is.
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If you fancy smaller bits then Heki produce small rolls and sheets with near identical surfaces. I’ve seen them in local modelling shops and the moorland version is near identical to the stuff shown here, albeit smaller and much dearer.
Photo and description here:
http://www.hobbyrama.com.au/Wildgrass-Moorland-Green-45-x-17cm-8-1843-613313/
Judging by the description it is the same stuff.
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Check your local craft stores. I have found a variety of items like these - though not in such large sheets. Not sure what they are using as 'backing' but is a bit of a pain to work with but can be made to look quite good.
BUT MATTE SEAL FOR CERTAIN or you will be dripping crap all over the place, top and bottom. I actually glue my pieces to wooden bases so the bottom seal isn't necessary but the top seal sure is.
Silly question. Does matte sealing with spray leave lots of spots on the grass tufts?
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I'd imagine that treating them like teddy bear fur and using a heat source to melt a path would probably work. You could try plucking but I suspect (at least with the first ones that arrived) you'd risk pulling it apart in the process. The two with 3D-ish features have a denser backing so you might bet away with it then.
That said they're all pretty resilient, unless they snag on something and get janked or you try playing tug-of-war with them they should be fine. It looks like they do shed a bit though - not a lot but enough to leave enough of the static grass material to be noticeable, so the varnishing's probably a good idea.
Well that really makes it look great. Are they hard wearing in the pub, that's probably the real test :) (But seriously wanting to know if they are after playing on them, I might get a second one when mine arrives).
Also, how easy would it be to pull bits out if you wanted to make a track?
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Holy moly, these look amazing for the price.
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I'd imagine that treating them like teddy bear fur and using a heat source to melt a path would probably work. You could try plucking but I suspect (at least with the first ones that arrived) you'd risk pulling it apart in the process. The two with 3D-ish features have a denser backing so you might bet away with it then.
Couold you use a Ladyshave? Or a brazilian wax job? ;)
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I want one for my Rohirrim to chase orcs across. But shipping adds about $35 bucks to the deal. >:(
They are advertised as measuring 1 x 1 meters, but yours look much larger...? Is that the case?
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Searching for moss mats on ebay I've found a few for around £13 for a 100 x 100 cm mat.
Free shipping too, at least to Denmark.
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Following this! Half tempted so far. :)
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I bought one stuck it onto some MDF as the mat is quite fibrous, probably a roll of canvas would be good to stick it to as well. I don't think it would hold up well on it's own though but still much cheaper than others out there.
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I'm quite tempted by these as well, do people happen to have more pictures of them in action? I'm very curious how they would hold up with 15mm and 6mm models as well!
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Have received two mats and the look and quality is very good for the price. They lose some grass and the mat material is what soft but for that price you certainly get more than you would possibly expect.
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I took delivery of mine and I have to agree with the previous statements, well worth the price! I'm very impressed at how random but evenly spread the scatter pattern of the grass seems to be.
After testing I've found the grass to be a bit too stiff for 6mm or 15mm models, as it ends up a very unstable surface which makes it hard to balance models on there! If you play 15mm games with squad bases (FOW?) it might well do the job.
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Giving my feedback about these.
Pretty impressed by the quality: all in all, you can feel it's an industrial product, and some texture is visible in the alignment of the tufts. That said, it's better than ANY other mat i've seen, and than most of the hand-made ones too.
To cut it, i'd recommend a rotary cutter. Much less messy, and more accurate.
here's my 90x90 mat i cut from the 100x100 sheet i received.
(http://thelazyforger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/TableRuinsCropped.jpg)
(http://thelazyforger.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/TableRuinsCropped2.jpg)
Cheers,
jack
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Wow Jack, that table and scenery looks stunning!
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Wow Jack, that table and scenery looks stunning!
O thank you! :) I sculpted these ruins for the Fenris Games Rubble City kickstarter! the rest of the stuff is just scratchbuilt!
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got mine off ebay, but the same thing.
wish they did a 4 x 4 ft size at least, but I think it's great for a quick skirmish setup - hills made by t-shirts, and the mat's flexible enought to work with that nicely.
didn't have too much trouble with shedding - and sprayed with matt varnish as per someone's advice, which seems to have worked.
plasti-dip would be even better I imagine
just scattered some other colours of flock to variegate the green a bit, and the tracks done the same.
(https://i.imgur.com/XOPTv46.jpg)
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On a slighlty bitter note (at least partially), it appears that some company is now selling a larger version of the same mat for a whopping 75$ plus shipping.
https://thewargamingcompany.com/products/static-grass-game-mat-5x7/
Now, I understand it's a free market and everything, but I believe the customer should know where the product is from, and what kind of margins are there.
While I appreciate the presence of something like this on the market (a 5' x 7' mat? sounds much more useful!), I'm feeling a bit cheated to be asked that price for what i know the cost of.
It looks good though... i just feel people should know there is the cheaper option.
Cheers
Jack
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As they say, it’s not really suitable for single based figures in scales under 28mm (I wanted it for my 15mm). A pity, but all in all it costed around 11€