Lead Adventure Forum

Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: olicana on 30 November 2015, 06:42:06 PM

Title: Roads?
Post by: olicana on 30 November 2015, 06:42:06 PM
It has long been war game's standard that H&M roads should be 'rough track'.

I game in a wider field, I have stuff for the Punic Wars, the First Crusade, etc. But, I also have quite a bit of stuff for SYW and shortly (on the painting schedule) stuff for Peninsular War Napoleonics, and this is my major (road wise) interest.

I'm about to invest in new rubber road stock. Should any of it be cobbled. I need quite a bit (25'+). I'm probably going to go for this stuff:

(http://earlywarminiatures.com/bmz_cache/5/5b203b6d900ebfd089ef2e15bdbf754c.image.85x90.JPG)

http://earlywarminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=413_416&zenid=9d102337dd361dd09b051258c0639a77 (http://earlywarminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=413_416&zenid=9d102337dd361dd09b051258c0639a77)

This is the rigid road stock I'm replacing.

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gRFb1q228cI/VaZ_NLyClgI/AAAAAAAAJvk/zsWdtFtZd7k/s1600/IMG_9704.JPG)

I need stuff that will go over hills, so rubber stuff seems to be the best way to go.

Your thoughts please,

James
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Norm on 30 November 2015, 07:14:35 PM
I saw quite long lengths or rubber road being sold at a show and it struck me that they were useful from the point of view that there are less joins and because of that, going over high ground might look more natural.

I think it may have been Magister Militum that sold it, but I only saw it in narrow strips ...... say suitable for 15mm, they may have access to wider stuff. It wasn't cheap, but sometimes getting the right stuff in the first place saves money in the longer term.
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Pictors Studio on 30 November 2015, 07:31:52 PM
I don't know if you are up for making roads, but one good way to do it is to get some crappy canvas and cut it into strips of the size you want.  Then put acrylic matte medium on them and smear it around to create the track look you want.  Paint that and voila! 

I have glued metal wargames accessory bases to each end of mine and use magnets to attach them to each other during the game. 
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Harry Faversham on 30 November 2015, 11:41:32 PM
What's wrong with using brown flock for yer roads? You can go up hill and down dale then sweep it off with a soft paintbrush at war's end. Blue flock'll make a nice river too.

:-*

Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: PAULSPENCE on 02 December 2015, 03:36:15 PM
Bonjour,

I've bought a lot from this chap through e-Bay and they are pretty good.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/wargames-flexi-dirt-road-20mm-28mm-warhammer-rapidfire-handmade-by-fat-frank/281725454605?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3Dd06262b830c04e4eab3d1f4676d4787b%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D271971864917

I'd buy more if I needed it.

Cheers,

Paul
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: olicana on 03 December 2015, 04:07:41 PM
Hi Paul,

thanks for that. I've dropped him a line.

James
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Ignatieff on 14 December 2015, 06:09:20 PM
First Fat Frank samples have arrived and they are great.  Rubber roads of a good weight and lots of good hand applied texture.  Highly recommended.
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: valleyboy on 15 December 2015, 09:06:00 AM
James you are more than adept at making stuff and constantly turn out inspiring stuff. With your large games you'll also need quite to cover that huge table!
What about making your own from Neoprene?
The advantage is that you can make what you like or need in industrial quantities in all sorts of shapes allowing more a lot of variation
I turned these out some years ago
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/neythebrave/001_zpse85d4080.jpg) (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/neythebrave/media/001_zpse85d4080.jpg.html)

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/neythebrave/002_zpscb043fb6.jpg) (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/neythebrave/media/002_zpscb043fb6.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: olicana on 15 December 2015, 09:24:06 AM
Bought four of the rubber track packs last week. It should run out to about 25 foot of roads for £150. Early War Miniatures were very helpful and let me change the contents of the packs quite radically - all straights with 30 degree bends exchanged for straights, six out of eight Y junctions exchanged for eight 45 degree turns. Looking forward to their arrival in a couple of weeks or so.
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Plutarch64 on 16 December 2015, 11:25:32 AM
I went for the Early War Miniatures roads myself, and could not have been happier with the product. Paul is also very good to deal with.
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: katie on 16 December 2015, 08:14:56 PM
Oh yes -- I went for EWM as well. Nice stuff and nice guys.

I put patches of static grass on them to help them blend into the table and drybrushed them to pick out the detail. Look brill.

Might get more in the new year if they're at Hammerhead.
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: 6milPhil on 16 December 2015, 09:13:55 PM
What about making your own from Neoprene?

(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/neythebrave/001_zpse85d4080.jpg) (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/neythebrave/media/001_zpse85d4080.jpg.html)


Those look grand, how did you do them?
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Captain Blood on 17 December 2015, 09:33:46 AM
Generally I hate 'strip' roads - mainly because most people don't actually bother to join the strips up or align them properly, so they just look shit :(
It also makes a big difference if you edge them in places with a little loose scatter foliage - helps blend them here and there into the table top, and make them look less plonked on.
Kerry, I must say yours look pretty good though. And I do like the fact that you've laid out your sections of road on a section of road  lol

By the way, although the OP was talking about roads for the horse and musket era, this topic really covers all eras and settings, so I'm flipping it over to the Workbench.
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Bloggard on 17 December 2015, 11:58:45 AM
Generally I hate 'strip' roads - mainly because most people don't actually bother to join the strips up or align them properly, so they just look shit :(
It also makes a big difference if you edge them in places with a little loose scatter foliage - helps blend them here and there into the table top, and make them look less plonked on.

kind of swings and roundabouts tho', as, ironically, this is exactly the problem I have with terrain boards (my bro has an extensive set-up based [ ;)] on them).
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: 6milPhil on 17 December 2015, 12:17:07 PM
I'd like to have terrain boards but I don't have the storage for them...  :?
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Captain Blood on 17 December 2015, 01:43:38 PM
I know, i know. I'm a terrain snob and i'm lucky enough to have the storage space.
Actually, any terrain can look good with a bit of thought and a little bit of set dressing to conceal the worst of the joins.
But like so much in wargaming, it just comes down to whether someone wants to make their games look really good, or are happy enough with just a general representation and aren't too fussed about the fact that it just looks like a load of random bits and pieces.
Different strokes, same as usual...

Wonky, unconnected strips of rubber road and squares of doormat posing as realistic fields just happen to be my personal terrain bugbears...  :-X
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: 6milPhil on 17 December 2015, 02:52:49 PM
Wonky, unconnected strips of rubber road and squares of doormat posing as realistic fields just happen to be my personal terrain bugbears...  :-X

Well it's an aspirational thing isn't it? Start with paper or card, build up to felt, onwards and upwards. I've only just sussed a great way of doing road sections for 6mm in the last month, they'll be my best yet.

I know what you mean though, I spend ages in a game realigning this or that.

The best 6mil game I've ever seen was the Maidstone Club's Pegasus Bridge...
(http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/mws/ShowGames/Pegasus/PicsGame/S4.jpg)
from:http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/mws/ShowGames/Pegasus/index.html (http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/mws/ShowGames/Pegasus/index.html)
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Captain Blood on 17 December 2015, 04:39:43 PM
Yes, I've seen that a couple of times at shows. A gorgeous piece of terrain modelling  :-*
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: FifteensAway on 18 December 2015, 06:25:58 AM
Well, to get back to the idea of "cobblestone" roads, don't know if the scale works for you but check for Lemax Xmas village roads after the holiday (or before in case they sell out).  The red are brick, the brown can pass as cobblestone.  They also sell 18" x 36" sheets of each.
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: olicana on 10 January 2016, 10:08:27 PM
Well my new road stock came this weekend. I went for EWM stuff in the end. I like it.
 Started painting it as soon as it arrived - looks good IMHO. I've gone for the dusty look.

Did a 'how I' on my blog, mainly as an aide memoir for later purchases for anyone interested.

http://olicanalad.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/a-long-dusty-road.html (http://olicanalad.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/a-long-dusty-road.html)

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Y-RSh3pWU4/VpK4W9wsAjI/AAAAAAAAKVg/Wy5N8o11Om0/s640/IMG_0238.JPG)

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h62CsXIrtDM/VpK4Lh8w1PI/AAAAAAAAKUk/Vysx6DY_aZg/s320/IMG_0230.JPG)
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Hu Rhu on 11 January 2016, 09:43:23 AM
Excellent tutorial.  I saw some of these on a friend's wargaming table and resolved to buy some but now I have some added impetous to actually order them.
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: olicana on 18 January 2016, 09:21:59 PM
And, I've just done a layout with them. The way I no longer have to plan around a hill, I'm a complete convert to 'up and over' latex roads.

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_STtRg4onKs/Vpu4pkB2BlI/AAAAAAAAKX8/j6sRh4gmec8/s400/IMG_0250.JPG)

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9gmgYklDeII/Vpu4p1bE8JI/AAAAAAAAKX4/3dmL-IR1qw8/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG)

I love 'em.
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: 6mmfan on 30 January 2016, 11:01:49 PM
Those look nice and your table is great. The shading on the mat improves it and you did a good job of disguising those doormat cornfields.  :)
Title: Re: Roads?
Post by: Golgotha on 31 January 2016, 12:44:50 AM
Seeing suggestions of latex concerns me does it not rot away? Agree about the gaps in road sections they tend to always show up badly. Most tables are relatively small so if a road is flexible it should then be one piece. The question really is what material. I have used bandage which was dyed with some bits of flock etc. that had looked surprisingly good and was very flexible but still looking for other options. Bandage and be a quick fix for when you need a road in a hurry too, paint up and dry very quickly too.