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You'll need a tray...

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Post  Lee Newton January 12th 2016, 13:50

So I have been scratching my head about movement trays. Home made or buy them? My 28mm figures are based on 1p coins so I can do skirmish games like Lion Rampant. I based my 20mm on 5p coins to allow me to use them in skirmish games or more formal games like DBA on movement trays. Then I thought, do I want my bases to sit in appropriately sized holes? If so, how would I do that at home? Oh wait!, my 28mm figs are based on 1p coins but my 20mm are based on 5p coins. My zombies are on square metal bases. So that means more trays - at least three sets. I will need some set up for tight formation and some more 'loose'. Hang on, I'm gonna need a bloody box of movement trays?!

No, no, I'm not playing this game. If individually based figs were on the table you know they have bases - you can see them. If they are flush relative to the movement tray you can see there's a movement tray on the table. So does it matter? I'm keen on aesthetics - that's why it's taking so long to make my own stuff. I don't want rubbish on the table. But I am also broke, short on time and short of storage space. So I need a compromise. I need to 'get real'.

PING! I have a plan. What if my movement trays didn't rely on carefully drilled holes?

.....But if it was a tray with sides that would look rubbish and the figs would move about when I used it....

Then it occurred to me. I have a magnetic sheet so strong that I could use it to stick one of my children to the fridge like the old glue advert from the early 80's. I could paint and flock it with little loss of 'magnetic attraction'. That way I could arrange my figs in any formal or loose formation I like. I would have a set of movement trays that could be used for any fig size and any ruleset without having to make or re-base any more! Result!

So, I will be experimenting over the next few weeks to see if this is a practical and aesthetic compromise.

Lee Newton

Posts : 73
Join date : 2014-11-20
Age : 52

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Post  BBrotherwood January 12th 2016, 20:38

Even cheaper, just use small blobs of blue tack to hold them onto your base Smile
Mounting board provides a good solid and cheap base for the tray which you can pretty up with some flock e.t.c. It did the trick for War of the Ring when I ran out of GWs own movement trays. It might be worth considering basing the figures on the GW style 20mm round bases as the models stand up a lot better then on or off the tray. You can get them by the hundred on ebay for a couple of pounds.
BBrotherwood
BBrotherwood

Posts : 163
Join date : 2012-05-24

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Post  Lee Newton January 13th 2016, 08:57

Some great tips there Ben. I'm finding the 5p working really well. It gives the plastic some weight and they behave like cats thrown from three storey windows - they land on their 'feet'.

Basing on 5p coins sounds expensive but I have used a stash I have at home and done 3 lots of figures for 'free'.

My experiments at stupid-o-click this morning;

Magnetic Sheet
First4magnets
High power 3M self adhesive flexible A4 sheet
2mm thick

Cutting
Sharp Stanley blade against my metal ruler to keep the line straight was enough so it could be bent. Then used a sharp snap-blade knife down the fold to complete it. Surprisingly tidy edge.

Flocking
Took the backing off the self-adhesive side and swamped it in static grass. Beautiful finish - Shame it killed it's magnetic field. What I could do is put 5p pieces on before flocking then use glue remover to clean the surface beneath the coins. It would mean the formation would be set to 'loose' or 'tight' for that base but still an option.

Painting with standard paint
Used some cheap Wickes emulsion that I intend to use for my desert boards. Not the tidiest of finishes but two/three coats with minimal loss of magnetic effect.

Sealant and sand mix
Using my standard brown acrylic frame sealant and sand mix that I use as 'soil' for my boards..... To follow.


Lee Newton

Posts : 73
Join date : 2014-11-20
Age : 52

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Post  Lee Newton January 13th 2016, 22:15


Sealant and sand mix
Using my standard brown acrylic frame sealant and sand mix that I use as 'soil' for my boards..... Yep - that works so I can place a bit of flock here and there in spots where figures are unlikely to stand.

Lee Newton

Posts : 73
Join date : 2014-11-20
Age : 52

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