Agram Group Build #7 – Amon Hen, pt.2

Agram Group Build is back. For this seventh installment, the team decided to create a gaming board/diorama for Amon Hen. To that end, we fulfilled a childhood dream and acquired the original Forge World Amon Hen terrain (released around 2000) along with the accompanying set of miniatures. This series of articles will document the entire project—from crafting the terrain to assembling and painting the miniatures.

After cutting the board in the previous article, it was time to create the terrain. We decided to achieve the necessary height—or volume—by using Styrofoam. The choice of material was dictated by the availability of Styrofoam; had we possessed that amount of extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam, we certainly would have chosen it due to its ease of shaping. We arranged the Styrofoam sheets to cover the entire surface of the board, gluing them down with PVA glue and reinforcing the joints with masking tape. Next, we placed the assembled Amon Hen model in position and ...

Signs for your plinths

This article will cover creating nameplates for your display figure bases. I have been considering the option of printed nameplates for quite some time, and these are the results I achieved after a bit of effort and research.

The 3D engraved nameplates I usually use are quite expensive (around €10 apiece) and require preparation, ordering from an engraving studio, and waiting for the work to be completed. Consequently, my practice has been to place only one or two orders a year, mostly before our "Black Queen" event. Another major drawback is that these nameplates are made of plastic and cannot be bent, which automatically rules out round plinths.

After a bit of research, the results showed that miniaturists quite often use printed paper signs. What I saw in person was that these signs are very glossy, and online research revealed that they are printed on photo paper. So, I decided to try it out myself. First, I created the design for the sign.

Before lo...

We attended: Days of Technical Culture 2026

On Friday and Saturday, 18 and 19 Sept 2026, we participated in the Technical Culture Days at the Technical Museum. At our stand, visitors could discover the world of miniatures, and we were especially delighted by the interest shown by children who picked up a paintbrush for the first time.

Kruno and the team did a fantastic job guiding them through the initial steps of coloring. There was a mix of concentration, joy, and the occasional serious question about which color best suited the little hero. Interest was so high that the workspace around our stand quickly became cramped. For next year, we would love to see more space for workshops so that everyone can sit down comfortably and try their hand at painting.

I have participated in the Technical Culture Days for years, ever since the event was held in Dubrava. For me, the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum represents a major step forward: the venue lends a special atmosphere to the event, ...

Agram Group Build #7 – Amon Hen, pt.1

Agram Group Build is back. For this seventh installment, the team decided to create a gaming board/diorama for Amon Hen. To that end, we fulfilled a childhood dream and acquired the original Forge World Amon Hen terrain (released around 2000) along with the accompanying set of miniatures. This series of articles will document the entire project—from crafting the terrain to assembling and painting the miniatures.

The idea from the start was to create a diorama of the famous scene from *The Lord of the Rings* where Boromir falls in battle and the Uruk-hai abduct two—fortunately, the wrong—Hobbits. Ideally, we envisioned everything fitting onto a 40 x 40 cm board. So, the first step was to verify this; we used two sheets of A3 paper to create a square of roughly the desired size.

Figures and terrain fit perfectly for the board of that size. However, this should also be a diorama, so we checked how everything works together with vegetation. Fortunately, before t...

We attended: H.R.E.N. 28 - 2026., Medvode, Slovenia

Another success for the Hren organizers! Of the two-day event, the first day was dedicated to the Turnip28 game, and the second to an original game designed by the hosts. Like last year, the tables and courts exceeded the expectations of the players, the scenarios were imaginative, and I enjoyed the interaction between the tables during the game. For example, my first game involved rubbing horseradish roots on the figures during the game, including other tables in the hall. The next day, we played as a fun cooperative game in pairs, in which each pair of players had their own kit-bashani spaceship (which we made before or during the event) with which we had to pick up Tod (a character from last year) and return him to Earth. There was no shortage of chaos. The hosts from Amulet tried to make us comfortable and not hungry or thirsty during the entire event, and I can only say words of praise for their effort and engagement!

Building a display base for Agramers v.2

In this article, I will briefly describe the process of creating a scene base for Agramer v.2, from idea to creation, painting, adding vegetation, and finally casting the slices.

The first step in the creation is the idea. For this project, it wasn't too difficult for me, because I participated in (creating) how the figures themselves should look. Therefore, I already had them arranged in some groups in my head. Orc, troll and goblin in one; vampire, Frankenstein's monster and werewolf in another; desert Zorro and sheriff; Highland/Scottish Braveheart, dwarf and bard; and forest Robin Hood, Elf Mage and Elf Enchantress. In the end, there remains the gnome and Jack Sparrow who goes to the island. Inside the purchased frame, I placed the figures, and drew the outlines of the terrain.

After that, I added volume to the base using 2 cm and 5 cm thick HD Styrofoam, slowly shaping the final look of the terrain. I also tried out the look with the figures in each ite...