UMS "Agram" : Building a Gaming Board – pt 1. < Articles < Hobby

Building a Gaming Board – pt 1.

Marko Paunović, 27th September 2020

In the past issues I've been dealing with various forms of terrain for my Malifaux games and I've even done a modular gaming board for all the wild west themed terrain. These past few months I was busy participating in the Iron Painter so I welcomed the one issue break I've had with my Malifaux terrain builds. That said, I missed it. A lot. But participating in such a cool event like Iron Painter, where you are surrounded by great artists and are pushed to your limits, makes you improve your abbilities and more often than not provides you with plenty of ideas for future projects. This year was no different. So, even while competing, I've been drumming up ideas what to do next and I must admit up until the last round of Iron Painter I was unsure of what to do. But then the „Snowpocalypse“ theme was announced and I started doing a diorama out of a bust and there it hit me. Wouldn't it be really cool to have a whole gaming board that was done like that 8x8cm base? So, in this and the next issue I'll give it a go!

Careful readers will already know my mantra about any and all big projects I undertake. When starting a project of such magnitude, always plan ahead. Try to think of all the things you want featured in your project. From that, you'll be able to get the tools and materials you need. And once you finish that list, you'll have the outline of the activities you need to perform and what order they should come in. So, the idea is to have a single board for my Malifaux games which means I would require a 90x90cm (3'x3') board. At this point, presumably wooden. Then I started planning what features to place on my board. I decided to go with a frozen river, with a couple of crossings one of which would be a bridge. I'd also want at least one road and several paths that wouldn't be (entirely) covered with snow. I'd also want to add some levels to my board so it wouldn't be just flat. Two or three levels would be perfect. Since this wouldn't be a fixed terrain board, I'd still need plenty of flat areas to place the scenery before my games. Right about this time during the planning, I remembered I had some untouched resin terrain pieces from a Croatian company called Tabletop World. They produce high quality resin terrain. However, they only to fantasy/medieval type of buildings. I decided to use them as mock-up for my future terrain for Malifaux while planning out the outline.

Planning

So, once the planning was done, I compiled a list of needs and wants that would hopefully help me with the material and tool lists as well as keep me focused on the project itself (so I don't add too many extra details that would clutter the board):
1. one board, single piece, sturdy and not easily broken N
1.1. size of the entire board: 90 x 90cm (or as close as possible) N
2. Water feature N
2.1. frozen river N
2.2. several crossings of the river N
2.3. one of the crossings should be a proper bridge W
3. roads etc. W
3.1. dirt paths – several leading from areas reserved for buildings to the main road N
3.2. main road – leading to and from the bridge (or wide crossing) N
4. levels N
4.1. second level (2cm – height of a single HD styrofoam board) N
4.2. third level (if possible – 2x 2cm HD styrofoam board or single 5cm board) W
5. flat areas for future terrain and buildings N
6. materials to be used – as light as possible W
7. frame – sturdy that won't bend or break easily to protect the main body of the board N

After the list was compiled, already some things were begining to become clear so I could make my preliminary sketch. Fortunately, right about the time I was starting this project, the Mrs and I decided to get rid of our bed base that was made of two solid 19mm thick plywood boards which happened to be 90x200cm in size. So I figured, I'd cut one board into two 90x90cm piceces and have bases for two boards. Almost perfect as I would need to do some preparation work on the board to plug the holes and fill the edges where the board was cut. As for the rest of the needs and wants, I'd need something to make the frame (at this point, presumably some wooden slats), several pieces of HD styrofoam, some roots and some slate. Rest of the materials would be usual – super glue, PVA glue, several types of gravel and sand, some DAS clay and some plaster. For the river, I will need some resin – but not too much as the whole idea is to have a shallow, frozen river. In the end obviously, I'd also need copious ammounts of snow material, something to make ice and several packages of paste to make the icicles.

- glues - PVA 1kg, 1x10g Superglue
- paints and spreys - 6 Pebeo Deco Paints (Black, White, Grey, Brown, Ochre and Ash), one black, ash, off white and pure white matt acrylic spreys and one clear matt acrylic sprey
- large brushes No 90, No 40
- airbrush
- brush size 16
- high density styrofoam - 1 board (1200 x 600 x 20 mm)
- high density styrofoam – 1 board (1200 x 600 x 50 mm)
- wooden slats - four pieces (25 or 30 x 5 x 1000 mm)
- up to twenty M2,5x15 screws
- balsa wood 4mm thick (10 x 1000 mm)
- DAS air drying clay (1kg)
- plaster (1 kg)
- sand and gravel (four or five sizes)
- small bagful of slate
- several roots
- plastic foil
- static grass and scatter (three to four sorts)
- Resin (Gedeo Crystal Resin or just Extra Heavy Gel by Vallejo)
- NOCH icicles
- NOCH snow products (2 packages)
- NOCH ice crystals
- scalpel blade
- scissors
- screwdriver
- chisel and hammer
- electric drill
- pin-vice
- circular saw
- jig saw
- disc sander
- vibro-sander
- modeller's saw
- sanding paper
- masking tape

Here, I included both electric and hand held tools. Obviously, you can use only one of these. If you don't have electric ones, the hand held ones will do the job just the same. It'll just take a bit longer and perhapes make you sweat a little bit. I don't like sweat, so I use electric ones.

Also, when doing such a list, you can also add the location of a store where you can buy those items and it'll make your shopping easier and faster. When all summed up, I reckon, my board wouldn't cost a lot (apart from the snow and water feature accessories).

Preparation work

As mentioned above, the first thing I had to do was to fill the round holes in the board. I had a long debate how to do it, but in the end I decided the easiest way would be to fill it with plaster. So I cut enough pieces of plastic foil and taped them to one side (that would be the top side) of the board using masking tape. Then I flipped the board over and I mixed about half a litre of plaster and poured it in the holes. The plaster was about 0,5-1cm thick. Once it cured, I decided to use PVA glue for added strength. I left the glue and plaster to cure for a couple of days as we were in the middle of the winter and I do all my terrain work in an unheated garage.

Start of the build

With the holes plugged, I could now finally start to build my board. Needless to say, I flipped the board over so the top side would be up and I removed the masking tape with the plastic foils. It was at this time that I took out the Tabletop World terrain and placed them around the board. Once I had them placed, I used my red and black markers to draw the design on the board itself. I wasn't quite satisfied with the setup so I replaced the bridge and drew its outline once again. I may actually use this bridge in my Malifaux games as well! When the outline was drawn, I cut the HD styrofoam bits to size and carefully placed them on my board. I also placed the TTW terrain on the styrofoam boards to make sure I have enough space around them for my models to move during games. When I was satisfied with the setup, I used PVA glue to glue the styrofoam boards in place. Also, I secured the bond using masking tape that would be removed once the PVA glue set.

Building the board frame

When the styrofoam bits were glued, I went on to do the frame of the board. In the DIY store, I managed to get four 25x5x1000mm linden slats. I cut them to size using my jig saw and making sure I had 1cm more than I needed to. This way, I could sand down the sides of the frames at 45 degree angle so they would fit perfectly.

Remember, you can always use a modeller's saw, sanding paper and screwdriver instead of jig saw, disc sander and a drill with screw end.

Using 5mm balsa wood, I cut several strips to plug the gap on one of the edges of the board and then proceeded to secure the frames to the board using M2,5x15 screws. I used three per side and once the screws were in place I filled the small crevices between the board and the frames using PVA glue for added strength of the bond.

IDEAS

During my Snowpocalypse entry (Frozen Stiff, by the way), I used slate to make the cliffs. For that build, I needed only a handful. But for this, I figured I'd need a bit more. Fortunately for me, the Medvednica hill next to Zagreb where I live, is full of slate so I decided to take a hike with a mate and go gather a bagful of broken stones. During these hikes, I like to take photos of nature as it is really a good source of inspiration. Once back, I had to wash the stones in soapy water to remove the dirt because the paint wouldn't stick to the stones properly otherwise. I used warm water and several repeats of the process until I got almost clear soapy water. I left it to dry for a couple of days near a heater. When the slate was dry, I stored them in two boxes. One was for really large pieces and the other was for smaller ones and debris. This would speed up the proces of choosing the stones while making the river bank and cliffs.

Making the Terrain Features

Breaking of the pieces of slate

One of the advantages of using slate is that it is a really soft material that is a result of its metamorphosis. It is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. Foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering, but instead is in planes perpendicular to the direction of metamorphic compression. In other words, it is full of layers and by using just a little force, you can split it into smaller/thinner pieces. For that I wanted to use a chisel which I couldn't find. Being lazy, I dropped the search and I ended up using a normal screwdriver instead.

River banks

Once I had all the pieces of slate I needed, I proceeded to glue the slate along the future riverbank. I used pieces that were 0,5-1cm high and spread them evenly along the banks. I also glued several pieces inside the riverbed to form the future river crossings. It will be up to the players to decide whether it would be considered difficult terrain or not.

Cliffs

Originally, I wanted to make all the cliffs with slate. Just place them piece by piece and glue them in place. And afterwards, use plaster to plug the gaps between the styrofoam body of the „hill“ and the sides made from slate. However, overall there was over 3m of 2cm high cliffs so I decided against it. At least until I tried something first.

I placed a layer of DAS air drying clay around all my cliffs and I used a layer of watered down PVA glue to fix it better to the styrofoam sides. While the clay was still wet and malleable, I pressed a larger piece of slate into it to form the face of the cliff. Once I've done it to the entire cliff, I added smaller pieces of slate and stuck them into the clay and left them there to be glued. This way, I saved on rock and time as it was a really fast procedure with only slightly lower standard of finish.

Leveling of the terrain around the rocky river banks

As the riverbanks and the cliffs were now dry, I now had to level out the slightly higher area around the riverbank to the rest of the board. To do that, I once again made some plaster. It is the same one I used to plug the gaps on the board, but it turned pinky because I used the same water I used to soften up the red clay and it coloured the plaster. I made sure the plaster wasn't too much like a liquid. I wanted a consistency of a paste so that I could form the angle that I wanted and not have it run.

Sanding the plaster

While I was pouring the plaster to level the ground around the riverbanks, I noticed some of my plaster fills of the holes in the board protruded slightly. Because the holes were perfect circles, I needed to sand down the excess material because once the board was textured and painted, I would definitely show as too regular a form. I used my vibro-sander, but you could use normal sanding paper as well. When I was done with sanding, I made sure I collected all the debris from the board because the next step was texture!

Adding texture

Adding the texture has two main purposes. First one, obviously is the aesthetics. The more texture, the better the terrain looks. However, in some places there is another purpose to the texture. Depending on the materials you use (like styrofoam), some spreys may melt the base of your terrain which is something you definitely do not want. That's why you use watered down PVA glue mixed with some sand.

Luckily for me, most of my board is wooden and/or covered with plaster so I don't need to take care that the mixture of water and PVA be in favour of PVA so it offers a protective coat. However, there are some places where there is only styrofoam. Here, I will need to take care. That said, due to the whole theme of the board, all would not be lost if I missed the texture in several places. Why? because even if the sprey melts the styrofoam in places, the board will be covered in snow in the end so I can always cover up my mistakes.

Riverbed

I started with the riverbed first. As the whole idea of the river is that it is mostly frozen, I decided to use the simplest method and use just one size of sand, the smallest. I covered the entire surface of the river with slightly watered down PVA and sprinkled a layer of chinchilla sand. I left it to dry overnight.

Road and the dirt paths

I used several sizes of sand and gravel on the main road. As with the river, I first covered the entire area using a slightly diluted PVA glue with water (just enough so it would spread easily). I then sprinkled the largest grain sporadically in the middle of the road. Around the largest pieces I then sprinkled slightly smaller pebbles. In the end I finished with the smallest grain chinchilla sand.

Dirt paths and the areas where the buildings/other terrain would be placed during the games, was done only using chinchilla sand.

Other textures

Rest of the textures were done using two different sizes of grain. Somewhere in the middle between the small pebbles and chinchilla sand used on the main road. Once again, I smeared the watered down mixture of PVA glue. However, this time before sprinkling the sand, I placed several pieces of slate. I carefully picked the places where I placed them so that they wouldn't be in the way of the future terrain. This would add some more detail to the whole board and would help break the large flat areas even if the terrain isn't there. When I was satisfied with the placement and the quantity of slate pieces, I sprinkled the larger of the two grains followed by the smaller grain.

In the next article, I'll tackle the leftover sand and gravel that didn't glue to the base. Then I'll paint the board and add various vegetation. Water will also be added into the riverbed and I'll also be adding various winter accessories, like snow, ice and icicles.

Latest articles

Agram Group Build #7 – Amon Hen, pt.5

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	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 plan last time was to also build a balsa wood frame, but unfortunately, the balsa got misplaced during the move following the renovation of the space, so we had to postpone it. Now, it’s time to get it done.

	  

	We cut the balsa wood into four 50 cm pieces. Afterward, we measured the highest points of each side, marked the balsa accordingly, and cut it to the desired dimensions.

	  

	  

	Then we traced the relief onto the balsa frame and carefully cut it out.

	  

	The final step was cutting each corner at a 45-degree angle to create a neat frame joint.

	  

	Next came the gluing of the frame. We bonded the sides using PVA glue, while the joints where one frame side met another were secured with superglue.

	  

	We filled the gaps between the balsa wood frame and the terrain we created last time with DAS modeling clay.

	  

	Finally, we coated the top surfaces of the frame and the air-drying clay infill with PVA glue, and sprinkled over it the same sand we had used for the rest of the board.

	  

	And that’s it for this time. Next week, it’s time for painting.

	  

	 
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	Agram Group Build se vraća. U svojoj sedmoj instalaciji, ekipa je odlučila izraditi igraću tablu / dioramu za Amon Hen. Za tu potrebu, ispunili smo si dječačke sne i nabavili originalni Forge World teren Amon Hena (izašao negdje cca 2000.) sa setom pripadajućih figura. Ova serija članaka pratit će izradu cijelog projekta – kako izrade terena, tako i sastavljanja i bojanja figura.

	  

	Plan za prošli put bio je da napravimo i okvir od balze, ali na žalost u selidbi nakon renovacije prostora, negdje smo zagubili balzu tako da smo to odgodili. Sad je došao red na to.

	  

	Odrezali smo balzu na četiri komada od 50cm. Nakon toga izmjerili smo najviše dijelove pojedine strane i tako označili balzu te ju prerezali na željene dimenzije.

	  

	  

	Potom smo ucrtali reljef na okvir od balze i pažljivo ga izrezali.

	  

	Zadnji korak bilo je zarezivanje svakog kuta pod 45 stupnjeva tako da dobijemo uredan spoj okvira.

	  

	Tada je uslijedilo lijepljenje okvira. Stranice smo zalijepili PVA ljepilom dok smo spojeve stranice okvira na drugu stranicu okvira zalijepili superljepilom.

	  

	U rupe između okvira od balze i terena kojeg smo napravili prošli put ubacili smo DAS glinamol.

	  

	Na kraju smo gornje plohe okvira i popune od glinamola premazali PVA ljepilom te na to posipali isti pijesak koji smo koristili za ostatak table.

	  

	I to je bilo to za ovaj put. Sljedećeg tjedna ide bojanje.

	  
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Krunoslav Belinić, 15th October 2026

Agram Group Build #7 – Amon Hen, pt.4

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	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 inspecting the now-dry terrain base, we realized that a few slopes needed to be added and some gaps filled in. Therefore, we repeated the process of applying DAS modeling clay over the PVA glue coating.

	  

	The next step was adding texture. We opted for three different grain sizes of sand and gravel. You can find all these varieties at pet stores. The finest grade is for chinchillas, while the coarsest gravel is actually intended for aquariums.

	  

	Applying the texture was actually very simple. We coated part of the base with PVA glue (slightly diluted so it would spread easily with a brush). Onto the PVA coating, we sprinkled first the gravel, then the larger granules, and finally the small granules (though only in patches).

	  

	Then we put the trees back to see how everything works as a whole.

	  

	Since Kruno has finished processing the metal figures, we decided to check the layout of the diorama with the figures placed on it—so here it is from several angles.

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  
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	Agram Group Build se vraća. U svojoj sedmoj instalaciji, ekipa je odlučila izraditi igraću tablu / dioramu za Amon Hen. Za tu potrebu, ispunili smo si dječačke sne i nabavili originalni Forge World teren Amon Hena (izašao negdje cca 2000.) sa setom pripadajućih figura. Ova serija članaka pratit će izradu cijelog projekta – kako izrade terena, tako i sastavljanja i bojanja figura.

	  

	Nakon pregleda sada osušene baze terena, uvidjeli smo da se na nekim mjestima treba dodati koja kosina, zapuniti koja rupa. Stoga smo ponovili isti postupak postavljanja DAS glinamola na premaz od PVA ljepila.

	  

	Sljedeći korak bilo je dodavanje teksture. Odlučili smo se za tri različite granulacije pijeska/šljunka. Sve te verzije možete naći u dućanima za kućne ljubimce. Najmanja granulacija je za činčile, dok je najveći šljunak zapravo za akvarije.

	  

	Postavljanje teksture je zapravo bilo jako jednostavno. Premazali smo dio baze sa PVA ljepilom (malo razvodnjenim tako da se lagano razmazuje kistom). Na premaz od PVA ljepila posipali smo prvo šljunak, pa onda veći granulat i na kraju mali granulat (ali samo mjestimično).

	  

	Potom smo vratili drveće da vidimo kako funkcionira sve kao cjelina.

	  

	S obzirom da je Kruno završio sa obradom metalnih figura, odlučili smo provjeriti i raspored diorame sa figurama na njoj pa evo iz nekoliko kutova.

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  
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Marko Paunović, 8th October 2026

Agram Group Build #7 – Amon Hen, pt.3

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	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.

	  

	Last time, we created and attached large volumes to the base and roughed out the terrain contours. To prevent the Styrofoam from warping while the PVA glue dried, we had secured it to the wooden base with masking tape. Therefore, the first task was to remove the excess masking tape.

	  

	Then, using PVA glue and DAS modeling clay, we created gradual transitions and built up slopes on the "steps" made of Styrofoam.

	  

	Next, we added stone structures using tree bark. At the same time, we utilized the texture of the bark, pressing it into the DAS clay in certain places to create the added texture of rocky surfaces.

	  

	  

	That concludes the construction phase for now. Before applying the texture, the DAS modeling clay needs to dry thoroughly. Next up is the texturing process, along with some touch-ups to the relief where the stone structures were placed.

	  
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	Agram Group Build se vraća. U svojoj sedmoj instalaciji, ekipa je odlučila izraditi igraću tablu / dioramu za Amon Hen. Za tu potrebu, ispunili smo si dječačke sne i nabavili originalni Forge World teren Amon Hena (izašao negdje cca 2000.) sa setom pripadajućih figura. Ova serija članaka pratit će izradu cijelog projekta – kako izrade terena, tako i sastavljanja i bojanja figura.

	  

	Prošli put smo napravili i dodali velike volumene na bazu te napravili grube obrise terena. Kako se ne bi stiropor svinuo tijekom sušenja PVA ljepila, učvrstili smo ga krep trakom za drvenu bazu. Stoga, prvi posao bio je maknuti višak krep trake.

	  

	Zatim smo koristeći PVA ljepilo i DAS glinamol izradili postepene prijelaze i iskonstruirali kosine na „stepenicama“ dobivenim od stiropora.

	  

	Potom smo dodali kamene strukture koristeći koru od drveta. Istovremeno smo iskoristili i teksture u kori i utisnuli na pojedinim mjestima u DAS glinamol kako bismo dobili dodatnu teksturu kamenih stijena.

	  

	  

	Time je lagano završila gradnja za ovaj put. Prije nanošenja teksture, treba ostaviti DAS glinamol da se dobro osuši. Sljedeći put na redu je tekstura uz mjestimično popravljanje reljefa na mjestima gdje smo postavili kamene strukture.

	  
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Krunoslav Belinić, 1nd October 2026

Agram Group Build #7 – Amon Hen, pt.2

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    ["title_eng"]=>
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	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 traced its outlines.

	  

	  

	  

	The next step was cutting out the rough shape of the terrain and arranging tall vegetation across the diorama to establish the outlines of the final look.

	  

	  

	  

	  

	After marking the placement of the trees, we decided to glue the Styrofoam terrain piece onto the board. We used PVA glue for this as well, and to ensure firm contact, we secured the edges with masking tape so the Styrofoam wouldn't warp while drying. Finally, we constructed a ramp for the temple entrance.

	  

	  

	  

	In the meantime, Kruno was working on the preparatory work on the figures.

	  

	KRUNO: "The deal was to clean the figures of excess metal and dirt. I haven't dealt with metal miniatures too much, so it was an interesting challenge for me. It's not much different from cleaning rubber or plastic miniatures. Of course, a new scalpel blade is needed and pliers come in handy. Although it is not obligatory, I also performed the ancient miniaturist rite of consecration of a new blade and sacrificed a few drops of blood to the Gods of miniaturism and state games. It seems that they were satisfied with the victim, because there were no problems. Excesses are neatly and nicely positioned for quick removal and if any trace remains it fits into the texture or folds of the model. There were very few heads, and even those that were seen were easily leveled with a knife."

	  

	  
"
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	Agram Group Build se vraća. U svojoj sedmoj instalaciji, ekipa je odlučila izraditi igraću tablu / dioramu za Amon Hen. Za tu potrebu, ispunili smo si dječačke sne i nabavili originalni Forge World teren Amon Hena (izašao negdje cca 2000.) sa setom pripadajućih figura. Ova serija članaka pratit će izradu cijelog projekta – kako izrade terena, tako i sastavljanja i bojanja figura.

	  

	Nakon rezanja table u prošlom članku, došao je red na izradu terena. Visinu, odnosno volumen, smo odlučili dobiti korištenjem stiropora. Odabir materijala je uvjetovala dostupnost stiropora. Da smo imali tu količinu stirodura, sigurno bismo ga odabrali zbog jednostavnosti obrade. Stiroporne daske smo posložili tako da pokriju cijelu površinu table. Zalijepili smo ih koristeći PVA ljepilo, a spojeve dodatno učvrstili koristeći krep traku. Potom smo stavili složenu maketu Amon Hena i ucrtali obrise

	  

	  

	  

	Sljedeći korak bilo je izrezivanje grubog oblika terena i slaganje visoke vegetacije po diorami – tako da dobijemo obrise konačnog izgleda.

	  

	  

	  

	  

	Nakon označavanje gdje ide koje drvo, odlučili smo zalijepiti stiroporni teren na dasku. To smo također odradili pomoću PVA ljepila – a za dodatan pritisak, rubove smo pritisnuli koristeći krep traku tako da se stiropor ne deformira tijekom sušenja. Na kraju smo izradili i kosinu za prilaz u hram.

	  

	  

	  

	Za to vrijeme, Kruno se bavio pripremnim radovima na figurama.

	  

	KRUNO: "Dogovor je bio da očistim figure od viška metala i srha. Nisam se previše bavio metalnim minijaturama, pa mi je to bio zanimljiv izazov. Nije puno drugačije od čišćenja rezinskih ili plastičnih minijatura. Naravno, potrebna je nova oštrica na skalpelu i kliješta dobro dođu. Iako nije obavazeno obavio sam i drevni minijaturistički obred posvećivanja nove oštice i pritom žrtvovao par kapi krvi Bogovima minijaturizma i stateških igara. Izgleda da su bili zadovoljni žrtvom, jer nije bilo problema. Viškovi su uredno i lijepo pozicionirani za brzo uklanjanje i ako i ostane koji trag uklapa se u teksturu ili nabore modela. Srhova je bilo vrlo malo, a i oni koji su se vidjeli lako su se poravnali nožićem."

	  

	  

	 
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Marko Paunović, 24th September 2026

Signs for your plinths

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    ["title_eng"]=>
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	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 looking for a photo studio, I decided to print it out on plain paper first to see what it looked like.

	  

	  

	Even when I put up those signs on plain paper, the result wasn't bad.

	  

	The hardest part of the whole process was finding a photo studio. It is incredible how few of them there are (that aren't just photocopy shops). I managed to find one relatively close to where I work and ordered two sets of two 10x15 cm photos—I decided to get two copies of each shot just in case something went wrong and I needed a backup.

	

	In total, the four photos cost me just under €2.00 (one-fifth of the price of a single plastic, engraved sign).

	  

	The final result on the bases is more than satisfactory! Would bang 10/10.

	  
"
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	Ovaj članak će se baviti izradom natpisa za baze za vaše display figure. Već dulje vrijeme razmišljam o opciji printanih natpisa i ovo su rezultati do kojih sam došao nakon malo truda i istraživanja.

	3D gravirani natpisi koje normalno koristim podosta su skupi (10ak € po komadu) i zahtijevaju pripremu pa naručivanje u nekom studiju za graviranje pa čekanje da oni to odrade. Tako da mi je do sada praksa bila jedna do dvije narudžbe godišnje, uglavnom prije našeg Black Queena. Drugi glavni nedostatak je da su ti natpisi plastični te se ne mogu savijati što automatski isključuje okrugle baze.

	  

	Nakon malo istraživanja, rezultati su pokazali da minijaturisti dosta često koriste printane natpise na papiru. Ono što sam uživo vidio jest da su to jako sjajni (glossy) natpisi, a online istraživanje je pokazalo da su to natpisi na foto papiru. Stoga, sam odlučio isprobati kako to funkcionira. Prvo sam napravio dizajn natpisa.

	  

	Prije potrage za foto studijom, odlučio sam isprintati prvo na običan papir da vidim kako to izgleda.

	  

	  

	Čak i kada sam postavio te natpise na običnom papiru, rezultat nije bio loš.

	  

	Najteži dio cijelog procesa bila je potraga za foto studijom. Nevjerojatno je koliko ih malo ima (a da nisu fotokopiraone). Uspio sam naći jedan relativno blizu mjesta gdje radim te naručio izradu dva puta po dvije fotografije 10x15cm – odlučio sam za svaki slučaj svaku fotku dva puta napraviti tako da ako nešto pođe u krivo da imam rezervu.

	  

	Sveukupno su me 4 fotografije ispale nešto ispod 2,00€ (jedna petina cijene jednog plastičnog, graviranog natpisa).

	  

	Završni rezultat na bazama je više nego zadovoljavajuć! Would bang 10/10.

	  
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Marko Paunović, 24th September 2026

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