Agram 2023 – A Year In Review

Marko Paunović, 27th December 2023

The year 2023 has also come to an end. The year in which we celebrated our 20th birthday and were faced with various challenges, mostly of an economic nature. For the first time since 2004, the City of Zagreb has decided not to co-finance any of our projects. Despite this, with the great commitment of our members and leadership, we have fully implemented all the programs we envisioned, without realizing a lack of funds!

Partnership with Back to Basics

Despite these difficulties in work, we ended the year with fantastic cooperation and education of our members for conducting miniaturist/maquette workshops using the Back to Basics method. Our Ana, Kruno and Marko were educated in Kranj, Slovenia, and thus we became one of the international partners in that project, so get ready for 2024 when our first Back to Basics workshops await you!

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But let's go back to the beginning of the year, which started like every time with our traditional Exhibition...

EXHIBITION OF MINIATURES AND TABLETOP SCENERY AGRAM 2023

We started the year with preparations for our annual Exhibition of miniatures and models, during which we also organized a weekend painting workshop for miniatures and, for the fourth time this term, our international competition in painting miniatures Black Queen Hobby and Miniature Painting Competition. As always, the Exhibition presented a cross-section of the work of the Association, its members, participants of its courses and workshops, and members of the FB group Miniature Painters Croatia. In a large number of display cases, there were numerous miniatures for tabletop strategy games, board games, and an entire display case was dedicated to award-winning exhibits from previous miniature competitions. Several showcases were devoted to projects that the Association has been implementing for 20 years, such as the UMS "Agram" Library and Reading Room, the Workshop for creating spatial models and the Miniature Painting Workshop. The works of our friend, the academic sculptor prof., had a special place in the showcases. Winton Afrić.

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The opening of the Exhibition took place on Thursday, February 23, 2023. starting at 6 p.m.

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In addition, during the Exhibition, we also held a session of the UMS "Agram" Assembly.

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BLACK QUEEN HOBBY AND MINIATURE PAINTING COMPETITION 2023

During the weekend of 25.-26.02. as a part of the Exhibition, we held our 16th annual Black Queen Hobby and Miniature Painting Competition!

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We have kept the changes in the format of the registration process. Contestants had to register via email. Then they were given the exact time when they should come for registration (Saturday from 8:30 to 11:00). This limited the number of people at the scene at the same time.

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This year we've had two guest exhibitors. The first one was Winton Afrić with his project Artefact. Four of his digital sculpts were premiered at out Exhibition that were a part of a commission for The Dark Eye RPG by Ulisses Spiele.

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The other guest was Gardens of Hecate. A Zagreb-based craft run by Ana Polanšćak that specialises in making and painting custom miniatures, terrain as well as developing rules sets.

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Painting Workshops/Demonstrations

The layout of the venue at the Vladimir Horvat Gallery makes it possible to hold several workshops throughout the weekend. Therefore, there were two two-hour workshops on Saturday after the official opening of the competition and two on Sunday before the awards ceremony. This year, the workshops were held in the cinema hall in the basement of the venue. The tutor's work was filmed with a camera and projected on the projection screen in the hall.

GASLANDS KITBASH WORKSHOP

Date and time: Saturday 25. February 2023, 13:00-15:00

TUTOR:Ana Polanšćak

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CONTENT:

The workshop demonstrated the conversion of diecast cars into figures for Gaslands - a tabletop game of vehicle racing and combat on a post-apocalyptic Earth. It included disassembly, surface preparation, and adding weapons, armor, damage, and other details.

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LEATHER 101 WORKSHOP

Date and time: Saturday 25. February 2023, 15:00-17:00

TUTOR: Marko Paunović

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CONTENT:

The workshop covered different methods of painting leather surfaces, ranging from basic for tabletop and/or beginners up to advanced methods for painting busts and other display miniatures. The tutor has chosen several various miniatures/busts to show his creative process.

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3D SCULPTING 101 WORKSHOP

Date and time: Sunday 26. February 2023, 10:00-12:00

TUTOR: Winton Afrić

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CONTENT:

The workshop covered the process of 3D digital sculpting, from the idea to realisation and preparation for casting.

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HORSES / HISTORICAL WORKSHOP

Date and time: Sunday 26. February 2023, 13:30-15:30

TUTOR: Dalibor Čavić

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CONTENT:

This workshop covered the process of painting 28mm cavalry historical miniatures. The tutor has chosen suitable Black Husars of Frederic the Great by Zvezda to explain the theory as well as practical application using various techniques like basecoating, washing, highlighting and detailing with acrylic paints.

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SPEED PAINTING COMPETITION

On Sunday afternoon, a competition in quick painting of miniatures was held. Participants had 90 minutes to color one miniature. Previous applications were also required. Thanks to ourš sponsor Hobby Chest, who provided us with a large donation of coloring materials from AK Interactive, we organized a quick miniature coloring contest according to the following rules:

- contestants have 60 minutes to color the miniature

- all contestants paint the same (same type) miniature

- we provided colors from AK Interactive

- we provided brushes from AK Interactive.

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WEEKEND MINIATURE PAINTING WORKSHOPS

During the second weekend of the Exhibition, March 4-5, we organized a MINIATURE PAINTING WORKSHOP – Batchpainting Ork Boyz.

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The workshop was held over two days (the whole weekend) and the participants painted Ork Boyz figures from the Warhammer 40,000 board strategy game. The focus of these lectures was coloring several miniatures at once, but the knowledge from the workshop is equally applicable to coloring armies for boardgames and a collection of figures for pen&paper rpgs. The workshop presented paints and accessories, preparation of figures, several techniques for coloring miniatures from basic to more advanced, and techniques and tricks for quickly and efficiently coloring large quantities of figures at once. As part of the workshop, water-based acrylic paints were used. The lectures were adapted so that the leader devoted equal time to all participants and could adapt to all categories of miniaturists (from beginners to slightly advanced).

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First, the lecturer sits at his desk and explains and demonstrates each step in painting a miniature/mockup on his specimen. His work is shown on a screen through a camera and projector, which the participants listen to, look at, and ask questions about. Afterwards, the participants sit at their desks and apply the acquired knowledge. Leaders circulate between participants and check how each participant is doing. In this way, they can be adapted to each student individually. The workshop included the following thematic units

1. Planning and preparation and assembly of miniatures 2. Processing of miniatures before painting 3. Basic colors 4. Shading and highlighting techniques 5. Batch Painting 6. Subsequent elevation of the finished paintjob to a higher level 7. Basing the miniatures

The association provided all the necessary materials and tools, lighting, scalpels, PVA and superglue, brushes of different sizes and one set of paints..

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During the weekend, May 20-21, 2023, we held a new diorama-making weekend workshop called Vignette in a frame. Over the course of two days, the participants created a stage display of the haustor/entrance according to their own choice from about 10 offered designs, some historical and some fantasy / SF themes. The subject of the workshop was the creation of a diorama with elements of stone, wood, metal, concrete/plaster. In a frame with internal dimensions of 10 x 15 cm, they placed a representation of the entrance to a building.

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The main focus of these lectures was the creation of stage bases from easily available and cheap materials. Guided by this, the presenters chose/designed suitable bases placed in a fantasy/historical setting, which all participants made. The lectures were adapted so that the presenters devoted equal time to all participants and could be adapted to all categories of miniaturists (from beginners to slightly advanced).

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During the weekend, September 16-17, 2023, we held a new miniature painting weekend workshop called Busts of Dragons. Guided by this, the organizers chose suitable busts of dragons by the famous miniaturist Karol Rudyk, which all participants painted. Each attendee received a unique bust from his set of busts limited to 100 copies. As part of the workshop, acrylic paints were primarily used, but oil effects could also be used.

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The participants learned how to properly prepare a resin figure/bust before painting, and then they made an inner base from balsa for the frame in which they placed their dragons at the very end of the workshop. This time, each participant could explore various effects at their own discretion through their coloring. The choice of "color scheme" or whether he wants to use OSL effects or anything else is up to the participant.

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MINIATURE PAINTERS CROATIA – FB group

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On our FB group Miniature Painters Croatia, we organized two online miniature painting competitions: Summer Painting Competition and Winter Painting Competition.

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WEDNESDAY'S HOBBY CORNER

Hobby Corner on Wednesdays is designed as a sum of free activities in the space used by UMS "Agram" on Wednesday evenings. Most activities are open to everyone, with some benefits for UMS "Agram" members, such as storing miniatures in display cases between appointments or borrowing books from our rich Library.

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AGRAM GROUP BUILD

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As part of this UMS "Agram" project called Agram Group Build, which was created after Kruno and Marko discussed joint projects on Wednesdays and how it would be cool to gather more people on Wednesdays to work on something together. From this, the idea of Group Builds was born. In 2023, the creation of the diorama / game board for the companion game Full Tilt from the 90s was completed.

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ADVENT IN AGRAM

During November and December, we organized a program called Advent in Agram, which consisted of interactive workshops for making spatial models and shorter demonstration workshops during December. Interactive workshops mean that the participants make their own models according to the instructions and under the supervision of the leader. No registration is required for the sample workshops in December, and they consist of a number of separate topics that deal with modeling methods, effects and materials related to the winter period, such as making snow, ice and the like, which the lecturer demonstrates in class. As part of Advent, we organized:

Miniature photography workshop

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Demonstration workshops of modeling techniques (plasticard and pigments)

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Award ceremony for the winners of our online painting competitions

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Secret Santa

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Miniatures Fair

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Tombola

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AGRAM ARENA SUMMER – TURM2023

Turm 2023, part of Agram Arena Summer, organized by UMS "Agram" and Gardens of Hecate, took place in July 2023 in Zagreb.

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UMS "Agram" has a tradition of awarding the best painted models/armies at our events, which we couldn't miss at this visually stunning event.

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APPEARANCES AT COMPETITIONS, CONVENTIONS, EXHIBITIONS AND OTHER EVENTS

On Saturday 13.5. Agram's delegation went to Slovenia to participate again in the model competition in Pivka. The 15th Svet v Malem festival was held again this year at the Museum of Military History in Pivka, and that environment again proved to be perfect for such a competition and gathering. This year's Festival of Miniatures SVM 2023 also left a good impression. Our Marko helped future partners from Back to Basics to hold workshops for the youngest!

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Under the auspices of the City of Zagreb, organized by the Zagreb Association of Technical Culture, the XII Days of Technical Culture were held on October 14, 2023. UMS Agram presented the work of our various programs such as Advent in Agram, Agram Group Build and UMS "Agram" Library and Reading Room. In addition to the presentations, we also organized two demo/exhibition workshops on making bases for miniatures for the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop strategy game

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On Saturday 04.11.2023. Photo Video Show & ModelMania Zagreb took place at Hotel Academia in Tkalčićeva, starting at 10 a.m. UMS Agram presented the work of our various programs such as Advent in Agram, Agram Group Build and UMS "Agram" Library and Reading Room.

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From 10.11. until 12.11.2023. we performed again at the gaming fair Infogamer by Reboot at the Zagreb Fair. In cooperation with our long-time sponsor Carta Magic, we held demonstrations of the basics of painting miniatures for interested fair visitors. For many, it was the first encounter with the miniaturist hobby and the world of board strategy games.

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On Saturday 18.11. we visited the DP of Slovenia - model competition in Ljubljana. Our Ana met again with her Slovenian hobby friends who participated in our Turm 2023 in July. Luka and Vane held wargaming demos as side content at the competition, which was an opportunity for some gameplay. They played a game of the tabletop game Forbidden Psalm: Last War.

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This year we also participated in the traditional Christmas exhibition of ZZTK, from 18.12.-08.01. in the Vladimir Horvat Gallery, Trg žrtava fašizma 14. At the Community's invitation, we gladly responded to participate in the Exhibition itself with our illuminated showcase full of winter-themed figures, as well as announcements of our programs for 2024.

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VISITS TO EXHIBITIONS, COMPETITIONS AND OTHER EVENTS

As part of the Kup Zagreb model competition, on June 3 and 4, the 3rd solo exhibition of Roland Vlahović's model ships took place..

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On the weekend of June 3 and 4, we visited (and competed in) the 18th model-making competition Cup Zagreb, organized by the Zagreb Model-Making Association. This time, for the first time at a mock-up competition in Croatia, the organizer decided on a two-day format that UMS "Agram" has been using in its competition since the beginning of 2007.

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According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Miniatur Wunderland, which means "miniature wonderland" in German, is the largest model railway in the world and is located in the historic Speicherstadt in Hamburg, Germany.

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Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg, German for International Maritime Museum, is a private museum in the Speicherstadt (warehouse district) of Hamburg, Germany. The museum houses Peter Tamm's collection of model ships, building plans, uniforms and naval art, numbering more than 40,000 items and more than a million photographs. It was opened in a former warehouse in 2008.

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The Lego House is a 12,000 square meter building filled with 25 million Lego bricks in Billund, Denmark, located near Legoland and the headquarters of The Lego Group. It is also known as the Home of the Brick in reference to Billund, where Lego originates from. Visitors can experience a variety of activities during their visit, including physical and digital building with Lego bricks, programming robots and animating models. The center's visitor experience includes four experience zones, two exhibitions and the Lego Museum, which showcases the history of the Lego brand and company.

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Legoland Billund Resort, the original Legoland park, opened on June 7, 1968 in Billund, Denmark. The park is located next to the original Lego factory and Billund Airport, the second busiest airport in Denmark. Since its opening, the park has been visited by over 50 million guests. This makes Legoland the biggest tourist attraction in Denmark outside of Copenhagen. Legoland parks that have since been built around the world are modeled after Legoland Billund, the most notable being the Miniland area, which consists of millions of plastic Lego bricks.

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We also visited numerous model and hobby shops in Austria, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and Italy...

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The second Saturday in September means a new edition of the Zagreb Modeling Cup CK 2023, organized by the HUVM, where we traditionally performed in "our" categories.

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The ship model exhibition Rijeka 2023, organized by the Croatian Association of Ship Model Makers and the Center of Technical Culture Rijeka, which was held this year from October 9 to 20 in the educational and exhibition space of the Ship House at Strossmayerova 13B in Rijeka, was also the 28th national ship model competition. as well as the 15th Croatian evaluation exhibition of ship models.

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On Saturday, 18.11.2023. in Ljubljana, the Slovenian National Championship in plastic modeling was held. Our delegation performed in several categories and in a wargaming demonstration.

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ARTICLES IN MINIATURISM AND MODEL ART

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And finally, our most comprehensive program should be mentioned. The online publication of articles from miniatures and model making that started in 2020 continued in the following years and also in 2023 with over 50 published articles this year. We would like to thank all members for their efforts and efforts in making miniatures and mockups, but especially for taking the time to photograph work in progress and write articles for our site.

UMS "Agram" wishes you all the best in the new year 2024! See you next year!

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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.

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    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.

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    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.

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

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

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    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.

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

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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

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

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

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

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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).

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

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    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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    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(4717) "

    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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).

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

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    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.

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    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.

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

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    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.

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    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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    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(3309) "

    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.

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    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.

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

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    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.

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    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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    " ["created"]=> string(19) "2026-10-01 09:43:15" ["modified"]=> string(19) "2026-10-01 09:43:15" } ["Member"]=> array(10) { ["id"]=> string(2) "64" ["group_id"]=> string(1) "1" ["first_name"]=> string(9) "Krunoslav" ["last_name"]=> string(8) "Belinić" ["first_name_mask"]=> string(9) "krunoslav" ["last_name_mask"]=> string(7) "belinic" ["username"]=> string(5) "Kruno" ["password"]=> string(40) "eb3fda45fbec0258e90d809803b10491c548b22f" ["born"]=> string(19) "2015-01-18 09:19:00" ["created"]=> string(19) "2015-01-18 09:20:39" } }
    Krunoslav Belinić, 1nd October 2026
  • Agram Group Build #7 – Amon Hen, pt.2
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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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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

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    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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    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(6921) "

    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.

    Click for enlarged picture

    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

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

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    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.

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

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    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"]=>
        string(23) "Signs for your plinths "
        ["title_hrv"]=>
        string(21) "Natpisi za vaše baze"
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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.

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    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.

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    Before looking for a photo studio, I decided to print it out on plain paper first to see what it looked like.

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

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    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.

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

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

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    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(4472) "

    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.

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    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.

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

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

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    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.

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

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

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    " ["created"]=> string(19) "2026-09-24 08:34:44" ["modified"]=> string(19) "2026-09-24 08:34:44" } ["Member"]=> array(10) { ["id"]=> string(2) "35" ["group_id"]=> string(1) "1" ["first_name"]=> string(5) "Marko" ["last_name"]=> string(9) "Paunović" ["first_name_mask"]=> string(5) "marko" ["last_name_mask"]=> string(8) "paunovic" ["username"]=> string(5) "marko" ["password"]=> string(40) "3bd37b326d19d1880d3b93a4b32e8fb3a90fa122" ["born"]=> string(19) "2033-03-07 20:35:00" ["created"]=> string(19) "2009-06-02 20:37:03" } }
    Marko Paunović, 24th September 2026

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