Agram 2024 – A Year In Review

Marko Paunović, 23th December 2024

The end of this year 2024 has come, in which after the chaotic 2023, things have returned to normal again, and in which, in addition to traditional programs, we introduced two new programs and published two new books! The first program builds on the 2023 partnership with Back to Basics and consists of miniature coloring workshops for the youngest that we conducted in the City of Zagreb Libraries, while the second program is the Agram Lego Section. Read about all of this, as well as the two new books, below.

I n s t A G R A M

Another novelty is that since 2024, UMS Agram has its own Instagram profile . During 2024, we published around 150 posts and gathered almost 200 followers!

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

E X H I B I T I O N   O F   M I N I A T U R E S   A N D   T A B L E T O P   S C E N E R Y

We started the year with preparations for our annual Miniatures and Models Exhibition, during which we also organized a weekend miniature painting workshop and, for the fifth time this term, our international miniature painting competition, the 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 Miniature Painters Croatia FB group. In a large number of showcases, there were numerous miniatures for tabletop strategy games, board games, and an entire showcase was dedicated to award-winning exhibits from previous miniature competitions. Several showcases were dedicated to projects that the Association has been implementing for 21 years, such as the UMS "Agram" Library and Reading Room, the Spatial Model Making Workshop, and the Miniature Painting Workshop. The works of our member Ana Polanšćak had a special place in the showcases.

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Exhibition of Miniatures and Tabletop Scenery Agram 2024 was held this year from 22.2. to 10.03. 2024. The exhibition was held on Wednesday 21.2. in the afternoon and was attended by a large number of members and friends of the Association who exhibited their works.

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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 Miniature Painters Croatia FB group. A large number of showcases contained numerous miniatures for tabletop strategy games, board games, and an entire showcase was dedicated to award-winning exhibits from previous miniature competitions. Several showcases were dedicated to projects that the Association has been implementing for 21 years, such as the UMS “Agram” Library and Reading Room, the Workshop for Making Spatial Models, and the Miniature Painting Workshop.

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This year we hosted a special exhibitor, Gardens of Hecate. A Zagreb-based craft that makes and paints miniatures and terrains for tabletop strategy games.

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During the first weekend of the Exhibition, February 24-25, we held the 18th annual international miniature painting competition Black Queen Hobby and Miniature Painting Competition!

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As contestants arrived and registered for the competition, our hardworking staff photographed all the exhibits before sorting them into categories and carefully placing them in glass cases.

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WARGAMING DEMOS

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This year, for the first time, we organized demonstrations of the tabletop strategy games Forbidden Psalm and The Doomed. Over the course of both days, a handful of games were played on beautiful terrain!

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SELLERS' COURT

During the weekend our sponsors were present with their sellers' booths: The Bigbear Miniatures, The Zone Miniatures i Carta Magica.

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MINIATURE PAINTING DEMONSTRATIONS

The Vladimir Horvat Gallery space allows for workshops to be held over the weekend. Therefore, we organized three demonstration workshops over the weekend. This year, the workshops were held in a cinema hall. The lecturers' work was recorded with a camera and projected onto a projection screen in the hall.

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BACK TO BASICS PAINTING WORKSHOPS FOR THE YOUNGEST

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Throughout the weekend, we held our new workshops for the youngest, in which our youngest participants painted their first miniatures.

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SPEED PAINTING CONTEST

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On Sunday afternoon, a miniature speed painting competition was held. Participants had 90 minutes to paint one miniature. Thanks to our sponsor Hobby Chest, who provided us with a large donation of painting materials from AK Interactive, we organized a miniature speed painting competition.

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With that, we came to the very end of this wonderful weekend and all that remained was the distribution of prizes and awards to the winners.

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OPEN MINIATURE PAINTING WORKSHOPS

Over the next two weeks, our volunteers held open miniature painting workshops on weekdays from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Miniature painting workstations were set up where our visitors could paint miniatures we had prepared (or their own if they had brought them) using our materials and tools.

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On Wednesday 06.03.2024. the annual session of the Assembly was held, where we determined the guidelines for work in 2024..

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W E E K E N D   M I N I A T U R E   P A I N T I N G   W O R K S H O P S

During the second weekend of the Exhibition, March 4-5, we organized a MINITURE PAINTING WORKSHOP – Frostgrave.

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The workshop was held over two days (the whole weekend) and participants painted five different figures for the Frostgrave game, which can also be used for DND sessions. The focus of these lectures is 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. Each participant received 1 wizard (male/female), 3 warriors (2 male and 1 female or 2 female and 1 male) and 1 male barbarian. 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 are adapted so that the leaders devote equal time to all participants and can be adapted to all categories of miniaturists (from beginners to slightly advanced).

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During the weekend, May 4th-5th, we organized a MINITURE PAINTING WORKSHOP – Bretonnia.

The workshop was held over two days and the participants painted a Bretonnian knight on horseback for the tabletop strategy game Warhammer The Old World. The focus of these lectures was painting multiple miniatures at once, but the knowledge from the workshop is equally applicable to painting armies for board games and collections of figures for pen&paper RPGs. Each participant assembled their own knight with a spear, shield and ornamental helmet as well as a horse according to their own wishes. The workshop presented paints and accessories, figure preparation, several techniques for painting miniatures from basic to advanced, as well as techniques for applying stickers, and finally basing the figure. Water-based acrylic paints were used as part of the workshop..

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The workshop included the following thematic units: 1. Planning and preparation and assembly of miniatures 2. Processing miniatures before painting 3. Basic colors 4. Shading and highlighting techniques 5. Placing matte stickers 6. Freehand basics

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During the weekend, 21-22.9.2024, we held a new weekend miniature painting workshop called Dragon Busts. Guided by this, the organizers selected suitable dragon busts by the famous miniaturist Karol Rudyk, which all participants painted. Each participant 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 made an inner base for the frame from balsa, into which they placed their dragons at the very end of the workshop. This time, each participant was able to explore various effects through their painting at their own discretion. The choice of “color scheme” or whether they want to use OSL effects or anything else is left to the participant.

 

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B A C K   T O   B A S I C S   Miniature   Painting   Workshops

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In 2024, we started a new program called Back to Basics miniature painting workshops for the youngest in collaboration with the Zagreb City Libraries. We held a total of four workshops during October and November with 29 participants, our youngest fellow citizens.

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A G R A M    L E G O    S E C T I O N

As part of our Agram Lego Section, we have been organizing a series of expert lectures related to our current group LEGO project since 2024. Our experts lead lectures in various fields such as architecture, mechanical engineering, naval architecture, sculpture, etc. In 2024, we covered the topic of Hogwarts – sacral and fortification architecture of the Middle Ages.

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A G R A M   G R O U P   B U I L D

As part of this UMS "Agram" project called Agram Group Build which was created after Kruno and Marko talked about joint projects on Wednesdays and how cool it would be to bring more people together on Wednesdays to work on something together. From that came the idea of Group Builds. In 2024 we worked on a series of busts of Musketeers .

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W E D N E S D A Y' S    H O B B Y    C O R N E R

Wednesday's Hobby Corner is conceived as a collection of free activities in the space used by UMS "Agram" during Wednesday evening sessions. Most activities are open to everyone, with some benefits for UMS "Agram" members, such as storing miniatures in display cases between sessions or borrowing books from our extensive Library.

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A G R A M   A R E N A   S U M M E R   –   T U R M   2 0 2 4

Turm 2024, part of Agram Arena Summer, organized by UMS "Agram" and Gardens of Hecate, took place in July 2024 in Zagreb.

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UMS “Agram” has a tradition of awarding the best painted models/military at our events, which we could not miss at this visually stunning event.

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A D V E N T   I N   A G R A M U

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During November and December, we organized a program called Advent in Agram, which consisted of interactive workshops on making Christmas balls and shorter demonstration workshops during December. Interactive workshops involve participants making their own models according to instructions and under the supervision of a leader. No registration is required for the demonstration workshops in December, and they consist of a series of separate topics that cover model-making methods, effects, and materials related to the winter period, such as making snow, ice, and the like, which the lecturer demonstrates from behind the desk. As part of Advent, we organized:

Miniature Photography Workshop

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Demonstrations In Making Winter Terrain

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Workshop for making Christmas decoration in shape of a Hobbit Hole

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Secret Santa

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Bits and Miniatures Fleamarket

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APPEARANCES AT COMPETITIONS, CONVENTIONS, EXHIBITIONS AND OTHER EVENTS

Kup Zagreb

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The Zagreb Cup, a model-making competition organized by ZMMS, was held this year over two days on May 18-19, 2024, at Family Mall. The organizer asked us to participate by presenting our programs and projects, which we were happy to do.

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Svet v Malem, Pivka, Slovenija

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Svet v Malem, a model-making competition, was held at the Museum of Military History in Pivka, Slovenia, on May 25, 2024. We also presented our programs and activities at this competition. For the first time, our Norwegian member, Sebastian, came with us, for whom this was also the first competition abroad in which he participated. In addition to the competition, as is tradition, our Slovenian partner Back to Basics and Miniatures.si organized demonstration workshops on painting miniatures. Our Marko was also invited to hold one – on quick painting of the Bretonnian Man-at-Arms.

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“First of all, the venue is perfect for a miniature convention. The Military History Park in Pivka has an interesting story, and learning about its historical and geographical importance, as well as Yugoslav military history in their museum, was certainly interesting, although for me the best part of the place were the large planes, helicopters, tanks and cars hanging or standing around the venue. This provides a perfect complement and contrast to all the tiny miniatures on display. The exhibition mostly consisted of military and historical vehicles, dioramas or displays, but the three of us entered in the slightly smaller categories of "Wargaming", "What If (Sci-fi)", "Movie Scenes", "Bust" and "Figures of All Scales". Even here, there were some pretty good entries. But most impressive of all were some of the dioramas depicting historical military events (also complementing the museum exhibits and several historical artifacts housed there), such as Winter Relax, Alsace 1944, a "Best of Show" from Moson. This large rotating diorama, complete with well-lit interiors and a completely realistic winter scene of vehicles, soldiers and equipment, was so impressive to me that we also awarded it the BEST OF SHOW by UMS AGRAM award and presented it to the author, Giampiero Bianchi.”

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International TableTop Day 2024, Jalžabet

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On June 8th, we organized an interactive miniature painting workshop as part of International Tabletop Day 2024 in Jalžabet near Varaždin.

Our Mario, with the help of local Viking Sebastian, led a miniature painting workshop that was supposed to last two hours, from 10 am to 12 pm. However, due to great interest, the duration was extended to almost 5 pm.

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PSMK 2024, Budapest, Hungary

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In parallel with the workshop in Jalžabet, our second delegation headed to Budapest to represent UMS Agram at the international model-making competition PSMK 2024. Our team, Kruno and Marko, headed there on Friday and stayed until Sunday, even though the competition itself was a one-day event.

Upon arrival in Budapest, we joined the miniaturist team for a welcome dinner with Hungarian specialties. Throughout the weekend, it was a pleasure to exchange experiences and knowledge with world-class figures such as Margot Crombeecke, Chloe Plattner, James Zhou and Miklos Bute.

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On Saturday morning, we arrived at the competition and set up our stand (which later won a “We Like It” souvenir from the organizers). We then placed the exhibits in the corresponding categories and the competition could begin.

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After a short deliberation, the decision to award the BEST OF SHOW by UMS AGRAM was easy to award to Chloe Plattner's wonderful display.

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Kamping Kitbash

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Kamping Kitbash is a three-day event dedicated to indie board games and miniatures making. This is the first edition of Kamping Kitbash, and it took place at BROEI - a converted old factory near the center of Ghent, and was organized by Nerdlab, a local collective dedicated to promoting the fusion of fine art and technology.

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Throughout the weekend, there were large tables where we could all model and paint miniatures, as well as piles of figures, parts, paints, tools, brushes and kitbashing supplies.

There was at least one workshop every day of the Kitbashing Camp. On the first day, Helge (@wilhelminiatures) led a workshop on polymer clay modeling, and Terran (@conjuredcraft) on face modeling for beginners. On Saturday, there was a workshop on experimental painting led by our own Ana, and Arjan (@atelier.ag) on silicone mold making and resin casting of miniatures. On Sunday, Tara (@manglingminis) had a workshop on tabletop game design.

Modelling Cup Crna Kraljica 2024

On 05.10.2024. we performed at the Black Queen organized by HUVM. In addition to the presentation stand, our members competed and achieved notable success (all our competitors won at least a medal). Congratulations!

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XIII DAYS OF TECHNICAL CULTURE 2024

On October 18th and 19th, 2024, we participated in the XIII Days of Technical Culture organized by the Zagreb Technical Culture Association.

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On Friday, we held three demonstrations of model-making and miniaturist techniques (Ana, Marko and Sebastian) and participated in the Forum organized by SUPTK and DPTK with a presentation about the miniaturist and model-making workshops we organize.

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On Saturday, after the official opening ceremony, we presented a new book published by UMS Agram - Miniaturism in the post-Corona era and held two series of Back to Basics workshops. The participants painted their first figures! After both days, it's time for our volunteers to have some well-deserved relaxation!

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MODELMANIA @ FOTO VIDEO SHOW ZAGREB 2024

26.10. we performed at Model Mania Zagreb with the presentation of our programs:

- Advent in Agram
- Back To Basics miniatures coloring workshop for the youngest in the Reading Room and VN Gallery, 09.11.2024.
- Exhibition of miniatures and models Agram 2025
- Black Queen Hobby and Miniature Painting Competition by UMS Agram

and for the youngest we organized Back To Basics miniature painting workshops.

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VISITS TO EXHIBITIONS, COMPETITIONS AND OTHER EVENTS

KZMZ Train Exhibition

On Friday, May 24th, at the invitation of the organizers of KZMZ, we visited the Train Exhibition held at the Family Mall.

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FESTUNG CUP in Slavonski Brod

Our Vanja Ilijev performed at this year's FESTUNG CUP in Slavonski Brod.

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National championship of Slovenia in plastic modeling

On Saturday, 16.11.2024. in Ljubljana, the Slovenian National Championship in plastic modeling was held. Our delegation performed in several categories.

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It was a special pleasure for us to present and give away several copies of our latest issue to our partners and friends from Back to Basics!

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Big Panda and Tiny Dragon, Character Drawing Workshop

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During this year's Interliber, James Norbury, author of the books about the Big Panda and the Tiny Dragon, held several different events and meetings with readers. On Friday, November 15th, I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop on drawing characters from his books. Since James is an illustrator and his works include abstract landscapes, fantasy art, SF and cyberpunk comics, drawings and graphics, it was interesting for me to see how the panda and dragon characters are created using the technique of Japanese Zen painters.

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 began in 2020 continued in the following years, including in 2024, with over 50 published articles this year. Hereby we would like to thank all members for their effort and commitment in making miniatures and models, but especially for taking the time to photograph work in progress and writing articles for our site.

B O O K S    P U B L I S H E D   B Y   U M S   „A G R A M“

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During 2024, we published two books. The first is a Collection of Articles on Miniaturism and Modeling, the second part of which is called Miniaturism in the Post-Corona Era. The second book is the second, expanded Back to Basics edition of the Miniature Painting for Beginners manual.

UMS „Agram“ wishes you a happy New Year! See you in 2025!

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Latest articles

  • 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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    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 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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    Krunoslav Belinić, 24th September 2026
  • Signs for your plinths
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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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    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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    Marko Paunović, 24th September 2026
  • We attended: Days of Technical Culture 2026
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    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.

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    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.

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    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, and the turnout this year was phenomenal. I was also pleasantly surprised by the other exhibitors' stands. It was a real pleasure to walk among them and see the fascinating things people are creating and sharing with visitors.

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    You can find more photos on our social media.

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    On Friday, our Marko gave a presentation titled "Miniaturism – A World in Miniature," in which he described to all those present the projects and programs organized by the Association, as well as everything we offer to our fellow citizens!

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    Thank you to everyone who stopped by, asked a question, or painted their first miniature. I look forward to next year—with just as many curious visitors and, I hope, a few more tables for brushes.

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    U petak i subotu, 18. i 19. rujna 2026., smo sudjelovali na Danima tehničke kulture u Tehničkom muzeju. Na našem su štandu posjetitelji mogli upoznati svijet minijatura, a najviše nas je razveselio interes djece koja su prvi put uzela kist u ruke.

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    Kruno i ekipa sjajno su ih vodili kroz prve korake bojanja. Bilo je koncentracije, veselja i pokojeg ozbiljnog pitanja o tome koja boja najbolje pristaje malom junaku. Interes je bio toliko velik da nam je prostor za rad oko štanda brzo postao tijesan. Za iduću godinu voljeli bismo vidjeti nešto više mjesta za radionice, kako bi svatko mogao mirno sjesti i okušati se u bojanju.

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    Na Danima tehničke kulture sudjelovao sam godinama, još dok su se održavali u Dubravi. Tehnički muzej Nikola Tesla za mene je velik korak naprijed: prostor daje događaju posebnu atmosferu, a posjećenost je ove godine bila fenomenalna. Štandovi drugih izlagača također su me ugodno iznenadili. Bilo je pravo zadovoljstvo prošetati među njima i vidjeti koliko zanimljivih stvari ljudi stvaraju i dijele s posjetiteljima.

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    Više fotografija pogledajte na našim društvenim mrežama

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    U petak, naš Marko je održao predavanje pod nazivom MINIJATURIZAM – Svijet u malom u kojem je svim prisutnima opisao projekte i programe koje Udruga organizira i što sve nudimo našim sugrađanima!

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    Hvala svima koji su zastali kod nas, postavili pitanje ili obojali svoju prvu minijaturu. Veselim sei dućoj godini — uz jednako puno znatiželjnih posjetitelja i, nadam se, koji stol više za kistove.

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    Marko Paunović, 23th September 2026
  • Agram Group Build #7 – Amon Hen, pt.1
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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 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.

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    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 the terrain and figures arrived, we also acquired appropriate autumn trees.

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    Once the concept was confirmed, we could get to work on making the base for the board. We used a 130 x 40 x 2 cm plank—originally a shelf—for this purpose. We marked two diagonals on it to outline a 40 x 40 cm square, then applied masking tape over the area to protect the wood during sawing.

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    Then, we cut the board to the desired size using a circular saw. After cutting, we sanded both cut edges.

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    And with that, preparations for the first collaborative project are complete. We have everything ready for the presentation at the Technical Culture Days, where our Marko will conduct demonstration workshops—specifically, demonstrations on creating a spatial model—based on this very project.

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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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    Ideja od početka bila je da napravimo dioramu poznate scene iz Gospodara prstenova gdje Boromir pogiba, a Uruk Hai otimaju dva, srećom pogrešna, Hobita. Idealno u našim zamislima sve bi stalo na tablu 40 x 40 cm. Stoga prvo je to trebalo provjeriti. Od dva A3 papira napravili smo kvadrat otprilike željene veličine.

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    Figure i teren taman pašu za tablu te dimenzije. Međutim, ovo bi trebala biti i diorama, stoga smo provjerili kako sve zajedno funkcionira i sa vegetacijom. Na svu sreću, prije nego su došli teren i figure, nabavili smo i prigodno jesensko drveće.

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    Kad smo potvrdili koncept, mogli smo se baciti na izradu baze za tablu. Za to nam je poslužila daska 130 x 40 x 2 cm koja je služila kao polica. Na nju smo ucrtali dvije dijagonale i na taj način dobili kvadrat veličine 40 x 40 cm. Zatim smo preko toga prelijepili krep traku kako bismo dasku zaštitili prilikom piljenja.

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    Zatim smo ispilili dasku na željenu veličinu ručnim cirkularom. Nakon piljenja smo pobrusili oba rezana ruba.

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    I time su pripreme za prvi zajednički rad završene. Sve smo spremili i pripremili za nastup na Danima tehničke kulture gdje će naš Marko upravo na ovom projektu držati ogledne radionice odn. demonstracije izrade prostorne makete.

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    Marko Paunović, 14th September 2026
  • We attended: H.R.E.N. 28 - 2026., Medvode, Slovenia
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    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!

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    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(4572) "

    Još jedan uspjeh za organizatore Hren-a! Od dva dana eventa, prvi dan je bio namijenjen igri Turnip28, a drugi za originalnu igru smišljenu od strane domaćina. Kao i prošle godine, stolovi i tereni su nadmašili očekivanja igrača, scenariji su bili maštoviti i zabavljala me interakcija između stolova tijekom igre. Na primjer, moja prva partija uključivala je ribanje korijena hrena po figurama tijekom igre, uključujući i druge stolove u dvorani. Idući dan smo igrali jako zabavnu zajedničku igru u parovima, u kojoj je svaki par igrača imao svoj kit-bashani svemirski brod (koji smo izrađivali prije ili tijekom eventa) kojim smo trebali pokupiti Toda (lik od prošle godine) i vratiti ga na Zemlju. Kaosa nije falilo. Domaćini iz Amuleta su se trudili da nam bude ugodno i da ne budemo ni gladni ni žedni tijekom cijelog vremena održavanja manifestacije i mogu reći samo riječi hvale na trud i angažman!

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    Mario Grgurev, 7th September 2026

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