Project 2mm Terrain: Update 6

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That's another 2 levels done. The next set of two are the trickiest in terms of complex shapes but after that, the hills smooth out and take up less overall terrain.

The more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to keep the contour lines. I won't be saving any time because I would need to clean up the paper overhangs, but I think it will perform better as a gaming table, even if it is not quite as "realistic". There's a kind of honesty to keeping the construction method exposed that I'm appreciating.

(I really need to get a new phone. These are terrible pictures)

Project 2mm Terrain: Update 5

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Woo Hoo! I have the wind at my back and things are progressing nicely. I've just completed up to the 120 foot contour. It's this contour and the next two that are the most complex, large, and fiddly. The pinning technique is working brilliantly and it's helping to speed things up.

I'm currently waiting for the glue on the second part of the 120 to dry so that I can trim off the excess. So I thought I would take some time while the glue dries to do this update. Sorry, no pix but they really wouldn't show anything.

I've been watching Luke's APS channel on Youtube and it is brilliant in how he shares his techniques. Yes, he pushes his products but that is redeemed by how he reveals how he actually makes his products and how he uses them and how he uses competing products. From his one-day builds, he's given me an idea on how to finish and protect this project. If I can find it cheap enough, I'm planning on using a deep picture frame, turn it upside down, and insert the terrain. If I can't, I'll have a go at making the equivalent.

Project 2mm Terrain: Update 4

Well, I have now completed the hills on the extreme left of the battlefield, where the initial Confederate thrust came from.

I'll confess that my slow progress has mainly come from a lack of motivation, slow progress, and how fiddly the whole process has been. But last night, I had a brain wave. Since I am using foamcore and cork as my materials, I can just pin the terrain in place until it is dry. All of a sudden, the fiddliness has gone away and it's just become a matter of cutting the pieces out, gluing them, and pinning them in place.

Completing the western hills represents only a small fraction of the entire battlefield but doing something and having it come out looking really good has raise my morale and now I want get the rest done.

I was toying with the idea of smoothing out the contours but now I've gone the other way and I'm thinking I might keep them. I might do some experimentation before I decide.

Life and Death

Sometimes life sucks. Not long after I had posted my last project update, I received some bad news. My mother was in hospital and not doing well. I booked a flight for first thing the next morning. When I got into Calgary to change planes, I learned that she had passed.

The crazy thing is that I had talked to her a few days before. She had sounded a little breathless but otherwise seemed fine. She'd been having problems with swelling and severe itching. She was going back to the hospital the next day for a follow-up. She had had a full battery of testing and, while there were a lot of things that weren't quite right, she'd had them for a long time. We didn't have any indication that there was any immediate concern.

Two days later, she was gone.

Looking back, I'm glad that I saw her when we returned out East this last May. It had crossed my mind that it might be the last time I saw her. The previous May, she'd come to visit us in our new house. I found it concerning about how much difficulty she had in walking and, in particular, how she struggled to climb stairs. But she also displayed an iron will about getting to where she needed to go even though she would take some time to get there. Her only concession was to using a cane when she left the house.

My Mum's great joy was her garden. She came by her green thumb honestly. Her parents had created a prize winning garden in New Brighton, England, despite its modest size. In every house that she lived in, my Mum spent time creating and maintaining its garden. It's fitting that her final garden is her best. It's also fitting that she waged the same war against squirrels that her father did.

So what's next? We're planning a tree planting in Toronto on her birthday. Back here in BC, we're also going to plant a tree for her.

Project 2mm Terrain: Update 3

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I have now done the 90 foot contour and the 100 foot contour. The one change to my plans is that I've ended up gluing the paper pattern I used to cut the contours back onto the elevations. I think it will help me with positioning the roads, buildings and creeks later on.

I'm liking how it is looking but it is much, much slower going than I had anticipated. And it will get a lot worse too because the two levels that I did are likely the easiest ones to do. The next 2 levels will be the worst.

There are two "islands" on the left side and I've got one in the above shot. I'm going to the much larger one next and build it up to its apex of 170 feet because it will be useful practice for the rest of the board. I've already learned that I need to cut inside the lines and I shall learn a few more things as I go.

Project 2mm Terrain: Update 2

So, I've spent the last few days tracing out the topographic lines with a different colour for each elevation.

Though tedious, it has been a useful exercise because sometimes the lines get hard to see, obscured by something on the map, or even almost overlapping. Tracing has let me work out what lines apply to each elevation.

It's also let me figure out the general lay of the land. Most of the battle field is at 150-170 feet.

I've also had yet another rethink and I've decided that I'm going to go with a 1mm cork with 2mm foamcore. I just couldn't find any 1mm board that would be sturdy enough so this will be a compromise of the heavy durability of cork and the cheapness of foamcore. It's going to be every second elevation line with the foamcore and the cork providing the step up between.

The next step is cut out the 100 foot mark, use it as a pattern on the foam core. Then I'll do the same for the 90 mark on the cork.

(I also apologize for the really crappy photography. The lens on my phone is so scratched up that all photos no look like they've been taken in a heavy fog.)

Project 2mm Terrain: Update 1

I now have the big map done and cut to fit my board. I ended up extending the length of the board by 3" just in case I want to recreate the battle exactly. The extra 3" lets me put 3 Confederate batteries on board, which is always better than off board.

I also skewed the map slightly to minimize the 80' contour and confine it to the very corner of the board.

I think the next step is to colourize the contour lines because my plan is to cut each contour out one at a time and use it as a pattern to cut my foamcore. This would be an effectively irreversible process (because I would need to reprint the map, tape it together, and re-cut the contour lines), so I don't want to make a mistake. I'm hoping the colouring will reduce the chance of an error.

I expect I won't be ready to cut my first contour until the weekend.