I am really not sure whether or not to paint and/or flock or not to paint and/or flock my Heroscape hexed terrain. I carried out some experiments with paint and flock back in 2011, and the results looked like this:
The seven-hex terrain tile was painted with Citadel Goblin Green paint and flocked with Games Workshop static grass. The uppermost single-hex terrain tile was painted with Citadel Graveyard Earth paint and the middle one was been painted with Citadel Kommando Khaki. Both were then flocked with Jarvis fine-grade cork granules. The bottom singe-hex terrain tile was painted with Citadel Camo Green paint and flocked with Games Workshop static grass.
As far as I know these paints are no longer available, but I am sure that suitable substitutes are available.
I have also used used Heroscape hexed terrain that has just been painted, and it looked like this:
In many ways this looks better than the painted and flocked terrain ... and it was quicker and easier to do.
Finally, I could just leave the Heroscape hexed terrain as it is.
Regular blog readers can see that I have a dilemma I need to resolve; to paint and/or flock or not to paint and/or flock? ... that is the Heroscape question.
The seven-hex terrain tile was painted with Citadel Goblin Green paint and flocked with Games Workshop static grass. The uppermost single-hex terrain tile was painted with Citadel Graveyard Earth paint and the middle one was been painted with Citadel Kommando Khaki. Both were then flocked with Jarvis fine-grade cork granules. The bottom singe-hex terrain tile was painted with Citadel Camo Green paint and flocked with Games Workshop static grass.
As far as I know these paints are no longer available, but I am sure that suitable substitutes are available.
I have also used used Heroscape hexed terrain that has just been painted, and it looked like this:
In many ways this looks better than the painted and flocked terrain ... and it was quicker and easier to do.
Finally, I could just leave the Heroscape hexed terrain as it is.
Regular blog readers can see that I have a dilemma I need to resolve; to paint and/or flock or not to paint and/or flock? ... that is the Heroscape question.
Well, one hesitates to advise lest one become the Hero-Scape-goat :) but....
ReplyDeleteMy preference is to try and match the figures bases so flocked bases on a flocked table, painted bases on a painted table (with the same colour paint preferably).
Ross Mac,
DeleteA very sensible suggestion, especially as these days I am tending towards using old-style painted and unflocked bases.
All the best,
Bob
PS. Terrible pun, by the way!
I've never owned or even seen Heroscape in the flesh as it were, but judging by pictorial evidence I would vote to leave it as is.
ReplyDeleteMaudlin Jack Tar,
DeleteI could well leave them as they are, but they do look a bit too brown and plastic for my liking.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, I think the plain painted version looks the best: the borders between the hexes do not stand out so much and are hardly noticeable in long shots, although remaining clear enough for calculation of movement and ranges. They also have ab almost 'old school' painted table and stepped hill look about them.
ReplyDeleteSince a hex-gridded playing surface is hardly aiming at diorama-style terrain, there seems little point going to the trouble of flocking.
You might just try a very light drybrush of earth-brown colour to make the green painted hexes a bit less lawn-like, but even that might not be worth the effort...
Regards,
Arthur
Arthur Harnan (Arthur),
DeleteA sensible and well argued suggestion ... as I would have expected from you.
I might experiment with dry-brushing a few hexes to see if I like the effect. If I don't, another coat of paint will correct the situation,
All the best,
Bob
I think the plain green looks best and will be far less work!
ReplyDeleteStryker,
DeleteYour suggestion makes a lot of sense ... especially the last point!
All the best,
Bob
I can't believe I gave away all my son's Heroscape stuff when he no longer wanted it...gutted!
ReplyDeleteAlastair,
DeleteOh no! As Captain Bertorelli might have said, 'What'a mistak'a to make'
All the best,
Bob
I agree with Messrs Harmon and Stryker in preferring the plain green unflocked look, though I think I'd prefer a duller green.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you can take this view with a pinch of salt as I've always preferred my bases as unobtrusive as possible (so thin, painted - a dullish mat green - and unflocked) and this does not seem to be a very popular approach.
Mike Hall,
DeleteI am coming round to just painting the hexes, probably using Humbrol Grass Green. This is the colour I have used on my figure bases since I decided to stop flocking them a couple of years ago.
All the best,
Bob
Paint and flock is the way to go from me. Just keep the flock out of the gap else it stops stacking.
ReplyDeleteHave a look at https://www.heroscapers.com/community/blog.php?b=6 for examples (others are available on the site).
ADB,
DeleteThanks for the link. It is very helpful.
I am going to paint the hexes and then make a decision as to whether or not to flock them.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteI used Heroscape to refight the battle of Inkerman and went through the same debate. I concluded that painting them an overall green was best. Also, with use some paint comes away and it is easy to touch up when the hexes are simply painted green. I got my local Homebase store to mix the colour I wanted having taken a piece of material with me, which they scanned.
Bob Kett,
DeleteThank you for the very helpful feedback and advice. I hadn't thought about getting the paint mixed for me at Homebase. That is certainly something for me to consider.
All the best,
Bob
Stu Rat,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your suggestion. I will probably try painting an initial batch with Humbrol Grass Green to see if it looks right or not.
All the best,
Bob
To flock and or paint or not to flock and or paint, that is the question?
ReplyDeleteI painted the 8 base plates overall a chrome green acrylic (the same as used on my hex board which may be the issue), looked at them all, then promptly washed and wiped it off again before it set. It lost the chess / game board-ness. I did the same with the flock trials.
Each to his own. Mark,Man of TIN
MIN ManofTin (Mark),
DeleteThanks very much for your very helpful feedback.
I am definitely going to paint a test batch of tiles to see if I like the look. Once that is done I'll make a final decision as to whether or not to paint and/or flock a larger batch.
All the best,
Bob
I painted my Heroscape terrain a rather bright green, much like yours. I found that when I took pictures, the figures stood out with the brighter green. As most of my figures are mounted on washers, I found sometimes the figures slid on the plastic. There is a clear rubber spray paint the gives the boards some grip so the figures are more stable, and it softened the brightness of the green.
ReplyDeleteJhnptrqn,
DeleteHaving seen your painted Heroscape hexes, I must admit that I think that choosing a lighter rather than a darker shade of green is preferable.
Thanks for the tip about using clear rubber spray paint to help to prevent the figures slipping. Most of my figures are based on wooden bases and luckily don't tend to slip.
All the best,
Bob
Bob - what about the finish on that emplacement I sent to you? That is just sand onto white glue, painted with a rather bilious yellow-green (one of the mixed colours that you get the DIY shop to match to a card - I can dig the details out for you) - then just three simple colour washes (heavily watered down acrylics for anything plastic) - Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and Chromite Green or similar. You can then just add a scattering of flock if you think it's needed. I do all of my figure bases the same way. I posted some pictures of the terrain boards I made using this colour scheme on the Historical Wargaming Google+ community:
ReplyDeletehttps://plus.google.com/117794468449297696700/posts/aVM5CbdHczX
Ian Dury,
DeleteThe paint effect you achieved was excellent, and probably would be suitable for use of my Heroscape hexes. It is certainly something that I can think about and even experiment with.
All the best,
Bob
Just to add to my last comment, the colour is 'Tarragon Glory' 70YY 53/638 from the Dulux range
ReplyDeleteIan Dury,
DeleteTarragon Glory sounds like an interesting name for a colour! I'll see if I can find a Dulux colour card or Matchpot of it.
All the best,
Bob
I think the approach I will take is a spray coat, then a dark wash. Maybe a little dry brushing. I don't use flocking with wargames. I might try a little filling putty to break up that look of the most common tile. I really like the brick tiles that come in the wall sets, but the standard tile is just ugly.
ReplyDeleteHorrido,
DeleteMy most recent ones have been painted in different-coloured shades of green, brown, and sand ... and I’m very happy with the results.
All the best,
Bob
Another thing I want to try is to make the edges brown, so that terrain elevations are more distinctive. Should look pretty cool, too.
ReplyDeleteHorrido,
DeleteI've tried that, but found that unless the paint layer is very, very thin, it can cause the edges of the hexes to jam and become very difficult to take apart.
All the best,
Bob