Friday 19 April 2019

Endor Terrain

So having completed the core troops, I was wanted to give the game a go and fortunately Messrs Bull and Templar were keen to oblige.  A convenient date was scratched into the diary and we all set about trying to get to grips with the rules ahead of the meeting, some more than others.*  I had envisaged using my swamp mat, which at 4’ x 3’ was a little smaller than suggested, but as this was our first venture I thought that it would pass muster.  Similarly I thought that I could use some of the jungle terrain created for the Congo board to represent the forest landscape of the Sanctuary Moon, Endor.
*I am really bad at this sort of preparation, it feels too much like homework! 
All of this would have been more than adequate, but then it happened again…

Before I knew what I was doing I had placed a not an unsubstantial order for elements of 4Ground’s Jungle Set. This was pure indulgence, but as it had happened so quickly the pain was superficial, at least until it duly arrived in the post.
From the outset, I should stress that I am normally a big fan of 4Ground’s terrain; innovative design, pre-painted pieces and good customer service - there is a lot to like. This set, however, was not as I had hoped. It is kit bashed from several other ranges in order to provide you with an idea of the treetop dwellings inhabited by the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Consequently not everything was as good a fit as it could have been and the instructions required several leaps of faith in order to get to the desired result. Now you could argue that this ‘loose’ approach to construction allows you more freedom to interpret the kits to your individual requirements and I think this is definitely the way to approach them, but I couldn’t help thinking that with a little more time and effort, I could have created something equally comparable by following one of the many YouTube tutorials, and for a lot less money!
Grumbling aside, the kits did serve a purpose and certainly saved me considerable time.  The quality printed bark textures, to wrap around the cardboard tube tree trunks, worked well and the bunker, albeit it simple, was perfectly serviceable.  So whilst the Jungle Set may lack some of the production values that one normally associates with the company they do a job and I have to say helped ‘sell’ the idea of battling for supremacy in a galaxy far, far away.

Although I didn't record the battle, so to speak, Mike did and his report,  The Empire Invades Pevensey, can be found here.

46 comments:

  1. Wonderful work again Michael!

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  2. A nice post as always. I'm just disappointed having followed the link that the little furry Ewoks (insert whatever word seems appropriate) didn't get what was coming to them. I really, really don't like Ewoks !!!

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    1. I'm sorry to report that no Ewoks were hurt in the making of this post.😄

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  3. Your terrain is always fab and I have no doubt that once you've tinkered with it, it will look fab

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    1. Thank you Martin. I'm now found several really good tutorials for Endor Terrain, but it would appear that the focus has shifted to a couple of other planets.

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  4. What you've done with them adds to the effect Michael, but they do have that cobbled together look about them, with everything sat ontop of flat tree trunks. As a starting point I could see a lot of use but for the amount of work to make them look right as you say probably easier to start from scratch

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    1. I think you are right Dave, perhaps best to start from scratch. That said some of the structures can be incorporated into other builds so not all lost.

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  5. Cutting the tops off trees to make thier houses! Those sugar cutie (yuk) "teddies" aren´t very enviromentally friendly are they? Another reason, like Phil, to dislike them. Did they really fit into the Star wars world? IMHO... nah.
    I like the look of the Terrain bits but you sir are, as I know, a very good scratchbuilder and to create something like them, actually way way better ) would have been more than within your skills.

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    1. Thank you Paul. This was one of those situations were I dived in without giving things too much thought. Time was certainly saved initially, but at some point I will need to go back and resist them.

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    2. I think we´ve all done that. Been there myself. Got some very nice laser cut medieval houses. Quicker to build than my scratch Versions but they are so nice they don´t fit alongside the scratch versions. Basically a bit of a waste of Money.

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  6. A Congo Board NEEDS a tree house. excellent stuff.

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    1. I like your thinking Clint, what a great idea!

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  7. Replies
    1. Thank you Phil, they certainly looked the part on the table.

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  8. I certainly share your doubts with these pieces Michael. But they still look both good and playable as terrain pieces :-)

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    1. Thank you Simon. The Bunker was certainly serviceable, a good, no thrills piece.

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  9. Those are pretty cool, nice work!

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    1. Thank you Fran, certainly worth building on.

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    1. Thank you Alex, I wish I had done more with them though.

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  12. Great work yet again as you painstakingly recreate Endor. Looks functional and aesthetically pleasing.

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    1. Thank you, it certainly does a job, but more work needed to make it mine.

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  13. Fantastic craftsmanship once again, Michael. I really like the look of that sagging foot bridge!

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    1. Thank you Dean, there is plenty to like with the kits, the foot bridge being one of them, and so I am not too disappointed.

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  14. That looks awesome Michael.
    Looks like a great Tarzan encounter for Congo :-)

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    1. Thank you Paul, I think that is definitely an idea that needs to happen. :)

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  15. Whilst they served their purpose, I agree that there's something a little 'off' about them. From your comments, it appears that they decided they needed a product quickly, hence the semi-professional feel of the items. Looks like a good time was had by all though, which is the most important part really.

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    1. I think you are absolutely correct Jez, this was one of the first products out there and so possibly not thought through to their usual standards.

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  16. I've just had a similar experience with a 4Ground building. Nothing that a 2 inch drill bit couldn't solve, but I'm still a bit miffed!
    Top work though Sir M!

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    1. I am pleased that it is not just me being a bit grumpy and of course the joy of the material is that they are open to development and conversion.

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  17. Whulst maybe not up to your expectations, it's still a veyr good looking board and will be a joy to game over.

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    1. Thank you Joe, they do have a quality which I am hoping to build upon.

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  18. I think overall Michael, the set you put together, under time constraints, is quite effective & does the game well. The bark effects are quite nice actually. You say they are printed sheets? We will always have hindsight of how to improve our creations...how many times have we re-based figures again? Now off to read the battle Report!

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    1. The printed sheets were a revelation and you are quite right in that there will always be ideas to take forward.

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  19. I think they look marvellous. Better than marvellous actually. I`m a non fussy gamer, and maybe I look for a different gaming aesthetic than others, but to me they look ruddy amazing. I`d be proud of those if I`d done them :-)

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    1. Thank you Steve, I might have been a bit tough on them as they did work well with the Congo scenery.

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  20. They look good, but the important question is will they ever be inhabited by Ewoks?

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  21. I agree with you, not really convinced whether this set is worth the price they're asking. With a bit of time I could probably cobble something similar together at less than half of what 4Ground's asking.
    Clever using your Congo terrain, it's always good to find new uses for something old.

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