I have been playing around with different configurations for a custom table and wanted to note some things I’ve landed on that I really like. A main one thing is having the map mounted so that it can slide around as needed on top of a bigger playing area. My table is 65” x 95” in total with a 5.5” arm rest around the outside and the middle is a recessed neoprene surface. I have the OOB Global map mounted on 1/2” rigid foam with a 1/2” aluminum frame around it. This allows the map to slide up close to whoever’s turn it is, but then be in the middle so both players can roll dice In front of them without disturbing the map and in easy view of the other player. (Plus we like lots of room to roll the bones). This ability to adjust the surface along with a standing height, makes it comfortable for long uses because you can move around more and don’t feel as tied down.
Things I’ve learned and changed from original design - I originally used too big of a frame for the map and mounted it on too high of a foam block (you can see these pictures at the bottom) - it made it hard to see the other player’s dice and the big frame took up too much real estate. My global map is mounted on much thinner foam (the framing is bad, you can see if you look closely) but I also used much thinner aluminum angle for the frame. This gives just enough grip when needing to move the map around (I use furniture slides on the bottom, which glide very nicely on the neoprene) but doesn’t make the whole thing too bulky. Having it an inch or so off the surface keeps the dice off, but isn’t so heigh that you can’t see the other player’s dice rolls. When playing other versions (such as Zombies) the board is much smaller, but it can easily swap in and out on the same table since it can move around where ever it is needed or be pushed aside.
I originally made it normal table height, but found long reaches while sitting were harder and it just felt cramped. Standing height with a bar stool is a great way to have the best of both worlds.
The 5.5” rim around the table itself gives you a nice arm rest that doesn’t interfere with the gaming surface. I’m playing with how to best add some cushion to this part - open to suggestions. Sometimes I just lay a piece of leftover neoprene on it.
Dice bounce nice on the neoprene and stay off the floor. It also feels nice and has enough give to allow things to slide but be picked up easily. Wouldn’t definitely go with neoprene again as a surface covering.
I made the drawers open to the inside of the table so you can stay hunched over the action while accessing and stowing stuff away. 50/50 on whether I would keep this if I were to do it again. If I were doing it again, I might try to build customer drawers form scratch using actual drawer glides, but that was beyond my ability when I first did this, so I just used clear plexiglass boxes with aluminum pulls mounted on them. It’s nice having them clear, and I was happy with how the pulls came out, but without glides they can be a little fussy sliding in and out of their slots.
I originally designed the table so that I could put a cover surface back on top when not in use, but find I don’t really ever do that, so if I were to do it again, I might not mess with that part (I never even finished staining those as you can see in the pictures).
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Tip for Cleaning Paint off A & A Game Pieces
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I had painted some Italian models recently but I was very unhappy with how they turned out, I resprayed them with a plastic paint and primer but it bubbled and ruined the models, not to mention it the second coat covered up most of the minor details.
Extremely disappointed, I purchased some ‘Simple Green’ cleaning product and after diluting it with water (about a shot glass of cleaner to a cup of water) and let the game pieces soak for a week. I then took each piece and used a small stiff bristled brush to give a rough initial clean, then a final detailed clean with a toothpick.
Each piece cleaned up very well, and just though I’d share in case another forum member had game pieces they wanted to clean up and repaint.
Cheers, Rand.
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I had painted some Italian models recently but I was very unhappy with how they turned out, I resprayed them with a plastic paint and primer but it bubbled and ruined the models, not to mention it the second coat covered up most of the minor details.
Extremely disappointed, I purchased some ‘Simple Green’ cleaning product and after diluting it with water (about a shot glass of cleaner to a cup of water) and let the game pieces soak for a week. I then took each piece and used a small stiff bristled brush to give a rough initial clean, then a final detailed clean with a toothpick.
Each piece cleaned up very well, and just though I’d share in case another forum member had game pieces they wanted to clean up and repaint.
Cheers, Rand. Â
Thanks Rand for your tips. I will keep this in mind, if I ever run into this problem. :-)
John
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what kind of paint were you using with your unhappy finish coats? most hobby paints are acrylic so its odd you had a reaction priming over them…unless you used a oil base model paint? or you clear coated the pieces with a thinner based lacquer, then primed with a acrylic which could have caused a reaction. That must of sucked doing all that stripping work. Hopefully they turn out to your liking rnd #2. Thanks for the paint stripping solution.
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I have also used Simple Green to strip paint from my A&A pieces. It works perfectly - just soak them overnight, and give the pieces a scrubbing with an old toothbrush to remove what’s left from all the little crevices. For reference, I was using Testors Model Master enamel paint.
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Thanks for the tip!
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I have soaked some pieces in Dettol for a few days and they cleaned up rather well.
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Super Clean, the purple degreaser also works quite well for stripping acrylic paints, about a day or two soak and then use a stiff toothbrush under hot water to clean up the piece. It is also effective to soak the new parts in for an hour or two to clean off any mold release or oil from your fingers before painting.
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Oven Cleaner works great and it is fast… just make sure to use eye protection, gloves and work in a well ventilated area.
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Oven Cleaner works great and it is fast… just make sure to use eye protection, gloves and work in a well ventilated area.
You do risk melting the plastic however. I would stick to products like Simple Green/Purple Power/Super Clean Degreaser/Brake Fluid (yes … brake fluid, lol).
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When I painted my units, I had issues with Britain, I originally made 2 schemes, then decided I only wanted the tan, not green… On my painting, I used a combo of lacquer Enamel and acrylic, it was at the enamel stage, but I soaked them in paint thinner (in all preparation to consider them toast and order new units)… but they came clean, they soaked for 10 min or so, and I used my tooth brush (yes mine lol, bristle’s turned green, and yes, I still use it, the green faded away HAHA) to scrub away the paint film.
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