Sired's Map project - Updated- 4/16 - files available see first post

H All!

Thanks for the help in creating my original enlarged map board. I found an original scan of a board online (I cannot remember the original creator, but I searched for “High Res Axis Allies Map.” If you were the creator of this, thank you very much! Kudos!

I wanted to do a 4 foot by 6 foot enlargement. The original file wasn’t high res enough for that, so I worked on it in Photo Shop by increasing the size and dpi. I’m pretty much a novice to Photo Shop, but it wasn’t that difficult after some google queries on how to do it.

Once I had it enlarged to the size and resolution I needed (beware, this apparently can bog down your computer if you are using a basic MacBook), I then went about finding a print shop. I ended up going to BannerBuzz.com. I’d never heard of them before, but their website was easy to use and the price was good.

I put my 4x6 map on vinyl, had it laminated, and had it shipped to me for about $50 total. The process took roughly ten days from me uploading the file, choosing the options, proofing it, and having it created and delivered.

The map looks great. in retrospect, I might have increased the resolution just a touch more, but I’m pretty pleased with it. If anyone wants the file, I can upload it or send it to you - Remember, it is a 4’ by 6’ version of the 1984-87 map, as in the original Milton Bradley version, and if you are a newbie to this, I can answer questions that I learned through the process.

Thanks to all the people who assisted in this!

@monroe Actually I hear that a whole turn equates to 6 months for A&A…

@warhawk77 You have probably found a map by now, but in case you’r still looking I thought I would mention this.

Before I managed to get my hands on 1914 I printed this reworked map out, and used 1940 pieces.

The nice thing is even if you do eventually get 1914 you may still prefer to use this map (since Europe has a lot more space on it).

https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/217043/1914-reworked-map

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).
CF362D52-269F-4480-8CBB-08139099138F.jpeg A9E12EA1-66EB-4671-86AC-68C62FD30AD5.jpeg 858DE1F2-030A-4D5A-93E4-70A7D1180ADB.jpeg 8F513EE0-DA37-4BA9-880E-4D5EF7BF431F.jpeg F0188165-757B-4CC1-BF67-5045832283C9.jpeg 2E3CD627-0D31-4121-ACF8-682F9F58A40B.jpeg

@Dauvio:

Nice job, and nice paint schemes. I really enjoy your presentation.

I myself don’t like the Italian, and Russian color schemes. So i change their colors. For Italy is bright green because their flag has green in it. For Russia is red because of the red army. I should use your color scheme for ANZAC.

Red Russians is a great idea.

Hey Everyone,

Here is our progress on this project as of August 1st 2017…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL1avCMC_i0

Just looked over your thread again spitfire. Saw you 190’s very cool effect they do look like they may have been supporting some of rommels Afrika core in The desert! Ever thought of showcasing some of your other units spitfire? Maybe more of your air? I would love to see more of your renditons of airpower for the nations! Lhoffman has some great air he painted with just about every air unit type painted for the Germans in dark green schemes.

Wow!  Such cool pieces! (Been awhile Paul)  And there’s others I’ve yet to see that are posted -