AliasQTip's Terrain Discoveries

[AliasQTip]

AliasQTip’s Terrain Discoveries

When I go shopping these days I often find myself wandering in the toy isles looking for playthings I can turn into fun HeroScape terrain or custom figures. I figure it gives me something to do while waiting for Wave 9 to come out. This thread contains a few of the things I found and felt the need to share. All of them can be use right out the package with little-to-no modification. Enjoy.

Index of Posts:
Delta Force: Military Play Set (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?p=776018) - Bunkers, barbwire fences, and flags.
Animal Planet: Safari Mountain Playset (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?p=776024) - Trees and rocks.
Pirate Ghost Ship Playset (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?p=838636) - Barrels, boxes, and treasure chests.

[AliasQTip]

Delta Force: Military Play Set (approx. $2.75)

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/delta_force.jpg

A few days ago, while shopping at Wal-Mart, I came across a package of plastic army men in the ultra-cheap novelty items section. The package, entitled “Delta Force: Military Play Set”, is produced by the Imperial Toy company and contains a bunch of poorly cast plastic soldiers. I really wasn’t too impressed by the quality of the figures but I just had to have the two sandbag bunkers also included in the package. Actually this play set has a few things that can be used for HeroScape terrain.

Bunkers (x2):

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/sandbag_bunker.jpg

This is the reason I bought this set. These half-circle sandbag bunkers are just the right size and height to fit nicely onto HeroScape terrain. They are just shy of three hexes tall, cover four hexes of terrain, and encircle a single hex. I think they look okay right out of the package but would really pop with an ink wash. When playing with the bunkers I give the figure inside a +2 defense bonus for ranged attacks.

Barbwire Fences (x2):
Not a great looking item but could be very functional on the board. The barbwire fence walls are exactly four hexes tall and can cover two or three hexes of terrain depending on how they are used. House rules state that barbwire fences can only be bypassed by flying figures.

Flags (x2):
I think these flags come standard with most army men sets. The flag is 13 hexes tall and the base mostly covers two terrain hexes. I’ve already taken it upon myself to make a set of HeroScape General Flag Stickers (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/downloads.php?do=file&id=1306) so you can easily customize the flags for the armies of your choice. There’s even a blank image in the ZIP file so you can make your own. The bases could even be used as a terrain obstacle themselves if you desired.

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/custom_bunker.jpg
Sandbag bunker and barbwire in play.

[AliasQTip]

Animal Planet: Safari Mountain Playset (approx. $11.00)

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/safari_mountian.jpg

This set I found a Toys R’ Us. I tried to tell myself I was buying it for the kids but secretly all I wanted was the African Acacia tress. This was long before the creation of the Ticalla Jungle expansion and I had no other trees than those found in the Forgotten Forest expansion set.

Trees (x4):

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/acacia_tree.jpg

The set comes with four Acacia style trees; the quality of which, I feel, is on par with the trees found in the Forgotten Forest (although they could probably use a dark ink wash). Each tree stands 10 hexes tall and the base almost completely covers a single hex. The wide leafy branches work well a line-of-sight blockers and I often place them near castle walls to provide cover for those below. The one drawback is that they are a little top-heavy. I have considered mounting the trees to spare single-hex terrain pieces but don’t really want to mess up my precious terrain. If you decide to do so, a single screw upward into the trunk of the tree would probably do the trick.

Boulders and Mountain:
I didn’t do much with these items. There is a wealth of opportunity for some creative person to perhaps carve up the plastic mountain to make rock formations - but not me. There is a flat bottomed boulder that could be used as a terrain obstacle. It's still in my box of HeroScape stuff but I don’t think I’ve ever used it. Maybe you will.

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/custom_trees.jpg
Instant custom trees in play.

[DragonSlayer2]

Cool ideas...I find myself doing the same thing :lol:

I also find myself wandering through Michael's arts and crafts.

[glenn]

I gotta find those trees. I really like them. Don't
forget to go through your neighbors recycle pails!
Yup' Im a picker alright. I got two awesome sections
of white styrofoam from an old VCR box this mourning

[spiteofthedice]

:lol: I've looked at that set, too. Glad to know it works. Buy your kids something else and customize that cliff-face. That thing has major AE potential.

[Onacara]

I believe SkyKnight uses those trees

PS: I have been working with a confirguration to put hexes on this Big Tree from this kids game called Jumpin Monkeys.

It's on sale at FunAgain games for $8.95

http://www.funagain.com/control/product/~category_id=THEME_1121/~product_id=012561

[Pickledpie]

I believe SkyKnight uses those trees

PS: I have been working with a confirguration to put hexes on this Big Tree from this kids game called Jumpin Monkeys.

It's on sale at FunAgain games for $8.95

http://www.funagain.com/control/product/~category_id=THEME_1121/~product_id=012561
Wow it's even got spaces already on the branches! :p

[Einar's puppy]

Hey, I have that army men set! I've played around with fitting them on hexes a lot myself, but I never thought they looked good. I'm still wracking my brain for what I can do, other than a simple wash, to make them look great. Maybe I could paint them like stone?

[Pickledpie]

Maybe I could paint them like stone?
Stone sandbags... brilliant!

[Onacara]

Maybe I could paint them like stone?
Stone sandbags... brilliant!


Well if you had them you would see that they look more like stones than sandbags....but I guess I am expecting too much..right?

[AliasQTip]

Pirate Ghost Ship Playset (approx. $12.00)


http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/pirate_playset.jpg

You might be able to find this playset at your nearest Michael’s arts and crafts store. It has a couple of goodies that work nicely as HeroScape terrain. I was disappointed that the cannon displayed on the tube wasn’t inside! I really wanted that cannon. Oh, well.

Boxes, Barrels, and Chests (x2 Each)

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/containers.jpg

These containers look great on HeroScape terrain and can be used as line-of-sight/movement blockers or even as mission objectives. Each fits nicely onto a single-hex.

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/custom_containers.jpg
Pirate containers in play with a Marvel flair.

Palm Trees & Skeleton Warriors

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/6/1/6/4/trees_skeletons.jpg

The set also contains some lower quality palm trees, skeleton warriors, pirates, dinghy boats, and a fort. The palms might add to the variety of flora in a Marro Swamp. I was thinking the skeleton warriors might make cool customs. Granted they don’t match HeroScape scale, but who said they couldn’t be GIANT AZTEC SKELETON WARRIORS! If anybody decides to make a custom with these figures, post it here, please!

[Piherculis]

Besides the Nature's Wonders trees that you saw in this thread:
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=2369, there are some other large tress online that can work from schleich that looks awesome but is pricey.
http://www.growingtreetoys.com/product/schleich-umbrella-acacia-tree
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/gallery/files/1/3/5/5/019190_thumb.jpg
they also have a nice cactus
http://www.thinkfasttoys.com/home.php?cat=800

[Just_a_Bill]

Michael's has a variety of Woodland Scenics items that are useful for customs. I just bought this one for $6 and tax (using one of their ubiquitous 40%-off coupons against the $9.99 retail price), which includes some nice cacti:

http://scenearama.woodlandscenics.com/images/SARSP4124b.gif

http://scenearama.woodlandscenics.com/images/SARSP4124Contents.gif

The larger Saguaros are taller than a heroscape figure, and the smaller Prickly Pears are shorter than a figure. The three little Barrel Cacti are quite small, and probably only suitable as garnish on another custom.

[AliasQTip]

I bet those cacti would look pretty cool on a "sandy" map, Just_a_Bill. You'll have to get a picture to us when you put something together using them. Nice find.

[Lamaclown]

I got cave that looked very similar to the one you got in the safari playset. I think mine is a bit bigger, though.

Here is what I did to mine (looking at the rest of your stuff, I am sure you could do it if it ever struck you to do it)...

original piece...
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc98/Lamaclown/Mt1a.jpg
some blue foam...
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc98/Lamaclown/Mt3a.jpg
some paint...
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc98/Lamaclown/Mt4a.jpg

There are more pics in my terrain thread if you want to see them. In the second painted pic above you can see some of the cavemen that came with the set that I painted for a squad. They are a bit bigger than HS humans. They are on a middle ledge.

Now if only I could land some of those trees from the safari set. Those look great on the map; they fit well with official terrain.

[El Diabolo]

Wow... just discovered this thread... I just "discovered" the identical set being sold as a Toys R Us exclusive! It is very cool... and only 10 bucks at TRU. As part of their "True Heroes" line, which also includes Knights, military and Cowboys and Indians. A very good way for an ambitious person to get a ton of scape type figures if they got to the party late. (After November 2010... A month that will live in infamy.)