Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Master_Vega Feb 02, 2009 0:05:03	I'm hopefully going to run a Post-Apocalyptic game soon (to test out my advanced class houserules), and I'm looking to make the gaming experience a bit more authentic by adding in some thrashed-looking buildings and vehicles as battle terrain (we don't use a grid when our characters fight, but that's a different story.) My problem is that I can't find anything that isn't, well, really freaking old in 1/64th scale (which is what I've gathered D&D miniatures are). Does anyone know of a (relatively) inexpensive line of miniatures (toy cars and/or tanks) that is made on a close scale is either A: available in a post-apoc line, or B: cheap enough for me to not feel bad about wrecking/painting them? Thanks in advance.
#2 nobodez_here Feb 02, 2009 1:56:22	Okay, well, after a bit or research, if you can find it in a Matchbox car, you're reasonably close to 1:64.
#3 Master_Vega Feb 02, 2009 9:36:32	Matchbox, you say? Thank you, good sir. I'll go look at that.
#4 penchant Feb 02, 2009 14:39:45	I have been using Matchbox cars for my mini's for a while, actually. They are close enough for scale and fit in 2 1" squares. I have a few tips, however: 1. Don't look at Hotwheels since they are nearly all fantasy cars, or at best high performance exotics. Matchbox primarily focuses on off the shelf models of real world vehicles. 2. Only the cars are of this scale, larger vehicles are produced in varying scales to fit in the same packaging and go with Matchbox accessories. 3. Get a lump of hardening clay (either air dry or heat cured) and press it on the bottom of the car. This prevents rolling off the map, but is still removable. As for the themed settings, get as much out of your printer as possible. surf the web and cut together your own backdrops from movies and artwork. If you know the basics of photoshop then you can scale the stuff down pretty well and any mistakes or seams you leave will be invisible. Just print it on cardstock and weight it with pennies. My minis are made with Hero Machine and my printer and the necessary pennies. As for my battlemat, I just have an Engineering pad with 1" and 1/4" squares. I draw out the maps on the fly and assemble the elements from what backdrops I have printed. Since combat can break out anywhere, its alot easier than trying to do it with tiles.
#5 AnimeSniper Feb 02, 2009 18:44:52	You probably won't find them since they were sold in 92 but I have these sets of little metal Vietnam era figures with a fold open combat zone and were about 1/8" in size... think there was a WW II set also but those in the past with Matchbox Military vehicles always proved a good distraction for a few hours Anyhow go with what Penchant listed thou rolling off the table shouldn't be a problem unless you have a wobbly off-kilter table
#6 rustam1 Feb 02, 2009 20:36:54	My problem is that I can't find anything that isn't, well, really freaking old in 1/64th scale (which is what I've gathered D&D miniatures are). Does anyone know of a (relatively) inexpensive line of miniatures (toy cars and/or tanks) that is made on a close scale is either A: available in a post-apoc line, or B: cheap enough for me to not feel bad about wrecking/painting them? Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures ~1:60 or 30.5mm (5.08mm/foot) List of Scale Model Sizes Paper, cardboard or poster cardstock models are quick, easy and cheap. site for example and and here is another, scroll down to find buildings My favorite size is the one used by Galoob (Hasbroo) MicroMachines starwars figures as they are all just under 1" tall and (for me) fit the 1"=2meter scale.
#7 kronos182 Feb 02, 2009 20:45:37	I've seen Matchbox still on sale here in Canada a couple years ago.. I think there might still be some around. Hotwheels used to be really good, but hard to find plain cars from them as penchant said, but they do exist. There are other toy companies around that make toy tanks and other military and civilian vehicles in scales close to miniatures.. just some might run you like $15-$20 or more. Mind you that's Canadian.. You'd be surprised what you can find in Dollar stores for cheap toy cars and soldiers that are close in scale. Hell, if you want some cars that look like they've been sitting around for awhile, find some cheap plastic ones, take a lighter to some to look like fire damage. Rubber mallet with a small piece of metal to bang in little dents. Scrap paint of others that are made of metal. Steel wool can work too. If you paint models, a lot of skills from that come in handy. Actually, White Dwarf magazine for Workshop Games has some great tips for painting battle damage on plastic and metal.
#8 Master_Vega Feb 02, 2009 21:35:11	Thanks for the help, everyone. I haven't gotten a chance to go into town and check on everything yet, but I'll be heading into work tomorrow so I'll try and do it then. Rustam1 - I'm more used to working with D&D minis, that and my group has a considerable number of them. Thank you for the information, though. I'll look into the card designs, too. kronos182 - Any way I could look up those tips?
#9 kronos182 Feb 03, 2009 22:16:34	Workshop Games might have some links on their website.. I haven't been on their website for quite awhile. Same with White Dwarf. I did used to have some links to several websites for painting techniques but can't find them. There might even be some on Instructables.com I know it has all kinds of instructions for all kinds of crazy stuff *cough*linear acceleration guns*cough*.
#10 AnimeSniper Feb 05, 2009 13:47:27	For mock up of buildings grab some cheap poster board then draw a plus sign and cut it out leaving it all connected like so + but leave a little tabs that can be taped on the inside of it for you basic square block warehouse... thou it gets trickier the small sized you go so keep them in reference to the matchbox vehicles if you do... you can also draw entry points on it for the players i.e. North and west faces have doors while the south face has a window above a dumpster