Car Wars 3D terrain - Page 2

DocOutlands · 12-13-2009, 11:58 AM

Which makes sense if you look at the (West) German Weisel or the old UK Bren/Universal Carrier (and pre-war tankettes).

Thanks for pulling your book out! Now I need to find some really neat sci-fi "micro"armor (WH40K, 15mm wargames, etc)...

MattV · 12-13-2009, 01:47 PM

How's this.......

Check out this guys blog and look at what he says about Child Guidence Toys.
I don't see any listed on EBay right now, but I picked up two sets in the last month and both times I looked they were on Ebay. So hopefully they will be around.
http://mongoswafflehouse.blogspot.com/

Those buildings fit 15mm very well, and you get quite a few buildings for cheap.

These cars work well with those buildings: http://www.virtualvillage.com/100-mo...03551-044.html
THe cars seem to be just a tad small for the building and true 15mm.

15mm figures and vehicles are easy. If you are thinking sci-fi for the vehicles then look up Ground Zero Games, Critical Mass or Rebel Miniatures. They all sell 15mm sci-fi vehicles. You can also look here for ideas.
http://miniaturereview.com

If you are looking for 15mm WWII tanks, then there are many options.
The most common right now is Flames of War. They have tons of stuff stuff. Their figures are about 18mm though, but they would fit well with the Child Guidence buildings. They may not look so good next to those cars I suggested though.

Pretty much with the buildings and the cars I have now I'm planning to do the same thing. Make a small town for both a zombie game and a soon to come Car Wars Midville game. I'll take some picts when i'm getting somewhere on the project.

Laminator_X · 12-23-2009, 07:31 AM

3x counters are 1/60. That should put it roughly in line with S Gauge model railroad gear (1/64 scale), Matchbox-size cars (nominally 1/64, but not consistent), and 25mm-28mm wargame props (1/64 and 1/58, respectively). Be aware that some of the wargame stuff out there right now is drifting toward the large, excuse me, heroic side. (I'm looking at you War Machine.)

The model RR stuff is great if you're looking for a small town setting, as most of it has an old-fashioned period look, but it can get expensive quite rapidly. OTOH, they make stuff like streetlights and stoplights with wired-in LEDs if you want to get crazy-detailed.

kjamma4 · 12-23-2009, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laminator_X

Matchbox-size cars (nominally 1/64, but not consistent),

Agreed. The large majority of Matchbox/Hot Wheels will fit on a base that is 1.5" by 3" but you do run across a few that won't fit.

Laminator_X · 12-23-2009, 12:17 PM

One of the fun things about 3d terrain and arenas is that we've done away with bases. We pick toy cars that are a bit larger or smaller corresponding to the body size of the vehicle being played, and go with the footprint of the car. You just need to consistently measure your movement from either the front or the back of the car to keep speeds coherent between different length cars. If we were being super-strict, we'd need to specify min/max counter dimensions for the different body sizes, but for our friendly games that hasn't been an issue.

We also use a goniometer marked up as a turning key, and measure the turns from the center-line of the car. Any questions of range or line-of-sight that cant be agreed upon by eye get resolved by picking up a dowel rod marked off with range mods and lining up the shot between your car's weapon facing and the intended target. Picking up said stick commits your firing action, just like the tournament range-check rule.

The goniometer has proved to be a godsend for plotting maneuvers in tight spaces or with vehicles close to one another, as a big 3x turning key is often obstructed by walls or other nearby vehicles when 3d counters and battlefields are in use. It's also good for quick firing-arc adjudications in tandem with the line of sight stick mentioned above.

kjamma4 · 12-23-2009, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laminator_X

as a big 3x turning key is often obstructed by walls or other nearby vehicles

I've seen people construct "mini turning keys" - one for each of the various D maneuvers and those seem to work well too.

uncledave · 12-23-2009, 05:31 PM

Have you considered MicroTatix buildings? They come in a variety of formats, including modern/gritty. For $10, some printing and assembly, you can build any town you wish.

They can go well with MattV''s cheap cars and are scaleable. Give them a look:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.p...id=19869&it=1&

DocOutlands · 12-26-2009, 11:39 PM

I hate to admit paper models never crossed my mind. I grabbed some of the free ones to try out. So - how do I go about resizing the buildings to fit the standard CW scale?

uncledave · 12-29-2009, 06:30 PM

The easiest way to get a smaller scale is to buy it that way. Microtactix sells sets down to N scale. Try one out and see how you like them.

It is possible to re-scale existing PDF graphics, but I don't know how to without special software. It's easy I'm told if you have full up Acrobat (not just the reader).

uncledave · 12-31-2009, 07:59 PM

The heroic scaled buildings are great for Matchbox sized cars. Alternately, they sell a cardboard cut/assemble set for $6 with a variety of vehicles including Police vans, bus, garbage truck, 18 wheelers, fire engine, etc. These can fit different set scales.

12-13-2009, 11:58 AM	#11
DocOutlands Join Date: Dec 2009	Re: Car Wars 3D terrain Which makes sense if you look at the (West) German Weisel or the old UK Bren/Universal Carrier (and pre-war tankettes). Thanks for pulling your book out! Now I need to find some really neat sci-fi "micro"armor (WH40K, 15mm wargames, etc)...

12-13-2009, 01:47 PM	#12
MattV Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Austin TX, USA PM me for a game.	Re: Car Wars 3D terrain How's this....... Check out this guys blog and look at what he says about Child Guidence Toys. I don't see any listed on EBay right now, but I picked up two sets in the last month and both times I looked they were on Ebay. So hopefully they will be around. http://mongoswafflehouse.blogspot.com/ Those buildings fit 15mm very well, and you get quite a few buildings for cheap. These cars work well with those buildings: http://www.virtualvillage.com/100-mo...03551-044.html THe cars seem to be just a tad small for the building and true 15mm. 15mm figures and vehicles are easy. If you are thinking sci-fi for the vehicles then look up Ground Zero Games, Critical Mass or Rebel Miniatures. They all sell 15mm sci-fi vehicles. You can also look here for ideas. http://miniaturereview.com If you are looking for 15mm WWII tanks, then there are many options. The most common right now is Flames of War. They have tons of stuff stuff. Their figures are about 18mm though, but they would fit well with the Child Guidence buildings. They may not look so good next to those cars I suggested though. Pretty much with the buildings and the cars I have now I'm planning to do the same thing. Make a small town for both a zombie game and a soon to come Car Wars Midville game. I'll take some picts when i'm getting somewhere on the project. Last edited by MattV; 12-13-2009 at 01:51 PM.

12-23-2009, 07:31 AM	#13
Laminator_X Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Undisclosed	Re: Car Wars 3D terrain 3x counters are 1/60. That should put it roughly in line with S Gauge model railroad gear (1/64 scale), Matchbox-size cars (nominally 1/64, but not consistent), and 25mm-28mm wargame props (1/64 and 1/58, respectively). Be aware that some of the wargame stuff out there right now is drifting toward the large, excuse me, heroic side. (I'm looking at you War Machine.) The model RR stuff is great if you're looking for a small town setting, as most of it has an old-fashioned period look, but it can get expensive quite rapidly. OTOH, they make stuff like streetlights and stoplights with wired-in LEDs if you want to get crazy-detailed.

12-23-2009, 12:17 PM	#15
Laminator_X Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Undisclosed	Re: Car Wars 3D terrain One of the fun things about 3d terrain and arenas is that we've done away with bases. We pick toy cars that are a bit larger or smaller corresponding to the body size of the vehicle being played, and go with the footprint of the car. You just need to consistently measure your movement from either the front or the back of the car to keep speeds coherent between different length cars. If we were being super-strict, we'd need to specify min/max counter dimensions for the different body sizes, but for our friendly games that hasn't been an issue. We also use a goniometer marked up as a turning key, and measure the turns from the center-line of the car. Any questions of range or line-of-sight that cant be agreed upon by eye get resolved by picking up a dowel rod marked off with range mods and lining up the shot between your car's weapon facing and the intended target. Picking up said stick commits your firing action, just like the tournament range-check rule. The goniometer has proved to be a godsend for plotting maneuvers in tight spaces or with vehicles close to one another, as a big 3x turning key is often obstructed by walls or other nearby vehicles when 3d counters and battlefields are in use. It's also good for quick firing-arc adjudications in tandem with the line of sight stick mentioned above. Last edited by Laminator_X; 12-23-2009 at 12:43 PM.

12-23-2009, 05:31 PM	#17
uncledave Join Date: Dec 2009	Re: Car Wars 3D terrain Have you considered MicroTatix buildings? They come in a variety of formats, including modern/gritty. For $10, some printing and assembly, you can build any town you wish. They can go well with MattV''s cheap cars and are scaleable. Give them a look: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.p...id=19869&it=1&

12-26-2009, 11:39 PM	#18
DocOutlands Join Date: Dec 2009	Re: Car Wars 3D terrain I hate to admit paper models never crossed my mind. I grabbed some of the free ones to try out. So - how do I go about resizing the buildings to fit the standard CW scale?

12-29-2009, 06:30 PM	#19
uncledave Join Date: Dec 2009	Re: Car Wars 3D terrain The easiest way to get a smaller scale is to buy it that way. Microtactix sells sets down to N scale. Try one out and see how you like them. It is possible to re-scale existing PDF graphics, but I don't know how to without special software. It's easy I'm told if you have full up Acrobat (not just the reader).

12-31-2009, 07:59 PM	#20
uncledave Join Date: Dec 2009	Re: Car Wars 3D terrain The heroic scaled buildings are great for Matchbox sized cars. Alternately, they sell a cardboard cut/assemble set for $6 with a variety of vehicles including Police vans, bus, garbage truck, 18 wheelers, fire engine, etc. These can fit different set scales.