"High density polyhills - best solutions please." Topic

Today, I received a consignment of high density insulation foam board tiles. These are 2 x 2 foot tiles 1" thick. I have lots of ideas on how to proceed in making these tiles a universal solution for hills.

This pack (x12 tiles) will not be my only purchase. I just chose a small batch to finalise, seeing things in the flesh always helps, what I should do with them.

This question is not a 'how to finish' them. This is a how to design a hill system question.

I have my own ideas, but I'm open, very open, to suggestions.

Most people will recommend hot wire cutters, which leaves the surface hard and difficult to sand. I use a thin "clickable" blade to cut the basic shape and then sand (outside- dust is toxic)to the final shape.

The GeoHex pattern has given me good results. I'd make sure whatever pattern you use to make it stackable.

Steak knife, or box cutter for cutting and general shaping.

Make sure to wear a good dust mask, since you don't want any little particles from the boards getting into your lungs.

Eye protection too.

James, where did you get the boards from and how much were they? If you don't mind me asking.
Mark

Use standard craft knife to rough it into shape and an inexpensive surform tool to refine the shape. As others have said, dust mask or respirator is recommended and eye protection is a good idea.

Note – the box cutter/razor blade-type knives cut more cleanly, so you'll get far less of the little pill shaped pieces flying everywhere.

You can save the offcuts, and shavings for filler, or for producing small-scale terrain, like foxhole and gun battery berms, craters, ridges, etc., etc. too.

You're asking how to design the hill system, not how to actually make into hills?

I followed Matakishi's guide for a modular hill system. He starts with 12x12" tiles (his are cork, 3/4" thick but material and thickness is arbitrary). Some are full tiles for assembling into large rolling hill layouts. The rest are cut down. For hills larger than one tile, he left one 12" edge straight for joining with others. He also cut a few smaller end pieces with 6" straight edges.

Matakishi.com hills article: matakishi.com/hills.htm

Matakishi's guide shows all the basics I've used too.

For 2'x2' tiles I've been contemplating cutting at 1/3 and 2/3 way along the edge, instead of the halfway mark.

I like my hills to have slopes, and since I use small scale miniatures, I've found that 45° isn't nearly enough for balancing them standing up, so now I like to use a much flatter slope (60°-ish from vertical). Cutting the slope requires matching the amount of slope at the edges where they meet, but the slope can vary elsewhere, so it's not too hard. Rather than measure the angle, I just measure in from the edge some distance and mark the line that will be the transition from slope to hilltop plateau, then cut between this line and the bottom edge that's already defined by the curvy hill outline.

- Ix

Yellow admiral, that was my thinking. 16" or 8" wide at the joining edge.

Storage is a primary consideration. I can only get 18" deep into my storage cupboard, so 16" at the edge with 'wavy edge overspill" of 2" seems about right.

As far as I can see, it's all a matter of getting maximum use out of the straight joining edges and corners.

I was planning on a 1 in 3 slope.

As a matter of inspiration for others, when it comes to joining up home made hills, I did this for my desert terrain. The cliffs at the edges do not have to be precise fits.

Unfortunately, this will not work for my new hill shapes as they are formers for under a cloth so need a gradual slope al around – as per this game using 2" deep foam. I have tons of this stuff, but it is a pain to cut a gradual slope on a 2" high tile, hence the 1" thick tile purchase.

You can make these very resilient hills like I did.

link

Hi Terry,

Yes, they are a great idea but, I'm looking for hills of a rather more expansive nature – with some ridges 12 foot long and more than 2 foot deep. Big table, big hills.