Help support TMP


Armorcast Trench System


Trench Starter Set
Product #
710
Manufacturer
Suggested Retail Price
US$27.00


Back to Showcase



Revision Log
18 December 1999converted to Miva
7 October 1999redesigned
4 October 1998linked to painting article
29 September 1998page first published

Areas of Interest

General
Science Fiction

Featured Hobby News Article


Featured Link


Top-Rated Ruleset

Dirtside II


Rating: gold star gold star gold star gold star gold star gold star gold star gold star 


Featured Showcase Article

Lemax Christmas Trees

It's probably too late already this season to snatch these bargains up...


Featured Workbench Article

Tree Bases from DAS Clay

Is DAS Clay sturdy enough to mold tree bases from?


Featured Profile Article

Statting Cars for Road Rage

Personal logo Editor in Chief Bill The Editor of TMP Fezian figures out the stats for his Army Racing Team under the Road Rage rules.


Featured Book Review


15,632 hits since 5 Jan 2000
©1994-2024 Bill Armintrout
Comments or corrections?

Trench Starter Set box

Tim DuPertuis of Armorcast was kind enough to drop me a Trench Starter Set, part of a series of terrain pieces (in the Terraform product line) that allow you to create extensive trench systems on the tabletop. (I'm told Tim had a truly massive display set up for a scenario at GameCon '98, but I wasn't able to stay for the evening events.)

The pieces are made of polyurethane resin - off-white, slight odor, very nicely finished with flat bottoms and no major defects. Most resin products are subject to pitting (due to air bubbles in manufacture), but the pits here are infrequent and quite small. The resin seems to be sturdy enough for regular use, not apparently brittle.

starter set contents

The starter set comes with five trench pieces:

  • two identical gun pits (large enough to hold seven 25mm figures)
  • two identical corner pieces (trench angles)
  • one straight trench section

The pieces are intended to mate with each other - but, since each piece is completely finished, they can also be used as standalone sections. This means that you could use the starter pieces to create a single section of terrain (two gun pits and a connecting trench), or use each piece individually to create five strongpoints.

No scale is stated, though it is clear that these terrain pieces are for use with 25mm (and perhaps larger) scale. The trench floors are covered with rough planks, while the inside walls are composed of a finely lined material (could be painted as corrugated metal or bamboo) supported by regular struts. The style is too modern for most historical periods, but works fine for science fiction.

basic configuration

The box also includes two instruction sheets. The first sheet provides basic instructions common to all Terraform products: how to prep the pieces, priming and painting tips, how to repair them if necessary, and a warning not to leave the pieces for prolonged periods in the back of your car (the heat could warp them).

The second sheet is specific to the trench terrain system. On one side are diagrams showing how the various pieces (including two pieces not included in the starter set: T-intersections and bunkers) can be combined together to create different configurations. The back of the sheet provides ideas on how to add trenches to your favorite game system, covering such combat systems as tanks, walkers, cycles, aircraft, mortars, etc. The suggestions also make the point that you can decide whether the pieces represent underground trenches on your tabletop, or if the trench walls are considered to be aboveground.