I have been playing around with different configurations for a custom table and wanted to note some things I’ve landed on that I really like. A main one thing is having the map mounted so that it can slide around as needed on top of a bigger playing area. My table is 65” x 95” in total with a 5.5” arm rest around the outside and the middle is a recessed neoprene surface. I have the OOB Global map mounted on 1/2” rigid foam with a 1/2” aluminum frame around it. This allows the map to slide up close to whoever’s turn it is, but then be in the middle so both players can roll dice In front of them without disturbing the map and in easy view of the other player. (Plus we like lots of room to roll the bones). This ability to adjust the surface along with a standing height, makes it comfortable for long uses because you can move around more and don’t feel as tied down.
Things I’ve learned and changed from original design - I originally used too big of a frame for the map and mounted it on too high of a foam block (you can see these pictures at the bottom) - it made it hard to see the other player’s dice and the big frame took up too much real estate. My global map is mounted on much thinner foam (the framing is bad, you can see if you look closely) but I also used much thinner aluminum angle for the frame. This gives just enough grip when needing to move the map around (I use furniture slides on the bottom, which glide very nicely on the neoprene) but doesn’t make the whole thing too bulky. Having it an inch or so off the surface keeps the dice off, but isn’t so heigh that you can’t see the other player’s dice rolls. When playing other versions (such as Zombies) the board is much smaller, but it can easily swap in and out on the same table since it can move around where ever it is needed or be pushed aside.
I originally made it normal table height, but found long reaches while sitting were harder and it just felt cramped. Standing height with a bar stool is a great way to have the best of both worlds.
The 5.5” rim around the table itself gives you a nice arm rest that doesn’t interfere with the gaming surface. I’m playing with how to best add some cushion to this part - open to suggestions. Sometimes I just lay a piece of leftover neoprene on it.
Dice bounce nice on the neoprene and stay off the floor. It also feels nice and has enough give to allow things to slide but be picked up easily. Wouldn’t definitely go with neoprene again as a surface covering.
I made the drawers open to the inside of the table so you can stay hunched over the action while accessing and stowing stuff away. 50/50 on whether I would keep this if I were to do it again. If I were doing it again, I might try to build customer drawers form scratch using actual drawer glides, but that was beyond my ability when I first did this, so I just used clear plexiglass boxes with aluminum pulls mounted on them. It’s nice having them clear, and I was happy with how the pulls came out, but without glides they can be a little fussy sliding in and out of their slots.
I originally designed the table so that I could put a cover surface back on top when not in use, but find I don’t really ever do that, so if I were to do it again, I might not mess with that part (I never even finished staining those as you can see in the pictures).
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John Brown's 96x48 Global 1940 Waterproof Metal Map
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JAPANESE THINKING ABOUT INVADING RUSSIA, STANDBY
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JAPANESE HOMELAND AND MAIN FLEET BEGIN THEIR MASTER PLAN OF THE PACIFIC
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**THE WHOLE SHOT OF PACIFIC 1940
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PICTURES, UNTIL NEXT TIME, OVER AND OUT. :-D
JOHN**
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I like yours better then mine :(
Those Japan transports… HBG? Love them!
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I like yours better then mine :(
Those Japan transports… HBG? Love them!
Actually both of your transports are OOB versions. The bigger transport comes from the 1941 Axis and Allies game, and the other is from the 1940 Pacific game. Both are very attainable. You can buy them from HBG, if they have it in stock. :-)
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That’s the dream right there. Looks awesome.
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Those Japan transports… HBG? Love them!
Ya, those are the 1941 OOB Transports… they come in both Japanese Orange and German Black (both from 1941)… and yes, you can get them from HBG, but they are the 1941 OOB transports.
I was using the 1941 transports for both Germany and Japan (I hated the 1940/1942 OOB German transports), but I recently swapped out my German transports for the new German transports that HBG recently released.
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Those new German transports are the bomb! :-D
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Guys, I decided to set up Oztea’s Global 1941 Setup om my metal map, because it show cases more of the British and America pieces. I only set up the Pacific portion naturally because, I don’t have the complete Europe side of the map done yet, because it is a few years away from being done.
I will take pictures of the Europe US and Pacific pieces, within a couple weeks, so be on the lookout for that.
I hope you enjoy these pictures. :-)
John
US FORCES READY FOR WAR ON THE WEST COAST, SOON TO BE DEPLOYED
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US FORCES RUSHING TO ENGAGE JAPANESE AT MIDWAY ISLAND
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AUSTRALIA ON HIGH ALERT AFTER HEARING THE BRITISH COULD BE IN TROUBLE, AND RUSHING TO THEIR AID
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BOTH US AND JAPANESE PREPARING FOR BATTLES ON MIDWAY ISLAND, AS WELL AS THE CAROLINE ISLANDS.
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JAPANESE TRYING TO GAIN A FOOT HOLD IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
.JPG)
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BRITAIN PREPARING FOR THE ONSLAUGHT THAT IS TO COME
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JAPAN CLOSES IN FOR THE OCCUPATION OF CHINA
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JAPANS HOMELAND SENDING REINFORCEMENTS TO ALL AREAS OF THE PACIFIC
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JAPAN LOCKING DOWN THE WESTERN PART OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN
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US FORCES HEADING TO ALL PARTS OF THE PACIFIC TO DEFEND AND PROTECT
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LAST PICTURE OF OZTEA’S 1941 SETUP, MINUS RUSSIAN FORCES
I hope you enjoyed the pics. :-)
John
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