Secret Weapon Tablescapes - Kickstarter ended @ $311k

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**plastictrees**

Bossk_Hogg wrote:
Are there going to be any more painting tutorials for the other sets? We got one for the urban tile set, but I thought they were doing one for each theme.

Is the urban tile tutorial buried in the updates? I don't see it on the SW website.

**misterjustin**

Urban is the only one posted

http://blog.secretweaponminiatures.com/2014/05/painting-your-tablescapes-tiles.html

**Bookwrack**

Ha, figures, I'm sitting here all atwitter for when mine will arrive, and work goes, 'hey, we're going to send you out of the country for two weeks starting Tuesday!' (this should be a lesson to just have things shipped to the office.)

That US backers have been getting there's fills me with hope... c'mon rolling fields, urban clean and urban ruined! You can do it!

**Da Butcha**

That's kind of disappointing for people who got the display board only. Sorry to hear that.

I got the full set of 16 for Rolling Fields (well, I guess I really got 2 sets of the full 8 options) and the Scrapyard set. Holy cow, these really nice! They look fantastic at first glance. Great quality, very cool looking, but not filled with the kind of unusable, uneven terrain that GW put all over the RoB boards. The boxes are very good quality too, and I think they will serve admirably for storage and transportation for years to come (assuming I don't take a dunk in the sea or anything).

I know that the storage spacers were going to have to be redesigned (due to the boards having more variations in elevation than originally planned--which is awesome), but has anyone heard anything about them? Do we have a timeline for when they will be available, or whether backers will get sets for free or discounted? I'm very excited to paint up these boards, but not terribly excited about figuring out how to store them with foam between them when spacers are still (presumably) planned. I'm not bothered about the prospect of paying for some spacers, but I want them now!

**Azazelx**

With a total of 4 16-tile sets on their way, I'm also very interested to hear about the spacers. Putting effort into painting them and then stacking them into the boxes doesn't sound too exciting...

**Aerethan**

I would imagine the best option for Justin in designing them would be to take the tallest tile there is and design it around that tile with 1/4-1/2" clearance above it and simply use that single size for all the risers.

I'd also like perhaps to see a set of middle risers to store these in a 1x2 configuration to make bags/cases easier to manage without needing to get super tall, but that's just personal preference.

**Da Butcha**

I'm hoping that the spacers will be able to be used with the current Tablescapes boxes, but I have to admit I'm not sure how they would fit. There's not a ton of room around the edges of the tiles, but then again, I don't have a CAD program to help me out with that!

Basically, I'm wiling to buy more foam to put between each of the tiles, but I'd rather support SWM and get spacers from them. I just don't want to buy foam, and then find out that I could have had a V-8--I mean, I could have gotten spacers. Plus, I like the idea of the spacers a lot more.

**Bossk_Hogg**

BOOYAh. Took the day off work to be home when my new computer is delivered, got my rolling fields and scrap yard sets as a bonus! Maybe Shadows of Brimstone will arrive!

The tiles look amazing! I'd still love to see some more tutorials when time permits though. I also think these should sell super well at retail!

Oops, missed Mr Justin's earlier post that they were working on more tutorials - awesome!

**misterjustin**

Quick reply - busy day.

More tutorials are coming - but it takes time to edit and format them, and time is something I don't have right now. They're a top priority... right after the other TS related top priorities

Tile spacers will be back in the works once the backers are all shipped.

And now I'm back to number crunching. K'bye.

**kronk**

Kronk got his gak today.

Looks great!

Not sure how to paint it, but currently working on 30k army for adepticon.

**Aerethan**

For my Rolling Fields table I'm using the Fieldstone paint set from the PaintWorks kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/klingbeil/game-decors-paintworks-terrainpaint

I'm airbrushing most of it. So far I airbrushed Vallejo Panzer Grey surface primer, then thinned down the fieldstone base color and laid down 2 layers of it which is solid enough to completely cover it. I tried hand brushing a small patch with a large brush to see if that would be faster, and it was not(coverage issues, bubbles, all manner of no good).

**Snrub**

I've been pondering how to paint my tiles. I'm tossing up between buying a can or two of primer and spraying them or whether to just throw a load of gesso on them.
I'd airbrush them but I'm gak at airbrushing aaand... I don't currently know where my airbrush is....

Also, update.

Update #147

Oct 24 2014
AUS/NZ & UK/EU Shipping Update
13 comments
3 likes

Shipping status update - AUS/NZ & UK/EU

We believe we have identified the data discrepancy that led to the AUS shipping snafu. I am having my findings reviewed, and am working with The Combat Company to confirm that our numbers (what they should have VS. what they actually have) match up this time.

The Combat Company has shipped everything that it can currently ship. If you did not receive a shipping email from them then your order is on hold. We are already working together to schedule a freight shipment for the missing items.

New Zealand orders will now be shipped from the USA. This is a bummer. Unfortunately the cost for TCC to ship is actually equal to or greater than shipping from the USA, and once we figure in freight, duties, etc. it makes more sense to ship NZ from SWM HQ. Fear not, we're still moving about 150 orders per week -- and you'll be in the queue with us shortly.

UK/EU orders are being held while we confirm tile counts. This means waiting to resolve the AUS situation so that we can be sure we have this right before we apply the same fix to the larger UK/EU list. Freight for the missing items will be arranged ASAP and shipping will begin even while that is in transit for those items that Mantic can move now. At least that's the plan today. If it changes I will post another update.
So what happened?

So you might remember that you could add additional tile sets to your order as an add-on at the end of the campaign. You could also add a TON of other stuff. That's what happened. Those additional tile sets were not included in the backer summary, and so they didn't get shipped to AUS and UK.

When TCC started shipping they very correctly included those add-on items... which hadn't been accounted for. Thus the unexpected shortage.
FEAR NOT!

I ordered a fair bit of inventory to keep on-hand for the Secret Weapon retail launch. I have delayed any public announcement of the launch, and delayed any public pre-orders, so that we can reserve this inventory to fill in the gap.

My chief concern right now is making sure we get the missing items to our shipping partners as quickly as possible.

In the interim we're still moving orders through the US warehouse, with another batch going out with FedEx today. This will slow a bit as I'm tied to my desk quintuple checking the numbers for our shipping partners, but it will continue.
My bad, moo moo!

The mistake causing us problems is a simple human error. I missed the add-on section in the tile counts that got shipped to my partners, and so too few tile sets got shipped. My apologies. I will have this fixed quickly, and it will soon be a distant memory.

**Crimson Devil**

I got my tiles today, which was a surprise since i didnt get any forwarning. The tiles look great!

**Cyporiean**

Did a quick and dirty paintjob on one of my sets.

Need to go back over a couple of spots, plus do some detail work and then seal them.

**shade1313**

Never got a shipping notice, but 16 clean urban and 8 blown the heck up urban tiles showed up at my door a half hour ago.

**misterjustin**

I like everything I'm reading here.

**DarkTraveler777**

shade1313 wrote:
Never got a shipping notice, but 16 clean urban and 8 blown the heck up urban tiles showed up at my door a half hour ago.

Ooo, that gives me hope! You're in Vegas and I'm in LA... I hope mine shipped at the same time as yours!

**Azazelx**

Azazelx wrote:
According to my parents, I received two boxes at different times in the post (different couriers?Aust Post delivery people?). Not unusual in itself.
One large box from somewhere in China, and one smaller box - "like a large shoebox" from Combat Company inside a plastic mailing package.
Do either of these sound familiar to anyone? I'm concerned that the Chinese box could be something unrelated and that SWM/Combat Company fethed up my order and I got the original display board set sent out instead of the "Wargamer" I upgraded to via the pledge manager...
Actually, I think I know what the Chinese box is.... 1:6 scale models. gak... I wonder how long Justin and CC will take to un feth my order.

Well, good news on my end. The large box from somewhere in China turned out to be the tiles - haven't opened them to QA them yet, but I trust they'll all be there and I can check inside later on the weekend - and the bagged box wasn't from COmbat Company, but my EMS stuff from China. Mum (75yo) got confused since she writes down what arrives at her place and rings me to leave a message - so when I was asking her to describe them for me on the phone she went and checked - and the big (tile) box had China printed on the side so she must have assumed the smaller bagged box was the Combat Company one.

Anyway - all good here. I'll have a proper look at them tomorrow, hopefully.

**Enigma Crisis**

Just opened my box that got here today. I'm really enjoying the quality of them and can't wait to start painting them when I get a chance.

I do have one complaint though on the Clean Urban Streets on my Barrier tile I'm missing the pop up barrier! I looked through both boxes and I'm missing it! Was looking forward to flipping it up and down. :(

Is there anything I can do to get a replacement Barrier piece?

**Snrub**

So is anyone with a rolling hills board going to fill their river bed with water effects and have it as an actual flowing river?

Coz... damn that'd look cool.

**Da Butcha**

Snrub wrote:
So is anyone with a rolling hills board going to fill their river bed with water effects and have it as an actual flowing river?

Coz... damn that'd look cool.

Nope! Coz it's Gorkamorka--or the Old West, and I'm much more likely to ambush some rascals down in Dry Gulch than at the lovely river!

Although honestly, a very little bit of water effects right in the streambed wouldn't look too bad, AND it would make that area a bit more level for models. Hmmm.

Dagnabbit!

**Schmapdi**

Snrub wrote:
So is anyone with a rolling hills board going to fill their river bed with water effects and have it as an actual flowing river?

Coz... damn that'd look cool.

That's my plan when I get mine!

I'll of course have to wait until I find a tutorial from someone who knows what they're doing that I can copy first. I've never used water effects or anything before.

**Snrub**

Da Butcha wrote:Although honestly, a very little bit of water effects right in the streambed wouldn't look too bad, AND it would make that area a bit more level for models. Hmmm.

That would look pretty damn spiff given the setting.

Schmapdi wrote:That's my plan when I get mine!

I'll of course have to wait until I find a tutorial from someone who knows what they're doing that I can copy first. I've never used water effects or anything before.

I'm interested to see what you do with it. I've used Vallejo water effects before. But never in the quantities that you'd need for e a river.

**lord_blackfang**

I imagine the real trick will be getting the water levels on all tiles to line up. Best of luck to you all!

**Snrub**

Oh yeah... didn't think of that.

Heh. That'd be tricky.

**Tibbsy**

Snrub wrote:
So is anyone with a rolling hills board going to fill their river bed with water effects and have it as an actual flowing river?

Coz... damn that'd look cool.

I certainly intend to when I get mine; not sure on the logistics of it, as pointed out, getting all the tiles to the same level will be tricky...

**Snrub**

"Wow, great table you have! What is that, injection moulded plastic tiles?"
"Yes, yes it is."
"Awesome paint job too. It looks just like a real hillside landscape."
"Thanks. Took me ages to get just the right look."
"Yeah, it's really good. Too bad you COMPLETELY fethed THE WATER LEVELS THOUGH!"
"Uh..."

**Siygess**

I've had some luck with pva / wood glue and the clear plastic you get from blister packs. Paint the river sections then connect them together with small sheets of blister plastic sandwiched between each tile, held in place by PVA. This will stop the water effect flowing from one tile to the next and the (dry) pva should stop the water effect from leaking out.. and because the plastic is clear you can see through it to make sure the water level matches up with the next tile.

Two things to bear in mind:

1) The blister plastic wont always peel away from the water effect once dried. Maybe some vaseline on the plastic will help with that.

2) Even if you do a great job and the water levels match perfectly, you are still going to have a line that you can see. I was able to cheat when I tried this because I was making a canal so I put a grate at one end of each river section that would filter out rubbish and drift wood and stop it flowing down river. You could perhaps do the same by ensuring that there are small rocks etc just above the water line at one edge of the tile. With the associated foam around the rocks it helps to distract the eye from the line right next to it. Heck if you are feeling super adventurous you could create a strip of rocks / foam that you could place over the join.

**Tibbsy**

Siygess wrote:
I've had some luck with pva / wood glue and the clear plastic you get from blister packs. Paint the river sections then connect them together with small sheets of blister plastic sandwiched between each tile, held in place by PVA. This will stop the water effect flowing from one tile to the next and the (dry) pva should stop the water effect from leaking out.. and because the plastic is clear you can see through it to make sure the water level matches up with the next tile.

Two things to bear in mind:

1) The blister plastic wont always peel away from the water effect once dried. Maybe some vaseline on the plastic will help with that.

2) Even if you do a great job and the water levels match perfectly, you are still going to have a line that you can see. I was able to cheat when I tried this because I was making a canal so I put a grate at one end of each river section that would filter out rubbish and drift wood and stop it flowing down river. You could perhaps do the same by ensuring that there are small rocks etc just above the water line at one edge of the tile. With the associated foam around the rocks it helps to distract the eye from the line right next to it. Heck if you are feeling super adventurous you could create a strip of rocks / foam that you could place over the join.

Blister plastic eh....

I'll definitely keep that in mind!

**RiTides**

Cyporiean - I like where you're going with the paint job, but I think the surroundings need more brown soas not to clash with the riverbed.

Snrub - I've thought about that, too

. But I'll be using two tiles of mine as a Dropzone Commander display, and I think the riverbed can look like a dirty ravine / canyon much better at 10mm scale if I do not add water effects (I think water would make the mind picture the rocks as small, instead of boulders like I want).