Arena Rex Forums

A really interesting concept. I do like the idea of an open side - while not historically accurate, the gladiators in AR all fight by their own volition, so there is no need to keep the entire arena enclosed to prevent escape. The titans, however... Ahh well, this is Rome - the life of a pleb is dangerous enough as it is, so I don't think a lion, bull or giant she-serpent wandering the streets would increase insurance premiums too much!

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http://alladinsbazaar.blogspot.ca - very much a work in progress...

Alladin ~ in my mind the arena is totally enclosed. It is less for the aesthetics and the more for the want to be at ground level rather than viewing like a God or emperor.

In theory I could build a wall for that side of the arena and when not playing the circus would look like any other in Roman times.

Trust me no one escapes the Cicrus Pictoria.

Really digging the partial wall concept. There's enough wall there to feel like you're fighting in the arena, but enough removed to get down and dirty with the figures. A really nice call on your part that I hadn't even considered. It's now percolating with the rest of my plans. Thanks for the inspiration, Arden!

So fantastic!! Great work, keep them WIPs coming!

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Latest update:

Sand texture in. Raised dais. Fallen column.


Emperors gate.

Nice work!!

how do you made the pillars?

Sam,

The pillars were made relatively simply.

A short piece of 1" diameter polypipe (about 5-6" long) that I found in my garage; carefully wrapped in 1" masking tape a few times to build up the diameter, leaving about 1mm between wraps to form the pointing recess on the pillars; the top wrap is built up a bit more and with a sharp exacto blade I cut a couple of lines around and peeled the excess back to give the raised detail; then hot glued a square of foamboard on each end (a couple on the bottom to build it up).

This produced a blank and if you don't want to create exact copies then you just repeat the above method a few times. Time consuming but pretty simple and cheap.

I actually then cast the first pillar in molding latex rubber (bought off e-Bay) and after a day to set, cast a few with copies with rapid set casting resin.

These resin pillars can be scratched quite easily with an old exacto blade and I scored these to look like the claw marks of the lions, etc. teathered to their bases.

The broken pillar was cast in the same mold using cheap wall filler (B&Q own brand stuff if you live in UK). It was still quite wet and broke when being de-molded, hence the fallen pillar.

The two half pillars were cast as a single pillar using good quality Polyfilla and cut with a Dremmel then stuck to the walls using more filler.

It's been a while since I last updated so I thought I'd give post my musings. Bewarned it's a long one.

The big arena has stalled in construction; a usual problem with me - I never finish what I start for some reason - so many ideas in myhead so little time (and talent).

Well I say for no reason, but the non-stop influx of cool new Kickstarter minis is probably a key factor in all this.

The KS influx has also caused me to stop and re consider my options with regards to an arena and the space I have for storing it.

The current set up is huge. A 4' x 2' x 10" board that weights quite a bit already and I've still to put together the seating area and then somehow populate it...... I have come to realise that I just don't have the space for it.

So. Arena Circus Pictoria MkII.

Looking at my current collection of games (and incoming) I am thinking of building a proper gaming / come dining table with two permanet and 4 optional, retractable playing surfaces. I've drawn up plans in Autocad for the table and just need to source the finances and convice the better half that it is a good idea...

Well at the very least I am going to get the material and get on with making the play mats/cloths.

So for X-wing I need a 3'x3' black cloth (star-scape). I'm going for a 4'x 4' to allow some space for the big ships that are coming out too, plus it fits well with the 6'x4' demensions of the table. For Flames of War and WH40k two longer 6'x4' green and ochre mats (possible one of these will be the permanent). For Hell Dorado and Arena Rex a scorched earth 4'x4' mat. And finally a grey street layout for Deadzone, Dropzone and Zombicide.

So back to CP-II.

The mat will be made using an linen drop cloth and a couple of tubes of decorators caulk. This will be applied in the tradional manner with a spatula and scrapper blade and textured to form a desert cracked earth effect. It will then be painted dark brown and highlighted appropriately.

The columns, spikes, walls and 'pits' will all be sectional and magnetised.

For the walls I'm looking at a more typical timber stockade effect.

For the pits, as I no longer have the ability to recess them, I aim to replace these with firey pyres and employ a "counts as" rule.

All the terrain will be magnetised on the base too as I plan to have a thin steel plate below the base layer of permanet cloth on the table to allow both terrain and models to be placed without the risk of them being knocked or moved accidentally (a real issue with X-wing I'm finding).

Anyway more updates once I get to B&Q.

WOW!

I'm jealous!

I'm probably going to just end up with pillars and other scenery elements on a sand colored flocked mat... :'(

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Alpharius - That's the way I'm heading too.

Granted with the dream of making the mat into a proper gaming table.

But in the mean time a mat (or 4) is all that I'll be making.

So after a trip to B&Q at the weekend I and £30 lighter and hav ethe following materials:

3.0 x 2.7m linen drop cloth - £16
6 pakc of Decorator's Caulk - £7
Pack of "cheap" brushes - £6

Cut the drop sheet in half long ways then into a 6' (1.8m) and 4' (1.2m) length. Luckily there was a bit extra on the sheet so i have a good sized border on each mat which will be important for making the gaming table.

So Saturday saw me in the cold garage squeezing tude after tube of caulk onto the linen sheet and applying texture with a scraper, brush and handfuls of builders sand (I always have some in the garage for some reason or other).

4.5 tubes later and I had completed the first oversized 4'x4' mat.....hmmm gonna need more caulk.

I recon another 3 boxes (18 tubes - £21) should do all the play mats.

Still 4 large textured mats for £50 aint bad.

Okay they will still need painted and sealed but that will be cheap as I already have a huge bottle of PVA in the garage from some building works and a selection of small tins of matt emulsion from various painting jobs.

Another weekend should see the first mat done.