Realms of Miniatures

In "Modular Gaming Table: Part 2" I talked about the theory of putting a border around the table while keeping the modular aspect of the table intact. As I'm finished with the panels, It's now time to put the theory into practice.

I needed to attach the male "Kugelschnaepper" parts to the borders and make sure that all the borders and "Kugelschnaeppers" are aligned. I used one of the borders as a template to attach the female "Kugelschnaepper" parts to the panels. This would ensure that all the borders fit on all sides of the panels in the exact same way.
Finally, I gave the borders three layers of black paint, making them look extra cool and shiny.

To be honest, I thought the border idea wouldn't work and that the whole idea was a bit too ambitous, but in the end I'm glad I sticked with it. I'm quite amazed how easily and well the borders fit onto the panels. They require just the right amount of force for attachment and detachment, which is accompanied with a nice clicking sound, adding a feeling of sturdiness to the whole.

Of course we all know the border is utterly useless, and the amount of resources and money spend on them doesn't outwight the result, but still, being able to put a border around my table and seeing my wife's expression while she wonders the futility of it all, makes me smile anyways.

Aligning the borders

Close-up of alignment

Back-side border with male "Kugelschnaepper" parts in place

Front-side border painted black

Panel with female "Kugelschnaepper" parts in place

Panel without border

Panel with border

River end with border

Border corner

As promised, I'll demonstrate the whole table in the upcomming post, so stay tuned for some serious table action.

As I explained a bit in my previous post I'm planning to use the modular gaming table with modular boards further referred to as "panels". These panels will contain the desired scenery. As I have 2 sets of 6 frames I'll be making 12 panels. Each panel wil be 2x2 feet or 60x60 cm. The panel itself will be made out of Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF) and Extruded Polystyrene Foam (XPS). The picture below will demonstrate the complete make-up of the panel.

Panel construction

Constructed panel

The panel on top of a frame

As you can see the panel has two bars underneath it. These will help hold the panel in place when placed on top of a frame. The panel border help protect the XPS and function as connection points for the table borders.

The table borders are completely optional and do cut a hole in your budget. The idea is to be able place a border around a constructed table without losing the modular aspect of it. 

Each panel border has two cut outs where one part of a "Kugelschnaepper" is placed. I don't know how it's called in English but it literally means "bullet snapper". The picture below will shows one up close.

I'll need 48 of these

The other part of the "Kugelschnaepper" will be attached to the table borders which will allow them to connect. The pictures below will demonstate how this is done.

A 2x2 configuration with table border