Geo-Hex is a wargaming scenery product that seems to be less popular these days and is being replaced by one-off scenery boards that look nicer, but are less flexible. In my opinion, the reasons GeoHex has decreased in popularity in our area are that it is fragile and not as pretty as the one-off scenery boards. Fragility is the biggest issue, as pieces break off and people tend to lean on it, making finger-shaped impressions. Finally, my cat used to sharpen her claws on it! This article describes how to repair and beautify Geo-Hex. As a by-product, this will also make it stronger and tougher.
Geo-Hex is extremely flexible and one set can be used for dozens of different battles. Therefore it is easy to store away, as you require less of it to do more gaming. However, I found I was not using it much, because it was getting kind of dated. As I was pondering this dilemma, I realized the solution was to make Geo-Hex more rugged and beautiful. So I set to experimentation and came up with a solution. My "improved" Geo-Hex has been a big hit at several conventions and people are always asking how I did it.
First you need some Geo-Hex. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Geo-Hex, it is a hexagonal foam-based. product. The hexes are 12" wide and 3/4" thick. Geo-Hex comes complete with hills and a typical set can cover a wargames table with very realistic looking slopes. It is highly flexible, in that the pieces can be put together in hundreds of ways and any battlefield can be simulated with it. GeoHex comes in various colors and shapes. When stored, Geo-Hex does not take up a lot of room in your house. If you do not have any Geo-Hex, here is the source: Geo-Hex, 2126 North Lewis, Portland, Oregon 97227. Telephone: (503) 288-4805. Fax: (503) 288-8992. Here is the Geo-Hex home page: http://www.geohex.com/index.htm. Note that Geo-Hex is a registered trademark of Kieran P. Rohan.
You can also get used Geo-Hex very cheaply. I obtained three complete collections of Geo- Hex for only $150 total, through the internet. By the way, http://www.bartertown.com is worth a look if you are on the net. Don't worry if the Geo-Hex is abused (holes, broken bits, etc.).
Required equipment and materials
| Equipment | Materials |
|---|---|
| Putty knife, 1" blade | Non-shrink spackle (I used Shur-Stik brand) |
| Spoon | Skid-Tex non-skid paint additive |
| Hot melt glue gun | Water |
| Hot wire cutter | Liquitex Chromium Oxide Green acrylic paint |
| Paint brushes, at least #5 | Liquitex Raw Sienna acrylic paint |
| Large paint brush, 3 " wide | Any bright yellow acrylic paint |
| Mixing bowl | Any sandy color acrylic paint Small rocks Woodland scenics grass (3/4" lengths) |
You will also need a lot of room. In my case, pieces of Geo-Hex were drying every place in the garage, including tops of cars (protected by newspapers).
I started by laying out a battlefield with plain Geo-Hex. My first battlefield for this purpose was Little Big Horn. I then took the pieces, one by one, into the garage for the makeover. I glued the stacked pieces together, but you don't have to do this. Gluing the stacks together takes away some of the flexibility of the system, but less than you might at first think. When you glue a small slopy-bit on top of a plain hexagon, you might think you are now stuck (no pun intended) with a piece you can't use elsewhere. But you will be surprised to find that piece is required on all battlefields. In fact, where else would that sloppy bit go, but on a hexagon? So you might lose at most a single degree of freedom, but you game in esthetics. If you choose to glue the bits together, use a hot melt glue gun. Note that if the glue is too hot, the Geo-Hex can melt -- so be careful.
You can also choose to modify the pieces. I used a hot-wire cutter (available at most craft stores to slice off sections and create cliffs. The hot wire goes right through the Geo-Hex and you can easily create highly unique sections. This eliminates the uniformity that sometimes detracts from the appear ance of a Geo-Hex battlefield.
Now, mix the non-shrink spackle with a little water to make a thin paste. About the consistency of honey will do very nicely. Cover the entire top of the Geo-Hex with this material, using a putty knife. In those areas that you want to leave as brown (no grass), try and disturb the material a bit with the knife to make an irregular surface for later dry brushing. Slope sections look especially nice this way.
While the spackle is still wet, use a spoon to sprinkle Skid-Tex on the areas that you want to appear grassy. Most of my Geo-Hex bits are about 75% grassy. All six of the edges of the Geo-Hex should be grassy, so they look nice placed together. Skid-Tex is a pumice sand of fine consistency that is added to paint in order to make a non-skid surface. Once painted green and dry brushed yellow, it looks like grass. This is also the time to place small rocks or clumps of tall grass in the moist spackle. This really adds to the look. I also add tree stumps, broken wagon wheels, and any thing else I can find to spruce i up. A dead horse skeleton makes a particularly interesting piece.
Set the piece to dry at least 24 hours before painting. Then knock off the excess Skid-Tex with large paint brush. Save the extra Skid-Tex for later re-use. I paint the grassy parts (coated with Skid Tex) with a dilute wash of Chromium Oxide Green. I paint the dirt areas with a dilute wash of Raw Sienna. Once these have dried, I dry brush the green with bright yellow and dry brush the brown area: with a light sandy color. Note that acrylic paints should always be used. Any other type of paint could dissolve the Geo-Hex core.
Once the piece is dry you can place it on the table. Note that the spackle has created a tough outer covering. You can lean on it or set drinks on it and it will not be damaged! It is also quite beautiful and looks just as nice as those one-off scenery boards. Every time you set up a new battle, you will have to create fewer new Geo-Hex pieces. Over time, all of your Geo-Hex will be converted.
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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