Is Vac formed scenery dead?

[martin goddard]

This came to mind after I saw some company had pirated the old Bellona bridge and made it into a solid plaster piece (I shall be having a word).
I have got rid of all by vac form scenery, even those walls and tents.


martin

[JonT]

I still have some very old GW vac-formed craters kicking around somewhere (Moon-type craters rather than shell craters)...

I well recall the old Bellona stuff, does anyone else remember that they did a big vac-form sheet of 6mm (1/300) scenic bits to cut out? Houses, farms, small hillocks (ooh Matron!), bridges... even a windmill with cut-out sails! I still have their one-piece Longstop Hill diorama, again for 6mm.

Jon.

[martin goddard]

I had those too Jon. They do not stand up to modern scenery quality (too sloped) but they were great at that time.
I bought everything they made.
A company called Almera did the Bellona stuff in white.
If the plastic used were thicker I think scenery pieces would work effectively.

O happy days.


martin

[Leman (Andy)]

Had a lot of Bellona scenic items when I started out in wargaming, but multiple house moves later I have none left at all.

[Colonel Kilgore]

Amera are still going, and have a range in 15mm.

Simon

[JonT]

If anyone else here uses or is familiar with Kallistra's Hexon terrain system, they still use what looks to be vac-form (in quite thick and sturdy plastic) for their hills, escarpments and mountains.

Also, something that isn't actually vac-form but has some aspects in common: certain pieces of the GF9 "Battlefield in a Box" terrain system... their larger terrain pieces like the hills, plateaus and escarpments, which appear to be solid mouldings, are actually very thin hard shells (not vac-formed - they appear to be a thin resin shell of some sort) that is then "back-filled" with some sort of foam product to make a solid-seeming end result.
I only know this because a recently-purchased one was quite badly damaged in transit*, exposing the "secret" inner structure!

* I should note that it was quickly replaced by the seller, excellent Customer Service! 

Jon.

[Sean Clark]

Vac formed 12"x6" hills would be nice, but I've never found any. The Kallistra ones are nice but not close enough in dimensions.

[Dex13]

Early War Miniatures do a superb range of vac formed trenches and shell holes. Not all the range is currently on the website (their Anti-tank ditches for example) but I've got several pieces and rate them.
https://earlywarminiatures.com/index.php/product-category/scenery/

[martin goddard]

They look really good.
I would put a bit of weighing down putty inside them for games.


martin 

[Colonel Kilgore]

Could the underside simply be filled with Polyfilla to add some rigidity and weight?

Simon