Product Review - GameMat.eu Game Mat

Welcome to the second instalment of my product review series. Today we'll be taking a look at a gaming mat from GameMat.eu.

I only recently became aware of GameMat while trawling the Internet for good terrain for an Infinity board i'm planning (more on that soon!) They are a company based in the Czech Republic and make a wide variety of gaming mats, as well as some terrain pieces which are well worth a look. While i did look at some of the more popular gaming mat companies (FAT Mat, DeepCut etc) I went for their Quarantine mat in a 4ft x 4ft because i think its design will match the feel of my board really well. HOWEVER, what i actually received was the 6x4 version! This is not a reflection on GameMat.eu however, as i bought it from a UK based supplier.

As usual i'll be looking at the design, quality, affordability of the product and then give it an overall score. Lets get to it.

Design

This mat theme is designated Quarantine, so has lots of industrial imagery, as well as hazard stripes and what i'll generically term 'corruption' (worn paint, rust, chips, etc) This design could be suitable for any number of wargame settings.

While the theme does lean heavily on the rust and corruption, this is punctuated by a number of interesting designs which keep the design of the mat interesting.

Weaving between all those patterns is a decent road set. Plain enough so not to distract from the design, but noticeable enough to support the overall aesthetic!

Score - 5/5
An Interesting, eye catching and versatile design!


Quality

From what i can tell from the Internet, there is a few different materials that you could buy a game mat in. Broadly these materials are paper, cloth or neoprene (commonly referred to as 'mousemat') In this instance, i went for the neoprene material, as this was the only option and is 2mm in thickness. This suited me however, for a number of reasons.

A rubber based material will of course always be more durable than paper or cloth. It is unlikely to tear or crease making it last longer in principle. Will it wear out over time, its designs fade and the edges get tatty? sadly i cannot say at this early point, but i'd say the odds are good!

The underside of the mat is textured, giving the mat some grip on your gaming surface. The printed side of the mat is perfectly smooth, ensuring the quality of the design remains uninterrupted by imperfections.

Score - 4.5/5
Half a point short of a full house, as i'm unsure 2mm thickness will stand the tests of time. Only review of thicker mats would help with this, so for now its 4.5.


Affordability

As i said earlier, i sourced this mat from a UK stockist, as GameMat itself is based in the Czech Republic. However, GameMat's website allows you to shop in GBP so i was able to compare the price of the mat and shipping directly. As it happens, i paid the same amount for the mat (£42) and the shipping (£8) from the UK supplier as i would have from GameMat directly.

From what i can tell from shopping around on the Internet, price points for a mat of this size and material are around £40 - £50. A price tag of £42 falls within this range at the lower end of the spectrum. Another nice thing about this mat is that it comes with a carry case for no extra charge.

Score - 4.5/5
While this mat is at the lower end of the common price spectrum, its hard to call £42 on a mat 'affordable'. Certainly to some, but not to all. However, i do think you get what you pay for here.


Overall

This is a solid game mat with great quality designs made from a quality material. The price of the mat does bring its score down a little, and remember, this was for a 4x4 mat. The little touch of a carry bag included in the price does go some way to softening the blow!

Overall Score 4.5/5

More product reviews soon!

The GunGrave

Infinity - Nomad Wildcat with Spitfire Complete

My last Nomad post saw this guy approaching completion. I'm pleased to say he's now done, and i think i've got my eye in on the colour scheme.

It was really nice to come outside of my Aleph comfort zone and try some new colours and styles! It's made this process really enjoyable, now i'm really stoked to be building my Corredigor force! Not to mention the awesome bases from Antenocitis Workshop which set off my 'spaceship deck' feel really well.

So here is the first of many Nomads to come; Wildcat with Spitfire!

More Nomads soon!

The GunGrave

Product Review - Antenocitis Workshop Resin Bases

Recently i was pondering over all the different modelling accessories that were available out there, and how lucky we were as hobbyist to have such a wide variety of things to choose from. Bases, accessories, terrain, its all out there! For me the Internet has become my hobby Aladdin's cave!

So i began thinking about what i use to supplement my hobby, and how i should share those experiences with the community at large. Its my civic duty really! So welcome readers to the first of my product review series! Not the most original posting topic I'll grant you, but product feedback really helps me choose items, so here's my two pennies worth!

I'll be scoring products out of 5 based on the following criteria:

• Design
• Quality
• Affordability
• Overall score

So without further ado, here is the first in my product review series!

Antenocitis Workshop Bases

I've been buying bases from Antenocitis workshop for about a year now, since i began collecting and playing infinity. For the purpose of this review, i'll be showcasing their Hex Bases and their Lazaretro Bases. They are now my go-to supplier for resin bases, and here's why:

Design

Many of the bases produced by antenocitis workshop bear the 'Designed for Infinity' stamp, so the aesthetic is bang on for the Infinity universe. That being said, their range is varied enough that i don't feel that they have backed themselves into an Infinity corner and made their bases unsuitable for any other game system. They model a wide range of terrain types such as dessert, ice/snow, forest, tech bases. The ONLY style i think they're missing is an urban style rubble base, which i think would really complete the set.

Lack of urban bases aside, the design of their various base styles is original and interesting, making them suitable for a wide variety of gaming systems.

Score - 4.5/5 (Urban bases would have scored them a solid 5!)

Quality

Sometimes with resin cast models and accessories, the quality can be a bit hit and miss. Some 'preparation' of resin is also expected to remove mould likes, flow gates, etc before use. So far i've found the quality of the casts to be crisp and clean, with only some minor preparation needed around the edges of the bases to remove excess resin. They don't seem to have that oily finish that some resin products have from the releasing agent, so that cuts down the preparation time. There has been no loss of detail in all in the bases i've sampled so far, ensuring i get exactly what it says on the tin!

I have had blue and grey resin colours, but that hasn't changed any of the above to date.

Score - 5/5 

Affordability

In my experience you usually get about 10 bases in a pack, but Antenocitis Workshop will offer you 12 for the competitive price of £7.50. The extra 2 bases is a big plus in my book, making your money go that little bit further. 

Their 40mm-70mm bases do range in price, but will be around the £5 mark for a large 70mm, and the same for a 2-4 pack of 40/55mm bases. This variability does affect the price point a bit for me, and most of the designs are flat. If they had a bit of height to them and some more features then i would be a bit happier paying more. 

If your just after 25mm, then your onto a winner. However be prepared to pay a little extra for the larger sizes (sounds obvious, but read the above!)

Score - 4.5/5 

Overall

A great product with a wide variety of designs to suit a multitude of game systems. Highly recommended! If you want to check out their website, you can find it HERE!

Score - 4.5/5 

I hope you've enjoyed the first in what i hope will be a long series of product reviews. If you are interested in having your product reviewed by A Guardsmans Guide to Glory, then please contact me on the email address on the right of this page. 

Happy hobbying!

The GunGrave

Infinity - A New Chapter!

So way back in May Corvus Belli launched their Strikezone: Wotan online campaign. I did manage to get a few games in to contribute to the interests of Aleph in the strikezone, but certainly not as many as i would have liked!

I did however take full advantage of Corvus Belli's insane promotional sale, which offered 50% off their army bundles! Yes, thats 50%!! It took considerable effort not to buy more than 1 army bundle, but by some miracle i managed to make only 1 purchase:

The Nomad Corredigor bundle was mine! All that for less than £60 including postage. Felt like i was committing some sort of crime buying this! Nomads have been at the top of my 'next army' list for a while. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bored with Aleph. Having a second (third, forth, fifth!) army will help me develop my game a bit  more, helping my tactics evolve. Well, that's the plan anyway!

So i cracked on with a Wildcat with Spitfire to get my eye in on the colour scheme. I'm not terribly imaginative when it comes to colours, so I'll be going for the box art here.

This is the WIP so far, with the reds and greys done (sorry for the picture quality) Just the blacks and whites to do now. I also picked up another sweet batch of bases from Antenocitis Workshop for these guys which I'll get up on here soon.

More soon!

The GunGrave

Guardians of the Emperor - Gyrfalcon Jetbike

Its time for a little support for my Custodian squad in the form of a Gyrfalcon Jetbike! I picked up the 3 man squad of these from Forgeworld recently, so theres still 2 more in their boxes. I decided to paint one of these up as a treat for completing a whole squad of Custodes, and what a treat it was! I enjoyed every second of paint time on this model, mainly because it looks so dam cool! Very much looking forward to seeing the whole squad charging into battle!

I didn't use the flight stands that come with the models, they're just a bit to small for my liking. Instead i ordered some 3mm acrylic rod from eBay to given them a bit more height, and it also looks a bit tidier as well!As this one had a bit of height to it i gave it a downward angle, like this Custodian is about to bury his spear into a traitors face!!

The Custodian himself is a little different from his foot slogging brothers. Instead of armoured arms and legs, they sport some leather bracers and, what i like to call, 'space chaps'!

I refrained from doing any freehand on the screens, my skills just arn't there yet. Some green and blue glows break up that gold a bit.

I magnetised the weapons very easily for the jetbike, sticking some 2mm magnets to the underside of the weapons, and counter sinking one into the hull of the jetbike.

Finally the base. Another fine addition from Scibors Miniature, this is their 60mm base which comes in 3 designs. I simply love these bases; full of detail and character and fit perfectly with the Webway theme of my force!

Let me know what you think! More Custodiians comming soon!

The GunGrave

Infinity - Aleph Yudbots

After many a painting session up to my eyes in gold, its time for a quick palette cleanse!

These 2 Yudbots have been languishing on my desk for quite some time. I've been messing around with a few new Aleph lists for up upcoming tournament at the end of July, and Yudbots have started to feature in them. They're going to really provide a lot of assistance for my poor Sophotects who spends all of her games legging it around the table on her own healing the troops!

More soon!

The GunGrave