Product Reviews

The Sutler's Corner: FlexRoads™ - Feb. 2007

WarGamer's Terrain is a Massachusetts-based home business run by veteran gamer Joe Linares. He makes wargaming accessory pieces such as palisades, barricades, log cabins, bridges, and flexible stone walls, rivers, and roads. Linares is a frequent seller on eBay, with a very positive series of feedback on his timeliness, communications, and quality. I received a few samples of his FlexRoads product for review in Charge!, and must say that I am impressed. All are handmade, and reflect care and attention. These are suitable for 15mm and 25mm miniature gaming, and could easily be cut down for smaller scales. FlexRoads are normally sold as a set of nine 12"-long straight sections, plus one S-shaped curved section, one gently curved section, and one sharp curved C-shaped section. Each section is typically 1.75 to 2" in width, with a diameter of only 1/16", helping them retain maximum flexibility. If the 12" sections are too long, FlexRoads can be readily cut with sharp scissors into smaller lengths. Y's and T's can be created simply by placing pieces together in whatever angle the game master desires. Personally, I would cut the C-shaped piece into at least two smaller curves, which would offer greater utility. They come flocked with varying degrees of stone, sand, dirt, and grass, and are very useful particularly to depict the macadamized turnpikes so prevalent in many eastern battlefields. Roads are two-sided, with a dirt/stone contour on one side and a muddy appearance on the reverse for those scenarios such as Fair Oaks and Chantilly where major thunderstorms had rolled through the region, turning the dirt roads into quagmires. These thin, flexible roads can be fitted to gently rolling terrain, and are much more conformable than the polystyrene roads that I have used for years for my 15mm ACW and AWI gaming. They remind me of the Miniature World Maker™ latex rubber roads that I used in the late 1990s, but these are flocked and finished. FlexRoads are lightweight and easy to store. They appear to be durable and not subject to damage with transportation, although I have not yet spent much time hauling these around from convention to convention. They came well packaged and undamaged, and appear quite hardy. Jose Linares came to the USA in 1961 and became a citizen in 1979. He is married with two adult children. A wargamer for 30 years, his favorites are Napoleonic miniatures (he has 8,000 figures in his Nappie collection!) and WW2 miniatures (1,000 of these). He also enjoys historical board wargames and chess. He accepts custom work, and has several examples of other products on his website, http://matancero.home.comcast.net. His e-mail address for all order inquiries is matancero@comcast.net. Mention that you saw this review in Charge! If you are still using masking tape or strips of tan felt or paper for roads, why not consider stepping up to this product?

Scott Mingus, Charge! newsletter, Johnny Reb Gaming Society www.geocities.com/scottmingus/JRGS

FlexRoads