Review: Wargame Mat by Killing Fields Terrain

I'm not usually the kind of guy to do a product review - but I try to make exceptions to champion new products or companies that make something that I really like. A couple of weeks ago I ordered a new wargaming mat from an up and coming company called Killing Fields Terrain (http://www.killingfieldsterrain.com) and it arrived on Friday. I've had three days to noodle with it, and I thought I'd share my opinion of the product.

I've always really liked the look of mats made from faux fur cloth. I've even had a go at making my own, but the cost was intense for the first attempt. I needed to get the fur (about $60 for a 5'x3'), an electric pet shaver to trim the fur (another $20) and then spray paints (another $30ish dollars) to color everything. The results were really nice, but it was a long, smelly process (the off-gassing of the spray paints takes a while to dissipate).

My own efforts.

Killing Fields Terrain offers a dyed mat at 4'x6' for about $80. I figured that just getting the mat as a base to experiment on would be worth it, so I ordered one. It arrived in a quick fashion, folded inside a nice sturdy box that I can use for storage.

The mat right out of the box and on my kitchen table.

A little tussling of the fur with my hand and it was ready to go.
The mat has really nice "pile" (length of the fur) and can be further shaved into.

One of the things I really like about fur mats is the ability to shave in permanent "roads" on them. I grabbed my electric pet clippers (a cheap brand I wouldn't come near my dog with in a million years) and set about creating some roads.

After a shave, I used white glue and sprinkled sand on it.
Once dry, a light dry brush of a light cream finished it off.

Then it was just a matter of draping it over some hill forms and adding my usual scenic embellishments!

Ready to fight!

The mat is draped over a hill here, creating a nice gentle rolling slope.

Lighting the whole set up was a challenge, but there really is a nice range of color in the mat.

I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I would highly recommend this product. If you're in the US and in the market for a fur mat, take a look at http://www.killingfieldsterrain.com - it'll be worth your time. I'm seriously considering ordering a second mat when I can so that I can play a nice big 4'x12' Napoleonic game on it!

Cheers!