Cleaning up Gale Force Nine's Battlefield in a Box: Desert Oasis (BB537)

I pulled this piece out of storage to find that time wasn't kind to it. I put it away in the original packaging - a plastic bag and styrofoam inserts. The styrofoam kept the plastic bag pushed against the piece. As a result, the plastic became stuck to the piece and left behind a sticky residue on parts of the surface.

A simple, but versatile terrain piece.

A little research and some trial and error revealed that warm soap and water was the best approach. My initial attempts with alcohol and Simple Green removed the paint in the out of the way spots I used for testing. It took repeated washings in the sink, but most of the residue came off. Enough of the sticky residue remains to be somewhat noticeable while handing the piece and it is visible on the "water" part of the oasis. The last couple of washings produced no further improvements, so I've hit a dead end with this approach.

In the future, I'm going to avoid storing pieces like this in situations where plastic packaging will be pressed against the surface for long periods. This piece will either get put away with the rest of my terrain in bins or loose in its original box without the bag or foam. I'm also planning on inspecting the rest of the terrain I have stored away for similar effects.

Goldar enjoying a pitstop at a desert oasis.

About the Desert Oasis

There are two versions of this terrain piece - BB537 and BB219. The only difference between the two seems to be the packaging. BB537 came out in 2011 as part of the "essential" Battlefield in a Box line. BB219 appeared in 2017 and was marketed for use in Flames of War. To the best of my knowledge, neither version is currently available from Gale Force Nine.

As with all of Gale Force Nine's Battlefield in a Box pieces, the Desert Oasis is ready to use out of the packaging (as long as you don't put it away and forget about it for a year or two). The earth looks like rocks and sand or dry soil. The water is smooth and blue. I find the palm trees a little unconvincing, but they don't have to be mounted on it. The Desert Oasis also came with a couple of packets of static grass to further enhance its appearance.

The Desert Oasis is a fairly straightforward terrain piece. It is scale agnostic, working fine for 15mm or 28mm figures. Although the name suggests otherwise, the piece can be used on a variety of terrain boards. Mount the palm trees and it works as a tidal pool on a beach. Remove the palm trees and it could be a pond in a wilderness or park.

A GZG survey team takes samples from a desert spring.

Future Plans

I picked up this piece on clearance quite awhile back. It was when I was trying to build up my collection quickly and I didn't a specific purpose in mind when I got it. It would be a shame to throw it away, but the remaining residue is an issue. I may end up filling in the holes used to mount the palm trees and repainting the edges a slightly darker earth color to give the piece a little more utility. The water may also get another coat of paint to cover up the residue. Or I might pour a little clear resin over it to make it look more like water and cover up the residue. I'm still pondering my options at this time.