What explains counter dimensions?

boylermaker

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Could somebody who understands the die-cutting process explain to me something I've noticed about my (MMP) counters:

Half-inch counters have near-identical heights, pretty much exactly 1/2". But the widths vary a fair amount, from maybe 7/16th to 9/16. This is especially true of the previous generation of counters, but it's definitely still the case with the current versions--my Korea counters are less horizontally variable than my older counters, but still show a noticeable range of a 1/16th of an inch or so.

How does this come about?
 

Philippe D.

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I have not noticed this with the newer generation of counters. It was very noticeable with the older (AH) counters.

I will let someone more knowledgeable about the manufacturing process answer the "why".
 

Paul M. Weir

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The AH era counters in particular, were quite dreadful in that regard at times. From what producers have said the problem is with overused cutting die blades bending or not being accurately (re)set between batches. I panic bought multiple extra module copies when AH was going down the tubes and I found that, say, German 467 "F" in all copies were over long or short. IE the error seemed to be in the same position in a counter sheet. I don't remember a problem with 5/8", all or nearly all were 1/2" counters. Given that AH games used far more 1/2" than 5/8" counters, it's likely that the 1/2" cutter dies were used to death.

These days a more common problem is that the printed card is not aligned properly with the die, the die itself being up to spec. In this case the counters would be nice and square but the image not being centred or slightly rotated. A much rarer problem is that the colours are not aligned, so you could have a green image with a yellow "shadow" on one side and a cyan "shadow" on the other side for example.

I must warn that all the above is second hand knowledge, I've never had anything to do with counter production, other than a few handfuls of hand made ones.
 

Paul M. Weir

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But does Olli have these in his collection? If not bet you can make some cash for new cat toys for the crew.
No.

I did a few BT-2 variants long, long before they were introduced in HP, I think one of each, just to try it out.

A few years ago I did a single VK45.01 (P) and Tiger I (P) each, which were the Porsche Tiger I prototype and the single "production" model that acted as a command tank for Elephants in sPzJg Abt 653. I posted the required images somewhere here. OK, found them at http://www.gamesquad.com/forums/index.php?threads/get-going-counter-designers.130148/post-1865547. Just "Save Image as" the images and print them out. The images are at 600 DPI, if I remember correctly and should be good enough quality. One counter each should be enough as only one of each were produced historically.

So Olli is more than welcome to do his for free. Given that he has boasted clipping hundreds of thousands of counters, printing and assembling a pair of counters should be nothing to him. ?
 

xenovin

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There are threads about some counters falling apart and my vague memory was each printer used thier own core material so modules done by different printers have various thicknesses.
 

jrv

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String theory, isn't it. You have to embed them in eleven dimensions to get the math to work out right.

JR
 

Justiciar

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String theory, isn't it. You have to embed them in eleven dimensions to get the math to work out right.

JR
Math has an embedding code? Really? Let see that and I want Weir to verify it. You could be high on counter repair glue at this point...or too much chill from your Vietnamese take away string noodles...
 

hongkongwargamer

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Here’s the thing :

Before anyone opens the shrink wrap to a game, counters vary between different widths and between falling or not falling apart. The act of opening it up fix the quantum superimposition.

The famous Schrödinger’s counters.
 

von Marwitz

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String theory, isn't it. You have to embed them in eleven dimensions to get the math to work out right.

JR
Don't make it overly complicated:
Instead of an eleven dimension String universe, try the one dimensional Thread universe instead.

von Marwitz
 
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