These look interesting, but just how sturdy is foam? Can they be crushed or chipped very easily? They certainly look nice and they are affordable, I'm just worried about long-term durability. Does the foam become more brittle with age, heat, etc?
Samurai, let me first tell you I've got your back -
if any piece is broken or has a paint flaw I'll replace it with your next order. I've put that in my
FAQ.
Some specifics to your questions...
-They are water proof, so gamer spills are not an issue.
-the paints are durable acrylics and I've never had an issue with the paint.
-They can be droped from ANY height and survive undamaged. They dont chip from dropping.
-You'll want to treat them with the same care you treat your minis and other table top visuals.
-If you rake a sharp object across them you can gouge, scratch them - but that is true of cardboard tiles and cast resin also.
-If it breaks, it snaps cleanly - no shards or bits get lost, so its easily glued back together.-They are easily transportable... They will most likely be lighter than the container you carry them in.
-Because the tiles (with the exception of the door) are flat, you can accidentally drop your game books (distributed pressure) on them and not crush them... but if you, say, put the corner of a chair on one (focused pressure) and sat down on it... It would be noticibly damaged (same with minis) ... Repeated heavy "crushing" breakes down the foam's cell like structure. But since these are relatively inexpensive you've not lost much $.
I've been making and selling rigid, dense foam wargamming terrain and buildings since the mid 1980's and it does not deteriorate. My collection of rigid dense foam terrain is all still intact... Its the same panel like stuff they insulate homes with so its designed to stand up to daily, brutal summer heat... Flame will damage it, but thats true of cardboard and resin.
Let me know if you have any other questions.