Wargaming Terrain is an essential component when re-creating the great battles of history.  There are a wide variety of products available and depending on your preferences you can go as simple or as "all-out" as you like.  Some prefer to use a piece of cloth and simple rudimentary terrain objects...  others try to attain a realistic and accurate depiction of history's great battlefields.  No matter which end of the spectrum your preferences reside in, durability and ease of setup/storage are factors that should be considered.  Kallistra's Hexon II hexagon terrain solution combines both of these factors; and while it is a good solid terrain option it won't appeal to everyone.

Have you ever had to pack giant terrain squares or tables, supported by foam and ply-wood into the back of your truck, van, or car for an afternoon of gaming?  Or better yet, have you ever had to find room in your crammed garage/closet to store your wargaming terrain?  

One of Kallistra's main selling points for it's Hexon II terrain is the ability to overcome this storage and transportation frustration; it does a very nice job at it too.  A single box of terrain tiles is enough to cover a 4' x 3' gaming surface and it fits into a small box 12" x 10" x 10".  If you're looking for a traditional  6' x 4' surface you'll need two boxes of the tiles; but floor or shelf space is still relatively small in comparison.  

To be fair, this doesn't include hills, trees, and buildings; all of which will need to be stored separately.  Hills for Hexon II terrain are not quite as uniform as the base hexes (as you'll see in a moment) so you won't be able to stack them perfectly.  However, I find that they do store nicely in a Tupperware bin not much bigger than the hex boxes.  Overall, if you are looking for easy to store terrain then Hexon II does this very well.

The diameter of a single hex in a Hexon II tile cluster is approximately 4" (100mm); the same as GHQ's Terrain Maker hexes.  Hexon II clusters contain 6 individual hexes molded together and while this prevents any cracks and crevasses within the clustered hexes, these problems still exist between clusters.  

To remedy this problem and to maintain a solid gaming surface, Hexon II includes small brackets that can be used to clamp the undersides of the hex clusters together.  These brackets do indeed hold tight, but I wonder how feasible it is to bracket the underside of an entire 6' x 4' surface (I haven't tried...  maybe it's easy).

Stacked end-to-end, Hexon II looks very nice and uniform.  Also, it's quite easy and quick to setup and can be done in a matter of minutes.  The picture to the right illustrates only a few hexes for simplicity, as mentioned earlier a single box covers a 4' x 3' gaming surface.

It is also important to note that Hexon II comes in a couple different options:  Flocked and Unflocked.  Obviously the unflocked option is cheaper as it's simply a formed styrene hex surface that you'll have to landscape yourself.  The pictures in this review detail the Flocked hexes (of which there are also a few color options).

Kallistra provides several "add-on" options for Hexon II but to be honest I didn't quite like the look of the stackable roads and rivers...  I prefer instead to use another product for these terrain features.  Here, I've used "Rivers in a Box" by Battlefront Miniatures and I think they look quite nice - while they don't find perfectly on the edges.  If you're interested, be sure to visit Kallistra's website for photos and information on their river, road, and trench terrain Add-ons.

Mountains and Hills!  Another of Hexon II's main selling points is it's elevated terrain.  In all honesty, it's not terribly realistic (with super-steep mountains jutting up) but it does look very cool.  Hills and mountains have a hex shape to them and they sit nice and snuggly on the underlaying base hexes.  Also, there are several different hill and mountain configurations - from jagged peaks and mountain ranges, to saddles and ridges.  Keep in mind you will have difficulty finding roads that will work with your hills and mountains, but if you use felt strips for road it should work ok.

The list of Hexon II pros continues with it's construction...  hexes and add-ons are all made of high impact polystyrene and are very rugged.  It certainly won't survive a car driving over it, but it should hold up to any of the rigors of miniature wargaming.  I find that the adhesive used on the flocked hexes is also very durable and I don't imagine the flocked surface will be wearing away any time soon.

With so many Pros, why then is it not for everyone?  Well, first and foremost is price...  Check Kallistra's website for the latest prices, but for 2 boxes of hexes and several mountain/hill pieces I paid a few hundred dollars.  However, the worst part was the shipping, it was over a $100 USD.  This isn't Kallistra's fault as they charge shipping at cost, but they are located in the UK so anywhere outside of Europe is gonna be pricey.  I should also mention that they were flexible and were willing to adjust some prices here and there to help offset the shipping costs.

Another aspect that I don't really like with Hexon II is the lack of sunken terrain and rivers molded into the hexes - this is personal preference but I don't think it works well with 1/285th scale (6mm) as a result.  At small scales rivers and roads act more like hills. 

In summary, Hexon II is a unique terrain option that features easy storage and setup and it should last you a long time.  If you can deal with the price and you're willing to ignore some of its limitations then it might just be what you're looking for.