Saturday 17 March 2012

Individual Basing

After deciding to base my figures on multiple bases I have suddenly changed my mind and decided to go with individual bases. I'd planned on individual bases originally but was never happy with the size of coins that were easily available, ie 1p and 5p pieces - 1p being too large and 5p too expensive.

Now thanks to warbases I have the perfect size bases. Only thing is I now have a load of painted figures that will need rebased.... so it's off to work!!

The bases come in various sizes. I opted for 15mm circles, 2mm deep. These come in packs of 30 and at £1.20 a pack, that's great value. They are made from laser cut MDF so are quite lightweight but not so as to cause any issues. Here's a pic of the bases with coins for scale...

I've started basing some figures that were already needing bases, rather than those already based. Here's a comparison pic of three minis, all from Khurasan - the first is a Federal Trooper on a 1p, the next is their bounty hunter based on a Euro 1 cent, and the last is a Selpuvedan Rebel on a new 15mm base. I found that I had to use the thicker Super Glue to stick the figures as the more fluid glue is absorved by the MDF. I'm not sure if a strong PVA wood glue would hold the figures, that's something I'll need to try out.
And here's the work in progress of the newly based figures, glued to the bases and sand added using PVA glue. Once these are dry I'll paint the ground with Games Workshop Graveyard Earth, then drybrush the same with added white, then some grass and tufts etc, and I'll post the finished figures soon.

3 comments:

Lead Legion said...

Glad you went with warbases, you won't be disappointed with the qaulity or service of these guys.

Because the Mdf absorbs Superglue, you might want to try applying a little bit of miliput to the underside of the figures sculpted base. Put glue on the miliput and glue on the mdf base and the join usually takes first time.

Chris K. said...

An idea might be to lay out a large group of bases, and then brush a quick coat of cheap paint or primer over the tops of them. This would seal the tops just a bit, and keep the cyanoacrylate from being absorbed.

I wouldn't suggest PVA for permanent use, but it's great for temporary work. I typically PVA 3-4 figures to a popsicle stick for painting . The PVA easily pops off with a craft knife, then I can superglue them to my washers or pennies.

Chris Kemp said...

I have been using PVA successfully for years, as previously noted, figures can be "popped off" for rebasing, but once painted or textured they will stay on.

Even better though is "Evostick". Just place a blob on the base or the figure's underside, it really doesn't matter. The glue shrinks dry. If you are in a hurry then just put a thin smear on both surfaces and allow to dry, which it does in a couple of minutes. Once dry press the figure on for it to stick instantly.

Kind regards, Chris.