Basing Ideas
"Basing" is the placement of the miniatures on a stand serves a myriad of purposes.
This stand which can be of stiff cardboard, thin plastic sheet or
even sheet metal prevents the miniature from falling over when placed.
The size of the stand can vary and can be for the individual miniature
or multiple depending upon the rules used or esthetic look desired.
Usually, collectors/wargamers do not want to have these beautiful
models standing on a plain piece of card or plastic. Even if painted
green, the base will not help give realism to the model. Therefore, the
collector will add terrain features for the models to trod underfoot.
The type and extent of the "terraining" will be to the taste of the
individual, however, the following ideas might help those unsure of how
to approach this area of the hobby.
The "art" of basing, should only be satisfying to yourself, it is
YOUR hobby, isn't it ? There is no right or wrong way of doing it, only
the way so you are happy with the results. With that in mind, the end
justifies the means. The expense you put into it, both monetary and in
time, should be in proportion to the results. No point taking hours to
carefully place each small stone in place in the groundwork, if in the
end, you still don't like the effect or think it not worthy of the
effort. To that, sometimes simple is most effective. A simple covering
of flocking (see below) simply glued on a sturdy piece of card can be
all it takes to be a nice base. You might look at the Swedish Napoleonic
units in Gallery 3 to see this method.
If this appears too much of a "golf greens" effect for you, a mixture of
fine sand, dirt and small pebbles, often found on roadsides, can be an
inexpensive and natural way of creating groundwork (literally) for your
bases. Add some dried moss, some varieties retain their color and
texture while dried out, which can be added by white glue (see below)
for the effect of shrubs and small plants.
One of the reasons to add terrain is to cover the large cast stand of
the figure itself. To cover this, often plaster or drywall repair paste
or wood filler is used to "fill-in" in area from the base to the feet of
the miniature. After this is done, any of the above techniques can be
employed, or the compound simply painted over. If some sand is added,
when dry, the textured groundwork can be lightly painted over with a
lighter shade than that of the original to create the effect of grass.
Again, any of the above techniques have been used to good success by
other collectors. If new to the hobby, or feel unsatisfied with the
current methods, certainly look at what others have done. I am sure the
collector would love to explain the details of how they had created the
effect. I would suggest you will be surprised by the inexpense of the
procedure and, when worked upon, say in front of the television - which
we might all admit does not require our full mental energy - is
surprisingly easy and dare I say, fun ?
So bring a small bag to collect the fine sand and twigs you find as
you take the dog for a walk, add the material to the bases and thus
create the masterpieces which highlights the finely painted figures you
will receive from Red Plume Painting Service.
Notes: "flocking" is very fine colored foam which, glued to the base has
the effect in scale of grass. Other varieties can resemble dirt or
courser turf or plants. This material is relatively inexpensive and can
be found in Model Railway shops or better hobby, games stores or craft
shops. This technique is a direct import from the Model Railroad hobby
and provides a similar effect.
"white glue" or wood glue can be found in hardware stores, home
improvement centers, craft stores among other retail operations. It is
by far, the most utilitarian of the adhesives, useful in most
applications from gluing on the figures to the base, to attaching the
groundwork.
The Type of Material for the Base Itself
Your considerations should be cost of the material, future availability
and ease of cutting into different sizes.
The cost is always a question. Usually, thick card is employed as it is
easy to cut, and is inexpensive. However, if poorer or thin quality is
used, warping can occur. Plastic card can be used to effect but is
usually relatively expensive and sometimes hard to find. Sheet metal
can be used, and employed with magnetized strips in carrying containers,
offer no possible damage from movement within. However, it can be
expensive and costly to have cut.
That being said, I personally use poster board which I retrieved
from the dumpster after their use at a trucking convention (Wargamers
usually look out for, or should look out for such opportunities)
However, I must reiterate, there is no best way of approaching this
aspect of the hobby. Perhaps in your way, people will follow your
example !
I hope this has been helpful. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail
if you have any further questions.
Cheers,
... Doug
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