"How to fill in the gaps in slotta bases?" Topic

I have GW's 40K intro set, and the slots on bases are too big for the tabs on the minis; they don't fit securely, and even with superglue there will still be too much of a gap left to be truly secure.

What can I use to fill in the gap— perhaps even acting as a glue for the fig as well?

I'd prefer something cheap, no muss or fuss, readily available, and safe for a kid to use (I'm gonna try to get my son to help assemble and paint the things).

I use a kind of a glue for plumbers. What ever you use so long as it sticks the figure to the base you are ok. Any gaps will be covered when you use an old brush to put white glue, yes kids white glue, on to the base and then swish it around in a small dish of material to flock. This should cover all gaps in the end.

I use a textured compound. No problems for pretty big gaps so far.

Also use superglue on the bottoms of feet, so the slot isn't the only thing holding the miniature down.

For exposed slot on either side of a mini I've done a variety of things, but the most common is just a bit of thin paper super glued over the slot then sanded with the rest of the base. As long as the paper isn't fuzzy around the edges (which leads to an obvious ridge), sand will cover it with no clues.

i fill it with plasticine and then squirt some superglue on top.

I would probably use a wedge of thin sheet plastic instead of paper, since if these are plastic figures, you should be using plastic cement instead of superglue or epoxy anyway. Indeed, if the feet have enough surface area anyway, reinforcing the slot should be unneccessary, since the plastic-to-plastic bond will have enough suface area for a good bond.

Damon.

Get a tube of brown construction adhesive. This not only fills the gap and secures the figure but you can then texture the top of the base by adding sand or ballast directly into the adhesive before it drys.

Takes a little longer than other adhesives to dry but works very well and is pretty cheap.

I put minis into the slotta base, tilt it over and put a line of white glue into the slot. Glues the minis in place and fills the gap.

Cheers,

Burkhard

"you should be using plastic cement instead of superglue"

I swore off toluene fumes years ago, thanks.

Were I limited to polystyrene cement for the open gaps, I'd probably shave some sprue down to fit, since thin sheet polystyrene is another purchase, ain't cheap stuff, and I'll be pulling some other glue out to finish the base work *anyway*.

I actually use normal everyday masking tape. I tear a bit off, then cut that piece into small strips. I apply the tape strip right to the trouble area, then I cut it to fit using an Xacto. If it a small gap, I will cut a small piece off the strip and place it exactly where it needs to go. After spraying, painting, rocking and grassing, the tape does not show up at all. It is quick, fume free and goes right to the trouble spot. I usually use the tape method for when I put historical minis on the bases and I want to cover the gap entirely, but for large gaps on slotta based figures, it works just as good.

If it is a small gap, then when I attach metal bases or washers on the bottom (for travel safety), I use a bit of Liquid Nails and place it in the gap with the Xacto blade. Let dry and presto – gap is filled.
Larry

Polyfilla

An epoxy putty – green stuff, procreate, apoxiesculpt, apoxieclay, JB Weld, you name it – if it is the first thing at hand – it gets used.

All of the aove. Plasticene, green stuff, masking tape, PVA. All work. What's closest is the most important.

I just squeeze squadron putty in from the bottom until the slot is filled around the tab. When it hardens everything is locked in place.

To buy a bag of Evergreen strip plastic, its like $3 USD and you could probably do the enture WHFB starter set if you wanted.

For plastic filler, I use Testors plastic contour putty.

Farstar, most plastic cements use either Methyl Ethyl Ketone, or Trichloromethane. No toluene in either. Superglue is not much better since a component in Cyanocrylate is of course Cyanide…

Damon.

I have always taken a pair of tiny wire cutters or pliers and gave the tab a bend – just enough to fit snug in the slot. Glue, paint, flock …. done.

"What can I use to fill in the gap"

I went to one of my local cheap shops (Poundland, Everything's A Pound!, etc) and bought black gutter sealant for £1.00 GBP a tube. I also got the caulking gun for £1.00 GBP too. Then I simply fill the gaps in the slotta base. Easy-peasy.

I happen to have some "Oatey's Plumber's Putty," but it says "DO NOT USE ON MARBLE, GRANITE, LIMESTONE OR PLASTIC" on the side. Anybody know why the latter is the case? Will it eat the plastic or react to release chemicals, or is it just because it won't seal properly against these surfaces?

If its like Squadron Putty, it will warp plastic over time. Back when Green Stuff was fairly new to gamers, the search for other putties to do conversion and gap filling with led one of our local gamers to use Squadron Green to fill slotta holes, texture base tops, and fill gaps in (mostly metal) models. A month later, he sadly displayed a gorgeous 40k model, nicely converted with fully textured base… that rocked like the proverbial wooden horse. The Squadron Green had, between shrinking just a few percent and having the solvents to work its will on the plastic base, bent the base into a nice arc.

"Marble, granite, limestone, or plastic" is quite a list, chemically. I suspect the reasons are different for each, though limestone and marble are related.

Repeat after me "I hate slotta bases, and I'm not buying any figures that require their use"…

First I bend the tab on metal models slightly so they fit snug. Superglue the model in. Then put normal scotch tape over the slot. Glue on sand and prime. Voila!!

A wipe of PVA glue, let it dry, then do the base as normal.
I have hods of plastics from Em4, and there is often a small gap either side of the tab and that is how I fill it.

rddfxx, luddites are so last century!

To add my two pence, I use green stuff. I bought a fair amount of it a while ago when I had a go at sculpting. It does the trick, especially when the model has a tab that takes up most of the space. I've also Green-Stuffed a lot of my spare slottabases to make "slottaless" bases for plastic minis without tabs.