"Basing - Not Just What, But Why" Topic

Hey I'll be painting some figures and vehicles soon, if the humidity around here ever gets low enough to prime.

It's time to start basing, so I'd like to know not just WHAT you suggest, but WHY you suggest/prefer it.

Individual basing (except for a few weapon teams), 15mm sci fi figures, mechs and (1/100 scale) vehicles, for Force on Force/Tomorrow's War squad skirmish gaming. Play is by unit (fireteam), but figures are removed individually from play.

I've heard a few suggestions: pennies, slugs, washers, fender washers, MDF discs, etc. for figures. Not sure what to use for command, mechs, vehicles, etc.

Also, how do you combine your basing and storage solutions?

I'd like to try using friction-top tins for storage, with magnetic sheets, if possible. Or possibly some kind of tackle, craft, toy car or tool box.

So, what do you recommend, and why do you like it?

For individual mounting, I use galvanized steel washers. The size will vary depending on figure size. If any part of the center hole is showing, I'll fill it in with white glue. My reasons are as follows:

1). They're cheap, especially in bulk.

2). They're uniform in size so a unit looks uniform

3). They're magnetic so theknfon't move around in the box.

I use washers for the same reason(s) listed above…for storage I usually line a plastic bin of some sort with magnetic sheets, preferably self adhesive…then I can stack the bins in a larger box for storage or transport. This isn't fail safe of course because they can still get jarred loose…but it's better than nothing!

Fender washers with magnetic sheets in the storage boxes. Fenders have smaller holes.

Washers as for the same reasons above.

Im in the UK, so I use UK pennies for 15mm individual bases.
Why? They're cheaper than anything else!

I don't base vehicles because I think vehicles look silly on bases.

Washers for infantry, big washers for crew served weapons, magnetic sheets, as per others.

And I also do not base vehicles, as I think they look kinda silly too.

Washers or pennies here in the US. I don't worry about them moving around in the box since I smash em together nice and tight in the craft junk boxes I use for storage (heresy, I know).

Vehicles I do not base in 15mm.

I base all my stuff on thin galvanised steel. I do so because:

They won't warp, ever or get damaged corners.

They are enamelled so won't rust.

They are 0.8mm thick, which I like and are magnetic without adding any extra thickness to the base.

Lining boxes and trays with magnetic sheets means they don't shift in transport.

I have them made for me by PWS (UK) so I don't have to cut any bases. They are precisely sized.

I can add a piece of thin ply with magnetic material underneath to bind bases together. The total base thickness like this is 2mm and so I can pick up a whole battalion at a time.

They add low down stability to the figures.

They add a bit of weight to push down the faux fur I use for grass.

I use washers or steel bases too.

I use cardboard boxes with magnetic sheet to store/transport.

It is just the easiest thing to do.

@ Timmo uk FEEL THE STEEL!!

Another vote for fender washers.

For smaller (3/6/10/possibly even 15 mm) figures, if you base the troops don't base the vehicles does it not make the vehicles look too small when near the troops?

One thing I've picked up is gluing figures with only pva, it allows me to easily remove figures and rebase them later for different rules systems.

Fender washers for the troops, no bases for the vehicles because that is Shaitan's work.

@McWong: Rebasing? Why would you do that? Just make movmement trays.

I sort of base vehicles. I glue a steel plate to the bottom so it will stick in place in the magnetic box. Otherwise they slide around and crush your smaller lighter figs. But the plate I use is slightly narrower and shorter than the vehicle so you son't see it. I still spray it brown just in case a corner can be seen here or there.

By the way, you can make a movement tray out of an old CD. Just leave bare spots where the troops go. Makes it easier and faster to move units that are based individually.

At some point I'll get them in sabots mate, but it's more to do with evolving tastes in games. I really enjoyed the single base games but my preference is for larger games at company and battalion level, which means squad/team basing. Started with Tomorrows War, but am finding more fun with Hammers Slammers.

I mostly use steel washers. Pennies are cheaper, but US pennies aren't magnetic. If you live in the UK, apparently UK pennies are magnetic. And are cheaper than washers.

I mostly use 1/8x3/4" fender washers for my scifi and moderns.

Weapons teams like MGs, snipers, ATGM, or Mortars go on a larger base, but often need a scrap of tape or paper over the hole in the center. I suppose you might be able to use a 1/8x3/4" fender washer for one man and the mortar, but prone GPMG or sniper teams just don't work very well on individual bases.

Vehicles are unbased, though I'm debating a change to that, also for magnetic storage instead of foam.

I use single, on bingo chips. Used to cover numbers, you can get with or without a metal ring for magnets.

Good luck.

I base my single-based skirmish stuff on US pennies (cheapest metal around!), and don't base vehicles, at all. Round bases seem to somehow fit the nature of modern and sci-fi skirmish games better.

If you need to transport your stuff to a club/friend's house/gaming store, you can buy foam pillow stuffing from somewhere like Hobby Lobby, for very little money, place it in your container of choice, and easily cut slits and compartments in it for safely moving your figures about. You can easily layer your foam storage within a container, too, which you can't do as easily with magnetic sheeting. You'll definitely want to have your figures protected with varnish, though.

Having said all that, I base my 15mm ACW stuff on thin metal bases from Wargames Accessories, and store them in 2" deep cardboard boxes lined with sheet magnet. It's awfully convenient and pretty secure, assuming you don't do anything too crazy when moving your miniatures collection from place to place.

"I base my single-based skirmish stuff on US pennies (cheapest metal around!)"

I've heard that President Obama has been talking about possibly phasing out pennies… He wouldn't be the first of course, and they do cost a lot to make and handle, so he wouldn't be wrong.

Anyway, if you use pennies for basing… Keep a big jar of them squirreled away. When they were discontinued here in Canada, it happened FAST. So fast that as soon as it was announced, you couldn't even go to the bank and get rolls of them anymore. Luckily, a Facebook friend of mine gave me her penny jar because I suddenly only had what was in my wallet.

Usually washers. For large pieces I use thick vinyl floor tile. It is sticky on one side, can be easily scored and snapped and wears well.

I use 0,8mm thick washers (diameter 15mm) and thin (0,8mm) steel. Both are magnetic. Storage is in the nice Sally4th boxes:
link

I use litko bases …as I can one stop shop for mech tanks infantry flight stands and tokens. The why? Its just my preference

I use plastic 20mm slotta bases. The main reason is that I like to handle figures by their bases, rather than get finger oil all over their heads/faces (the trickiest part to paint IMO).
15mm minis are too small for me to pick up easily by flat metal bases, which I have tried in the past. Metal bases do more chipping damage in a spill accident too.

Most people don't mind hauling figures around by their heads though, and I think magnetic storage would be wonderful.

I picked up a few 1" OD fender washers (I think the stud size is 1/8", I promptly forgot), because that was the smallest size they had at Home Depot, and they should work for weapons teams, and maybe mechs.

I went to Fastenal today and ordered a hundred #10 (3/16") ID by 3/4" OD.

Galvanized steel, standard thickness.

So, I just super glue the figures to these, huh? This should be fun.

In my 28mm days, I used GW style plastic bases.

When I moved to 15mm, I used US pennies for individual troops because they were a good size, easily available and both wide enough and hefty enough to keep things from falling over easily. For crew served weapons, I used the gunner model and the weapon on a fender washer (I think 1" OD, could be misremembering). Extra crew were on pennies and just kept close by.

M.

I always base individually for 15mm. I do this as I can always group later for support groups but once I have grouped I cannot go back and ungroup them.

I base on either washers or pennies interchangeably as I do not care about magnetizing my miniatures.

I glue the miniature to the base with E6000 It is gummy and allows me time to reposition the miniature to find the best spot on the base.

While it is still drying I will use white glue and add my basing mix. (Fine sand, Old shingle grit, Sawdust, and crushed herbs.) I prefer to use a mix of items as it gives a more tactile look I think over just a flat use of just sand or heavy gravel.

Looking at the bottom picture you can see that I had added too much sand to the normal mix. The infantry man looks much better in my mind with the different levels of height of rocks and sawdust and herbs held with a tactile appearance of the base.

I find basing a highly individual experience. This is why the E6000 and white glue is so nice as you can rebase easy if you want too.

Oh and I would base mechs the same way but I don't like to base vehicles. If I had to I would look at oval base as it seems odd to base infantry on round but then have this big square for your Tank

Ok, those figs look great – who's are they?

M.

So, I just super glue the figures to these, huh? This should be fun.

I'd suggest taking a large file to the base of the minis first, since that will let the minis sit flatter.

It can also reduce the height of the cast-on base, which is something I like for many minis. I prefer a cast-on base to be as thin as possible. No minis standing on hills if I can avoid it!

The other thing I do is apply my basing texture BEFORE priming. I know it means that the texture doesn't stick very well, but that is intentional. Much easier to clean basing texture off of unintentional places that way.

My application of basing texture has always been before priming. I usually used wood glue, to which I attached the stuff unless I was sculpting the base's ground out of wood filler. If the latter, I stuck the "grit" into the wood filler itself. Before priming, I would use some thinly watered wood glue to paint over the base. This gave it a good seal; not really has any problems with it.

M.

Use bingo card chips, the ones with a metal ring in them.

I like them because they are very thin, also come in many colors, so when I am setting up minis I sort them out by recon, heavy, support, and so on.

Great suggestions.

I accidentally grabbed the self-leveling clear acrylic gel when I meant to get the fine pumice, so I'll either grab a bag of play sand (because useful), or go back to Michael's yet again and try to exchange it.

60+ hour work weeks means no hobby time except yapping about it.

GZG Drones and Khurasan GOTA.