maverick2909 | 04 Sep 2016 9:33 a.m. PST |
Hey TMP! I just got into ACW 15mm gaming by buying a few lots of used/painted figures. I'm going to have to do some touch up and rebasing work on them to make them compatible with Fire and Fury. Here's my conundrum, I can't seem to find bases I like. I'm not a fan of plywood, metal, or cardboard. I'm really looking for plastic but would settle for MDF board. It's tough because most bases I have found that I would use are in millimeters and I need inches. Do you all know of any plastic bases that would do the trick? If not plastic, how about MDF? Thanks and can't wait to get some figures on the field! Stanton |
MajorB | 04 Sep 2016 10:04 a.m. PST |
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normsmith | 04 Sep 2016 10:35 a.m. PST |
Kallistra do plastic, 40mm x 20mm and 30mm x 40mm |
Extra Crispy | 04 Sep 2016 10:57 a.m. PST |
I guess one question is why do you not like metal, ply or cardboard, but you do like "plastic?" MDF and ply seem pretty much the same to me. Lastly, what sizes do you need. You only say "inches" – can I assume a variety of sizes? Litko.net will cut you acrylic bases in any size you like. Also, not sure of you are based in the UK? USA? elsewhere? |
maverick2909 | 04 Sep 2016 12:07 p.m. PST |
Metal tends to stick and tear on the mats we play on. Ply and cardboard are susceptible to bending easily and water damage. Plastic is sturdy, water resistant, easy to apply glue to, last a very long time, and doesn't tear the mat we play on. MDF is much sturdier and more water resistant than ply. I say inches because there are a few manufacturers of plastic or MDF who only have base sizes in mm, which doesn't translate all that well to inches. Specifically, I need bases with 1" frontage and a range of depths from 3/4" to 1 1/2". I did not know Litko will cut acrylic to size, I might have to look into that. I am in the USA but will order from anywhere if I find what I like. |
Col Durnford | 04 Sep 2016 12:11 p.m. PST |
What I did with my 20mm ACW was just buy sheet plastic and cut my own. |
MajorB | 04 Sep 2016 12:37 p.m. PST |
Ply and cardboard are susceptible to bending easily and water damage. I've used cardboard (and a few MDF) bases for years. Never ever had any problems with bending or water damage … |
Garryowen | 04 Sep 2016 1:42 p.m. PST |
I've cut sheet plastic myself too. I just scored it using a straight edge and knife,then snapped it apart. I must confess they were not all absolutely uniform. However, neither myself nor anyone else has ever noticed it apparently in any game. Tom |
GildasFacit | 04 Sep 2016 2:03 p.m. PST |
You must be using some very strange plywood if it is more water resistant than MDF or warps more. Plastic is a poor basing material IMHO, bends too easily, many glues don't adhere well or permanently etc. etc. Your profile doesn't say where you are but if in the UK try any of the main basing suppliers and they almost all do inch measurements easily. I only do magnetic backed MDF bases and advertise only mm sizes (cos we went metric years and years ago) but happily do custom inch sizes. Main problem is that the variety of sizes 'inch' customers want is even more varied than the 'mm' customers and much smaller in demand so not really worth listing a whole bundle of new sizes or keeping stock that sells very slowly. |
Cleburne1863 | 04 Sep 2016 2:28 p.m. PST |
I use matt board for bases. The kind use in framing pictures. I bought a spare sheet at a store decades ago, and still use it. You can cut it to any size. To keep it from fraying, I run superglue along the edges, then paint green. I use white glue to attach the figures, then a white glue and water mixture to attach the grass flock. I never have figures fall off. If I have to re-use the figures, its easy to soak or just tear them off. |
maverick2909 | 04 Sep 2016 2:57 p.m. PST |
I need to place an order with Litko soon any way, I might try their 0.8mm thick ply and magnets. I'll admit I haven't used ply for bases, but have used ply before for basing large buildings and they warped pretty bad when I finished with them. |
Extra Crispy | 04 Sep 2016 5:01 p.m. PST |
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14th NJ Vol | 04 Sep 2016 5:48 p.m. PST |
Agree with Extra Crispy. I've had no issues with Litko ply bases. |
Noble Crow | 04 Sep 2016 8:14 p.m. PST |
I cut my own bases using both 1/16" and 1/8" plywood. I've never had any problems with warping. Basswood will warp. I'm surprised that the guys who use cardboard or matt board don't have problems, but good for them if they don't. |
GildasFacit | 05 Sep 2016 2:18 a.m. PST |
In many cases it isn't the material that causes the warping, it is the techniques used. There are ways of working with porous materials that minimise warping but some may prefer to use more rigid materials to avoid that bit of extra work. Warping is actually caused by shrinkage of the glues and finishes added to the base surface so the base material has to be very strong to retain its shape if the base is large. Potentially plywood is best for that purpose but 1/16 or 1/8 ply is likely to have a size limit of around 60-80mm before some warping becomes likely if care is not taken. |
SJDonovan | 05 Sep 2016 5:32 a.m. PST |
I used to use Litko 0.8mm ply bases for all my figures and I did find they were prone to warping. This probably was to do with the technique I was using, which was basically painting one side and the edges with acrylics followed by varnish (I do old school plain bases with no flocking). A lot of bases warped slightly but I have always found that the weight of the figures flattened them out again over time. However, these days I use metal bases; not because of warping just because I prefer the extra 'heft' they give. |
donlowry | 05 Sep 2016 8:48 a.m. PST |
Figure 25mm = 1 inch; or to make it even easier to do fractions: 24mm = 1 inch. Won't be off by much. Probably not noticeable. |
maverick2909 | 05 Sep 2016 6:08 p.m. PST |
Well I bought the 0.8mm ply with a 0.7mm magnet bottom from Litko. Now you all have me worried about warping! I'm planning on using wood glue to glue the figures on (usually use doer glue) so I hope that prevents them from warping, just concerned about the wood glue being strong enough to hold the figures in. Thanks for all the great responses guys. |
GildasFacit | 06 Sep 2016 3:02 a.m. PST |
Maverick If the magnetic strip is separate then attach that before you start basing. Have a flat metal sheet handy and cover it with a thin paper sheet. Glue on the figures and put on the metal plate until dry/set – the magnet makes sure that the stresses from drying glue don't warp the plywood. Use a minimum of glue for this step, it will hold well enough. Repeat same for each step in basing, always letting the glue dry while held flat by the magnet. It is one of the many advantages of having magnet backed bases. Tony of TTT tinytintroops.co.uk |
maverick2909 | 06 Sep 2016 9:41 a.m. PST |
Genius! Thanks for the advice! |
GildasFacit | 06 Sep 2016 11:27 a.m. PST |
Let me know how you get on Maverick. |
1968billsfan | 08 Sep 2016 5:41 a.m. PST |
Basswood, MDF or even balsa wood works fine with a little preparation. I like to use something with a little height for the base, so that the stands don't have to be picked up by the figures. Also, metal and plastic are usually slippery and slide down hills and move because they don't "catch" as well on a game mat. Take your big sheet (or already cut to size piece) and paint one side with green spirit/oil based paint and the other side with similar white paint. That fills the pores with a waterproof seal and also gives you a base colour for flocking or writing a unit ID (on the bottom). It also serves to stiffen the base. Then you can base your figures using plenty of cheap white glue. The overflow when you press the figure down helps to hide the sharp edge of the figure base. Construct the bases so that if there is a wood grain, the figure bases go across rather than down the wood grain. If you cut the bases after the base painting you might want to touch up the edges with oil paint- I haven't found it necessary. To finish, I mix up cheap green acyrlic paint 1:1 with white glue and smear this between the figures, over the bases, the edges. I use an old paint brush to get between the figures. Then pour flocking (woodland scenics T-50 fine turf earth) over the figure. (I use a big cake baking tray with a lip to hold a bag of the stuff and catch what is poured over it). You can add some bigger small-brush stuff as well and can not smear the gloop over everything in order to get more variety. The flocking soaks up the gloop to freeze it into place very nicely. Also, using the gloop and flocking on the edge of the stand will hide the base to a good degree, especially if you match the flocking colour with your primary mat color. This is cheap and you can make any size stand yourself. |
Stew art | 09 Sep 2016 8:02 a.m. PST |
if i were to start over again with my 15mm ACW, i would use metal bases from Shogun Miniatures. the price is good, durable, and then you can store them using a magnet sheet. i went with litko 3mm bases. which are good but now i'm struggling with the storage. |
Old Contemptibles | 09 Sep 2016 3:06 p.m. PST |
Just go to your local hobby store and buy plastic sheets according to how thick you want them. Then draw your lines using a ruler or triangle and cut with hobby knife. Same with wood or MDF. I have used wood and plastic. But a long time ago I switch to thin metal bases. I want the bases to disappear. |
1968billsfan | 14 Sep 2016 5:12 a.m. PST |
What we need is chameleon flocking that will match the background terrain colour. |
Davek0scale | 14 Sep 2016 2:05 p.m. PST |
link Reaper does bases now, And I like them. |