"Question about "heavier bases" for plastic figures" Topic

Ok so I mostly like metal figures. However, if I were to want to play a game with my son or his cousins, both for purposes of safety and the fact that kids can be destructive, I would elect to use plastic figures. What can I do to give the figures more weight?

I am thinking a metal base. Something heavy and attracted to magnets like a thick washer, but rectangular. Any ideas?

In this way, I get sturdy heavy bases and plastic figures that I don't care if the kids are rough with. Please let me know if you have any insight.

Best wishes.

If Renaissance Ink are still in business, they sell lead weights which are designed to fit inside the base bottoms.

You could glue a thick washer to the bottom of round bases. (If you want to store it on magnet sheet, make sure the washer is made of something that is attracted to magnets!)

Even just filling the base bottom with putty will add weight to the figure.

I haven't tried this, but I imagine that putting some epoxy inside the base bottom and then adding ball bearings would be another method to add weight.

I used to use metal fender washers.

Recently, I've tried using vinyl floor tiling for basing trees, and it seems to work very well. You can even cut it to shape with a pair of scissors, if you get the thinner material (about 3mms, or 1/8th inch thick).

You can get small, free samples at Home Depot, and I suspect at Lowe's possibly too, so give that a try.

For attaching the trees, I use high-temp hot glue, and drill a small hole for the stalk to go in. Apply a little glue into the hole and top of the vinyl, and press into place.

Not sure how high-temp hot glue will work with plastic figs, so you might want to experiment with a piece of plastic sprue first, and/or use white glue, or Elmer's wood glue instead.

Doesn't get much cheaper than that, and the vinyl should be heavy enough for your needs.

I use 25mm metal washers with sheet magnetic material on the bottom, then the figures ground work is done with coloured wood filler. Makes them very stable. Do this for metal and plastic figures, it's not too much weight to make the plastic ones snap.

The metal bases by this guy are great:
link

Rounded edges and painted black, any size, any amount. I mount my figures on magnetized bases and use various sizes of these metal bases as sabots.

I collect metal sprue/flash etc, and then embed that into the underside of slotta bases with a load of putty/filler.
Seems to work ok to give plastic or top heavy figures a decent heft to their base.

I use galvanized washers glued to the bottom of the bases supplied with my plastic figures. I found ones that are exactly 25mm. I use the same washers as bases for my metal figures.

Galvanized washers for me too! Cheap and work well with magnetic sheets in the storage trays.

I've used pennies cut with heavy duty pliers to fit on either underside of a slotta base, with a sliver from the middle left over for other uses. Super glue to keep things in place. Any other heavy weight per size metal can be cut and/or mashed (fishing weights/sinkers.) Then I use two part epoxy putty to fill it all in, with a final coat of model building filler for a smooth sanded finish no matter what is down too low.

A board game piece gets an extra layer of sticky backed felt to minimize scratches to the board.

Yes, I'm obsessive compulsive to a fault.

(And I'm probably in violation of some law for using the pennies. Good luck finding 'em.)

I had a history before gaming miniatures making cheap hollow Chess pieces feel "weighty."

Wargames Accessories is my go-to for steel bases. Squares, rectangles of all shapes and varieties are available. Good prices, great service.

link

Been doing some1/72 plastic recently.
2 ways:
1 if they are on multiple bases, no much trouble.
2 they have mdf bases plus magnet underneath and thick earth and rocks plus some grass on it. They , when sigle based , get more stabble than their top heavy metal brothers ( and sisters!).
Think Japanese ww2 cruisers…;)
Metal bases would do too. Beware that with magnets the base can stick so much the minis can break / be torn off.

I use PWS metal bases and recommend them.

Thanks so much everybody. You all have given such a good perspective. I am very fortunate to have a such a good range of opinions.

As I sit here sick about to get avogadro's number of snowflakes dumped on every square nanometer of my house in about 12 hours at least I can make a good plan for my basing.

Haha thanks and best wishes.

= )

I base mine on traditional 3mm spruce bases that I and other companies sell. Then I take magnetic sheeting and with adhesive backs and glue to the bottom of the base. Gives a bit more heft to the base and allows me to transport them on large cookie sheets.

I switched to steel washers some time back.

For plastic bases of the GW style (non-slotta base ones designed for plastic figures to be glued onto direct), you can always get smaller washers and glue them in the interior cavity. That will work regardless of the shape – round, square or rectangular (use two washers for a cavalry base).

One big advantage for me is being able to use magnetic painting stands. Mine are old dummy (pacifier) covers with a round fridge magnet superglued on the end.

I use Balsa wood for all of my unit bases.
I put a layer of U.S. Penny's (1 cent) across my unit base.
Just glued down with white glue (Elmer's).
When that's drys, I glue the plastic figures on and and flock it as normal.
Looks great and has the weight factor of a normal base with lead/tin/metal figures.