"Base Color/Material?" Topic

I am going to be basing some individual 54mm plastic figures for trench raiding skirmish games and I am uncertain about the best color and or material to use. My general basing philosophy is: That base which is the least noticeable is the best, but I feel that these bases should capture the "feel" of the mud and the blood of trench warfare. I have seen bases that replicate duck boards and I think they go too far and look odd anywhere except in the trench. On the other hand, the thought of making the bases look like slimy mud is a little off putting, however accurate. What do other WW1 gamers do?

Mix your usual texturing stuff with Americana craft paint Mississippi Mud.

Mississippi Mud is exactly what I use. Mix it with white glue and sand to the texture you want, and then dry brush to get the required effect.

Hi Nick, This is how I do mud. You can PM me with questions.

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I am not a WW1 gamer, but I base my 28mm miniatures with Stirland Mud and then drybrush Army Painter Skeleton Bone. It is super easy and takes almost no time (bar drying of course). It is simple enough that it can fit in with a variety of landscapes and takes varnish well.

I use Vallejo Dark Earth for my bases, and imho, it's perfect for mud : link

I've also used the thick mud product, and like it very much:
PDF link

I just do my WW1 figure bases in plain builders sand with a little bit of dark green flock.

For my 15mm WWI project I kept the bases about as simple as I could. Partly because I too wanted them to look good in a variety of settings and not call attention to themselves. Partly because I am lazy. I'm grateful whenever those two factors dovetail.

I just built the base up slightly with Elmers wood filler to blend the cast-on pedestal into the base, then coated in Elmers white glue to affix plain old sand. I paint them a dark brown (Golden brand siena) and then drybrush with a lighter brown and some tan.

What looks ok in 15mm may or may not work in 54mm, but anyway that's my approach.

In general, I think whatever you do or don't do to texture the bases, using the same mud color on terrain and base will do most of the work for you. That will tie them in nicely.

jwhitegallery.blogspot.com

Thanks for all the suggestions! whitejamest, I am impressed by how well your bases match the terrain. I am going to wait until I receive my trench sections from Atherton Scenics and try to match their ground coloring.

I use Lepages wood filler, comes in various colors. Once dry it can be painted.

I use muddy bases.

That's a mix of brown house-paint, static grass, fine gravel, and water. Slop it on the bases and you're done.

I use Golden's coarse pumice gel mixed with Americana Mississippi Mud (have not learned how to post pictures yet)