Forum Members,
Here's a fast figure-basing technique I've developed that uses self-adhesive materials, and allows for quick stand making, with any edge trimming done with scissors.
An initial objective wanted – to do a minimum of gluing when making bases, and to use the adhesive backing on these readily available products to do all the joining of the layers together.
Another goal – to make all stands magnetic or magnetically attachable for case storage and transporting.
The assembly goal takes advantage of a non-skid tape product, that has a grainy surface, to perform as a "flock-like" layer easily achieved for the tops of miniature bases, and to make this stand assembly easy and consistent to replicate (so production-compliant).
I use two bottom materials for these bases, either magnetic sheet (above left), or metal stands (right). The self-adhesive magnet sheet is used when wanting easy, custom-measured stands.
The disadvantage of magnet sheet, is that it can warp if there's not a stronger core material to maintain a flat stand (so I use custom-cut plastic sheet for this inner core on stands backed with magnet).
Another efficiency that is used, is fast trimming of a bases' joined layers, aimed at making as few scissor cuts as possible (one cut along all edges of each stand being possible if using a steel base as the bottom layer "guide").
After the bases are made, figures can be glued to them, and then the whole piece sprayed with primer (if there's enough room allowed for painting between figures).
When ready for coloring the grainy top surface, additional sand, flocking rocks, etc, can be glued around the figure bases to smooth those into the tops of a stand, before the ground-color painting and dry-brush highlighting applied, and final texture is attached with flocking, static grass, and tufts.
This anti-skid tape material can be left unflocked too, if that's wanted (example for the look on small scale troops).
This quick-basing idea can work with single figures on round bases also – just punch out the anti-skid blanks using a hobby punch, peel the adhesive backing off the rounds, and stick these to matching size washers.
Hope this idea here might help get some of those future or on-gong projects up and running all the quicker.
Make this stuff as easy as possible Guys!
Btw, the hardware stores sell this anti-skid material in bigger sheets for sticking as one-piece sections onto stairs – so if a larger size coverage is needed for big stands, that's an option also.
