"Weighting plastic figures on slotta-bases" Topic

OK, I know this topic has come up before, but it has been a while, and there was no certain answer.

How do you weight your plastic figures on slotta-bases to give them a little heft and keep them from being blown away by the force of the propellant in Dull Cote when you finish painting them?

Grelber

OK, I know this topic has come up before, but it has been a while, and there was no certain answer.

How do you weight your plastic figures on slotta-bases to give them a little heft and keep them from being blown away by the force of the propellant in Dull Cote when you finish painting them?

Grelber

Once upon a time I tried filling mine with plaster of Paris. Unfortunately there was nothing for it to stick too, so it fell out as soon as I picked up a figure. After that I didn't bother.

I've tried super-gluing chopped up lead sprue in the base or body cavity (if possible). It helps but still doesn't feel like metal figures.

I fill the gaps underneath with epoxy putty.

I've never bothered to add weight to figures on slatta bases.

I've never used a slotta-base, so I have no specific advice.

For spraying plastic figures, I just stick them down to masking tape first. That's good enough. Even metal miniatures, if they're small enough – many spray cans generate enough force to blow around smaller classes of metal 1/2400 ships.

For resistance to breezes, sneezes, and bumped tables, you probably just need some metal weights in the base. You might be able to glue metal washers under there…?

I have a set of individual plastic 1/72 figures epoxied to 1/4-20 hex nuts, that are almost as self-standing as Weebles.

The weight of metal matters. I have Woodland Scenics trees glued to pennies that don't stand up much better than the basic plastic bases; but the trees I glued to thicker washers resist falling pretty well. Slotted bases probably also add some breadth, which will help with stability, as long as you get some weight into them.

I have also used powdered lead and superglue to fill in the hollow undersides of plastic ships, to give them some resistance to cross breezes (or even sneezes). You'd have to use a lot to bring the weight up to equal a metal figure, but probably only a few grams to improve stability.

- Ix

I fill the bases with lead shot and glue.

I don't bother myself, but I've seen modelling clay work pretty well.

Glue UK 1p piece underneath. Very cheap; 100 for £1.00 GBP😉

DBDD

Darrell +1. I use pennies and US nickels or comparably sized washers for larger (32/35mm) figures.

Use micro-magnets glued under the slotabase and place the figures on a metal sheet when spraying them. Also handy for storage in metal tins or metal sheets in drawers.

Coins, washers, modeling clay and magnets are my suggestions.

Double stick tape.

Lead shot, thin superglue, good ventilation.

Glue a wssher the same size as the bottom of the base underneath. Yes, it will add a little to the height, but it makes it heavier… ;-)

I don't do slotta figures, but I have taken to gluing Blood and Plunder figures on zinc washers. The metal weight lowers the center of gravity so they tip over less frequently, and they stick to sheet magnet.

One of the simplest methods would be to fill the bases with JB Weld 2-part epoxy; pick it up from your local DIY/hardware stores.

It is not as dense/heavy as real metal, but it will add some weight to them. The easy part is that it is a thick paste, out of the tube, which dries very hard -- it is easy to fill the base in with it, neatly, cleanly. It won't break your piggy bank to experiment with it, either. Cheers!

The latest I've been hearing is not to add weight to bases. If you drop a plastic model it is generally light enough that no damage results. By making a heavier model you increase damage likelihood.

Double sided tape is fine for priming or other spraying

My figures all have magnet on the bases, which holds them onto the metal shingles I use as painting platforms.

I have had top-heavy figures that needed some bottom heft added. I squash lead fishing weights and glue under the base, also crimp the weights up to look like rocks piled on the base. Once I made a model wall of squashed fishing weights.

I'm trying out several weighting schemes. I have decided there might be wisdom in what Louis XIV said, and I'm adding a little weight, so figures don't go flying when I sneeze, but don't approach the heft of a metal figure with metal base.

Grelber