writes:Over the years, it seems I've written a lot of articles about sourcing wood for wargaming projects!
Back in 2021, I wrote about using LITKO's Basemaker for getting high quality, accurate wooden shapes. LITKO continues to be my preferred source for miniature bases.
However, I also find that Dollar Tree (a 'dollar store' chain in the USA) is often a useful source for inexpensive wood.
In 2021, I first wrote about wooden flower shapes that came ten for $1 USD. I would have preferred squares or circles, but the price was right! Alas, no longer available…
Above, you can see a giant's skull mounted on a wooden flower base.
Late in 2021, I wrote about dollar store wood ‐ plaques, signs, and 'planks' (rectangles and squares).
In 2023, I wrote about useful wooden products – not-Jenga blocks, wooden cubes, and craft sticks at the dollar store.
In 2024, I wrote about flower-shaped chalkboard ornaments – similar to what I had used previously, but now five for $1.25 USD.
For a big terrain project recently, I needed 64 'flower' bases to mount terrain on. One of the problems with getting materials from the dollar store is that availability can be spotty. To my chagrin, the wooden-type chalkboard ornaments appear to have been discontinued, as they are no longer listed on the company's website, apparently replaced by thin, bendy plastic shapes.
I decided to take this as a challenge, and visited all the Dollar Tree stores in my metropolitan area looking for the last remaining flower-shaped wooden chalkboard ornaments. I secured the needed bases after visiting store #19 out of 20! (I'm not crazy, just having fun.)
But what about the future? Where will my cheap terrain bases come from?
So I did some searching online, and I simply could not find a domestic source. I discovered that if I ordered from Amazon, in quantity, I could get the price down to $0.10 USD per base, with free shipping. So I placed the order.
And since the product was coming from China, my order on May 29 did not arrive until June 24.
The bases arrived packaged in a heavy-duty "just like a box" Amazon-logo envelope. No return address. Some yellow stickers that I'm guessing might be Chinese postage?
Above, you can see the pack of 200 3-inch round wooden circles, 1:10-inch thick, $20.99 USD.
And here is the package of 300 2-inch round wooden circles, $16.98 USD. Yes, it ripped open during shipping…
So I dumped out the bag, and the 2-inch circles seem no worse for wear.
Here are the 2-inch bases with a 28mm figure, to give you an idea of size. The bases seem fine, nothing warped, good quality.
And above, you can see both sizes of base with the 28mm figure.
Note that the company, Sheutsan, has a limited selection of shapes and sizes, and there is no apparent way through Amazon to order custom sizes. So this source only works for common sizes, large orders to get free shipping, and if you don't mind waiting a month to get them.