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Rebasing My 15mm Assault Droids


Tracked Heavy Automata (2)
Product #
HOF34
Manufacturer
Suggested Retail Price
$14 USD


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Personal logo Editor in Chief Bill The Editor of TMP Fezian writes:

The catalog is not specific:

2 Battle Robots. Heavy Robots on Tracks for Battle roles. Two Kits. Comes in four pieces, body, tracks and two arms with multiple barrel weapons…

The dreaded troops of the Automaton Block. Perhaps once they were Human or perhaps Humans created them and were consumed by their metal vengeance. Suitable for all kinds of near and far future settings and systems.

I probably meant them to be missiles, as this is the same color I used on the missile-armed Terminators.


Revision Log
3 September 2024page first published

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342 hits since 3 Sep 2024
©1994-2024 Bill Armintrout
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Personal logo Editor in Chief Bill The Editor of TMP Fezian writes:

I was doing an inventory of my armies the other day, and realized that my 15mm Alien Squad Leader project had stalled. I had a nearly complete Mechanoids army, but its opponent had evaporated when a pro-painter had a crisis, and I had never replaced it.

Heavy Droid

Furthermore, the Mechanoids were based 'the old way'. Years ago, I was a big fan of metal bases. I also had some ideas of basing most models individually, then using sabot bases to switch between rulesets and their basing requirements.

Heavy Droid

The first problem with metal bases are the sharp corners! They prick your fingers and catch in your terrain. Well, you can round the corners – and I've done that in the past – but the thin bases are still hard to pick up.

Metal base

I've also learned, from experience, that metal bases sometimes corrode (even when you buy supposedly non-corroding metal bases!), so in the old days I would prime the bases on both sides to prevent corrosion.

Heavy Droids in box

However, the painted bases have a tendency to adhere to the flexible magnetic sheets lining my storage boxes. I had to use a blade to pry some of these stands loose, and you can see paint flecks on the sheet above.

So I decided it was time to rebase my Mechanoids, starting with the Assault Droids. (The models are called Heavy Tracked Automata by the manufacturer, but the troop type in the Alien Squad Leader v3.0 rules is Assault Droids, which falls in the Heavy Droids troop class.)

Heavy Droids

I'll be moving the droids to 50mm x 50mm bases, which are recommended for this ruleset.

Heavy Droids

I used a chisel to pry the models off their old bases.

Heavy Droids

Some of the glue and sand stuck to the model, so I carefully knocked the bits off.

Heavy Droids

The bases I'm using are 3mm-thick wooden bases from LITKO. I've sprayed them on both sides with black primer.

Heavy Droids

The rules give me the choice to mount up to four models per base. Above, I compare my options. A single model looks lonely; two models look crowded but threatening. I decide on two droids per base.

Heavy Droids

Some of you suggested the models would look better on dark bases, and I liked that idea. (Though it raises terrain issues!) So I am going to flock these bases with black sand.

Heavy Droids

You need a suitable glue for flocking. Standard white glue (i.e., Elmer's Glue) won't cut it. My glue pot says Graskleber from Noch, which really is the best product I've worked with for this purpose. But in reality, most of the glue in the pot currently is Aleene's Tacky Glue, slightly watered down. I used to buy the big containers at craft stores, but now I find it more practical to buy the tiny containers at Dollar Tree because the shelf life is not measured in gamer years. grin

Heavy Droids

I use a wide brush to apply the glue, making sure to cover the entire surface. I avoid getting the glue too thick, because that can show when flock is applied. Any glue that gets on the base edges is wiped off with my finger.

Heavy Droids

I keep my black sand in a heavy-duty food storage container. You want a wide container that won't tip over easily, wide enough to accommodate your base sizes, with a secure lid to prevent spills. (Nightmare scenario: spilling sand on the floor of your painting room…) You want a smooth surface, so gently shake the container until the surface of the sand is flat.

Heavy Droids

Place the base, glue side first, into the sand and tap it a few times.

Heavy Droids

Now take the base out, tap it on the back a few times to get any loose sand to fall off. If there is sand on the base edges, brush it off with a finger. If there are any bare spots, sprinkle more sand over the base. I like to use black sand for urban bases, wasteland planet bases, and fantasy ruins.

Heavy Droids

Above are three finished bases. I will let them dry overnight, then give them a spray of clear matte to seal the sand in place.

Heavy Droids

The next day, the heavy droids get their first look at their new bases.

Heavy Droids

I use 'runny'-type superglue to glue the droids to their bases, because the glue should run into the sand and provide a bond from the base through the sand to the models.

Heavy Droids

Above, you can see the droids securely glued in place.

Heavy Droids

Well, no. The superglue didn't take, so I glued them down again, this time with thicker gap-filling superglue.

The hyper-observant among you will notice that the last two droids are not the same… As you may recall, I discovered a while ago that I had built the droids with their upper bodies facing the wrong direction! (Well, is it really wrong?) Since two of the droids had come loose over the years, I reversed their upper bodies to the 'correct' position. grin
Heavy Droids

The rebased Heavy Drones pose for the camera. Yes, they are 'old school' models, but they've still got that charm…

Heavy Droids

More to Come!