So I’ve decided I’d like to start a new segment where I can give advice and even ask for it in the world of “nerd hobbying”. In general I would consider “Nerd Hobbying” to be building and painting models for RPGs and table-top war gaming. I wouldn’t necessarily consider gaming itself in this writing, because gaming is best left as its own category.
I would like to pave the way for this segment by harping on a model hobbyist pet-peeve. BASING.
I’m talking about the base your models stand on. Many pewter models have a sculpted base built in tangent to the model [Reaper Minis are good at this]. Some models however are to be attached to blank plastic bases. For the war-gaming hobbyist [I play WarHammer 40k for instance] the latter is almost always the case. As part of your finished model always keep in mind the importance of good basing.
Games Workshop and Gale Force 9 sell excellent basing materials and a decently affordable price.
The best first step in basing your model is gluing modelling sand to the base of the model. You can use PVA glue [a higher concentrate of Elmer's Glue], but to get the sand on there nice and stuck to prevent chipping, I personally prefer low density [really liquidy] super glue. I then dip the glued base into the modelling sand and brush of all that doesn’t stick as well as clean off the edges of the base.
I prefer to use GW model sand, it’s a fine grain sand factory produced, so it won’t have bugs and foreign materials sand from your back yard would have. A tub of it is about $8.00 but I’ve based over 150 models and I still have over a half a tub. So it’s a rare purchase, but as far as I’m concerned a must. If I find a cool rock outside, sometimes I’ll pick it up, wash it off, and add it to the base of a big and/or important piece of my collection.
After gluing the sand to the base we hit a preference “line in the sand” [no pun intended]:
Can you consider the model based just because you glued sand and rocks to it? Technically I suppose yes. I believe, however, that this is only the beginning of basing. The regular grains of sand are not the right scale to the model you are working on in most cases, so simply glueing sand to a base of a model doesn’t give the model a believable feel. If you paint the sand to fit in with the feel of you army you’ll find that it drastically changes the scale of the sand and the intensity of your model.
Here’s my Four Step Basing Process:
1. Glue the sand to the base
2. Apply the main color of your desired base [I paint gravel so my base is black.]
3. Apply a lighter shade of this color using a dry brush technique [I use a mid level grey at this point lighting catching the top levels of the sand, leaving black in the recesses]
4. Apply an even lighter shade using the same dry brushing technique [I use a light grey at this point giving the base a dusty gravel/broken concrete feeling]
See an example of this technique here!
After this is done you can feel free to add some sort of grass or other embellishments if you would like, but you’re already off to a good start with a clean painted base.
I’ve seen beautifully painted models ruined by poorly executed bases. A great basing job can’t fix a poorly painted model, but a poor basing job can ruin an awesome model. The base is part of the model too, it moves with the model, the model sits atop the base, it’s all one display piece. Treat every model as a show piece, paint and base to the best of your ability and take your time. The games you play with these miniatures whether is DnD or WarHammer or anything in between will be so much more fun to watch and be a part of if the models are all a cared for and detailed as a bunch of epic little trophies.
Take Pride in your Hobbying,
-zach
