The recent work I’ve done on my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War collection has made me think about the basing method that I have been using to date. Currently the figures and vehicles in that collection and my Napoleonic collection all have green-painted bases ...
... whereas my Belle Époque project figures have bases that have been finished with black edges and covered in natural cork granules.
I am gradually coming around to the idea that I'd like all my collections to have the same basing, and in my opinion, the style I have used for my Belle Époque stuff looks better.
If I was to go down that route, it would be quite a major project to undertake ... BUT I already know that I have to rebase some of my Napoleonic collection in order to remove a number of figures that are showing signs of lead rot, and this would give the opportunity to do two jobs at the same time.
This is not a decision that I am going to rush to make, and it may well require some experimentation first, but it is one that I think that I am going to have to make at some point, especially if I am going to have to downsize my collections at some point in the not-so-distant future.
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The joy of rebasing... as you say, not a decision to rush in to!
ReplyDeleteMaudlin Jack Tar,
DeleteThe all-green bases look alright, but I’m not as happy with them as I am with my Belle Epoque ones. I think that a small experiment is definitely on the cards … and then I’ll make a definite decision.
All the best,
Bob
The problem with basing colors is that figures do not remain on any one terrain. Figures with flock also look a little silly standing in buildings or on battlements but I still base many figures like that because it looks good to see bright green grass.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the only way to cater for that would be to have clear plastic bases but they wouldn't look good.
As for conformity of base type, this is generally the case within one unit and. to a much lesser extent across an army.
When I paint bases green I tend to use the same discounted acrylic green I bought as a sample pot from the hardware store.
On the other hand sometimes I add flock and sometimes not. I have got into the habit of not adding it to my old hollowcast restored figures.
Then there are figures that might have been best in a desert setting so they have sample pot sand color.
The other technique, very common with my AIP figures is to cover bases with PVA and sand or sawdust and paint with my sample pot of mustardy sand color. Then I use a brown wash over it followed by mixed green flock and some sand (which I get from the landscaping joint for free as a bucket is considered nothing). I leave some parts clear of the second coat of PVA so that the brown shows through. If I think the figures are more desert type, then the green is very sparing. I end up with a hybrid looking base which could stand in for a variety of terrain.
However, I would never try to make all my thousands of painted figures have exactly the same bases. I just say they figure or unit is standing on a separate and different piece of terrain.
Quantrilltoy,
DeleteOver the years I’ve used lots of different basing techniques, including most on the ones mentioned in your comment. I’ve ended up opting for two: plain green-painted bases and black-edged bases flocked with natural cork granules. The advantage of the latter is that it doesn’t look out of place on most types of terrain, which is why I’m considering using it across my collections. It’s not a decision that I am going to rush to make, but I’m certainly thinking along those lines.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteA big job, particularly given the size of your various collections
I am sure that you have given it a lot of thought, but do consider whether it is the colour, or texture, of your Belle Epoqoue figures that you prefer.
I have always thought that light green shows off the painting of the figures better than any other colour. I have painted the scenic squares of my wargames table light green. However I personally like textured bases. So I have used sawdust to add texture. First I covered the base in grey pollyfilla. I then painted the bases with white glue, then dipped in a tray of sawdust which had been soaked in the same colour green. When dry I painted the base with undiluted green paint to ensure it was a close match to the table. They still look good after more than 20 years regular use, and are easy to touch up with either green paint or sawdust depending on the amount of damage.
I don't normally offer such advice online, because bases like painting is a very personal thing. So I hope you are not offended by my suggestion.
Thistlebarrow,
DeleteThanks for the suggestion. For years I used a similar technique (polyfilla covered with sawdust that I then painted) and one day I ran out of sawdust and used cork granules instead. I liked the way the bases looked and never got around to painting them. I also realised that I didn’t need the polyfilla and the whole process was a lot faster. Now all I do is stick the figures to their bases, paint the edges matt black, apply a coat of PVA, and liberally cover with cork granules. Once the glue has dried and the excess cork has been brushed off, I add another coat of thinned PVA and another covering of cork granules. The final part of the process is to brush off any excess cork with a soft brush and touch up any edges where necessary.
All the best,
Bob
Well, sir, if you were going to (or wanted to) mix the Belle Epoque figures in with the others, then a consistent basing scheme would be a thing. If not, then I'm thinking that what you have works just fine (particularly for black powder in Europe, Spain excepted). Then again, rebasing would be a project that could "renew" your collection without having to collect new figs and start new eras. So there: I've now come down on both sides of the issue. I guess it's all good in the end.
ReplyDeleteEd M,
DeleteI don’t think that I’ll be mixing the collections as they are currently different scales, but I will be using many of the same terrain items with all of them.
As to the project being one that will help me renew my collections … well, there is more than a little truth in that as I am feeling rather jaded at present and it might just help me to revive my wargaming mojo. I’ll be writing more about this soon.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteRe-basing everything would be a big job- though you'll decide wisely. With my WW2- 20mm Figures I don't need to base the figures- just paint the figures metal base Green and it's done. If I do bases I usually do them the color of the Games Table covering I'll be using. Stay well Friend. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteIt’s not a decision I will take lightly or rush into, but it might be a project that I’ll find easy to undertake when my radiotherapy starts. I’m told that whilst my treatment will be for less than an hour a day for up to eight weeks, I will find it tiring. A project that involves simple tasks (ie not doing something that requires concentration, such as painting) will be an ideal way to fill my days. It will certainly be more productive than just sitting in front of the TV!
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
DeleteIt has taken awhile to get around to your Radiotherapy Treatment. Yes, understand you need to keep occupied with your hobby and still be relatively productive during the weeks of treatment. TV? I only watch part of the Nightly News and that is about it- I haven't got time to watch anything else on TV...rather be in my Shed or on the Computer in my Study. Stay well there in London. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteAs a cancer patient I get a degree of priority, but the recent strikes by the staff of the NHS has pushed less urgent cases like mine down the list. I’m hoping that I’ll be given a start date after my next consultation in July, but even then I might have to wait for several months.
Sue and I watch TV most evenings after we have eaten, although many of the programmes we watch are not on mainstream channels.
All the best,
Bob
Personally I prefer the green bases as for me they work well with your 'Old School' gloss varnish that you give the figures. I just like the visual simplicity of them.
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteYou certainly make a good point about the painted bases looking ‘old school’ like my gloss varnished figures.
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteEvery now and then an itch develops that one just has to scratch. But the cork granules look vaguely Saharan, and the green looks more 'European'. Having said that, flocking has a way of enhancing the look of the soldiery, hence, I suspect, the 'itch'.
My own flocking consists of a mix of sawdust - dyed or otherwise - granules of some sort, grass and ground foliage cover and slightly crushed kitty litter. I stopped using dried tea leaves years ago as it tended to turn things brown. And I don't 'do' flowers.
My method is slop on the PVA, paint it round to cover the base, rummage the figure base around in my flock tray, let it dry, and tap off the excess. Then I just live with the gradual shedding of the less easy to shake off excess... It's a small task I have been doing myself lately for my Scots Greys, highlanders and some of my unflocked Brunswickers, and a few other bits and pieces.
It's like cooking: a job I dislike doing, but I enjoy the results!
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI once read an article by a wargamer about basing in which they made a very interesting couple of points.
The first was that beautifully painted, award-winning figures on dull, plain bases often looked no better than wargame-standard figures on slightly better presented bases.
Secondly, that neutrally-finished bases worked with all sorts of terrain better than ones that were obviously geared up for a specific geographical area. As an example they cited figures advancing across a field on bases that depicted paved streets.
My cork granules seem to work on green or brown surfaces without looking too out of place whereas my green bases look odd on brown terrain.
I actually quite enjoy basing as it is a task that enhances my figures without the need for me to concentrate too hard and gives the units in my collections a degree of uniformity that I like.
All the best,
Bob
I've generally found a mod coloured earthy toned textured base works for any sort of terrain, from deserts to green fields, via the mud of Flanders. So rather like your Belle Epoque bases. I do often dob a few bits of static grass on as well.
ReplyDeleteI also like a black edge as it frames the figures. I user builders sand instead of Cork though. It would be very easy to just flock the green bases and edge them black.
Martin Rapier,
DeleteI have had a similar experience, which is why I’ve tended to use cork granules over recent years.
I’d not thought of the black edges as framing the bases before you made your comment … but they do and I like the effect.
I’ve tried sand in the past, but always had to dry it in the oven first … which my wife objected to, hence the move over to more expensive but wife-friendly cork granules!
All the best,
Bob
My wife also hates the sand drying process! I don't do it very often. I just do a big batch now and again.
DeleteMartin Rapier,
DeleteAlthough sand is cheaper, cork granules are much more conducive to a quiet family life!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob, my basing varies, partly with figure size and partly with the 'setting'. So my 42mm Little Britons have plain green bases, the 6mm are on bases using Woodlandscenics fine turf, most of my 28mm is Matakishi's 'brown gunk' - brown paint, PVA glue and sand. With the exception of the 'toy soldiers' I generally, use a brownish finish which is fairly neutral. One universal constant is my preference for thin bases, generally 1mm, as I really dislike the trend of deep bases which I think spoils the look. Particularly so when I see 6mm figures on 3mm thick bases. My assumption is that people use deep bases to avoid handling the figures but mine get a good coat of polyurethane varnish and have stood up to years (some figures date back to the 70s) of handling. All that's probably not much help!
ReplyDeleteBrian Cameron,
DeleteWe seem to agree about the advantage of using a neutral colour on figures bases, and like you I have favoured green painted bases on my bigger figures. I do - however - prefer to use thicker bases. Most of mine are laser-cut 3mm thick MDF and as I get older I find them easier to pick up.
All the best,
Bob
Like in your collection, I also have figures on two basing colours, Bob:- temperate dark earth+grass and desert sandy colour+tufts. As a friend and I discussed recently, it is noticeable that figures on the pale desert basing look far better. We concluded that the contrast between figure and base is greater and there’s something to do with the light ‘reflecting back’ which seems to make the figures appear more sharp and clear. So in future, as far as possible, arid looking basing seems the way to go…
ReplyDeleteMartin S.,
DeleteI totally agree. The lighter bases do seem to make the figures look better and I intend to do some experiments with flocking some of my green-painted bases with cork granules,
All the best,
Bob