All your base . . .

 . . . don't belong to us.  Which is to say, me.  As you may recall, a few posts back I noted that I'd finished up the first base's worth of Spartans, but was waiting for my Litko bases to arrive.  When they did, I realized that the magnetic bases Litko sells are quite flexible, and that I'd need some sort of rigid "underbase" to go with them.  Watts, of the THMG, put me on to Minibits as a good source for cheap bases, and I decided to give them a try. Order in, I found the package in my mailbox about a week later - much quicker than Litko. The bases themselves are great - proper dimensions, well packed, and with the edges stained (or maybe burned by the cutting tool?) a darker colour.

  They go perfectly well with the Litko magnetic bases, and I think will do nicely for the Russian guard for Lasalle. I'm considering putting in another order of 40 x 40 bases to rebase my 1/72s as well.

 



The one hitch in this otherwise delightful transaction was some of the bases they sent me were the wrong size; they sent 80 x 80 instead of 80 x 30. The particularly annoying part was that it was the bases for the (still) unbased Spartans :( I sent an email to the company this morning, but will likely have to wait until Monday for a reply. Mistakes happen, and I'm more concerned with how Minibits rectifies the problem than the problem itself. Prompt shipment of the correct bases will result in further orders, and a recommendation to all and sundry. Stay posted ;) Progress on the Warmachine Khador proceeds apace. I've got all but the second unit of Men of War assembled and based, awaiting a primer coat.



I got these figs on the cheap, used, and they've needed a little TLC. Their first owner apparently believed in the "gob the glue on and pray" school of assembly, so there's been a fair bit of cussing and glue chipping involved in recovering them. I have a bit more filing to do, but in the end, I think they'll turn out okay. The plan is to begin with a 35 point Old Witch list, heavy on the Men of War. Old Witch + Scrapjack Destroyer Juggernaut MoW Shocktroopers (full) x2 Greylord Ternion Works out to 35 points on the nose. According to the board, this is a completly unworkable list, as it doesn't use the current uber Khador units. While I'm not sure of how it would operate in a serious competitive environment like nationals, I'm pretty sure it'll do just fine locally, which is where it'll be played. The Old Witch is a board control and assassination caster, and I cut my teeth in this game playing Cryx. The 10 Men of War, although slow, present some serious attrition capacity. It takes a LOT of firepower to gun through that much metal. The ternions, coupled with the witch's ability to generate clouds, prowl effects, and cast Iron Flesh, allow the MoW screen to be boosted to ridiculous DEF levels against anything not immune to cloud effects (Legion might be more challenging). They also help with DEF debuffs as the lines close and the MoW get into combat.



FMB

WIP Heffalumps

Hi,

I'm a bit under the weather this week, and likely won't be out to play a game, so instead of an AAR, I thought I'd post a WIP of my elephants.



A while back, I picked up a couple bags of "Wild Jungle Animals" at the dollar store. Inside were a couple of elephant figures that looked as if they would scale well with 15mm figures; they look to stand about 10 feet at the shoulder. Since then, although the packs are still offered, the elephants inside have varied, and I've not found the same ones since.



Despite that, I thought I'd go ahead and try to use them for the Antigonids. I've added a green-stuff drape, a seat for the mahout, and have converted two old essex cavalry (couldn't tell you what code) for the mahout and rider. I'm a bit iffy on how the greenstuff turned out. To the eye, the finish looks pretty smooth, but in the photos, it seems like there are rough patches. We'll see how they paint up.



I'm also a bit iffy on the mahout. To make them fit, I had to cut the poor guys' legs off. The idea is that their legs continue underneath the elephants ears, but I'm not convinced the effect works. I'm hoping a hint of pink between the ear and the mahouts' skirts will make the suggestion work, but again, we'll see.

Worst case, I'll have viable, if imperfect, elephants to use on the table until I get more or better ones. Once these are painted, I'll post up finished pics. And, to close off, just because it makes me laugh, the return of:



FMB

Shiny.

Hi,

Had a request over at Benno's Figures for a tutorial on how I've been doing my bases for the 1/72 project.

My main priority when it comes to basing is to get multiple textures on the base. The ground I walk around on is typically a lot more complex than the "layer of sand" approach I see on lots of wargaming figures. I figure that if I can replicate that complexity of texture, the bases will look more real. Consequently, there's a number of steps here. Bear with me if this is more detail than you can stand ;)

Step 1: Glue figures to base (I'm using some leftover bases from an earlier project that were professionaly laser cut, but am just as likely to use whatever scrap I have lying around, and my cheapy jigsaw from Canadian Tire).



Step 2: Gloss varnish the glued figs, and try to bring the varnish down over the figure's base and on to the unit's. Although I've not had problems with paint peeling from the soft plastic used for 1/72 figs, they have a reputation. By bringing the varnish coat down, I'm hoping to avoid this problem.



Step 3: Using drywall filling compound, smooth out the transition between the figures and the unit base. I find this tends to diminish the "ants on a log" effect. It also puts down the first layer of texture on the base. The stuff I've been using goes on pink and dries white. It also has a kind of rubbery texture that's easy to work with.





Step 4: Dribble, spread and otherwise distribute glue (white craft glue, the same stuff the cub uses for art projects) around the base, being sure to favour those areas that didn't get filler compound, but also to try and further break up the transition between figure and base. Then, dip in sand.





Step 5: Second sand dip. I find after five minutes, the glue starts to seep up around the sand (or maybe the sand settles?). You can sort of see the gloss of the glue in the bottom of this picture:



The effect is that the first layer of sand on the base gets damp with glue, so I dip it again, then let it dry completely. This isn't critical, but it does ensure good coverage.

Step 6: Once the glue is dry, paint the entire base black. I use the same black gesso I use to prime the figures, but any black paint will do. This helps the sand and drywall compound bind, and adds to the overall durability of the base.



Step 7: Paint the entire base brown. I use craftpaint for this (Delta Ceramcoat).



Step 8: Drybrush. I've been using a cooler grey-brown on these figs, but generally, you're looking to bring out some of the differences in texture between the filler and the sand, so the actual colour is a matter of taste and intent.



Step 9: I put down another layer of glue, and then dip in green flock. I try to spread the glue in a way that it suggests what's going on in the base. For example, with the Hussars, I've put more at the front of the base, the idea being that the galloping horses are tearing up the turf and leaving exposed earth behind. After five minutes or so, once the flock settles (as in step 5) I do a second dip. Unlike the second sand dip, however, I use a different material. This time, instead of using flock, I use static grass. This gives me a kind of layered texture to the basic vegetation, and seems to produce a better overall effect.



Step 10: Detailing. I'll generally try to include a few things on each base to break it up and draw attention - in this case the log, plus a few other things that didn't show up in the above picture. I'll get a good shot in the morning when everything is dry. I usually use a matt spray over the whole base, but I need to pick up a new can, so the Hussars will have to stay shiny for now.