The question comes up quite frequently in various forums here. What size bases do my metal terminators go on? What bases come with killa-cans? Does a daemon prince get a 40mm or 60mm base? Whether you are a new player with random eBay models, an older RT era player getting back into the game and wondering why everyone else's terminators look "different" or a scratch builder who doesn't want to buy a metal killa-kan to know how big to make your scratch builds, sooner or later you want to know for certain how big the base is. Since GW, for their part, refuses to define a base size in the codex entry for each model, instead telling us we must use the base included with the model to be assured legality, and then packages the models with different sized bases, I am personally left a tad confused. I have thus decided that this is exactly the kind of nail that needs beaten to death with the hammer of wiki! (Or the Wiki of Hammer, what have you.)
I want to divide this up by army, unit entry (ie. Tactical Marines, Dreadnought, etc.) and the list what size base it takes.
Bases
Since this is 40k we are talking about, there are only 6 base sizes.
25mm (~1") - Standard base for 40k, the round that comes with marines, guardsmen, etc.
40mm - What I think of as a Terminator base. Used mostly for larger infantry.
60mm - Monsterous critter base, also used for dread's.
30mm - Small Flight Base
60mm – Large Flight Base
25mm x 50mm - Biker Base
If you want to correct an error, or want to put in the size of the new offical bike/cav please do so!
Armies
Chaos Daemons
25mm: Bloodletters, Daemonettes, Plaguebearers, Pink Horrors, Flamers of Tzeentch, Heralds on Foot, Furies of Chaos
40mm: Fiends of Slaanesh, Nurglings, Seekers of Slaanesh, Daemon Prince of Chaos
60mm: Greater Daemons, Epidemius, Bloodcrushers of Khorne, Beasts of Nurgle, Daemon Prince of Nurgle
Small Flying base: Screamers of Tzeentch
Cavalry Base: Flesh Hounds of Khorne
Chaos Space Marines
25mm: Chaos Space Marines, Cult Marines, Havoks, Raptors, Chosen, Possessed, IC's without bikes or terminator armour. Some summoned lesser daemons (refer to Chaos Daemon Army)
40mm: IC's with terminator armour, Terminators, Obliterators, IC's with Steed of Slaanesh, Daemon Princes, Chaos Spawn, Some summoned lesser daemons
60mm: IC's on Juggernaut of Khorne, or Palanquin of Nurgle, Summoned Greater Daemons, Dreadnoughts, Nurgle Daemon Prince
Small Flying Base: IC's with Disc of Tzeentch
Bike Base: IC's with Bikes, Bikers
Eldar
25mm : All Guardians, Rangers, Aspect Warriors, Wraithguard, Farseer, Warlock, Autarch
40mm : Avatar, Guardian Defender Support Weapon Platform
60mm : Wraithlord, War Walker, Heavy Support Weapon Platform
25mm Small Flying Base: Jetbikes, Shining Spears, Vyper
40mm Large Flying Base: Falcon, Wave Serpent, Fire Prism
[EDIT BY XEN: For the past year or so, jetbikes have been coming with the large flying base as standard]
Imperial Guard
25mm: Nearly all human models, ratlings
40mm: Ogryn, Nork Deddog
60mm: Heavy Weapon Teams, Both Sentinels
Bike Base: Rough Riders, that one prone Catachan sniper
Space Marines
The boys in blue (or whatever color) are remarkably consistent, and so have a slightly different organization than I want to go with. Great to go with an exception first…
HQ
All models in power armor (Basic Chapter Master, Captain, Chaplain, Librarian, Master of the Forge): 25mm
All models in Terminator armor: 40mm
All models on a bike: Bike Base
Elite
Dreadnought (Normal, Venerable, Ironclad): 60mm
All models in power armor (Techmarine, Servitor, Sternguard): 25mm
All models in Terminator armor: 40mm
Troops
Scouts and Tactical Marines: 25mm
Fast Attack
Assault Marines/Vanguard Vets: 25mm
Bikes: Bike Base
Landspeeder: Large Flight Base
Heavy Support
Devastators: 25mm
Orks
HQ
Boss, Big Mech, Weird Boy (Megaarmor or no): 40mm
Boss/Mech on Bike: Bike Base
Elite
Nobs, Lootas, Kommandos, Burnas: 25mm
Mega Nobs: 40mm
Bikers: Bike Base
Troops
Shoota/Slugga Boyz (Including nob): 25mm
Gretchin : 25mm
Runtherd: 25mm
Fast Attack
Death Kopta: Large Flight Base
Bikers: Bike Base
Storm Boyz (Including Nob) : 25mm
Heavy Support
Deff Dreads : 60mm
Killa Kans : 60mm
Big Gunz : Grots on 25mm, gunz don't have bases
Flash Gitz : 25mm ?
Tyranids
25mm : Gaunts, Hormagaunts, Genestealers, Spore Mine
40mm : Broodlord, Warrior, Tyrant Guard, Lictor, Ripper Swarm, Zoanthrope, Ravener, Biovore
60mm : Hive Tyrant, Carnifex
25mm Small Flying Base: Gargoyles
Witch Hunters
Very simple on this one.
25mm : All infantry (Sisters, Inq. and retinue etc.)
40mm : St. Celestine (Comes with 25mm and 40mm)
60mm : Penitent Engines, Grand Inquisitor Karamazov
Ok, that’s all I remember off the top of my head. I am still working on exact formatting, but if you know the base sizes of an army, please update this as you can!
Necrons
25mm: Lord, warriors
40m: C'tan, scarabs
Thats all I can think of for Necrons
Tau Empire
25mm: Fire Warriors, Kroot, Pathfinders, Ethereals, Stealth Suits and Vespids
40mm: Battlesuits and Broadsides
30mm: Drones
60mm: Skyray, Devilfish, Hammerhead
