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Title speaks for itself, of course, what kind of stuff do you put on your models bases? Do you just leave them plain, rock and flock them, make full-out mini-dioramas, or somewhere in between? Personally, I like snow bases. I don't know why, it might just be the fact that not a lot of people use them, but I've decided to base my orks with snow, from now on.

My Space Wolves are on rock bases with grass on the top. My orks are on sand bases and my chaos are on lava flow bases.

Personally, I just started getting into 'basing' my miniatures. But just for now, i've been just adding regular modeling grass to my Skaven bases.

Kinda makes me feel like they're invading a golf course~

Hehee.

On my WoC Im doing snow. Pure snow for infantry and calvery and dark grey ground with patches of snow everywhere for anything that is bigger than those. Except for my Tzeentch Chaos Dragon who has a much different base. Tons of giant rocks and the ground is all a red... kind of like the forces of Tzeentch are morphing the world around the dragon... although I might yet still add a little snow around the edges to show that its more of an aura with a radious and not just a lasting effect on what ever it walks by.

I've always disliked the 'sand and drybrush and maybe grass' look on bases, but that may because I've played an ary where they is actually fitting.

My dark eldar are on plain plastic bases, but I've painted them with a swirling, random pattern of purples.

I'm lazy.

I tend to put ballast or sand on before I prime.

Later on, I paint the stuff along with the model maybe put one or two highlights on.

After I seal I put down static grass. Sometimes I add ground cover.

I usually Rough up the base a little with sand paper( a Flames of war technic).
Then i white glue some plaster of paris rocks or chunks that ive made the week before.
I use a blend of ballast,( large rocks, meduim rocks, small, tiny rocks) some sand, and fine turf.

Then i Primer the base.
Dry brush my standard four colors, Dk brown, Light brown, tawny yellow, and light grey.

Static flock it with Grass, snow a different color sand/ turf mix.

take a look at my blog of 50 assault/ vanguard marines on blog and modeling for step by step.

My World Eaters are on urban gravel bases with patches of snow. I also add dead Dark angel bits (helmets, backpacks, symbols, etc.).

My IG are on plain old sand, but im meaning to change it to look more woodlandy, have never tried the grass though.


And good lord your avatar is creepy, Darth Bob

I tend to use a muddy foundation colour, cover with thinned pva, then scatter on grit and static grass. With characters i make a bit more effort, and try to do something fitting, for example my tyranid hunter deathwatch captain has a termegant head with spine and blood vessels attached sitting on the base, apparently having been ripped off Its body by his power fist

I use micro arts studio bases for all my completed minis. Orks I use junkyard bases, Tau are urban bases and Space Marines deck plating.

I want to base mine like a junkyard. Screws n bolts n stuff.

I have started using sand. I bought 2 different "grits", I guess you would call it. I got both of them from a craft store in the flower potting department for about $2 apiece.

I mixed the sands up and but them in a plastic container.
Next put white glue all over the base then dip them in the container and let them rest over night.
and done.
You can glue down bits on the base then dunk it in the sand to get a different effect.
You can also put grass in random places.

This one is just the sand painted.

This one has a few pieces of sprue in it and sand with the grass on top of it.

And not a good pic but I have some chain and sprue on this base along with the sand.

For the last year I've been using:



3mm cork glued to base (as rock)
GW sand
Mininatur long and short grass. This stuff is the best gaming product I've found in a decade. Clumps of grass stuck lightly to a plastic sheet that is just tweezered off and glued in place. The 2 packs below lasted for 240 WHFB and 40k models and about 15 movement trays.... You can also get 'flowers' which are small clumps of fluff (5 or so per clump) which when added to the top of the long grass gives you wild flowers.

Google the poduct, buy it. It is worth it.

Packs


The long grass.


My BA and Krieg use bought resin bases and the mininatur grass.

My bases are all set around the theme of the WW1 battlefields, very little grass etc, lots of mud, and battlefield debris.

I fancy myself being quite a baser. Who knows, atm im fixing my imps with cityfight inspired rubble bases.







One of my basing mixes. Pretty convienent and gives a kind of "random" look.

My basing material comes from woodland scenics. Its a mix of light bassalt and medium heavy bassalt. I apply this mix to my models before they're primed, and paint them accordingly. I apply static grass afterwards, and snow if I feel like it.

In terms of urban rubble, I usually add buts of chopped sprue and extra bits to the mix. I find this mix is pretty universal.

RatherFatRat wrote:Personally, I just started getting into 'basing' my miniatures. But just for now, i've been just adding regular modeling grass to my Skaven bases.

Kinda makes me feel like they're invading a golf course~

Hehee.

Don't feel bad, my skaven have exactly that same basing method. And the Brets are done the same way, but with a 'pre-mixed' flocking called 'summer blend.' I just wish I remembered the name of the manufacturer...

On my Dark Elves I've started expirementing with a mixture of sand, snow, and 'Dead Grass' static grass. It's making a significant difference it the finished appearance.

You folks should check out these basing kits the steampunk one is cool!

http://www.skullcrafts.com/basing_kits.htm

I'm experimenting. So far I've done a few guys with just static grass. Gonna try some sand soon, and some spare sprue as rubble, maybe. I'd like to pick up some nice resin bases at some point. I figure I can always carefully cut my space marines off their bases and glue then to the resin ones.

i base all my armies differently

my necrorks have Back-2-Base-Ix bases, with added clockwork gubbins
my Infinity nomads (current project) have B2B checkerplate/industrial bases
my Legion of Everblight have handmade cork lavaflow bases
my Khador have sand, painted as muddy brown, with snow and grass tufts
my Cryx have beach-sand with grass tufts
my Pirates where to have wooden planking
my daemons have handcarved plaster made into rock formations (my warriors will likely have the same)
my tyranids have mostly GW grit with some added accents and small rocks, to go for a desolate wasteland look
my necromundan Ork-liaths have handmade industrial/rubble bases
my converted arbites use handmade industrial/checkerplate bases
my nightgoblins use the classic "green+flock"outlook
my IG will have grey ashbases with rubble
dunno what my wood elves will have (or if i'll ever get around to them)

I was planning on using some lava bases I got from Back to bases for my howling griffons( but they were too bright)

But i do use alot of woodland scenic Products( the large shakers) and blend my own grass flock, fine turf, and ballast for bases.... ( there on load right now to Lint so he can base his stuff) Or i would walk you thur a few steps

Funny basing story actually.

Once when I was young and broke, I used some gritty dirt from my backyard in Georgia. When applied it looked fantastic, but as the days drew by, my models started sprouting plant life on their bases. Guss my dad had seeded the dirt in hopes to make the grass grow. It never worked on the yard, but worked really well on my bases

Paint them Saddle Brown, then figure it out from there. If I want grass and sand on, I can put that on, but for guys like my Eldar, I want them to be snow based. Only problem is that I've never gotten around to making snow

Either way, plain saddle brown really brings out the colour of a model. Much better then black bases do.

My friend (the OP) bases my bases . We get playground sand and layer the base with it. Then prime it with chaos black. Next we add rubble (sprue bits). Finally we highlight the rubble and drybrush a bit on the chaos black tarmac

I actually just leave mine basic black these days. I used to play around with dirt or carefully paint them to look like asphalt or concrete and then I'd play on a table covered in green felt and they looked like they were traipsing about with their own private chunk of tarmac. Soooo basic black. It doesn't take a lot of time and after a while your brain sort of edits it out.

I use the warhammer basing kit then just add sand and modelling grass.

I'm lazy and never base my models :(

If I was not so lazy, I would perfer snow bases or grass bases using at least 3 different flocks/static grasses. Pure sand bases for my Tomb Kings and Crons though.

I file them flat, score lines and small indents into them, and then maybe glue some industrial looking bit on. And I snow them, and the snow is covered in gloss to make it look like the snow that I once saw in an English city. It's just like the Tandaris Incident bases in an old White Dwarf. The 'Clean' cityfight look. Though, sometimes I do really crazy things for large bases. Behold, my Valkyrie and Vulture bases:

The Valkyrie:


The Vulture:



Basing is really really fun.

I usually base after I paint the figure because I feel the base/environment would have some effect on the figure.

For my now sold White Scars Army back in the day of my budget hobbying, I base coated the entire base with Apple Barrel Brown. I used an old brush and painted glue on an area arround my figures feet (like a shadow would fall) and placed a forrest green flock (dark green). Then, taking a lighter green flock arround everywhere else. Being on a budget I only placed one layer at the time when I probably should have layered more. Then, to add effects, I used some foilage fiber and small bushes from the Scene-A-Rama Foilage and Grasses kit from Woodland Scenics. To add some highlight to the bushes, I sprinkled some of the lighter flock directly on top. Arround the bushes, I placed a spot or two of static grass.

For my snow bases, I use the Citadel Modelling Sand and PVA glue them on. Then, applying a Devlan Mud wash to add shading. On areas where I plan to place the snow on I use two layers of paint. First, I apply a drybrush of Space Wolf Grey a little larger than the snow area then a drybrush of white in the exact area of the snow. Then using liquid super glue (super glue frosts which adds to the effect), apply to the white area and I use a tweezer to take some citadel snow effects and drop on the super glue. If you are happy with this layer your are done, I put at least 2 layers as I like having the snow build up. Lastly, to add to the effect, I glued on some Skullcrafts Autumn Leaf Scatter (one leaf at a time). Here it is on my Warriors of Chaos.