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You dont have to cut the figure off the base if you dont want to. You can just get a tooth pick or a wooden coffee stir stick to push to glue around the whole base and up close to the foot, then dip the base in sand or flock, stick a few small rocks in place first if you like. That is what I did with my Space Marines. Each Marine has their very own S.I.R. unit, Standard Issue Rock... Never leave the base with out your cover save.

Thanks guys, I really appreaciate the tips. I plan on hitting some of the bases when I get off work, so I'll post some new pics with what approach(es) I've decided to go with.

Scarper, most of the older Catachcan modles were aquired in trades.
Thanks again everyone who's posted here.

Okay, so its been a few days and I have started to act on the advice given to. I gathered the materials to "Re-Base" my Ettrians and started the delicate task of removing them. It cost one poor grunt half a foot, but I'll fix him up soon.
I only spent about $20-25 dollars in supplies. The base I work at is in a town so small it has no hobby shop at all, so I was resitricted to Walmart supplies. (Gasp). To be honest, it wasn't the worst thing.
Here's the stuff I picked up.
Air hardening clay, for $7.00
A puzzle sealant(PVC glue mixed with some other stuff) ,for $6.00
A tube of water effects, for $8.00
A couple of cheap Grey acrilic paints, for $2.00

I sculpted the bases out of the clay, ( Doing city- like featurse like cobble stone , rubble etc), adding bits and wire until it felt right.
I then coated them with the PVC stuff over night, once the caly had hardened.
The next day I painted them Fortress grey, drybrushed some of the cheap grey paint on to the features and let it set again, before giving it a wash of denab mud.
The last day, today, I fixed up a few of the removed models and set the them on , after I applied a bit of grassy flock and some UNUSED , ground up cat-litter to add to the rubble.
At one point, maybe after 3 or 4 too many beers, I dropped my sculpting knife. Don't worry, I caught it. If you see the pic and are a hemophiliac, I am sorry. It went in rather deep. But I did'nt stop working!
I did two of the bases with "puddles" in them , so I could try out the cheap water effects. They didn't come out the way I'd have liked, but the pictures are there. I don't think it was the water stuff that didn't turn out, but how I painted under it first that makes it look un natural. If anyone has a couple of pointers for me in this, I'd gladly hear them.
As well, I threw in some pics of the game table I am starting. I am just building structures out of foam board for now, and plan on adding bits and plasticard until the look acceptable. It is a project I am in no hurry to finish. The only piece I do want to get to soon is the Commissar Fountain piece, (another piece I plan on using the water effects for).
The theme of the table is an old old old imperial teritory that was orbits struck to ruins, overgrown by nature and now being reclaimed by the gaurd for a strategic pupose and has a Void sheild generator installation.
That being said, I do want tips on how best to go about it all.
If got about 40 or so of these bases done now, but have only mounted a few models just to photo them and get them up.
Thanks for the advice on all this.

Wow, excellent bases and a very good theme. Old ruined cities provide lots of good chances to really run away with basing

If you want more even cobbles, use the sharp edge of a ruler, or the back of an eating knife to score the lines. Also, you can have fun pressing the clay into different objects to give added texture, such as wood, bark, skin,etc.