Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm not sure what the long term implications are, but I was looking over for cheap ways to base models using abundant household items.

First I came up with mulch, (though i'm guessing there are a few guys out there without said mulch in their gardens)
Then an assortment of dirt and leaves (not too nice)

An then (drumroll)

Ground Pepper!

Anyone ever tried it? Because at the moment it's seems too good to be true.

Comment removed

Please don't make makes comments of this nature when posting on Dakka in future.
Reds8n

Organics don't generally make a good basing medium.
They rot, attract bugs and vermin and tend not to end up what you wanted it to look like.

There's a guy on wargamerau who used sugar for his snow and ice basing. He sealed it and varnished it, but it still attracted ants to his models.

Mabye but these are models, if pepper was that bad we would ants all over our kitchen, also pepper is pretty non-perishable.

Also pepper looks great even when painted

There are tons of things you can use from around your yard in your basing to reduce the cost.
http://fromthewarp.blogspot.com/2009/03/basing-using-free-material.html

i got a free 20lb bag of grout sand from work and i could base all 6 of my armies with it and still have enough left over.

since then my 20lbs has grown into 100lbs of basing materials for free, looks exactly like the GW stuff too.

Drywall spackle is a relatively cheap and incredibly effective way to base stuff as well.

I'm trying to work out how there's a sudden lack of free sand in a country quite well known for the outback?

For me though this is about laziness rather than the cost of basing.

Surely the Holy Grail of lazy basing is simply to drybrush the base...

Just don't get paint on it, they're all crossing a large road.

I get sand from the local playground, sift it, and let it dry for a couple of days.

Medium of Death wrote:Surely the Holy Grail of lazy basing is simply to drybrush the base...

I would assume the holy grail of basing, is not basing them.

but lets be honest here. sand IS cheap, period. sand, glue, paint. 3 ingredients. it doesn't have to be fancy to be based. its NOT that difficult.

I used to base mine in terrain flocking. glue, flocking, done. 2 ingredients. fast and easy.

Texture wallpaper.

I have some that looks like flagstones and other that looks like parched desert.

SlaveToDorkness wrote:Texture wallpaper.

I have some that looks like flagstones and other that looks like parched desert.

I like this idea. they make a multitude of patterns to put them on. and its cheap! stick it right to the base

Isn't sand cheaper than pepper? :s

Cork sheets work wonders for basing stuff. Can do really good cracked tarmac. Thicker sheets can be used to make parts of ruined buildings or destroyed concrete blocks.

Skippy wrote:Isn't sand cheaper than pepper? :s

Tastier too!

notprop wrote:

Skippy wrote:Isn't sand cheaper than pepper? :s

Tastier too!

yea, i'm gonna go with no LOL but it still made me smile!