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 have been currently gathering suplize for a big mek workshop, I have been tearing apart, nerf guns, action figures, toy cars looking for pieces that might be usefull, like gears, I have found an abundance of usefull peices, for the most part they are all plastic, but i was wondering if there was any particular way to paint them.
And what do I use as a base for the workshop?

This!

What......?

The WHFB Skullvane Manse would make a nice ork workshop.

No Im making one....

You asked what to use as the base...

as in cardboard or foam or something.....

Depends on how big it is... up to A4 size thick cardboard or some plastic-card like the kind used for "For Sale" signs and other advertising media are a good start for terrain pieces. Larger than that or particularly heavy ideas and you should start looking at MDF or something equally solid. This will increase the weight of the finished product quite considerably, but I can't imagine you're going to be carrying it far, so that shouldn't be an issue, just don't drop it on your pretty gaming board. This will greatly increase the structural integrity of the whole thing and help reduce the likelihood of other parts of it splitting or cracking and ruining your paintwork/plasterwork if you pick it up by one corner.

Ideas to keep in mind when you are making stuff and getting creative sticking all your Orky bits down all over the place... keep the thing strong, pin or screw bits if necessary, so that you can play over it no problem. For added strength you could varnish the entire model to seal it all together (I mean with wood varnish not citadel varnish) before you prime it for painting, that would bind all the parts strong, just watch out for too much shiny-ness where you don't want it. Also, keep in mind that you need to play over this in game terms, so try and keep in mind the terrain, unit coherency and cover rules so that when it's finished there are places for models to stand and just peek over barricades etc, and room for your hands to get in and move them around, and room for vehicles if it's going to be that big.

Good luck, have fun and keep us updated with your WIP!!

If I understand correctly, you are building a diorama/terrain piece of an ork workshop. I always liked to build dioramas on wooden plaques from the art supply store, something with a nice beveled edge that can be stained. They are strong and look nice when displayed. If you're doing it as terrain I would probably recommend the same thing, just let the debris and dirt etc flow down over the edge of the wood. Maybe go with corrugated or 'diamond plate' sheet styrene as a floor. For any vertical walls, it is easy to drill into a wood base and pin them in securely. Whatever you do, as recommended above, make it solid! Cardboard and glue don't last long.

AH! you dudes are getting confused between a bas, as in floor, and base as in base model XD

I like 1/8" MDF. At that thickness, its profile is low enough that models can comfortably straddle the edge (especially if you bevel it) without much risk of tipping over. Large pieces will flex under load, but unless you're trying to carry a 1'x2' base for a heavy center building by its short edges, it shouldn't be an issue. MDF isn't completely immune to warping, either, but it's way better than cardboard or foamcore, in that respect. Styrene is a viable alternative for small pieces, but to get comparable rigidity for a medium to large sized terrain piece, you'd need something thicker than the commonly available stock.

Regarding the painting question in the OP, what exactly are you asking? How to deal with the materials (in which case, treat them the same as any model - degrease them, if necessary, then prime and paint as usual) or are you looking for tutorials for specific effects? In the latter case, a bit more info on what you're looking for would garner more appropriate advice. Steel, brass, or even wood are all viable options, depending on your vision, as are assorted weathering techniques.

Yeah I think I will use 1/8 MDF. And regarding the question in the OP, I was just wondering If I had to prime it with something different because it wasn't the same material.

Most plastics (ABS, HDPE, PVC, etc.) should take to paint/primer as well as the styrene used in GW models would. I've never tried painting low-friction plastics like nylon or Delrin (which are sometimes used for gears, bushings, and the like), though. You may just have to try and see if it sticks. If not, something like Krylon's Fusion line, which is designed to chemically bond to plastics (and apparently comes in flat, now, which I only just discovered) might be required.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/472061.page this is it so far, please leave a comment !