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As in the title,

When Games Workshop has changed the base sizes on older models, do you re-base?

In a recent game my opponent brought to my attention that all of my jetbikes were on the clear large/vehicle flying bases and that this was modeling for advantage because it meant his blast weapons couldn't cover as many models. I informed him that these were the bases that were supplied with the models at the time that I bought, modeled, and painted them and that up until he pointed it out I didn't realize that a larger base gave any significant advantage. He then told me that I should keep one inch between my models to make up the difference between the older style bases and the newer ones. Needless to say we didn't finish the game, but I got to wondering if I should purchase the newer jetbike bases and glue/pin them on after breaking off the ones that are currently in place.

What does dakka think?

I use the bases the models were supplied with. I'm not going to rip off perfectly good bases just because newer models may be on different sized bases.

Anyone who goes off on the modelling for advantage rant can go play with someone else as far as I'm concerned.

Besides, the rulebook clearly states, use the bases that the models were supplied with. As far as RAW goes, you're covered.

Most bigger tournaments have size charts that are mandatory to follow and, iirc, you are to change your base size to the new official size.

Games workshop has stated older models can continue to use their old bases at no penalty.


They have also stated that you can use larger bases with no penalty, but cannot use smaller bases than are provided with the model.

Sigvatr wrote:Most bigger tournaments have size charts that are mandatory to follow and, iirc, you are to change your base size to the new official size.

Some might, but I rather suspect that 'most' is a but of an exaggeration...

Eihnlazer wrote:
They have also stated that you can use larger bases with no penalty, but cannot use smaller bases than are provided with the model.

Two editions ago, yes. The current rules expect you to just use the base the model came with.

It's difficult to limit jetbikes to any particular base anyway, since GW keeps changing their minds on them. They started with a small, hexagonal base, which changed to the current small round one, and then to the larger round one... And then they started supplying some with the small base, and some with the large one, one. So most players, our at last those who have been playing for more than ten minutes, tend to accept any of the three.

I keep the minis on the bases that came with them. I only own metal terminators, so thats small bases and my (metal) dreads have no bases at all. Its been alright for 20 years now, so I see no reason to change them.

On a slightly related note, are you allowed to "update" your base sizes to the ones that come with the newer models, if you so wish? The large bases on my Jetbikes are kind of annoying me.

Not without your opponent's permission, no.

Having said that, so long as the base you use is appropriate for the model, most people won't care.

Fenrir Kitsune wrote:
I keep the minis on the bases that came with them. I only own metal terminators, so thats small bases and my (metal) dreads have no bases at all. Its been alright for 20 years now, so I see no reason to change them.

Same here. Metal chaos terminators, small slota bases. Was wondering if I'd have to re base them. Thinking of gluing small base on top of 40mm base.
Might stop them falling over, and would bring them into line height wise with later models.

I rebased my metal wraithguard by literally glueing the old slotta base ontop of the terminator bases to make up the diffrence between the size and the base. But in your case your opponent is plain wrong. unit coherency for a jetbike is meassured from bike to bike not flying stand to stand and thus his blast weapons are out of luck.

A flying STAND is not always treated the same BASE and the big ones give you more problems then graces.

When charging, the larger stand is a disadvantage because you cannot charge through a gap thats smaller then your base, even if that is a massive flying stand.

When you move ontop of impassible terrain. When the rule is literally you can get ontop of this aslong as the model physically fits its again a disadvantage to have a larger flying stand.

Where is the advantage here, because I don't see it. Every time it would be advantageous to have a larger base as a jetbiker those times fall away. Charge range is meassured from the bike not its stand. so no gain there. More models in contact in CC? The jetbike is bigger then the small stand and at least the eldar ones are longer and wider then the big one TOO. so it restricts the number of models in contact by the size of the model, regardless of the flying stands size.

NickOnwezen wrote:
But in your case your opponent is plain wrong. unit coherency for a jetbike is meassured from bike to bike not flying stand to stand and thus his blast weapons are out of luck.

Am I missing a rule here?
Bikes aren't vehicles, so distances should be measured from the base.
Or is there a rule saying different somewhere?

NickOnwezen wrote:
But in your case your opponent is plain wrong. unit coherency for a jetbike is meassured from bike to bike not flying stand to stand and thus his blast weapons are out of luck.

This is not true. Bikes measure coherency from base to base like every other based model does.

A flying STAND is not always treated the same BASE and the big ones give you more problems then graces.

They're actually referred to in the rules as flying bases, not stands... And they're only treated differently to other bases where the rules specifically say to do so.

Charge range is meassured from the bike not its stand.

Again, this is wrong. If a model has a base, you measure to it, except where the rules say otherwise.

And the larger base will mean more models can get into base contact...

 insaniak wrote:

Sigvatr wrote:Most bigger tournaments have size charts that are mandatory to follow and, iirc, you are to change your base size to the new official size.

Some might, but I rather suspect that 'most' is a but of an exaggeration...

Speaking of Europe, not familiar enough with the rest of the world

What about my old wraithguard? I have 30 old metal wraithguard and put them on the bases they came with. I understand that they are supposed to be bigger but the size base they came with is the standard small size.

Same issue as terminators - 90% of people don't care, 8% don't care as long as you don't abuse the smaller bases, 1% don't care as long as you play them like they're the larger bases, 1% will refuse to play until they're rebased.

Hey! this thread again!

Listen, it's mostly a question of courtesy. I'd love dropping a 10-man squad of terminators with 25mm bases, but that becomes a bit easier than the new 40mms allow. And an opponent playing another terminator army would be pretty miffed at my models.

Easier and more courteous to update the bases.

If you have for example beautifully painted old terminators and they are mounted on beautifully done old 25mm bases i'd let it slip.

If you think you can mount your unpainted ebay terminators on 25mm bases because they are old - go play someone else.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
Hey! this thread again!

Listen, it's mostly a question of courtesy. I'd love dropping a 10-man squad of terminators with 25mm bases, but that becomes a bit easier than the new 40mms allow. And an opponent playing another terminator army would be pretty miffed at my models.

Easier and more courteous to update the bases.

Then after you deep strike your small based terminators and shoot someone, the whole squad gets caught under a small blast from a plasma cannon. While it may be MFA giving you a smaller footprint for deep striking, it is also a drawback when the templates/blasts start heading your way. There are pros/cons.

In general, it's polite to update. But most/many people don't really care.

I like the 40mm bases better anyway. More room for modelling on the bases. But that's coming from a modelling standpoint.

I have a friend who has old Deathwing Terminators and I think they look bad on the smaller bases.

 Nevelon wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
Hey! this thread again!

Listen, it's mostly a question of courtesy. I'd love dropping a 10-man squad of terminators with 25mm bases, but that becomes a bit easier than the new 40mms allow. And an opponent playing another terminator army would be pretty miffed at my models.

Easier and more courteous to update the bases.

Then after you deep strike your small based terminators and shoot someone, the whole squad gets caught under a small blast from a plasma cannon. While it may be MFA giving you a smaller footprint for deep striking, it is also a drawback when the templates/blasts start heading your way. There are pros/cons.

In general, it's polite to update. But most/many people don't really care.

That is why you run after DSing if there are Plasma Cannons, or any AP2/1 Blast or Large Blast weapon on the opposing side...

But If they were my models I would change the bases to the current standard base, just to keep things consistent.

I dont think it matters if you buy it from the store new from the blister or buy it from e-bay. I got my first 20 wraitguard quite some time ago from e-bay that were stripped of their paint and then I repainted them. They were already on their old bases. I bought 10 more after the new ones came out as the old ones have gone in price due to them being now undesirable by alot of people. I have 20 already painted wraithguard (their bases arent fantastic or anything) but I am not going to go out and buying 40mm bases for now 30 wraithguard, especially when i already have foam for them. The bigger bases are just going to cause me to have to put out more money into a unit I already own AND have to get new foam for these 40mm bases.

But there is no single current base for Jetbikes. The solo kit I got recently came with a large base. The 3-pack? Small bases. They're both kits that are in production.

I think the smaller foot print of the 25mm bases is too big an advantage in some cases.

In the DSing terminator example, the smaller foot print is an advantage in EVERY game, while the disadvantage to being more susceptible to blast weapons is situational to your opponent.

Having smaller bases would also affect things like embarking/disembarking from transports, and whether or not a unit hits the table edge during a fall back move; and that's almost a whole extra inch when determining if a unit can reach them for an assault or not.

I would simply ask my opponent to play them as if they were on the currently sized bases; if they didn't, I might be inclined to pack up and go find another game.

On the topic of organized play allowing it, most GT's say the most current version of a model must be used. Example: you can't use the Gorkamorka Ork trucks, because they have such a smaller presence on the table; the current Ork Truck has a bigger foot print, and is more then twice the height. Likewise you can't use the original Bloodthirster model, because he's the size of Guardsmen. I'd wager that this extends to base sizes.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as you are not mixing base sizes within a unit (i.e. 5 old termies on 25mm, 5 new on 40mm) then I could care less.

So much for buying a piece and it being good till the day you die if the GT's require only the latest release of models.

Edit: Scentance structure

A new base is hardly going to break anyone's budget...


I rebased all my metal terminators when the switch was made, and now that tau broadsides are in different bases, I'll be rebasing them also.

I don't want any in-game advantage that the wrong size base would give me, and I don't want my opponent to think I'm looking for that advantage.

My personal opinion:

I prefer playing against models mounted on the current base for that model. Although I'm not sure I'd even raise the question if my opponents were using old bases--even plain ones. UNLESS he had different base sizes for the same units. In short I'd want all of his wraithguard to be on the same base instead of half on one and half on another.

That said, there are situations in which a current production model is shipped with different base sizes depending on how you acquired it ( and sometimes depending on whoever packed it ). I know I've run across a few special characters in terminator armor that only had the small base in the package... at a GW store no less. So the whole "base it was shipped with" doesn't mean much to me.

In all fairness, the size of a base has both advantages and disadvantages.

Large base: each model can assault more enemies, but fewer of its own units may make into into that assault. On the other hand it's easier for an opponent to get more guys around each of yours. Yes, they can spread out more to decrease the impact of blast, but even "tightly" packed units are generally harder to hid behind LOS blocking cover. A large base will slightly favor smaller units who want to assault but hamper ones that dont. Whereas larger units ( think horde ) will want the smallest base possible to get as many of their guys into CC as possible, but I haven't seen any horde style units shipped with bases bigger than 25 anyway.

I guess all of that to say: rebase if you want but don't worry too much about it.

 Xerics wrote:
So much for buying a piece and it being good till the day you die ...

Er... since when was that ever a thing...?

 insaniak wrote:

 Xerics wrote:
So much for buying a piece and it being good till the day you die ...

Er... since when was that ever a thing...?

Its a big seeling point that the $50 Fire Prism will be able to be used so long as the Fire Prism is in the codex. Wraithguard are still in the codex and I dont think one should be penalized due to the pieces coming with one base and then GW changing the newer looking model to use a larger/smaller base.

And yes while bases dont cost too much (even 30 of them) try replacing the foam in your army carrier to accommodate 30 new 40mm bases... If you didnt cut the foam yourself then you are looking at quite a hefty sum to protect and carry those pieces after whatever the company is charging plus S&H. It might not break the bank but $35-$50 means the difference of a coffee every morning for a week and not having that coffee.