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Hello my fellow Dakkaz,

This may seem like a simple question but to hell with it, I signed up to forums to get my dumb questions answered, so here go's.

When should you base your models?
I have just finished my second model after a long stint of being dormant (hopefully the link should be in my signature below) and I completely forgot when the best time to base the model is. This time round I stuck the model to the base first, then applied glue and what-not to stick down the relevant medium, but now, if I was to paint the sand, I’d run the risk of getting paint in contact with the model. Is it better to do the base first?

So, is it perfectly fine to super glue a model on the base after you based it? Won't it fall off or the sand come lose? Granted, there are numerous other methods of keeping your model attached to its base via pinning or magnets but I think that’s a bit excessive in this case.

I glue mine to the base and paint the mini and base at the same time. If I get paint in one or the other I just touch it up. I don't know if that is best, but it's what I do.

Yeah, I guess there is not "best" or "right way" just what works at the time or your workflow. Anyone had any issues stick a model directly onto a sand once its been PVA into place and painted?

Typically, l'll glue the mini to the base first (so I can use it unpainted and have something to hold while painting) and then just add and paint some sand/grit after painting the model. The exception is stuff I'm doing scenic bases on, which I will superglue to the base to play/paint, then snap it off (superglue bonds break cleanly with applied force), detail and paint the base, then SG it back on.

I do it after.

I like to airbrush my bases to get them done quick, so having a painted model on there isnt an option. Then I clearcoat every base. The finished product is stronger than I expected.

Once in a while a little flock chips, but so far, not ever where the model actually attached. Ive had a fdw models come detached too, but thats to be expected when I drop one (with its weighted base).

Cheers guys, this is all quite insightful stuff. Keep them coming!

I keep the model separate from the base after dry fitting and pinning without gluing. Then the model and the base are painted separately before using super glue to pin them together.

As others have indicated, it depends....

For my tau, which are a desert scheme, I paint and complete the mini first (even varnish).

Then I paint the base rim, add glue, rocks, sand etc

For my marines, which are an urban scheme, I do them separately.
My bases have sand, rubble, debris glued on, then primered (a different color than my marines) dry brushed, etc.
I then glue the model on (maybe pin if necessary).

The big difference is that in once case, all of my basing materials are their final color when I apply them - I don't need to do any more painting, but in the other case I have to paint the materials on the base - and the mini would get in the way.

Make sense?

depends on the base I am doing, if city scape like my chaos, I tend to do it before just to make sure that I dont get any base paint on the model. For my space marines, who are fighting across a muddy no-mans land, I do the base after and go nuts with the mud paint, on the base and lower limbs of the space marines.

@davethepak

Makes perfect sense. If you are gluing onto sand, what do you use? I'm just a bit skeptical about gluing on to sand for some reason.

If you aren't gluing directly to the base I highly recommend pinning at least one foot of the model.

I assemble the model, glue my sand down, and then prime the model and base together. I then paint the model and finally paint the base. Static grass goes on after the clear coat.

For all of my models, I drill a pinning hole on one foot during preparation, before there is any paint on it. I might choose a base or a base concept before I build the miniature, but that is the extent of it. I paint the miniature unattached to any base (I stick it into a small glass spice jar, with double-sided tape).

For heads, I also paint them separately: I drill and pin them, and pike them onto a pin vise to paint.

Once the miniature is done, I worry about the base. I'll either scratch build a base or use a resin base; I decide where the model will go, fully paint it, and then drill it, and affix model to base with superglue.

I do pretty much what Talys does. Except when I'm painting the miniature I find it easiest to have a long pin (or in my case, paperclip )extending from a cork (into the drilled foot), this gives you something to hold onto but enough distance so that yo can airbrush the underside/odd angles without a base or anything else getting in the way.

Whether I base before or after painting depends less on my basing scheme than on the model's sculpt - it's something I decide at the same time I'm considering whether to build a model completely or paint it in sub-assemblies.

Open sculpts give me easy access during painting, so there's no harm in putting the base on. If I'm doing that, I might as well texture and prime it, right along with everything else. An Ork slugga boy, for example, would get put on a base with texture added and the whole lot primed at once.

Denser sculpts, especially those with plenty of downward facing details, necessitate separate painting. Flowing coats/capes and the like make it hard to access the top of a base, just as bases make it hard to access the underside of the cloth. Such models get a pin in the foot to be held by a pin vice for painting, allowing me free access to the model's underside. Since a pin is already installed and the base is loose, there's no reason not to texture and paint it up separately, then mate the two upon completion.

That pin is important, should you base separately. Any sort of texture or paint applied to a base means that even if you use industrial strength epoxy to attach your mini, the paint or PVA to plastic (the base) bond can still fail (weakest link in the chain and all that). Unless I can use solvent cement (plastic mini on a base detailed with styrene), everything prepped separately gets pinned in place.

i personally usually finish the model and base seperately, then attach the model, and then work the 2 together, as my bases are usually rubble, so i find sand applied around the models feet helps them look like theyre actually in that environment rather than placed on it.

This is all brilliant advice, thanks for this. Because, I'm working on the "White Lions of Chrace" presently, I've had to resort to pinning in places where either there is a glue join or underneath the model in the skirt area as the feet just seem to thin to put a pin through. I would have put a pin in the heal of the boot but I didn't want the pin to show after I had finished painting nor did I want to hide it with rocks etc.

 BlackOps wrote:
I do pretty much what Talys does. Except when I'm painting the miniature I find it easiest to have a long pin (or in my case, paperclip )extending from a cork (into the drilled foot), this gives you something to hold onto but enough distance so that yo can airbrush the underside/odd angles without a base or anything else getting in the way.

I use a cork when I airbrush too!

I will often affix the cork to a popsicle stick (with tape), so that I can rotate my model easily while airbrushing, for those odd angles, and just pop the cork off when it's more convenient to hold it.

By the way, a bit of foot-pinning advice for anyone just starting to do that -- it's very easy to drill out a foot if you use a vice to hold the model in place, and drill straight vertically downwards. It prevents the model from slipping (as it does if you hold the model with one hand and drill with the other), which is mostly why drilling takes longer than it should, and also why bits break.

if the feet are too thin, then you can strengthen the bonds by roughing the surface of the foot,and using fine sand around the base join. obviously this only works if it ties in with your base

I have only recently started doing bases for my minis but here's what I've started doing:
1: Assemble the figure on the base (including gluing)
2: Spray black primer
3: Using Citadel Texture paint, lay down the sandy part of the base around the feet of the miniature (or tires in the case of bikes!), covering as much of the flat part of the base as possible.
4: Wash and then drybrush over the texture paint to finish the base.
5: Paint the actual figure (and the rim of the base) normally.
6: Add some grass tufts to the base if desired.
While adding a layer of texture paint does give a slight impression of the figure "sinking in" to the dirt, I find this to be a relatively minor side effect. I do mine this way because I think that the basing is the messiest part of the whole project and it is easier to take care of it first. I'm still trying to figure out the best thickness for the layer of texture paint, but all of my bases have turned out ok so far.

 klixxy wrote:
Hello my fellow Dakkaz,

This may seem like a simple question but to hell with it, I signed up to forums to get my dumb questions answered, so here go's.

When should you base your models?
I have just finished my second model after a long stint of being dormant (hopefully the link should be in my signature below) and I completely forgot when the best time to base the model is. This time round I stuck the model to the base first, then applied glue and what-not to stick down the relevant medium, but now, if I was to paint the sand, I’d run the risk of getting paint in contact with the model. Is it better to do the base first?

So, is it perfectly fine to super glue a model on the base after you based it? Won't it fall off or the sand come lose? Granted, there are numerous other methods of keeping your model attached to its base via pinning or magnets but I think that’s a bit excessive in this case.

This is sort of a personal decision.

Having said that, nearly all of the professional model magazines, and miniature painters I know base their figures after they have painted the miniature.

The most obvious reason for this is that the base obscures parts of the model making painting at certain angles difficult to impossible (depending upon the model).

The second biggest reason is that the base is likely to contain particulates that will be easily disturbed and can get stuck to surfaces or details of the model/miniature.

I do not recall, in nearly 40 years of building models, and in 35 years of painting my miniatures ever reading a tutorial that advised basing first.

The closest I think that came to this was in tutorials where the base was prepared consecutively with, but separately from, the miniature.

MB

Thanks everyone. After all the input., I feel like I'm on the right track. Although I think my work flow is a bit long winded it doesn't sound like I'm doing anything to much out of the norm.

Pinning, in my mind is the way to go, I just ran into the issue where the White lions always seem to be on tip toe and the foot area just seemed to thin to pin.

 klixxy wrote:
@davethepak

Makes perfect sense. If you are gluing onto sand, what do you use? I'm just a bit skeptical about gluing on to sand for some reason.

On my bases I put the mini on later, the sand is fairly sturdy at this point.
(process for me making my custom urban bases)
- take basic ...base
- glue on 1/16" thick piece of sheet cork with strong craft glue.
- when dry, cut divots, cracks, etc. use craft glue to put on sand, small bits, bricks, etc.
(but do not cover entire base)
- put light water / glue mix over that when dry
- when that is dry, primer black with rustoleum 2x black primer
- when that is dry, drybrush various greys
finally...
If there is a nice flat smoot section, I just use super glue (gap filling super glue gel) to attach to base.
if its not a nice tight bond, I pin a paperclip into the foot, and for extra strength.

The "white" or "pva" glue I use of choice is aileen's tacky craft glue, found in most craft stores - it drys fast, and is quite strong.
http://www.amazon.com/ALEENES-15599-Purpose-Glue-8-Ounce/dp/B00178KLEY/ref=sr_1_1?i

If I make a base I am really fond of (especially for a larger base, like a 40, 60, etc.) I will make a mold of it, and cast some extras of them
(I used to make a lot of custom bases and terrain and cast them, but not as much any more).

best of luck!!!

I used top do it after I painted. But now I do it before and prime the whole model. The primer actually seals the sand or whatever you might be using. I noticed that when I did it after, the sand would soak up the paint. SO I had to do a couple of coats of paint. So now I prime everything and go from there. I tend to paint the base first. That way I can be slopping while painting the base. Then I do the model as its easier to control painting. I will also do them separate from time to time as well. Depending on what I am painting it for. If it's for a Comp I like to do them separate as I can get more detail in the hard to reach areas. But again I don't worry about it for the basic dudes for me playing army.

Honestly, just comes down to the bases and models... Not a great answer but there you go. For my ors, on sand, I just glue that gak on and paint the boots around it carefully after the base is painted (the bases are always the first thing I do in that workflow). OFr my recent Eldar (check out my gallery ) I HAD to do the bases seperate as they were wraithbone, and would have been very unforgiving to paint when attached to the model.

Lowes or Home Depot give away wooden paint stir sticks (alternatively wooden rulers);
Many painters white glue (Elmer's) 10 bases at a time to the paint stir sticks and batch prime, paint, and/or clearcoat/seal them. (just a small drop is needed here)
Additionally. white glue infantry models the same way (usually 5 at a time, instead of 10)
.
Then pop the bases and models off and glue together.
.
Note; some use magnets here; a magnet on the base, and a magnet on the models foot/fin/tentacle, etc. (some use metal on the model to save costs, and magnet on the base, so the base can be used for multiple models, slick, but way over thought, lol...)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the feedback given on this post it was all very helpful. I ended up basing separately, using good old glue, but very much warming to the idea of magnets later on. I think I need to plan my bases a little better instead of sprinkling stuff all over the place, but meh. Baby steps. Still, its alot better the my previous attempt (check out the thread in signature)

I paint bases and models separately. I do huge batches of bases all at once, and then have a stockpile that I can use for any subsequent unit I decide to assemble and paint. It ensures that bases look more or less consistent and it's so much easier.

I do the base separately from the model, then pin said model to the base, usually with a small amount of green stuff and a dab of super glue to help hold it in place till the GS cures.