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Hello Dakkites, I'm really bad at making the bases of models look good and I need some help and tips on how I can add much more detail to the bases of my Skitarii force. All I've done right now is some Martian ironearth on their bases and this looks quite flat and dull on its own, especially when I will come to painting the base of my dragoon. I was wondering how I could make the bases of the Vanguard and Dragoon look better, maybe a dead enemy underneath the dragoon or something? Thanks for reading, and any help is much appreciated!

Almost all of the studio Skitarii have some slate or gravel added to each base for interest prior to the application of the texture. Locally, I've seen plenty of Skitarii players using cork for basing in conjunction with slate, gravel and texture.

My preferred mixture is as follows:

Fine and coarse ballast
Fine slate
Larger slate pieces
Offcuts from etched brass
Eggshells
Offcuts from sprue
Extra detail pieces from kits (helmets and bling)

For the eggshells, keep the shell as intact as possible when you scavenge it from cooking. Wash it off and then microwave it for about 1 minute. This will dry out the membrane on the inside of the shell and let you peel it off. Put the shell in a ziplock bag and crush it thoroughly. Mix it into the rest of the mixture and toss it all thoroughly. Store in a resealable container until you need it. When you're ready to apply, take a small amout of the dry mixture and mix it with paint or PVA glue. I mix it with a premixed paint/PVA mixture. Apply it to the base and let it set, I recommend 24 hours. When it's dry, paint it as you will to bring out the texture and detail. I usually drybrush first and then ink or wash after that.

 Peredyne wrote:
Almost all of the studio Skitarii have some slate or gravel added to each base for interest prior to the application of the texture. Locally, I've seen plenty of Skitarii players using cork for basing in conjunction with slate, gravel and texture.

My preferred mixture is as follows:

Fine and coarse ballast
Fine slate
Larger slate pieces
Offcuts from etched brass
Eggshells
Offcuts from sprue
Extra detail pieces from kits (helmets and bling)

For the eggshells, keep the shell as intact as possible when you scavenge it from cooking. Wash it off and then microwave it for about 1 minute. This will dry out the membrane on the inside of the shell and let you peel it off. Put the shell in a ziplock bag and crush it thoroughly. Mix it into the rest of the mixture and toss it all thoroughly. Store in a resealable container until you need it. When you're ready to apply, take a small amout of the dry mixture and mix it with paint or PVA glue. I mix it with a premixed paint/PVA mixture. Apply it to the base and let it set, I recommend 24 hours. When it's dry, paint it as you will to bring out the texture and detail. I usually drybrush first and then ink or wash after that.

Do you have any WIP or finished pictures of some bases with this mixture? I'm interested in seeing how the eggshells and extra stuff change the look (I use sand with bigger pieces of rock, with cork as big flat rock chunks).

I'll probably try something at the weekend, as I'm very pressed for time right now and still to first of all need to build and paint the Skitarii.

These bases started with some random bits, chunks, etc followed by some cork rocks on some and then egg shells. The trick with eggshells is to place a piece larger than you need there into the glue then press it down into the glue on he base, fracturing it, but being careful to keep the pieces generally aligned. As it is drying keep pressing it down breaking the pieces into smaller chucks. To really break it down take the point of an exacto knife and press until it fractures. Keep fracturing and pressing down. Once dried, I like to take a slurry of sand and glue and apply it to the cracks and seams between the egg bits.

It depends on the theme you are going for

IF its mars

then i would suggest getting a bunch of nice bark and making some nice rocky type crags with the flat crackled paint stuff in some places to spice it up

mars is pretty fethin rocky. also go take a look at nasa rover photos for more ideas.

Also servo skulls. LOTS OF SERVO SKULLS BEEP BEEP BOOP

My thought is to get some busted wrist watches or wind up alarm clocks, get destructive and snaffle some of the bigger gears.
Some of the panels inside watches make for astounding weird/runed basing pieces as well.

If you have the technical paint (Ironearth right?) I would suggest dry-brushing it with a lighter color (GW Kindleflame comes to mind)when it dries to accentuate the cracks, and then adding in a red or brown wash to the base which will make the cracks even more noticeable.

So the steps would be:

Ironearth --> Drybrush-->Wash

 Hive City Dweller wrote:
If you have the technical paint (Ironearth right?) I would suggest dry-brushing it with a lighter color (GW Kindleflame comes to mind)when it dries to accentuate the cracks, and then adding in a red or brown wash to the base which will make the cracks even more noticeable.

So the steps would be:

Ironearth --> Drybrush-->Wash

I think you mean Agrellan Earth.

jayko657 wrote:

 Hive City Dweller wrote:
If you have the technical paint (Ironearth right?) I would suggest dry-brushing it with a lighter color (GW Kindleflame comes to mind)when it dries to accentuate the cracks, and then adding in a red or brown wash to the base which will make the cracks even more noticeable.

So the steps would be:

Ironearth --> Drybrush-->Wash

I think you mean Agrellan Earth.

No he means Ironearth, the red version of Agrellan Earth

That sounds like a good idea, which I can do as I have all of those paints (I lie as I don't have Kindleflame) it sounds like an easy way to base my Vanguard. The eggshell, etc sounds like a good way to base my Dragoon and Ballistarii though.