Removing Models from Bases and Painting Radioactive Slime

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**Tangent**

A two-part question!

First, I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for removing models from bases that they're already glued to. I've got guys with flat feet (no pegs) glued to flat bases, and I'm wanting to get some more scenic bases for them.

Second, those bases are going have an "alchemist's lab" feel to them, and I intend to use these (http://www.forgecraftgames.com/product-category/battlefield-bases/round-bases/waterworks-round/) for that. I want to paint the water as radioactive sludge or something - some kind-of florescent color, green or purple or something. I'm wondering if anyone has some tips for painting this kind of thing.

**Joyous_Oblivion**

To remove the figs from the base, I hope you used super glue

If so, you should be able to snap them off fairly easily.

If they dont come off, or you used plastic glue, trying filling a shallow tray with Simple Green (or whatever you Brits have there for paint removal) and sitting the models in the tray so that just thebases are covered. After a day or two the paint remover will weaken the glue bond and ease in the separation of model from base.

As to the painting question, I will leave that one to the more...artistic amongst us!

**Tangent**

I definitely used plastic glue! For some reason, I hadn't really thought of Simple Green. And yeah, I'm American living in England, actually, and I've got access to military bases here so I can get (and have already) Simple Green.

**Todosi**

If you used plastic glue, you will have to cut them off of the bases. Plastic glue literally melts the two pieces together. Simple Green won't do anything to that bond.

**AustonT**

There's an Exacto knife with a wide flat blade...explanation required?

**Joyous_Oblivion**

Todosi wrote:
If you used plastic glue, you will have to cut them off of the bases. Plastic glue literally melts the two pieces together. Simple Green won't do anything to that bond.

Depends on the 'perfectness' of the bond to be honest. I've had simple green help with plastic glue bonds as well...or it might have been Superclean, one of the two (I switched to Superclean a couple years back, faster and more effective than simple green in stripping, and still bio-safe!

**oadie**

If the feet are chunky enough (e.g. SM boots), the chisel-style blades should make reasonably quick and clean work of separating them. If the feet are on the weedier side, though, they're liable to distort as they're forced out of the path of the blade. For delicate models that are bonded solidly, the only safe option is to attack the base with heavy clippers, removing all material but that directly under the feet, which can then be filed down until it's flush with the soles.

**Tangent**

They're chaos space marines, so the legs and feet are pretty sturdy. I kinda thought about a flat razor blade, but I definitely want to save the quality of the models and if I can save the bases I'd like to.

By "chisel-style," do you mean angled like a typical Xacto knife?

**M4cr0Dutch**

oadie wrote:
For delicate models that are bonded solidly, the only safe option is to attack the base with heavy clippers, removing all material but that directly under the feet, which can then be filed down until it's flush with the soles.

This was going to be my suggestion. I have done it myself many times. Clip away everything that you can with heavy clippers (I actually use pliers), then file away anything that remains directly under the feet.

As for the slime, you want a very bright block colour, i.e. don't do too much shading, and then use several coats of wet effects or watered down PVA glue. I did 8 coats of thinned PVA to make my river gaming board look "wet". Experiment with it before you put it on the base, but it is a very cool effect when you master it.

Good luck and post pictures

**PleaseDontExplode**

For painting your radioactive slime, I suggest Pebeo's Vitrail.

Spoiler:

I've used it on my WIP Nids, and I love how it's working out.

Spoiler:

Only cost like $6 CAD for a 45ml pot at my local art store. It's a stained glass paint. I recommend doing a little bit of painting in various shades of green as a base coat, to give it depth, and then go over it with the Pebeo Vitrail.

**Tarthenal**

Vallejo do a fluorescent yellow and green if you are after a more dayglo effect. It's not very opaque so painting a lighter green/yellow as a basecoat is advised.

**AustonT**

Tangent wrote:
They're chaos space marines, so the legs and feet are pretty sturdy. I kinda thought about a flat razor blade, but I definitely want to save the quality of the models and if I can save the bases I'd like to.

By "chisel-style," do you mean angled like a typical Xacto knife?

No the one that looks like a chisel.

**Tangent**

So, a triangular prism at the tip?

That vitrail stuff looks alright. Maybe a little darkish for what I'm going for. I don't intend to do any OSL stuff, but I want it to be bright enough to look glowy, and I also want it to look wet.

Maybe that vallejo fluorescent with some kind-of transparent water effect on top?

**Tarthenal**

Just a gloss coat on the slime parts to make it look wet ought to do the trick.

**PleaseDontExplode**

Keep in mind I've painted under it with Caliban Green, and I've layered it three to four times to get depth and ripples. As I've layered it, it's gotten darker.

But yeah, you can totally get away with just putting a gloss coat over the "wet" stuff.

**oadie**

This is what I mean by "chisel style" blade:

You can buy them in packs, just like the standard #11 blades and there's also one or two included in most hobby knife sets. A single-edged razor blade would also work (you really just want the cutting edge to be perpendicular to the direction of travel), but they're usually slightly thicker (causing more distortion) and can't be popped into a convenient handle for leverage. Try slicing under one foot and see how it goes. If it looks like it won't work out, you'll have to do more work and sacrifice the bases, but at least you'll only have minor repair work on a single foot to worry about, model-wise.

For the goop, since I forgot to comment on it before, I would likely lay down a fluorescent basecoat, followed by a thin coat of ink(s) to give a wet look and, if desired, add some subtle color variations. The inks are optional, of course, since you can always lay down some water effects, gloss varnish, etc. as a final layer.

**Tangent**

Thanks a ton for the help guys, I got started on this recently. I started another thread about some additional choices and I would be happy if you guys could take a look: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/558237.page#6156755