Topic: Good Materials for Miniatures Bases

[Zhaleskra]

I have a miniature who either needs his feet reglued to his current base, or more likely, a completely new base. He's an Anubi Hero from Wargods of Aegyptus, and he came with one of those cheap-plastic-bases-with-a-slot-in-it-that-never-work (IME). The current base is some kind of foam board, with a slit just wide and deep enough for his foot tag metal.

Currently, it seems the tag is still in there tight but his feet themselves are loose. He leans over when I stand him up.

So, I'm looking for some material ideas for making a new base for him. Thank you.

[providence13]

Are you familiar with stormthecastle.com?
http://www.stormthecastle.com/miniatures/index.htm

This guy is very helpful.

You can also buy some cheap mini's and use those bases. Just cut off the old guys, chop them up and use them for spare parts or gelatinous cube innards.

I've been doing a lot of plaster casting lately. I'm going to try using some flagstone/cavern floor pieces for bases. 
http://www.hirstarts.com/molds/molds4.html

 A buddy just gave me a ton of old mini's. I laughed when I noticed coins glued to some of the figures feet. They are stable.

[Zhaleskra]

Here's a very basic idea of how he's built (f = foot, e = extension)

  f     f
 eeeeee

Perhaps I could just cut off the extension and glue his feet directly to a solid base.

If I make a new base that includes the extension, perhaps I'll add some modelling terrain to it. Probably sand or grass, maybe both.

[smug]

 A buddy just gave me a ton of old mini's. I laughed when I noticed coins glued to some of the figures feet. They are stable.

Araquael uses large washers to get extra base for basing upon, and they're also stable.

[Zhaleskra]

Araquael uses large washers to get extra base for basing upon, and they're also stable.

Washers seem like a good way of making a miniature sturdier, though not necessarily as a base unto themselves. Then again, that depends on the thickness of the washer.

[providence13]

For the price and ease of use, it's hard to beat sculpey clay. Knead, mold, carve then bake it. You can even sand and paint the finished product.

[Zhaleskra]

For the price and ease of use, it's hard to beat sculpey clay. Knead, mold, carve then bake it. You can even sand and paint the finished product.

Well, I am going to need sculpey eventually anyway.

[Marc R]

I tend to use washers, and when nobody is looking, coins. . .especially handy after a vacation when you end up with pockets full of coins not worth exchanging back.

[Zhaleskra]

I tend to use washers, and when nobody is looking, coins. . .especially handy after a vacation when you end up with pockets full of coins not worth exchanging back.

Well, I do (or did) have a collection of low value foreign coins.

[Marc R]

Coins are nice and massy too, not stainless steel like a washer, often they make a more stable base as a result.

Back when I did a lot of war gaming, we'd white-out pennies with typewriter correction fluid then use a sharpy to mark them up to replace the counters, because those little cardboard chits would go flying from a breeze or even someone exhaling hard or the wind from flopping a book down on the table. If you ever got hard up for pennies (or needed to blank the coins out to re do them) just put a handful at a time in an empty coffee and shake vigorously. . .the white out would chip right off. Noisy process, but quick.

[markc]

Coins are nice and massy too, not stainless steel like a washer, often they make a more stable base as a result.

Back when I did a lot of war gaming, we'd white-out pennies with typewriter correction fluid then use a sharpy to mark them up to replace the counters, because those little cardboard chits would go flying from a breeze or even someone exhaling hard or the wind from flopping a book down on the table. If you ever got hard up for pennies (or needed to blank the coins out to re do them) just put a handful at a time in an empty coffee and shake vigorously. . .the white out would chip right off. Noisy process, but quick.

 Why not just glue the little pieces of cardboard to the coin? Then just glue the new one on top of the old when needed.
MDC


EDIT: One gamer to another "Look at that! That nick has been in 20 battles." (BTW a nick is short for a nickle, a 5 cent US coin)

[Marc R]

Harder to re-use them, we did at first use a curl of tape to make a double sided sticky to hold the chits to the penny, but annoying debris like hairs kept getting stuck in there. . .annoying to move up a unit and have it drag 4-5 other units along by the human hair you hadn't noticed had landed then blown into the tiny gap between the counters and the coins. (You could also make 50 elf archers, even if you only had 20 elf archer counters).

OTOH, change was handy as nickels were ogres, quarters were giants, etc.

[markc]

OTOH, change was handy as nickels were ogres, quarters were giants, etc.

Ah the good old days. How long before we see Old School Coin Mini Games?
MDC