Basing Reaper Miniatures

[Risingdark 29]

Hey guys, I am new to the reaper boards, and miniatures in general. I've collected them for a few years (for gaming campaigns), but just recently started painting, and taking some interest in basing. That said, I have no idea what I am doing! The minis already have small bases as part of the figure, so I am wondering how to base these. Do I cut away the metal base it comes with? If you can point me in the direction of a good guide, that would be wonderful.

 

Thanks,

Risingdark

 

 

 

 

[Inarah 41751]

There are a variety of options depending on how you plan to use them. If you are gaming, you may want to glue them onto bases of the size and shape called for in the ruleset you're using. You can just glue them down, or you can cut them off and pin the feet. Often it is a matter of personal preference, or skill, or the design of the mini. Some are easier to cut off than others, and some you will just mangle.

[klyons99 328]

Welcome aboard!

 

There are a number of good resources out there, depending on how creative you want to be. If you'd like something easy, there are a number of pre-made bases from various companies that you can pick up. If you'd like to do a bit more work, you can use simple terrain such as static grass, or turf, wiuth a little PVA (re: elmers) glue, which can be found at most hobby stores. I believe The Craft section of this site has a an article or two on basing.

 

If you'd like to get more fancy still, there's plenty more you can do as well, the sky is really the limit.

[Risingdark 29]

Wow, some great feedback here, thank you. Those links are great kylons99, I can't wait to dig in! I'll be sure to post my first base job.

 

Cheers, and thanks again!

[redambrosia 78399]

I like taking the bases off, even the very thick ones. It becomes much easier with a little clamp to hold the mini and a little saw. The more you want to change your minis the more equipment you're going to need. I've got teeny-tiny drill bits and a vice grip, a little saw, the clamp, a variety of exacto blades, and a nice set of little files.

 

Next on my list: dental tools to do teeny-tiny sculpting. The needle just doesn't cut it.

[klyons99 328]

Wow, some great feedback here, thank you. Those links are great kylons99, I can't wait to dig in! I'll be sure to post my first base job.

 

Cheers, and thanks again!

 

Can't wait to see what you've done! If you're up for it, post a thread in the Work In Progress forum. You'll generally get some great ideas and feedback from the folks here. As a new painter, I've been learning an amazing amount from all the wonderful people who post there.

.

[ObsidianCrane 4077]

My general thoughts on basing are here: http://dailyencounter.net/2012/08/26/back-to-bases/

 

If you want to rebase metal models you will need to drill and pin as well (before painting anything) but the general principles are the same.

 

Experience has also taught me that Reaper models fit better on square bases rather than round ones.

[bblythe84 425]

I have a few minis painted in the show off section, but I have never based one I accually never really thought about it untill someone mentioned it on one of my figures.

[Striker2054 4]

What I've done, since I use many of the minis I buy for RPG's is to glue them to either a round or square base of the proper size then do sand or flock basing. I try my best to blend it into the incorporated bases of the figure by having the sand or flock reach up onto it.

[brushforhire 378]

I have a few methods when I approach this. Keep in mind I do not do army or speed painting, everything I do is for display.

 

If it is a slotta base rigure (most warlord minis are I belive) I have a jewelers saw that I bought off of ebay for $12 including 144 various blades, and then I cut the slat off the bottom of the feet carefully. I then take a file to the bottom of the feet it get off any of the burrs or uneven metal. If it is really goofy I'll take the figure quickly to my table top belt sander and sand the feet bottoms nice and even. I then use my pin vice to put two small holes either through the feet into the legs or some other appropiate thick spot to put a piece of paper clip into each hole. I leave them longer so I can put them into a cork or other suitable holder while I paint the figure, so I don't touch it. Be sure to test fit the mini to whatever base you want to mount it on. I have found making sure the mini fits the base properly and drilling holes in the base before painting saves alot of headaches.

 

The second method I employ in the base removing endeavor is for the brocolli bases, especially ones with robes, cloaks, accessories, etc that touch the base. Using a saw can get messy really quick and ruin details. So I have a table top belt sander that I will simply hold the mini against and let it sand the base off. Each mini is unique in the way this works so just becareful and don't rush the process. It usually only takes a few minutes anyways. There have been a few minis that I can remove the base completely, but I can get it thin enough for gluing onto a round or square base that not to much blending needs done.

 

Would anybody be interested in me posting a pictorial on either or both methods I use?

 

I use apoxie sculpt for a lot of my basing scuplting that I do, such as rocks, cobblestone, wooden planks, etc.

Edited January 25, 2013 by brushforhire

[Striker2054 4]

I'd say any kind of tutorial is a good one, Brush.

[brushforhire 378]

Fair enough. I will try and get one done this weekend on both methods and some of my basing techniques.

[Risingdark 29]

Thanks for the tips brush - I would love to a see a pictorial of the process and results!

[tharangus 0]

When I want to ensure structural integrity of the model for gaming purposes, I will leave the slotta sprue alone and just sculpt simple terrain around it with epoxy putty. This is especially useful for models with small feet. My process is pretty simple:

1. I secure model to the base with a small amount of epoxy/super glue but I do not sink the slotta sprue completely into the slot. I tend to leave anywhere between 1mm at 2mm of space between the bottom of the model's feet and the base depending on how much terrain I want to build-up.
2. I wait at least 2 hours for the epoxy to cure. If you use a fast setting epoxy this time can be reduced. After that, I start building up the terrain carefully underneath and around the feet of the model. Be careful not to build-up too much putty or it will look like your model's feet have sunk into the terrain.
3. Before the putty has cured I clean any putty off that accidentally got onto the model with either rubbing alcohol or water.
4. 90% of the time I'm done once the putty has fully cured overnight. If I want a smooth/plolished finish I will sand and polish it depending on whether or not the placement of the model's feet allows me to do that.

It may seem like this will take a long time but for me it's actually faster than cutting the slotta and pinning. This approach works best for stonework, pavement, or rocky terrain.

 

If I am going for something that is a bit more for show, I will pin to either pre-made terrain or terrain I've sculpted seperately. A dremel cutting wheel usually makes quick work of the slotta sprue and then I just file down any remaining junk. Sometimes I'll just cut the middle of the slotta out and use the remaining tabs under the feet to "pin" for a hybrid approach.

Edited February 10, 2013 by tharangus