For a while now I have been concerned with the difference in 'feel' of metal miniatures verses plastic ones. Picking up a metal miniature gives a nice, quality feel, but then picking up a plastic one is jsut not the same. When the plastic space marines first came out they were supplied with bases that did not have a slot in them, so I used to glue a penny in them to get a bit more weight. But now all is different, because most of them are supplied with slot bases. So I came up with an idea to make the bases look better, while giving them a bit more weight. So here it is:
So here is a modern Citadel base.
(I know this is on a metal miniature - but I do it on these as well, so bare with me...)
Ugly from below isn't it?
And this is the secret weapon.
It is a flexible filler, which is ready mixed in a tube.
The nice thing about this is that you dont waste any, and it is less messy, and you can fill LOADS of bases with one tube
- so worth the investment.
Dont bother with this on a metal miniature, but if you have any small ballast, stick it in the base with superglue. If I have any spare metal which you get on multiple part models, I'll save it and then glue it in later. This particular base I've used 'lead-free roof flashing' which had lieing around, and you can cut it to shape. On horse bases I use 2 pence pieces.
So once that is dry, apply the filler. This particular tube had quite a wide mouth, which means that its easy to get a flattish surface. Work the filler well in, but dont try and get it level, Use slightly more than you need, because it shrinks slightly when it drys, so leave it proud of the surface.
Now this is not a particularly blood-thirsty battle, its to explain something important. Once you've filled the base - leave it. Put it down. Dont mess with it. Understand? You HAVE to wait. Leave it overnight. Thats right, go and paint something else now, and dont touch this model again until tomorrow. If you try and take this any further tonight, you'll mess it up.. beleive me. been there....
So here is what it should look like tomorrow. You notice that its not flat. I've used just about the right amount here. You can use too much, but then it can become a pain in the next step.
The final messy stage. Now I have a sanding belt that is perfect for this. If you have used too much filler these will bite it off in a couple of seconds. But they also can wear away the base in a couple more, so go careful and dont hurt yourself with it. Apply the base to the saner for a second or so, and then take it off and look at it. You can always take more off but cant put it back. Go slowly. If you dont have a sander, there is less chance of messing it up, but you need more elbow grease, just put some sandpaper or glasspaper on a flat desk, and rub the base over it till its flat and you cant see any filler when the base is on a flat surface.
So this is what you are aiming for. I usually do it just enough to see the slot lines in the filler as shown. Then take a half inch paint brush, and, using it dry, brush all of the dust gently off your model.
And this should be your finished result. Paint it chaos black, and the model is now heavier, and has a much more quality feel base. So that's my tip.
Just as an aside, this base shows me being slightly over zealous on the sander. Can you see the waste on the top, this is the shavings of the plastic, which melt and then collect around the edge of the base. You need to try and avoid this, as it messes up the shape of the base, but if you do this, you can just remove the waste by gently scraping it away with a fingernail, and get away with it slightly.
Enjoy!
