a) I use thick, white Dahler board for my multiple based troops. This doesn’t warp easily and is still easy to cut to size using a sharp craft knife and a metal ruler. For the individual figures involved in skirmish games, two-pence coins make an ideal base.
b) The required number of figures are glued to the base using PVA glue.
c) In an old saucer, I mix a concoction of basing material made up from a large quantity of ready mixed fine surface filler, some more PVA glue, some basing flock material, earth brown acrylic paint and a little horse hair. All this is mixed thoroughly together to make the basing medium. I use various tools to apply the basing medium to the base, mostly old bits of worn out paint brush and cocktail sticks. Spread it around carefully, shaping it as you go and adding small stones or other bits of debris as you see fit. I once made the mistake of using some bits of twig as fallen tree trunks, which subsequently started to grow some real live moss! It looked good until the moss invaded the rest of the base and started to grow up the legs of the troops! I now advise against this!
d) The earth brown paint and the basing flock will have turned your basing medium a nice, but rather yucky, soil colour. You could leave it like this, but I use an old oil paint brush (with very stiff bristles) to add some colour to the base. I use a mix of dark brown in the hollows, marsh brown, to give a clay soil effect and olive green for the grass. There is no specific procedure for this, you just have to play around with it until it looks how you want it to look. I tend to be a bit heavier on the olive green these days, getting a grassier look than the earthier look you get when you put more of the browns on.
e) At that point, you have a base of painted figures ready for the tabletop. At one time, I didn’t used to bother particularly with varnishing, but these days I tend to apply a coat of gloss varnish followed by a second of matt to ensure a really good secure protective coat to resist the knocks and greasy hands which are an inevitable part of wargaming. The only other thing I do after putting on the basing medium is to give the standard bearer his flag. I always leave this until last where it becomes a ceremonial occasion, often accompanied by the consumption of copious quantities of celebratory alcohol.
The A&A Miniatures Roman command group we saw at the beginning is now complete. The shield design is a transfer from ‘Little Big Men Studios’. Small stones from the fish tank accessory shelf of the local pet shop add a little extra interest to the completed base.
Below, the wonderful cave troll from the Games Workshop ‘Mines of Moria’ battle set.
I hope this guide has been of some value or at least you have enjoyed looking at the pictures. If you are just starting out painting miniatures, then the best advice I can give, is build up a good variety of colours and don’t worry about sticking to one brand. Shop around at shows and pick up a few different colours each time you go. Make sure your painting area is really well lit and have an old plastic tray of some kind to mess about with colour mixing on. Most important of all though, is to make sure you enjoy it!
