Basing 101 - part six

At last we are at the end of this short series of posts showing how I go about modelling, painting and decorating my model terrain bases. The image above shows the barricade (Alternative Armies - see this link) matt varnished with a mix of both Galleria matt varnish and matt ModPodge (about 50/50) then decorated with a green dyed sawdust and ground foam mix which has been applied over standard PVA glue. Once this is fully dry I have added a variety of static grass tufts and ground foam clumps which are glued in place with superglue.

I started this short series because I had been asked by a friend 'how do you paint and finish your bases?' My reply was to send him a detailed e-mail response but afterwards I thought there maybe others who would be interested in seeing/reading a more detailed description than is normally included in my Miniature Wargames HOW TO or Hobby Tips articles, where space does not always allow such a detailed description and list of supplies.

I can confirm that I have been using the same or a very similar basing technique for well over ten years with very little amendment. I believe that this formalised approach to basing helps in two ways - firstly it unifies ALL of my terrain, scratch built or shop bought and secondly has proven with the test of time and game play that the technique holds up well to regular handling and abuse and if needed repair.

As stated in earlier posts, I would be interested in comments positive or negative, as to what readers may think of this new approach and if you would like to see more.

I can confirm that John (editor of Miniature Wargames) has been supportive of me including 'add-on's' to the published articles that regularly appear in MW but I would still like to read what blog readers think and if possible what you would like to see in future 'add-on's'.

Never the less I hope that you have enjoyed this slight detour and have found it both interesting and informative.

Tony

Basing 101 - part five

The groundwork or base was first painted in a Snakebite Leather colour - a sample or tester pot mixed up for me at my local DIY store. I find this much more economical than using my limited supply of GW Snakebite. I do find that I sometimes need to apply two thin coats rather than one, but this is a small price to pay when painting bases.

Once I have an all-over covering I can add some variation by mixing in a little yellow or white to the base mix and dabbing this in a random fashion.

The groundwork is then drybrushed with  the same Snakebite colour to which I have added some Titanium White tube paint (once again not wanting to waste my figure painting pots of paint on large bases).

Individual stones are then painted grey (sometimes cream) and highlighted once or twice with white added to the mix. The effect is a 'busy' base which can also be 'washed' with a Flesh or Strong Tone wash to define the stone and sand texture.

A darker wash has been run along the lower edges of the barricade to add shadows. I sometimes used a green wash if I want to portray damp or mould rising up the lower walls of buildings. 

We are quickly getting to the end of this short series or tutorial on how I paint my terrain (and figure) bases and I hope that it has proven useful to others. As stated in my earlier post I am NOT trying to tell you how to paint YOUR bases, I am just giving details of how I paint and finish mine.

Tony

Basing 101 - part four

As this short series of posts is all about basing I will quickly skip the main painting of the resin barricade (Alternative Armies - see this link).

An all-over dark brown basecoat was followed by a light drybrushing to pick out all that lovely sculpted detail.

The detail painting consisted of painting the sacks in a Linen colour and the bench seat with bright red - just to add some spot colour.

The wooden planks were highlighted with various 'wood' colours before being given a light wash of Dark Tone wash.

In the next post (due very soon) I will once again concentrate on the painting and finishing of the base.

Tony

Basing 101 - part three

The next step in my basing regime is to add some additional texture to the groundwork. I use sieved stones and sand over PVA glue. It is not just a matter of sprinkling these over the glue - I prefer to add the sieved stones first and then the sand which is a mix of fine sand and some larger grains - the more variation the better. I have a small container with the mixed sand already mixed and ready to use at a moments notice.

Once the stones and sand have been added and the glue is fully dry, I 'flood' the base with some diluted PVA glue to which I have added a tiny drop of washing-up liquid which helps to break the surface tension and ensure that all the individual grains of sand are fully fixed in place.

I am aware that my basing techniques are a little 'long-winded' but they have been developed over many years and ensure that 1 - my terrain bases are all uniform in style and 2 - they are long lasting.

I hope that these posts showing my basing technique in much greater detail helps others when basing their own terrain.

Tony

Basing 101 - part two

Following on from my earlier post I will now give details of how I prepare the plastic card base for attaching the resin barricade and the DAS modelling clay.

Firstly I 'score' the surface of the 3mm thick plastic card with a large snap-off bladed knife. I do this so that the DAS modelling clay has something to 'grip on to' - I am not sure that this has to be done with every piece of terrain but as I have been doing this for over a decade and have never had any DAS come loose or shrinkage I feel that it is a precaution worth taking.

With the plastic card scored I first sanded the base of the model with medium sandpaper (which was attached to a piece of Contiboard with double-sided tape) and then glued the resin barricade (Alternative Armies - link) in place. I have used gel type superglue and accelerator for this as in my opinion this gives the best results.

Next I added the DAS modelling clay over a layer of dilute PVA glue. Nothing special here just a thin layer of DAS to 'blend' the base of the barricade in to or on to the plastic card base. I use a mixture of plastic and wooden clay sculpting tools for this.

As you can see I just couldn't help adding some additional detail in the shape of balsawood strips and small plastic card nails.

In the next update I will show how I add additional texture to the plain DAS groundwork. As with the earlier post, if you have any questions or comments please go to the comments section. 

Thank you.

Tony

Basing 101 - part one

Earlier this month I was asked if I would give details of how I model, paint and finish my terrain bases. In most of my magazine articles I tend to skim over how the bases are finished, preferring to spend the bulk of the time on the scratch built or modified piece of terrain. In this short series it is my intention to give a much more detailed explanation of the materials used and the techniques I employ to build my bases.

It is NOT my intention to dictate how you should finish off your own bases but more of an insight into how I do it. I can confirm that with very little variation this is the technique that I have been using for over twenty years. If you have any questions please get back in touch with me in the comment section.

To begin.....

Most of my terrain is based on 3mm or 5mm thick plastic card. The card I use is more often than not ex advertising signs, FOR SALE signs or blank plastic card used for signs or display purposes. In the image above I have shown two examples - the first a display sign picked up from a DIY store (old advertising sign) and the second a blank piece of 3mm thick plastic card picked up for free at a trade show (a damaged wall panel).

In the past I have used various thicknesses of MDF and even mounting card (used by picture framers) but for the last couple of years the 3mm or 5mm thick plastic card has been my go-to material for terrain bases.

 

The plastic card is cut with a large (18mm) snap-off bladed craft knife. I find that it is best to draw around the piece of terrain or model you intend to base and cut the plastic card slightly larger than you need - you can always trim the base later.

Please note that in this example - a small barricade (Alternative Armies resin piece - see this link) I have made the base slightly larger than I would normally to show my basing technique in greater detail.

The edges are then chamfered with the same snap-off bladed knife.

And then sanded smooth with medium sandpaper. In this example I have cut the base in to a lozenge shape but I can just as easily have shaped it in to a round or oval design.

In part two I will explain how I prepare the base for the model and the DAS modelling clay.

Once again if you have any questions, please contact me via the comment section.

Tony

Glastonbury Chapel - revisited

Sue and I have recently returned from a visit back 'home' to Swansea. While visiting my mother, uncle and aunt I was telling them about the model of a Glastonbury Chapel that had appeared in Miniature Wargames issue 509 - for more information see this link. I was asked how I went about modelling the chapel and in particular where I got the inspiration from. Although a lot of this information can be found in MW issue 509 I thought that some additional information and images might be worth posting.

The chapel is based on St Patrick's chapel which is situated just within the walls of Glastonbury Abbey but before you enter the Abbey through the main charged-for entrance.

Here are some photographs I took while visiting.

Always try to include at least one image with something to scale up the building, in this case a couple of innocent passers-by.....

From these images and some on-site sketches I produced these detailed drawings.

The core of the model chapel was constructed from corrugated cardboard, foamboard and modelling foam. I have used a mixture of PVA glue and my hot glue gun to construct the model.

DAS modelling clay, ready-mixed filler and more foam were used to both refine the shape and build up the groundwork which was built over a rough oval of 3mm thick plastic card. Note how I have 'blended' the base of the walls into the groundwork.

Moving on quite a bit I have added both texture and detail to the base and constructed the bell tower and cross from foam and plastic card. In this image I have begun to paint the walls a dull putty colour as seen in the original images.

The roof is a combination of WILL's tiles plastic roof sheets (designed for HO-OO model railways) and card (the lower edges).

More detail painting and the chapel is nearing completion. Note how the damp discolouration is climbing the lower wall base and the strong contrast between the tiled and slated roof materials.

The final two images show the finished chapel with dyed sawdust and ground foam added to the groundwork.

This is the first time I have added such a detailed description and included additional images of a model that has appeared in MW and if it proves of interest to my readers and followers I will try to produce more.

Miniature Wargames issue 509 is still available to order from the MW web pages.

Tony

Miniature Wargames issue 506 - the Decorative Gourd

The latest issue of Miniature Wargames (issue 506 - June 2025) features another scratch built Gourd for Burrows & Badgers. Like the earlier Gourd that featured in issue 504, the decorative vegetable was sculpted over a discounted Christmas decoration and painted with acrylic paints. For more information of the magazine contents, see this link.

The model gourd it was based on a plastic or resin glitter covered pear bought from The Range.

I used a home-made paper mache mix to build up the shape and add detail. The stalk was sculpted from Milliput two part epoxy.

With additional detailing from egg box card and foam.

I based the model on a piece of scrap plastic card and built up the groundwork with DAS modelling clay. Later I added sieved stones and sand to add further texture.

I then had great fun adding the warts! The wart were sculpted by my grandsons, Finley and Charlie and glued in place with superglue.

For details of the painting and finishing, see the magazine - available in all good newsagents.

Tony

Pueblo - Miniature Wargames issue 505

The latest issue of Miniature Wargames (May 2025) features this scratch built Pueblo building. the building was constructed from DAS modelling clay and ready-mixed filler over corrugated cardboard on a resin floor tile base.

I started with a rough sketch following a suggestion from John Treadaway (editor of MW) which uses ideas and inspiration found on the internet.

The cardboard was strengthened with strips of torn newspaper glued in place with PVA glue and later clad in ready-mixed filler.

The model was based on a surplus resin floor tile which was cut and then sanded to shape. I have used DAS modelling clay and more ready-mixed filler to refine the shape while sieved stones and sand were glued to the groundwork to give added texture.

Painting was built up over a terracotta base colour using various tester pot paints (bought from my local DIY store). The detail painting was done with acrylic modelling paints and the whole model was varnished with Galleria matt varnish before tufts of static grass and ground foam were glued in place.

For more information, see MW issue 505.

Or see this link.

Tony

A French Dovecot - the full article

Earlier this week I came across an article I had written for the magazine Miniature Wargames (June 2020) that has been reproduced as a free on-line tutorial with full text and all of the illustrations. If you are interested in how I build my scratch built terrain the article can be found on the Tabletop Gaming Features site - here.

More details can be found on this Blog - here.

I checked the rest of the Features but this appears to be the only one written by me - however there is a huge amount of free content on the site for you to read.

Enjoy

Tony

Some long lost bits of clutter

Regular readers of this Blog will know that I have in the past produced a number of masters to be produced in resin. One of my favourite parts of finishing these masters is to add odd bits of 'clutter' to the bases - barrels, sacks and wheels are the most common.

Yesterday I was presented with a couple of bags of bits - the masters from nearly ten years ago. I thought about having them once again cast in resin, but I already have a pile of such bits and I think I will use them on future terrain builds.

The fist image shows a range of mushrooms and fungi which I modelled for the fantasy game Panzerfauste from Steve Blease. I have already used some of the resin models on pieces of Burrows & Badgers terrain.

The second image shows a whole range of different barrels which I have sculpted and once again I will be using them on new wargame terrain builds.

The final image is a photograph of more bits - jugs and urns. 

Thank you Rob. They will be well used.

Tony