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

Two of a Kind - Miniature Wargames issue 518

Another month and another article written by me and featured in Miniature Wargames issue 518 (June 2026). But this time something a little different.....

It was around Christmas 2025 that I was struck down with a virus and not really up to writing anything for John and really not wanting to go down the shed-at-the-bottom-of-the-garden and do any modelling. As it turned out I was able to complete a model and write a short article (see issue 515 - A scratch built French Storehouse - this link). Later and back to feeling better I decided that I needed to build up a back catalogue of articles to give myself a buffer should this ever happen again. Searching through some older image folders, I found these two models - a Fantasy Hovel and a French Bakehouse both were originally constructed as commissions to be moulded, cast in resin and then sold but for various reasons neither were accepted. Never the less I do feel that by combining both models in one HOBBY TIPS article they could be of interest to the reader.

The first model was meant to be included in the now sadly missed range of terrain for Panzerfauste - the fantasy WW1/WW2 crossover game. Part way through construction it was deemed to be 'to Fantasy' and was not taken up for development into a resin casting. For some time it sat on my to-do list of shame but was eventually completed as an addition to my Pax Bochemannica range of themed terrain as can be seen in this image.

The second building - a French Bakehouse was based on an image found in a book on French regional architecture. Once again my master was rejected and never placed in a mould or cast in resin. I did eventually complete the model and added it to my ever expending range of Flintloque themed terrain.

The last two images are included to show additional views of the two small buildings in a gaming environment with first Flintloque Todaroni and secondly more Pax Bochemannica Boch.

Finally I would hope that this unusual article showing 'failed' commissions might prompt others to complete their own part-finished or neglected pieces of terrain. Whatever I hope you enjoy the images.

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

Normandy Cider Press - Miniature Wargames issue 517

Issue 517 (May 2026) of Miniature Wargames features this scratch built model of a rural cider press. The inspiration came from an illustration in a Normandy holiday brochure, a sketch in a book about regional French architecture and the internet. It is scaled to 28mm wargame scale as can be seen by the Flintloque RifleOrc alongside.

This months issue of Miniature Wargames was very late in arriving with me - I had seen copies in T G Jones (W H Smiths) earlier last week but my issue did not arrive until this morning - a good 10 days later than usual. The free sprue was slightly damaged but acceptable although I am not sure I will be using it.

As with earlier posts showing magazine articles written by me, I have included a couple of additional images to show construction. and painting.

In the magazine article I asked - is this a model or a piece of wargame terrain? What do you think?

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