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Author Topic: Basing sky galleon crew figures  (Read 5147 times)

Offline Mad Lord Snapcase

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #15 on: March 12, 2018, 07:13:46 AM »
I don't know if this helps but I am now using thin plastic bases obtained from the packs the minis come in and other packaging?



I use a 1" punch and a small hammer as the punch is not really built for plastic.

Vagabond uses them in this post and it made me change to this method:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=107388.0
« Last Edit: March 12, 2018, 07:16:43 AM by Mad Lord Snapcase »


Offline Dochejed

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #16 on: March 12, 2018, 06:58:46 PM »
I wondered about that - if the shineyness looked worse in photos than in real life.  And those really thin bases from plastic packaging look good too.  Ok, that settles it, now ordering bases from litko and digging through the junk pile for packaging so I can compare the two.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions.

Offline DLIinVSF

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #17 on: March 17, 2018, 07:33:41 PM »
A late reply but I went with mdf bases with green stuff planking. Though I like the clear bases idea, but I've reserved those I  have for some Sci-Fi stuff in the future.

Offline pancakeonions

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #18 on: April 11, 2018, 07:54:54 PM »
Another call out for clear acrylic bases!  I use them for Shadows of Brimstone, and they look great during the game.  The "shininess" is much more noticeable in photos. 

Offline Dochejed

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #19 on: April 11, 2018, 09:19:40 PM »
That's great to hear.  I've got the clear bases on order from Litko.

Offline Andy in Germany

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #20 on: April 13, 2018, 04:07:13 PM »
Is there some kind of handy tutorial how to base a model on clear plastic?

I've been making bases with thick turf to hide the lump of metal between the feet of figures as I don't know how to remove it without damaging the detail, but I can see the advantage of using clear plastic if I can figure out how.

Offline Storm Wolf

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #21 on: April 13, 2018, 06:12:34 PM »
Andy,

I used a dremel with a metal disc cutter on it and a vice in the shed and just chopped those big old bases right off but very carefully :`

Glen
Only the insane have strength enough to prosper. Only those who prosper may truly judge what is sane.

Offline Dochejed

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #22 on: April 13, 2018, 06:19:51 PM »
I used a heavy clipper (actually a ‘rail nipper’ from the model railroad shop) to trim off the base around the feet, and then a sanding disk in my Dremel tool to grind down the thickness of the base under the feet.  I was expecting it to be an ordeal but it was surprisingly easy.  I have done it so far for some RAFM Space 1889 British and some Wargames Foundry naval crew, and in both cases the metal was much softer than I expected.  I did accidentally trim off a bit of some toes in the beginning before I got the hang of it, but I can always fix that with a little bit of green stuff if I need to.  Grinding down the base under the feet was a little trickier since you want both feet to sit level on the ground, so you just have to grind a bit, stand the figure up on a level surface to see how it sits, and repeat until you have it right.  The worst thing that will happen is if you grind too much and the feet start to look a little thin, but again that’s fixable with a shim of thin plastic sheet if necessary.   I don’t actually have any of the figures mounted on the plastic bases yet (don’t have the figures painted yet) but from what I can see I’m not expecting to have to do much repair of my mistakes, I just don’t think they will be that obvious in the end.

Offline Andy in Germany

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #23 on: April 13, 2018, 07:57:48 PM »
Useful information, thanks. I've already got some 'rail clippers' and never found them to be a lot of use on rails so it'll be good to get my moneys worth.

Of course now I've made bases for all the figures I'm currently painting, so it'll have to wait for the next set. Such is life...

Offline d phipps

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #24 on: April 15, 2018, 03:14:07 AM »
We switched to using our own clear bases several years ago, and I have been really happy with them.

Over 90% of our figures on based on 20mm clear bases, but I still use a few larger sizes sometimes...







Offline oabee

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Re: Basing sky galleon crew figures
« Reply #25 on: April 15, 2018, 02:25:29 PM »
After I started gaming Pulp Alley, I found that clear bases were the only way to go because you play in so many environments: cobblestones one week, snow-touched wastelands of Transylvania the next, the jungle of Lemuria the next, and so on.

I started with Litko 1/8" thick clear bases, then switched over to Pulp Alley's Ultra Inviso bases because of the "glow" from the edges of the Litko bases. That switchover is not fully complete, as this photo from a recent convention shows:



Light does reflect off any clear plastic bases occasionally, but I am otherwise highly pleased with the results.

Mike
I was talking aloud to myself. A habit of the old: they choose the wisest person present to speak to; the long explanations needed by the young are wearying.
Gandalf

Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face.
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