I purchased some 4cm by 3cm mdf bases to put the stands on and had some left over 2cm by 2cm plastic bases on which I put officers and figures to signify casualties. I have been using Twilight of the Sun King rules.
It still takes time. Unlike painting, cavalry are quicker to get done than infantry due to less figures and the work of cutting around muskets. It took around two months to get around 25 units a side plus artillery (a unit being 2 bases under these rules). I have added odd units since. That is significantly quicker for me than trying to paint that number of figures, but still man days of effort. I am pleased with the result given the pros and cons of this format and have a pair of matched armies I can give an outing to from time to time.