To base or not to base - buildings that is the question - mine are too wide!

[6milPhil]

It depends on the building or model in 28mm it's always very small and simple. In 6mm it's essential as I see it, not least because it helps the models survive storage.

6mm:

[AndrewBeasley]

It depends on the building or model in 28mm it's always very small and simple. In 6mm it's essential as I see it, not least because it helps the models survive storage.

Those are brilliant 6mm buildings!

I can see the need for the bases at this size (and below) - do you standardise on a base size or go with what looks right?  One 2mm game I did was hex based and I kept all units and 'buildings' to a standard hex size:

[Lowtardog]

Pardulon has or had (off to check before posting) some lovely rammage corners and the like for buildings. I used them for my tudor buildings and they work wonders...bugger they no longer do them.

Basically they were corner edges, leading edges with wheels, barrels and the like that could be placed against the walls of buildings to make them look more like a diorama. Sold off with all my buildings a couple of years ago but will see if mate has them and can get a photo.

[Mason]

I can see the need for the bases at this size (and below) - do you standardise on a base size or go with what looks right? 

All of my buildings are for 28mm gaming, but I do tend to 'standardise' them so that they will fit in an A4 paper box, either singly or in multiples.

[Silent Invader]

Yes, design your basing system with storage in mind!

[6milPhil]

Those are brilliant 6mm buildings!

I can see the need for the bases at this size (and below) - do you standardise on a base size or go with what looks right?  One 2mm game I did was hex based and I kept all units and 'buildings' to a standard hex size:

Thanks. On the buildings I go with what looks right, for example these ones:


Effectively these are the same building, just one is a ruin. I wanted a posh, possibly official building for in-town on the bottom one so the base had to be quite small. For the one above I wanted something more in the country which might have strategic importance, so made it big enough to get a few units in.


But I use standard sized bases for troops, be it infantry, tanks, mortars, etc, with an eye on making buildings with bases large enough to accomodate based troops.















On towed weapons I use two bases, one for the tower and one for the towee.





Example of unit fitting in scenery:


And a bunker built to take bases.



Details here:
http://6milphil.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/bunker-mentality/

I'll be doing more 6mm soon, I like the layout you can get on a dining table:


For storage the scenics go into shoe boxes which I've put small partitions in to hold it in place, for the figures I use A4 metal sheet (the fig bases are all magnetised) in these;




To work all this out did take a fair amount of thinking, and knowing how that hurts I'm happy to share. 

There's plenty more 6mm on my blog in the archive 2009 onwards. 

[Mitch K]

Phil, that storage system is fiendishly clever - I love it!

[6milPhil]

Thanks, all the Brits fit in one and all the Germans in another. It makes them very portable, even if it's hard to find someone to play 6mm. 

[Grimmnar]

I personally can never decide to base or not to base. Certain things for me are a must. Others not so much. Figures are a yes. Vehicles for the most part are a no. Buildings/structures that i have seen in this post, most i can see w/o a base. But all that do have a base look good as well. To me, this topic has been a long talked one right behind the topic of "scales" and what is correct.  ;-)
Lots of good inspiration here folks. Thanks for sharing.

Grimm

[AndrewBeasley]

I found a set of 4" MDF bases on Flickr yesterday (though they date from 2000):



Lots of others by staikens

[6milPhil]

Interesting stuff... but 3mm? 

[maxxon]

I try to avoid basing unless it's absolutely necessary for the stablity of the models. And if I add a base, I try to make the overhang as small, inobtrusive and generic as possible.

I do a lot of different games, and plonking a house with a lush garden on a nuclear wasteland table just looks stupid, IMHO.

[FramFramson]

Always buildings, never vehicles.

[AndrewBeasley]

Interesting stuff... but 3mm?  

As a 2mm player 3mm seems a bit big (well it is 50% larger)

I would think from the style and size they where made for WW2 or modern with Pico Armor or Oddzial Osmy (O8) figures.

I do a lot of different games, and plonking a house with a lush garden on a nuclear wasteland table just looks stupid, IMHO.

Good point - my issue is with winter games the building itself needs snow / ice so you end up with two sets of buildings  come what may

[6milPhil]

Well 3mm is a new one on me, 2mm I've tried, and 6mm I really like.