Slottas or Plywood??

[Argonor]

I have quite a few Pulp Figures and Artizan Thrilling Tales already based and primed, some painted, and I have some CiC-figs painted....

Now, I don't remember who (sorry), but a friendly LAF'er pointed me to Fenris Games - where I'm going to spend my kids' savings next month   - and they have these 1.5 mm lasercut plywood round bases in 20, 25, and 30 mm (will make other sizes as requested).

Here's the question: Should I start basing my Pulp/Interwar/Weird War (and upcoming victorians) on the plywood bases instead of using slottas, as I have been doing with everything up until now??? It will require re-basing of some painted minis, and I'm not sure if I have the guts for that  

I will, most certainly, be using the ply bases for Celts and Romans, as I do like the look of flatter bases - but for Modern/Sci-Fi/Zombies (and LotR), I'll stick to slottas (Cold War has just re-released their Zs with slottas, and the Zombiesmith ones have slottas, too, as does, of course, the GW ones...)

[Orctrader]

Personally, I use different bases and have no real dislike for any of them. 
If I had a force already based on one type, I would not change them.

Most of my "Pulp" type figures go on the GW style base because I like the look of them. And it's easier to create "urban" type base work. "Most of my historicals" go on steel washers.

[Argonor]

Hmmm... yes... but it's not like I have droves of pulp minis already painted - about 20 or so, I guess... maybe a few more....

It's just that IF I decide to switch, the decision has to be made before I paint any more 

It's the pro's of minis fitting better with buildings and unbased vehicles (and the bases blending in better with the board) versus the con's of having to remove the 'pin' from minis meant for slottas (GW, CiC in particular) and glueing them to the base in a firm matter, and having to remove some already painted and based minis from their slottas...

If somebody has any experience with the latter, not necesarily involving cutting the base up, please let me know!

[revford]

I have a strange preference for flat bases, but washers or British 2p coins would be much cheaper than these plywood ones.

[Argonor]

I have a strange preference for flat bases, but washers or British 2p coins would be much cheaper than these plywood ones.

Yeah, it's 7p per base (25mm), but I do not live in the UK, and the only Danish coin useable would be a 2 Dkr - which is perhaps 18 or 19 p...

I'm not sure about the price of washers, but in 20mm and up, I fear that they would be a poor competitor pricewise... I'll check at my local hardware/DIY/builder-store tomorrow (have to get some 'moving' card boxes to store some gaming stuff in, anyway)...

btw... with that hole in the middle, how do you prevent the mini/washer to get glued to the surface, when glueing the mini onto the washer (by superglue running through the hole - I've wondered a lot about this - would happen to me 2 out of 3 times, I think)?

[Plynkes]

Use the gel kind of superglue (rather than the liquid), carefully and sparingly applied to the washer rather than the base of the figure, and your model probably won't end up fixed to the table.

[Hammers]

Who planted the idea that washers are so expensive? I bought a box of 100 pieces, 25 mill diameter all nice and thin for for maybe 10 Euros. At 0.1 a pop you really can say they are expensive.

[Argonor]

Use the gel kind of superglue (rather than the liquid), carefully and sparingly applied to the washer rather than the base of the figure, and your model probably won't end up fixed to the table.

I didn't even know it comes as gel  

I'll have to ask around for that stuff... just in case...

[Argonor]

Who planted the idea that washers are so expensive? I bought a box of 100 pieces, 25 mill diameter all nice and thin for for maybe 10 Euros. At 0.1 a pop you really can say they are expensive.

Sounds like a deal. As stated, I'll go check - I just seemed to remember that when I needed a few washers for mending something, they were perhaps 1 Dkr. a piece... (everything is so damned expensive in this country . 1l milk is about €1 by now..  ) But in boxes with larger quantities, I may be able to find some at at better price...

[Rhoderic]

I'm with Orctrader on this one, nothing wrong with mixing different types of bases in the same project, using whichever type goes best with each individual figure. Saves you a lot of trouble in both the present and the future.

[Argonor]

I'm with Orctrader on this one, nothing wrong with mixing different types of bases in the same project, using whichever type goes best with each individual figure. Saves you a lot of trouble in both the present and the future.

Hmmm... yeah.... but... I'm the type who as a kid could use hour upon hour standing my little 1/72 plastic napoleonics in neat lines (no glueing onto bases/stands back then), and get frustrated if one of the muskets was slightly bent as to not be aligned with the rest.... One of the main reasons I chose the slottas was that they are absolutely uniform..... (washers will be too, of course) 

There's no doubt that most of (if not all) the figures with integrated bases will do best on a washer or the likes... but it will make the figures on slottas look elevated (even if the combined height of the washer and the integrated base actually is the same or higher than the slotta) because of the abrupt edge on the slotta....  The question is: Can an OCB-perfectionist like me live with that....? (and that last sentence about sums up why I paint so painstakingly slowly    )

[Rhoderic]

I can be very anal-retentive about the hobby, too. For instance, I hate mixing miniatures that have been painted in different styles. This has made me strip numerous miniatures I've painted in the past, so I can re-paint them to fit my current style (and keep in mind, I'm also an extremely slow painter). I'm currently considering stripping my whole collection of swashbuckling miniatures (painted only two years ago) because they feature a lot of drybrushing, which is a technique I'm trying to no longer use.

But different-shaped bases are just one of those things I've learned to live with. I guess we all have our own pet peeves.

[Captain Blood]

Hate slottas. Just do. Nothing to do with GW. It's just about the weight (or lack of it) and the fact that the nasty plastic plinth lifts the figure into a monument, rather than a real little person with his feet flat on the table. If you know what I mean... 

I agree - 20mm or 25mm repair washers (the ones with the small hole) are best. They cost about 12 pence each here in the U.K (well, £1.20 or so for a bag of ten, anyway), but compared to the cost of a foot figure (at least £1.00) it's not much to pay for a decent base.

I use 2 part epoxy glue. I glue the figure onto the washer with a polythene bag underneath. Big dob of Araldite on the bottom of the figure's base, plonk it on the washer. The glue goes down the hole in the middle of the repair washer, as well as all round the base of the figure. But miraculously, because of the polythene, the whole thing just lifts off once the epoxy glue has set hard. Works a treat.

[Lowtardog]

I hate slottas thogh for some small skirmish games and with the new type with lips on they do look v nice but for rnak and file or larger forces coins or multi basing is the way I go

[Malamute]

Always used washers, or back in the day thick card or vinyl floor tyles, never liked slotta bases. Its just something about seeing the figure standing on a lump of black plastic on the gaming table. The new round bases with the lip look ok for display, but not for me for practical gaming. Sorry, go with plywood or washers.