Newbie Questions

ahd1976 · Post by **ahd1976** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:55 pm

So I was told I could get a starter army from Old Glory 15s and did so without too much thought. I was foolishly expecting it to show up constructed (based with appropriate # of ppl/horses per base) but unpainted. Instead it was more like a collection of tool kit bags from IKEA with lots of little parts and no base material.

Can anyone help me figure out the following:

1) What material to use for the base, and how to cut it (I know dimensions are in FoG rules)? [commonly used material is great, since I will have no preference other than it not being flimsy]
2) Where to purchase the material in #1
3) Tips on putting the battlegroups together (attaching bases, pikes, etc.), and glue/adhesive tips
4) Flocking (sp?) tips - what to use and where to buy it for common base looks (desert, grassland, etc.)

If there's a noob-guide to this sort of stuff, I apologize for not finding it, and would love to have the link.

Many thanks!
Andrew

ars_belli · Post by **ars_belli** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:24 pm

Hi Andrew,

Welcome to FoG! For many of us, painting and basing our miniature armies is half the fun of wargaming. The main rulebook includes a few basic tips on pages 158-161 to help you get started. For more information, the following links connect to some excellent online painting/basing/modeling guides:

http://www.paintingclinic.com/MainClinic.dwt.htm
http://minipainter.netfirms.com/minifaq.html
http://www.hacklopedia.com/Miniatures/t ... uide.shtml
http://www.angelfire.com/games2/cautionwetpaint/

Hope this helps. Other group members can no doubt recommend some good sources for precut bases, and lots of other useful advice.

Cheers,
Scott

philqw78 · Post by **philqw78** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:28 pm

What material to use for the base

Any thick card. I used to use beer mats. Gr8. Drink beer and take some home. However these can warp. You can buy pre cut bases on e-bay of the correct dimensions. About 99p for 20 bases. That's what I use now.

Omar · Post by **Omar** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:00 am

I use plastic card for my 'practice armies' and will probably use them to base them as well. Cheap, but you have to cut them up.

Old Glory supplies bags of metal bases cut to shape. You can also get them at gaming stores. That would be the way to go.

The number of minis per base is in the FoG rulebook.

Mithridates · Post by **Mithridates** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:10 am

Suggest you check "The Miniatures Page' Web Forum - 'Basing'. Has lots of options and links to various Blogs that provide ready made tutorials. Check also the DBA Armies of the Fanatici on the Web. Has lots of practical examples.

The more solid the base the less likely it is to warp - some use say 2/3mm plywood as an option. Really upto you to experiment and try out the one that suits you best.

daleivan · Post by **daleivan** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:42 am

FWIW I'm using combination wood and metal bases from Litko aerosystems here in the States for my 15mm FoG armies:

http://www.litkoaero.com/

However, I have a good friend who based his Sassanid army on plastic sheeting that worked well.

Cheers,

Dale

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:20 am

I just discovered magnetic bases from 50 Paces. They are 2mm thick and the magnet is strong, you can turn the storage box upside down and the bases stick. I have based 3 BGs so far and will base all further BGs using magnetic bases.

Brian

MarkSieber · Post by **MarkSieber** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:57 am

For the opposite (metal bottoms on the bases) I found a good source for magnetized sheet is from sign stores who sell it with signs printed on it, for the side of delivery vehicles. My local store sold me the raw stock and even cut it to the size I needed for the plastic drawer sets I use to carry the troops. A whole sheet cost about $25 American and was enough, when cut, for seven approximately 12" X 14" drawers. I wouldn't hold them upside down, though they work well with everyone nestled in.

Litko sells both magnetized and flexible metal base bottoms for their wooden bases--both come with peel-off adhesive. The magnetized base bottoms come in regular and extra strong.
The wooden bases come in a variety of thicknesses. I used to like thin bases, which visually blend into the table, but now prefer the 3 mm wood so I can pick up the base by the edges and not the figures. The ideal surrenders to the practical. I must be aging...

ahd1976 · Post by **ahd1976** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 1:42 pm

Thanks everyone for the help. I like the idea of metal or magnetic bases and will start looking for something ASAP. The links posted above seem pretty good, too. Seems like there's a lot already written about the painting/basing process.

The process seems daunting, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.

Andrew

ahd1976 · Post by **ahd1976** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:09 pm

The litko site has nice pre-cut stuff - just what I was looking for. Do the magnetic bases need to stick to a thin wood/metal base, or is it better to use them as is and just put the figures directly onto the sticky side?

madcam2us · Post by **madcam2us** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:43 pm

Get the wooden bases then adhere the flexible metal to the bottom.

If you only get the flexible base, your figs will not stick and you will not be able to flock them.

Madcam

OldenTired · Post by **OldenTired** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:48 pm

ahd1976 wrote:The litko site has nice pre-cut stuff - just what I was looking for. Do the magnetic bases need to stick to a thin wood/metal base, or is it better to use them as is and just put the figures directly onto the sticky side?

i use those magnets, but they're really bendy by themselves. you need the wooden bases to keep them flat (and even then the ultra-thin plywood ones warp a little)

MarkSieber · Post by **MarkSieber** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 3:28 pm

I have used the heavy machine-cut metal bases (not available from Litko) by themselves. You're glueing metal to metal, which has it's own problems: first making sure it's the right kind of glue for a bond, and then removing them if you need to. For any basing type I use super glue and white glue (Elmers in the US.) I put a drop of white glue on the base and a drop of super glue on the bottom of the figure. The water in the white glue sets up the super glue in a few seconds. It also bonds with a wood base or metal/plastic. I've found this mounting easy to pop loose with the flat of a hobby knife.

I don't put substrate over the base after that (as many do) which makes later changes easier (I've done this several times over the decades for various rules sets.) Not that I'll ever need to re-base again, now that I've found FOG!

will05 · Post by **will05** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 3:14 pm

I use mounting card, £2.50 for A1 sheet from an art shop or off cuts if you know an artist.

I use thin brass wire from a model Railway shop.

These are where I get most of what I need for modeling:

http://www.barrule.com/Workshop/scratch ... baume.html

http://www.heresyminiatures.com/

Will

Newbie Questions

Newbie Questions

Thanks for the help