Basing miniatures

[MonSTeR]

OK guys, I need some advice, I'm a long time SW player (since '87) but the latest edition is something I don't get to play very much at all. But I do still like to maintain a tournament legal army.

 

Recently I painted one of those wolf guard battle leaders with twin wolf claw models (the one that looks like he's charging) however e's not that stable on a table top and has the proensity to overbalance.

 

Is it ok for me to base him on a 40mm round base so his centre of gravity is a bit more centred over the base?

[MaveriK]

Welcome to the Fang wolf brother! anyway, there is nothing wrong with placing him on a 40mm base since he is a WGBL, just keep in mind.. you can also use coins to help with the balancing issue with his regular/normal base.

[Zynk Kaladin]

I'd try weighing down the base with something. I actually never considered coins before. I must be too frugal :\

[Orphus]

You could try weighing the underside of the base with metal.

There's no reason why you can't put him on a larger base either but there could be people in tourneis who cry wolf (pun intended) looking for any excuse for you not to use that nice shiny model. Not to be pessimistic or anything I'm just saying. Personally I'm not against it as I use larger bases for my other less-stable army. The only time I would be is if the model had special rules that were effected by the size of it's base eg. Canis.

[MonSTeR]

Thanks guys, I've ignorantly stuck him on a slotta base rather than a "plastics" base!!! I'll try redoing the base at the weekend (and may even post pics, although it's a logn time since I've done any painting!!!)

[Theis]

I find lead shot, or small lead fishing lures super glued into the bottom of the base works decently too, but for the plastics, or non slotted, bases a nickel is a nearly exact fit.

[Way1and]

I find lead shot, or small lead fishing lures super glued into the bottom of the base works decently too, but for the plastics, or non slotted, bases a nickel is a nearly exact fit.

 

Just had a flashback - my father-in-law carved templates into a hunk of wood and used fishing weights heated with an acetylene torch to make hex bases for our battlemechs. A little filing, some paint and sealer and you're in business! This could be a real winner for keeping those top-heavy minis from falling over themselves in their eagerness to reach the enemy line.

 

Disclaimer (to head off off-topic discussion) - if lead poisoning scares you that badly, gentle reader, then by all means feel free not to do this.

[Beef]

Thanks guys, I've ignorantly stuck him on a slotta base rather than a "plastics" base!!! I'll try redoing the base at the weekend (and may even post pics, although it's a logn time since I've done any painting!!!)

 

 

If you dont want to take him of the slota base just glue the slotta base to some larfger circle of plasticard. That way the model will balance and the plasticard wont be raised so you cant claim a bigger base size.

[Theis]

Disclaimer, this is a stateside fix only, as I've no idea the firearms accessory availability outside the U.S.

 

My primary source of lead shot is from a relative who reloads his own shotgun shells. Years ago, lead shot was outlawed as environmentally unfriendly, which left gun stores and reloaders with a surplus of old lead bird shot they had nothing to do with and couldn't dispose of easily, as the same set of legislation made it hazardous waste of a sort.

 

So, I have a huge bucket of old lead bird shot, pellets the size of a small peppercorn for those unfamiliar, sitting around my garage. When I've got a metal figure I want to weight down, I just liberally apply super glue to the underside of the base, dip it in the bucket, and voila, weighted base. I generally varnish the figure afterward so that there's a sealant between the lead and the rest of the world. The shot is small enough that there's about a millimeter's worth of clear space at the bottom, between the shot and the lip of the base.

 

I've no idea if fishing sinkers come in similar sizes, but for what it's worth, there's my solution in its entirety.

 

Way1and, I did something similar when I was in the boy scouts for my soap box derby racers. I weighted them with melted fishing sinkers, poured into a hollow at the bottom front of the car, and drilled out small holes if they were over the weight limit. It's a decent idea.

 

For those without experience with this, a word of caution;

 

Lead's melting point is higher than the flash point of a lot of woods. So, caution is advised and all that. Lead melts at 327 Celsius and 621 Fahrenheit, wood can flash as low as 300 C or 572 F. (sourced from google, don't take those temperatures as gospel.) Normally a bit of the wood chars around the surface of the mold, but you know, accidents can happen, molten lead can be hazardous, injury can occur, lead isn't environmentally friendly to you any more than it is the rest of the world, wear a mask and other protective gear, for $deity's sake don't get any on you, consult experts, all that good stuff, and I am by no means an expert, and the above should be taken as only the beginnings of your necessary research into the subject before embarking on that foray.

 

Personally, for those reasons, I stay away from it, and don't advocate it. I do carry a few small scars from my own experiments early in life.

 

The number of times I've cut myself with exacto knives is more than enough hazard for our hobby, for me.