Technical Paints on Bases, before or after attaching model?

[General Strike]

I plan to use the concrete looking technical paint for my bases, then dry brush over that with white, should I do this before or after I attach the model to the base?

[Subtle Discord]

The simple answer to that is that it's completely subjective. No matter how the base is treated, for most models, I'm one who prefers to attach the mini to the base and make sure the main part of the basing process is done (everything minus any light/porous material like static grass) before priming. It forces me to get the basing done and makes it part of the painting process so it's harder to procrastinate on the basing step; I generally paint the base early in the process to avoid any mess I don't want on the model, say from dry-brushing.

 

Others prefer to keep them separate to facilitate easier painting of both the base and the model, and that makes sense too. In this case, it's usual practice to put long pins sticking out of the feet of the mini so they can be heald during painting, and then they're trimmed down and used to attach them to the final base. This process makes a lot of sense if the bases are going to have a more elaborate treatment that will use an airbrush or another potentially messy process that you want to keep completely away from the model until the base is done.

 

Neither is really right or wrong, it just depends on a few factors about what your plans are and how you prefer to paint.

[Ciler]

Just keep in mind that if you coat the base with pain, you won't be able to use plastic glue and will need to use super glue (and presumably pinning).

[Grotsmasha]

Personally i use Martian Ironearth, and i attach and completely paintt my models. Then apply theIronearth to the base, to me it helps create the illusion that the modeland base are one, rather than one perched on the other. If youre using the concrete type paint, perhaps glued on topis more appropriate?

 

Cheers,

Jono

[General Strike]

I plan to dust over it with white to make it look like Lunas surface. So I will probably follow the attach and paint method.

[Subtle Discord]

Just be sure to take a moment to clean up around the foot after you've painted the technical paint onto the base; with a clean damp brush bled it down and away from the foot if it's built up too much against the foot. If you plan on putting it on particularly thick consider adding some 0.5mm shims under the feet to raise the mini ever-so-slightly. It's not critical, but for models with a lighter stature, they'll stand on the surface. However, in your case, since you're trying to achieve a Lunar surface you might want to deliberately do this to emulate the feet sinking into the soft dusty surface.

[Xenith]

Don't go directly over the astrogranite base with white. It will be too jarring. Go through 3 a few different Grey's first

 

Check my tyranif plog to see it on my bases.

 

I go:

 

Astrogranite, nuln oil wash, codex grey drybrush, very light Celeste's grey drybrush.