Custom Bases + misc

[Skywrath]

I started an Adeptus Custodes army recently, and frankly I'm not satisfied with the current quality of my bases that I create. So this time around, I'm looking for custom bases that have an Imperial Palace aesthetic that I can be happy with. Do any of you have any suggestions where I might find bases online those that fit that specific criteria?

 

Secondly, again to the above narrative, I do have a vision of doing the gems on the Custodes armor differently. Instead of going default red/blue/green I decided to go all out and do pearls. Again, any suggestions how to do that, the YouTube guides weren't really that helpful, as well as recipes?

 

 

Disclaimer to the mods: I apologise if this is somehow against the rules, not sure if it is is, if so just delete this topic.

[Rik Lightstar]

I'd say the best investments you can make for bases are:

 

- high quality over bake putty

- a hand operated pasta maker machine

- base rolling pins from greenstuff world

- a set each of round and oval base cutters from greenstuff world

 

You can then make lots of consistently themed bases without them being identical and have exactly the number you need.

 

Making a batch of bases for an entire army takes maybe an hour or two including baking time.

 

Then just glue your toppers onto the bases and you're set.

 

Rik

[Jarl of Wulfen]

These may have an imperial palace aesthetic https://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=79_30_69

[Skywrath]

Still looking, if anyone has suggestions?

[Rik Lightstar]

Still looking, if anyone has suggestions?

 

 

Not sure if you've checked out the Greenstuff World Rolling Pins I mentioned.

 

Without knowing exactly what your Imperial Palace vision looks like it's hard to give exact matches, but here's a couple I'd consider:

 

http://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/textured-rolling-pins/865-rolling-pin-roman.html

 

http://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/textured-rolling-pins/614-rolling-pin-hobby-roller-ancestral-recall.html

 

They really couldn't be easier to make, and the pins aren't very expensive, they give you something pretty unique to you.

 

Rik

[Bryan Blaire]

For the pearls, I would buy an actual pearlescent paint - you should be able to find acrylic craft paints in white pearl, black pearl, and mother of pearl formulations (and some other colors as well). If you can get them, Reaper does a set of acrylic metallic paints and one is a white pearl color as well. Thinly layer over a gloss (maybe satin, so the paint sticks a little better) black similar to a color shift paint and you should be in business.

[Skywrath]

 

Still looking, if anyone has suggestions?

 

 

Not sure if you've checked out the Greenstuff World Rolling Pins I mentioned.

 

Without knowing exactly what your Imperial Palace vision looks like it's hard to give exact matches, but here's a couple I'd consider:

 

http://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/textured-rolling-pins/865-rolling-pin-roman.html

 

http://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/textured-rolling-pins/614-rolling-pin-hobby-roller-ancestral-recall.html

 

They really couldn't be easier to make, and the pins aren't very expensive, they give you something pretty unique to you.

 

Rik

 

 

Interesting idea, you are right, perhaps I should give you a rough idea of what I have in mind. These are in no real order, but I'm hoping you can see an overall pattern to them.

 

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/7/76/Imperial_Palace_Constantin_Valdor.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/917?cb=20130424005743

https://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=79_30_106&products_id=562

https://tabletop-art.de/Ruins-of-sanctuary_2

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/347914-adeptus-custodes-telemon-dreadnought/

 

So the overall theme of these links is imperial. But here is where it gets tricky. With the first picture, I like the effect of the snow/marble, but still distinctly imperial. The second link is probably the base that I have most in mind, as those stairs could very well represent a dreadnought going down there. So the base has to be VERY dynamic, perhaps something like stairs and a broken column like in the last link. If the last link's base had the texture of the second link with all the surrounding asthetics (minus the dirt), then that would be absolutely perfect. The third link, is mostly because of the previous logic - nice base, but I want to make it more dynamic. 

 

Overall the theme I'm looking for is - imperial, pristine, snow, relic of the past age but still regal, but not overly as the third link was. 

 

With the pins you sent me - excellent find, and I suspect in the future I will be buying one of those for bases for my next army. Cashmere styling is probably my favourite, however I have zero experience with greenstuff, and I want to keep my creative efforts at this current time small. Maybe in 6 months, I can go all out for that. 

 

@Bryan, thanks mate, I'll have a look at that, cheers!

Edited January 2, 2021 by Skywrath

[Rik Lightstar]

For bases I'd steer clear of Greenstuff as a medium for it all together where possible.

 

Oven bake clay is easier to work, will hold detail better and once baked is tougher than Greenstuff too.

 

For the stepped effect that should be relatively easy to do too.

 

Start by making a sheet of the bottom layer and put it to one side, then make some smaller squares of the design for your stepped layers. Trim them to neat edges and lay them on top of the bottom layer and even on top of each other in decreasing size order.

 

Once you've made what will essentially be a small board of your stepped design, use the circular and oval cutters to press out the number of bases you need.

 

If you wanted to go the extra mile with this, don't remove the bases from the main sheet just bake it with the cuts in place. High quality clay won't expand when baked so you also have a matching display base to use for your army.

 

Rik

[Rik Lightstar]

For pearlescent and colourshift paints, in my experience they look best on larger flatter areas, they can look great on tanks and knights for example.

 

But I find the effect gets somewhat lost on "man size" miniatures, especially as its quite hard to add any shading or highlights to them without reducing the effect.

 

It could however look absolutely stunning on your bases, even more so if you have access to an airbrush to do a marbling effect (great results can be achieved with wet wipes).

 

Rik