basing dilemma

[petercooman]

In my quest to get my collection painted, i have started work on my remaining uruk hai. The problem i encountered was with my old basing style, wich included flocking the base in cheap and ugly railway flock, and then painting it. This took a while, and was very costly on the paint (gw camo green)

Now i have been trying to get it different (and faster) but not so happy with the results.



Ofthe 3 models front left, the first mounted one is one of my original bases. The second one is a faster alternative, using craft paint mixed with flock and painted on, and washed with diluted camo green. The third is completely different with some flock i have lying about.

Now the faster alternative will mix in quite ok, but not so happy with the method. The one with the different flock looks off to me. I'm only considering it because i have enough lying about to finish all my models with it 

Now i was looking around and i came onto this :



Now i might be wrong, but the colour looks like my original basing (but a bit darker) and i am leftwondering if it wouldn't be faster if i just bought that and flocked my bases with that.

Anybody use this type of flock? and does it have pretty much the same colour as in the photograph? Sometimes it looks different In real life (that's how i ended up with the dodgy flock on the third model in the first place 

[d_Guy]

This isn't what you are asking, Peter, but for what it's worth I happen to really like the variegated flocking on the base of the figure in the right foreground!

I'm curious have you used tube acrylics for basing? For doing large areas they are very cost effective and you can mix to the shade you want.
(Granted it is sometimes hard to reproduce  )

[petercooman]

This isn't what you are asking, Peter, but for what it's worth I happen to really like the variegated flocking on the base of the figure in the right foreground!

I'm curious have you used tube acrylics for basing? For doing large areas they are very cost effective and you can mix to the shade you want.
(Granted it is sometimes hard to reproduce  )

Yes, the ones in the back of the picture are with tube acryllics, and the middle one in the front is too/ He just has a 'wash' of my original basing colour over it.

[paulr]

What colour is the base cloth you normally play on

[Norm]

I think the block on the right is too distracting on the eye and competes with the detail of the figure. The problems are (IMO) that the flock is too course and as a 'blend' it has too many distracting colours .... probably the yellow should go.

I have never been a fan of pure course flock. I like PVA everywhere, then a pinch of fine stone chipping or sand in one patch, then a sprinkle of static grass in one or two patches and then put a generic fine earth (like powder) flock over everything so that it contacts any remaining PVA. Tap off.

I collect all my 'tap-offs' in a tub and over time, this has become my generic mix. It has flocks in the form of Woodland Scenics 'fine earth' type flocks in various grass shades that effectively form a 'blend', with some static grasses etc that have also fallen in.

[fred.]

Painting flock seems a very strange way to go - if you are going to paint, use sand and PVA. You can get coarser sand (larger grains) if you want more texture, but your left most figure doesn't have much texture, though the ones at the back seem to have more.

I've not tried that AP flock, I have several of their static grasses, and they were pretty similar in colour to the photos.
The AP flock seems a mix of sizes and perhaps shades.

I tend to mix amounts of railway flock together to get a mixed shade - but with far less contrast than your right hand one. I will mix 3-4 greens, some brown, and a little yellow and red. I may also add static grass to this, and the coarser clump style flock as well. As I use it I add more to it, but not in the same proportions.

[Ithoriel]

I add PVA and sand, allow to dry, flood with brown ink, allow to dry, drybrush as needed, allow to dry, add pva to required areas and dredge with flock, allow to dry, flood flock with green ink, allow to dry, drybrush.

During the "allow to dry" bits I'm doing other things. 

[petercooman]

What colour is the base cloth you normally play on :-

They look ok on the base cloth:

I think the block on the right is too distracting on the eye and competes with the detail of the figure. The problems are (IMO) that the flock is too course and as a 'blend' it has too many distracting colours .... probably the yellow should go.

Well i bought the flock as a nice little mix, at least that was what the picture suggested:



But in reality the yellow bits are just too obvious as you can see. They are much brighter in real life. But hey, you live and learn

Painting flock seems a very strange way to go - if you are going to paint, use sand and PVA. You can get coarser sand (larger grains) if you want more texture, but your left most figure doesn't have much texture, though the ones at the back seem to have more.

I was pretty young and without a lot of disposable income when i started my LOTR guys, and i used what i had at the time. I would redo them all to my current basing, but there are just too much to do! we are talking about probably a 1000 minis (my warhammer guys all have similar basing) and i don't see myself redoing all the bases. The ones at the back are painted with the flock mixed in with the paint and some of it clumps togheter, making it more iregular.

[petercooman]

I add PVA and sand, allow to dry, flood with brown ink, allow to dry, drybrush as needed, allow to dry, add pva to required areas and dredge with flock, allow to dry, flood flock with green ink, allow to dry, drybrush.

During the "allow to dry" bits I'm doing other things. 

That's too much work for me 

Normally i just paint the base with dark earth texture paint, drybrush with earth, drybrush khaki, then add clumps of static grass.

[Leman]

It's an odd thing, basing. I think a really good base makes a war games figure or unit. I've tried the quick approach and for me it doesn't work. The effort put into painting the figures is negated by poor basing; but then i can't bring myself to " use plastic blocks to play whilst preparing your armies." For me the modelling aspect is probably 60% of my wargaming enjoyment and the basing requires time and effort, but I think it pays off.

[FierceKitty]

Why do those orcs have swords with no points? Do the forces of darkness want to lose?

[petercooman]

Why do those orcs have swords with no points? Do the forces of darkness want to lose?

Axes,clubs,batons etc don't have points, doesn't mean it can't be an effective weapon...

All depends on the fighting style

[FierceKitty]

An argument against sharpening your sword? Please work for my enemy's army!

[petercooman]

It's an odd thing, basing. I think a really good base makes a war games figure or unit. I've tried the quick approach and for me it doesn't work. The effort put into painting the figures is negated by poor basing; but then i can't bring myself to " use plastic blocks to play whilst preparing your armies." For me the modelling aspect is probably 60% of my wargaming enjoyment and the basing requires time and effort, but I think it pays off.

I like a good base myself, but i do think a base that can blend in has it's charms too. It doesn't always have to be very complicated to look OK.

Off course speed of getting things finished are a big factor for me.

[petercooman]

An argument against sharpening your sword? Please work for my enemy's army!

You never said anything about it being sharp, just the point was mentioned.