Making Decorated
Bases for Miniatures

Most of the various DP9 miniatures come with an hex-shaped plastic base of some kind to help play with on some hex maps. Naturally, the shape of the base has little impact on a tabletop game, and this opens up an entirely new field of possibilities. The miniatures shown here, modeled and painted by Phillipe Leclerc, are a great example!

This modeling article shows you how to put together a simple, good-looking base. Obviously, this is not the only way possible; a smaller hex base can be used, or a strip of sheet styrene, or a wooden trophy base. It is, however, a good compromise -- and it looks fantastic on the tabletop!

	Step 1: Components The picture at left shows a Kodiak sitting on one of our large plastic bases. The soldier comes from our set of 1/144 scale infantry figures (the Northern Guard pack). The 40mm plastic round base is available in a blister of eight, plenty to do several minis.
Step 2: Design Carefully clean up all the pieces before assembly. In the case of Heavy Gear figures, you'll have to remove the bar under the feet that normally fits into the slot on the hex base. Once this is done, place the figure(s) on the base in an interesting posture. You might need to experiment a bit to find something that looks good. In many cases, it is possible to bend the miniature's limbs or to glue parts in certain positions that will give it additional movement. Use small rocks and bits of scrap plastic to create an interesting environment. Basically, we're trying to make a miniature diorama. As the illustrations here show, there is no need to make it dense -- a few items will go a long way.
Step 3: Assembly Now that the display has been designed, it's time to glue the various components on the base. Make sure there will be enough space between the model to let you paint it later, else it will have to be painted separately. If you chose the latter option, make sure you have some way of hiding the seams between the feet and the base -- or make sure there are no seam in the first place. Small pieces of plastic cards can be glued under the miniature to make an uneven ground. Plaster or putty work as well, though for large denivelations, some sort of support will be required underneath. Make sure everything is dry before moving to the next step.
	Step 4: Texture Once this is done, glue some sand or flock to the base to give it a ground texture. An old paintbrush and carpenter's glue make the work fairly easy: spread the glue around the figure, then sprinkle fine sand or flock evenly, shaking out the excess after a few minutes. Once this is thoroughly dry, a second coat of highly diluted glue can go on top to lock down any errant grain of sand. Glue on any additional accessories (spare guns, scenery items, ruins) and give the entire model a coat of primer paint.
Step 5: Painting Paint the model as usual. The ground was first painted brown, then several sand tones were drybrushed over it. A heavier application of sand color was used on the rocks, make it stand out somewhat from the ground, yet not taking too much attention away from the main figure. Flock and lichen can be used to create more complex scenery. Glue them in place with white carpenter glue once the base is painted and dry: apply a little glue, then lots of flock. Shake out the excess and attach any bit of lichen desired.

There are many gamers and modelers out there doing some very cool stuff with our miniatures, and we want them to share their work with others! If you have Web-sized (3-4", 72 pixels/inch) pictures of Dream Pod 9 specially-based miniatures, send them to us!

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