Cutting out your own bases?

[mortal888]

I have several IG heavy weapon teams that I don't have bases to. Does anyone have any ideas on how I might make my own round bases? Resin casting would be a waste here i think, so I'm looking for other ideas.

[Aldramelech]

I buy non GW commercial ones. Go on Ebay and type in bases, Bargain's much cheapness:) and a damn sight less complected!

[DarkLink]

I've seen tutorials on how to make greenstuff molds for quickly making custom bases, which might work for what you want to do.

Unfortunately, none of the pictures work anymore, but here's a link describing how to make a mold. You could make one mold, buy some greenstuff (or equivalent), then making the bases would be easy. http://www.coolminiornot.com/article/aid/739

[TSINI]

I've seen tutorials on how to make greenstuff molds for quickly making custom bases, which might work for what you want to do.

Unfortunately, none of the pictures work anymore, but here's a link describing how to make a mold. You could make one mold, buy some greenstuff (or equivalent), then making the bases would be easy. http://www.coolminiornot.com/article/aid/739

lol as long as you aren't using GW greenstuff, it would be cheaper to buy the bases outright from GW direct online.

as for cutting them, it would be a right mission to cut them with the same slope from thick plasticard, you could just cut the right size circles from plasticard, it wouldnt look the same but it'll be fine for gaming

[mortal888]

Half of my 60mm bases are completely flat anyway. I don't know why, maybe I got them as monster bases?

Anyway, I can't find plasticard strong enough and can't really figure out how i would cut a perfect circle anyway. I thought maybe someone else had come across the same problem.

[TSINI]

yeah i had a load of flat bases, i think i bought them as a pack of bases. i'm currently converting all of mine back to 40k "tall" bases


at university, the only way we could make perfectly circular plastic circles was using a lathe, by sticking a rough circle of plastic onto an aluminium surface, and lathing the circle out bit by bit.

you can use a protracter, one for scoring metal or plastic with a sharp point, and simply going round and around making the score deeper and deeper. but it would take ages with plasticard that was thick enough, you would have to do it with thinner plasticard and layer them together to make a thicker base.

[mortal888]

Eh, I guess I'll just resin cast some then. After paying $3 a piece for them and needing like 15 of them, it will be cheaper in the long run.

Thanks for the input.

[The AKH]

You could always try cutting 60mm circles out of some balsa wood or really thin plywood with a hole saw.

[Ubberdorc]

If you have alot to make and you are just trying to get some games going here is what I did:
http://www.ubberdorc.blogspot.com/

You can dress them up and texture them until you have some money to get some "proper" bases.
The cool thing about them, they are:
1. Cheap = 2 dollars worth of materials can base ALOT of heavy weapon teams
2. You can dress them up with flock, and debris to make them look better
3. quick to make
4. can remove individual figures to keep track of wounds.

[mortal888]

That's actually a great idea, making them out of foam board then using something like spackle to make them tough.

Too bad I already ran out and bought the Alumilite kit.

[Rusty Chainsword]

If you have a drill you could try a hole cutting attachment, like they use for drilling large holes through doors. It cuts the hole, but also creates a cut-out that must be pried out of the attachment. This can be used for a base. 60mm is about 2 3/8", so if you can find a 2 1/2" hole cutter the resulting cut out should be very close to 60mm. There would be a small drill hole through the base however, but that is easily dealt with. Use tempered hardboard for your base material. Although if you can get some old casing, plastic casing, like from an old tv or vcr or something, that material makes for excellent bases, among other things.
The other alternative is a circle cutter for either a dremel tool or a roto-zip. They are not too expensive (The circle cutters anyway) and are very handy. In any case use something like a rasp or block plane or small modelling plane to bevel the edges to whatever angle you want. I found that I could knock out a good number of 40mm bases for my terminators in very short order.