Back to Basics #7 Bases

Nick speaking,

In this series of videos for beginners, I go back to basics and run over all that I have learnt about this wonderful hobby of ours. In this episode we cover Bases!

Previous Posts:
Back to Basics #1 The Sprue
Back to Basics #2 Mould Lines
Back to Basics #3 Glue
Back to Basics #4 Pinning
Back to Basics #5 Green Stuff
Back to Basics #6 Magnetising

Read more ...

Klingon Wraithknight Conversion with Scenic Base!

Nick speaking,

Here is my magnetised Wraithknight Bat'leth conversion all finished up, he is totally interchangeable with all the weapon options and comes apart at the waist for storage. I will have a how to magnetise tutorial in the next post. Don't forget to leave a comment and let me know what you think of him... 

Read more ...

How to paint 'Nexus' Space Bases

Nick speaking,

Here is a little tutorial on how I paint my 'Nexus' Space Bases for my Battlefleet Gothic army...

1/ Prime the base black

2/ Paint curved lines with Xereus Purple. Make sure the waves are different in each line, almost opposite each other. Then dry brush Xereus Purple from one edge, blending it into the black

3/ Paint the main line Screamer Pink, adding some off shoots if you like. Then dry brush Screamer pink from the main line into the Purple. Make sure you leave the outer purple section visible. Then repaint in the main line with Screamer Pink  

4/ Now dry brush a few areas of the outer edge with Caledor Sky

5/ Next add some Kakarth Flesh to the Screamer pink to make a light pink. Use this to paint thin lines on the outer edges of the waves 

6/ Use the same pink mix to dot in a few stars. These dots can vary in size, but don't do too many 

7/ Now add in some white dots to give the stars some depth, and you're all done

Read more ...

How to Repair Broken Flying Bases

Nick speaking,

In my previous post, I talked about having to repair some flying bases for my Battle Fleet Gothic stuff. Being an Eldar and Necron player, broken flying bases is nowhere near new to me, so I decided to make a video with some tips and tricks that I have for repairing the stems of broken bases. I also refer to another magnetising video I made, so I have included that video at the bottom for you as well...

Read more ...

Laser Cut Flight Stands

Nick speaking,

I have had the privileged of testing Laser Cut Card's brand new Flight Stands. There are three versions of them available, a flyer stand, a small skimmer stand and a large skimmer stand. They are not direct alternatives to GW bases, designed more for scratch built flyers and games like Bolt Action, but even so, I have to say I think they are pretty awesome, especially when you consider the price they are compared to the GW stands.

The one thing I really like about the Flyer stand is its ability to pose your models at angles, for a more dynamic look. This is due to the stand being a bit thinner than the original, so that it angels in the slot. It's worth noting that if you want your Flyer to be horizontal you will have to glue it into place! They do have tabs at the top of the stand allowing for an easy connection on any home made Flyers, or if you cut the tab off, you can slot them directly into the Flyer, or have the option to magnetise them. All three stands are available now to purchase on the Laser Cut Card website. As many of you already know, I have been after a replacement Flying stand for some time now, so I am going to give this product a massive thumbs up...

Read more ...

Necron Base Topper Review

Nick speaking,

Next on my list of Laser Cut Card products that I wanted to try out, were the 'Cyborg' Base Topper sets. There is a large range of different Glyph shapes, which is perfect for giving you a way to distinguish your units, but with them all matching up as well. Each pack contains twelve 24mm toppers, all made to the same high standard as the 'Cyborg' Defence Line and and Obelisk sets I have previously posted about.

All the shapes are pre-cut, except for a very small section that holds them all together. Once you have removed them all, you will notice that you have the added bonus of loads of leftover glyphs, which you could use in a so many ways. How about using them on your Night Scythes, Monoliths, terrain and other bases, the possibilities are endless...

As for the Toppers, simply super glue them onto your bases, let them dry and paint them up in your desired colour scheme. I was very interested to see how both metal and plastic models glued to the bases, so I experimented with a couple of old legs I had to see how they would glue up. I used super glue on both sets of legs and they both glued onto the card base with no trouble at all. Once they were dried, I wiggled them around to find that both the plastic and metal legs were very securely glued...

Overall, I thought these Toppers were fantastic, and I would recommend them to anyone who was thinking about getting them. Laser Cut Card also produce some Chaos Base Toppers, which look to be just as amazing as the 'Cyborg' ones, including leaving you with loads of Chaos left over pieces that you might also find useful...

Read more ...

Flying Stem Please!

Nick speaking,

Right, it's no good, I just have to get a new Stem for my Flying base! It has been bugging me for a while now, that stupid 'burn' I have at the bottom of my stem on my flying base. Obviously, I just put too much glue on it when I glued it. At the time, I just accepted it, but now I want to replace it with a new one, as I think it ruins the final mini. I can buy a replacement stand from GW for £6.15, or if I could find one in stock from one of the other on-line bitz companies, for a couple of quid less. Before I dig deep into my pockets though, I was just wondering if anyone out there has a spare stem, or knows where I could order a spare stem from at a reasonable price?

Any help on this would be most appreciated, please comment or email me if you are able to save me a few pennies...

Read more ...

My Forge World Avatar

Nick speaking,

It's been a while since I felt the excitement of ordering my Forge World Avatar! I remember all the saving up for it, and then placing the order with a massive smile on my face. I also remember the feeling I had when it eventually came through the post, and the joy of building, converting and magnetising it. Since then, it has been sitting around in my case for quite some time, and I have only just realised that I haven't shown it on my Blog yet!

So here are a few pictures of this very awesome looking model, I got myself a resin base to further enhance it, although I had to do some work to get it to fit on, as you can see below. I also magnetised the spear for storage purposes. I will be painting it up at some point, but until then...

Read more ...

Before there was Finecast there was Urban!

Nick speaking,

A short while before metal models made the switch to Citadel Finecast, I purchased my second box of the Citadel Urban Basing kit. The first box I bought was way back when it first came out five years ago, but in this new box, I could see the start of some changes for GW resin models...

If you don't know, the basing kit comes with five mini pots containing brass etchings, some large and small slate pots and two pots of resin base bits in various sizes...

One problem that I had with the original kit I purchased, was that all the resin base bits were so thick, that you had to somehow file them down to get them to sit flat on the base. I found sand paper did the job, but it was a bit of a pain. However, this new kit I had was not like that at all, in actual fact the resin bits seemed to be made of a different material altogether! Yes they were flatter, but now the detail was rubbish? Some parts were so bad you hardly had any detail at all!  You can see the differences from the pictures below. Take a look at the the detail of the coils and sand on some of them. Old bases are on the left, new ones on the right...

Overall, I was very disappointed with my purchase and although I didn't have to sand down the bases anymore, the general quality definitely seemed to be going down hill. A few weeks later, Finecast was announced, and I have to say that my new basing kit didn't give me much confidence in it!

Read more ...