Metal washers from any hardware store can be had pretty cheaply - most will be in that 3/4" to 2" range too.
For the large figures I would suggest buying a sheet of foam core board and cutting to whatever size you desire - it will end up costing pennies per miniature compared to 'offical' miniature bases.
Glue mini to nickle. Glue nickle to washer. Fits perfectly in 1 by 1 squares, and gives anice hefty feel to a mini thats hard to knock over.
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I just found this instructional video for washers, but I haven't tried it yet. I like the idea of using small round bases for small charecters.
Uniform Bases for your miniatures for CHEAP
Very good looking bases for your gaming minis for cheap using washers you can buy in bulk from any hardware or fastener dealer. Also, you can use cheap wood filler to use to texture your bases.
I also purchased some bases from Troll Forged. I'm not sure how they are because I haven't received them yet. They say up to 28 days for delivery, and it's been about 15. I'll update when I receive them. They are about 50 cents each, versus buy and 5 in a LFG for $7+
Looking forward to other peoples solutions. I have a ton of minis from Reaper too. I'm planning to be badass at painting & bases by the time March rolls around.
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I like the washer idea....just need to find a supplier here in Delaware...
Some of the other ideas are really good also but at 250+ minis coming I need to have a good, cheap method of basing them down. Even at $.25 a pop that gets expensive. I may get some more expensive ones for a few of the more "elite" minis but all-in-all I wanna make this not hurt the wallet...
I like the washer idea....just need to find a supplier here in Delaware...
Some of the other ideas are really good also but at 250+ minis coming I need to have a good, cheap method of basing them down. Even at $.25 a pop that gets expensive. I may get some more expensive ones for a few of the more "elite" minis but all-in-all I wanna make this not hurt the wallet...
I just typed in 'fasteners' and my home town's name (and province) and pulled up half a dozen places one of which is 20 minutes from my house.
To be honest I haven't actually tried the washer idea yet but after watching a few videos earlier I'm convinced it is the cheapest, easiest way to go.
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I would suggest magnets my FLGS sells them in squares or circles and in many different sizes. However I now realize you are talking about the resin minis you just purchased; duh! A friend once fixed a few mini bases using modeling clay. In fact I still have one or two minis around with the clay bases. Once the clay hardens it provides good weight to balance the mini and make it sturdy.
I will also be re-basing my Bones when I get them. Washers won't work for me though - I really want the bases to be the same round plastic as most other prepainted plastic minis ...
Be warned you will pay quite a bit for bases. It is really kind of shocking how expensive even the simplest of bases cost.
Good news though?
I found some on sale for you!!
Check out the $1 'Confrontation' bases! (25mm = 1 inch btw)
I buy my bases from Hasslefree - they've got small (20mm) medium (25mm) and large (40 or 50mm) plastic bases for cheap.
For the huges and larger, I cut circles out of foam PVC.
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Iron Halo makes scenic resin bases in a variety of sizes. I have ordered from them, excellent customer service.
Secret Weapon Miniatures has tons of plain and sculpted bases.
Micro Art Studio has sculpted bases, too.
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Get your bases, any size!
Two ideas I'm looking into.
1) The 1'' sheets of kitchen tile. I saw that suggested at the kickstart and sounded perfect. I'm not sure what they cost... Haven't had that kind of tile in year, but I think it'd be about 25 tiles or more each sheet...
2) One of my friend's mom is a retired teacher, and apparently has buckets of 'counters' Apparently HUNDREDS of little one inch plastic tiles.
Haven't seen them, but they sound very promising. Can probably pick up something similar at a school supply... place.
anyone have a link to some good, cheap miniature bases of various sizes? Looking for mostly Small, Medium, and Large sized creature bases (3/4",1",and 2" or thereabouts). Would also like to figure out some ideas for the larger minis like C'thulu and the larger dragons.
Thanks.
My favorite in-a-pinch bases are these:
Learning Resources Math Manipulatives 1 inch tiles
They're thick 1 inch plastic squares that are sturdy and have some weight to them, making them great bases. You get 400 for $18, which comes out to less than 5 cents a tile, so it's cheaper than nickel bases. :) (Also if you shop around you can probably find them for even cheaper)
Since they're square, if you want larger bases, all you have to do is glue squares together to make bigger bases (covering them with appropriate base cover so they don't look weird).
The tiles are also useful for using on a battle board as tools -- I will use them separately to designate where area of effect spells are or where certain terrain is (since they come in different colors it's easy to say "the blue tiles are water, the red is the wall of fire").
ETA: Oh, and I also use them for character tokens when I don't have minis on hand. I ran a demo and didn't have minis for the characters and monsters but wanted it to look cool, so I made 1 inch portraits of the PCs and monsters and glued them to the tiles, and they look awesome.
Now YES, I know, they're squares. And squares are apparently horrible things that are the worst thing that ever happened to miniatures and I am a terrible, terrible, awful, no good, very bad person for suggesting you use them.
But they are cheap, sturdy, versatile, and can be used for any size base you need because unlike circles, you can easily glue them together to make the bigger base you need. As far as I'm concerned, they are some of the best money I have ever spent on gaming accessories. I mean, I'd give up my GameMastery Maps before I'd give up these little squares, and that's saying something.
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Since we are on the topic of cutting the broccoli blob bases off the Bones minis and adding the standard, round plastic bases ...
What is the best thing to actually attach said Bones mini TO said standard, round plastic base?
I saw somewhere Super Glue is the best? I want to use whatever is going to hold these new bases on really securely.
Any advice from those who have already done this?
Since we are on the topic of cutting the broccoli blob bases off the Bones minis and adding the standard, round plastic bases ...
What is the best thing to actually attach said Bones mini TO said standard, round plastic base?
I saw somewhere Super Glue is the best? I want to use whatever is going to hold these new bases on really securely.
Any advice from those who have already done this?
Yes, you definitely want super glue. Gorilla Glue would also work.
Also, I don't cut the broccoli bases off, I just glue them all in their entirety to a new base if they need help standing up in their own.
Since we are on the topic of cutting the broccoli blob bases off the Bones minis and adding the standard, round plastic bases ...
What is the best thing to actually attach said Bones mini TO said standard, round plastic base?
I saw somewhere Super Glue is the best? I want to use whatever is going to hold these new bases on really securely.
Any advice from those who have already done this?
Yes, you definitely want super glue. Gorilla Glue would also work.
Also, I don't cut the broccoli bases off, I just glue them all in their entirety to a new base if they need help standing up in their own.
Agreed. Standard super glue works the best from my experience, and the broccoli bases give you a good surface area to glue onto the base. When you are basing (putting the finishing painting touches on the base), you may want to use a little more flock/sand/kitty litter to cover up the transition, but overall it looks fine.
CEO
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I know that some folks don't like supporting Games Workshop, but their Round Bases Set is really a good deal. You get 25 of the regular medium sized plastic round bases, five large-sized bases, and two huge-sized bases. All for $9. And they will match pretty well with your D&D or Pathfinder prepainted minis.
Just my 2 cents...
-Lisa
I know that some folks don't like supporting Games Workshop, but their Round Bases Set is really a good deal. You get 25 of the regular medium sized plastic round bases, five large-sized bases, and two huge-sized bases. All for $9. And they will match pretty well with your D&D or Pathfinder prepainted minis.
Just my 2 cents...
-Lisa
I have purchased this set, and I used all the bases quickly. What I really want to be able to do, as far as basic bases go, is buy in packs of 25 for 20 and 25 mm sizes, while packs of 10 for 40 and 50mm sizes.
I know Impact miniatures does some of this, but the shipping is significantly more expensive due to not being stateside, and their bases are much, much less expensive.
What would be really cool is if a company, that already made bases for use with miniatures they produced in cooperation with another company, was convinced by say a CEO of that other company to put out a bunch of blank appropriately sized bases fairly cheaply. These bases could be used to rebase other miniatures put out by the miniature company, like superhero ones, as a random example. That would be pretty cool. ;)
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Since we are on the topic of cutting the broccoli blob bases off the Bones minis and adding the standard, round plastic bases ...
What is the best thing to actually attach said Bones mini TO said standard, round plastic base?
I saw somewhere Super Glue is the best? I want to use whatever is going to hold these new bases on really securely.
Any advice from those who have already done this?
Yes, you definitely want super glue. Gorilla Glue would also work.
Also, I don't cut the broccoli bases off, I just glue them all in their entirety to a new base if they need help standing up in their own.
Thanks DQ!
I will be cutting off the broccoli bases though - I like all my minis to have consistent bases :)
What is Gorilla Glue? I've never heard of it. Between Super Glue and Gorilla Glue, which is the better choice?
Gorilla Glue is a slow air-drying wood glue that's stronger than white glue. Unfortunately, it tends to expand as it dries (useful for gluing wood joints, not so much for tiny minis). It probably would be ok for gluing a mini to a base, though, if used in small quantities.
Since we are on the topic of cutting the broccoli blob bases off the Bones minis and adding the standard, round plastic bases ...
What is the best thing to actually attach said Bones mini TO said standard, round plastic base?
I saw somewhere Super Glue is the best? I want to use whatever is going to hold these new bases on really securely.
Any advice from those who have already done this?
Yes, you definitely want super glue. Gorilla Glue would also work.
Also, I don't cut the broccoli bases off, I just glue them all in their entirety to a new base if they need help standing up in their own.
Thanks DQ!
I will be cutting off the broccoli bases though - I like all my minis to have consistent bases :)
What is Gorilla Glue? I've never heard of it. Between Super Glue and Gorilla Glue, which is the better choice?
I've never used Gorilla Glue myself, but I've seen it recommended. Based on what Sean Reynolds said, I'd stick to Super Glue myself.
I like this stuff, personally.
Since we are on the topic of cutting the broccoli blob bases off the Bones minis and adding the standard, round plastic bases ...
What is the best thing to actually attach said Bones mini TO said standard, round plastic base?
I saw somewhere Super Glue is the best? I want to use whatever is going to hold these new bases on really securely.
Any advice from those who have already done this?
Yes, you definitely want super glue. Gorilla Glue would also work.
Also, I don't cut the broccoli bases off, I just glue them all in their entirety to a new base if they need help standing up in their own.
Thanks DQ!
I will be cutting off the broccoli bases though - I like all my minis to have consistent bases :)
What is Gorilla Glue? I've never heard of it. Between Super Glue and Gorilla Glue, which is the better choice?
I've never used Gorilla Glue myself, but I've seen it recommended. Based on what Sean Reynolds said, I'd stick to Super Glue myself.
I like this stuff, personally.
I find the large bottles of Zap-A-Gap go bad by the time I'm through and recomend the smaller ones. The tips do not hold up and get messy and clogged, leaving a lot in the bottle.
Personally I like Loctite. It is slightly more gel that's tackyness helps it hold small joints, and the dispencer gives you a good amount of control over how much your applying.
I find the large bottles of Zap-A-Gap go bad by the time I'm through and recomend the smaller ones. The tips do not hold up and get messy and clogged, leaving a lot in the bottle.
This can happen, but I find it helps if you keep your super glue in the refrigerator (this goes for any brand) and just make sure you keep the bottle upright (my current bottle of Zap-A-Gap is sticky and I had to clear out a blockage, but that's because I knocked it over and left it stuck under my painting table for a week. When I was being conscientious and sticking it carefully upright in my butter compartment, it was staying nice and clear.
Small bottles are good though, I agree--and a little goes a long way anyway.
Personally I like Loctite. It is slightly more gel that's tackyness helps it hold small joints, and the dispencer gives you a good amount of control over how much your applying.
Never used it myself, but you're not the first person I've heard say good things about Loctite. Good to bear in mind.
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I have used Gorilla Glue and Superglue numerous times for all kinds of mini works. They each have their advantages and disadvantages.
Gorilla Glue works really well with wood and metal, not as well with plastic in my experience and don't bother with plaster of paris. When used it has the disadvantage of expanding as Sean mentioned. It's advantage is the joint will not fail. The material it is attatched to will fail before the glue does in almost all cases. Thus it should not be used on Plaster of Paris, which I use a lot of for my castlemold buildings. Trust me the Gorilla glue seems great until the plaster of paris just pops above the joint.
Superglue is great if you want something stuck right now...15 seconds and it won't move, it needs to cure longer than that but it is stuck after that first 15 seconds. I don't find it holds wood or metal very well. Plastic seems to be it's best media.
I will be picking up washers as I plan on using magnets with the minis and the washers fit the bill nicely. So what I will probably do is use 1 drop of gorilla glue and 1 drop of superglue. The Gorilla Glue is for the strength and the superglue for the speed. With the Gorilla Glue remember more is not better. Even just the one small drop will be more than enough to hold them together and may be to much when the foaming/expanding starts.
A note when using Gorilla Glue. It will NOT stick to wax paper so do all of your gluing on a piece of wax paper. Once dried the Gorila Glue will litterally slide off the paper.
Death Quaker, I think my game room would scare you. Dozens of wounded bottles of supper glue lay arround from people buying them and forgetting, much of it carried into the room via various 40K army bags. Care is not in the vocabulary of my GM, who uses his hand as a way of wiping off paint for drybrushing.
Brutesquad, I recomend green stuff if you are looking for something that will hold a mini in place while annother glue dries. It was invaluable for holding my warhammer dryads together. Those &*$^%*#$*%&#^$^#*$&% have practically no surface to glue and fall apart trivially.
Death Quaker, I think my game room would scare you. Dozens of wounded bottles of supper glue lay arround from people buying them and forgetting, much of it carried into the room via various 40K army bags. Care is not in the vocabulary of my GM, who uses his hand as a way of wiping off paint for drybrushing.
The finger is a perfectly good painting tool, and none should shy from using it! :D
My apartment would scare you, and that's not even before getting to the game stuff. I do try to take care of my modeling supplies though.
Brutesquad, I recomend green stuff if you are looking for something that will hold a mini in place while annother glue dries. It was invaluable for holding my warhammer dryads together. Those &*$^%*#$*%&#^$^#*$&% have practically no surface to glue and fall apart trivially.
Pinning can also help if you've the time and tools. Also, rubber bands and tape. Sometimes, if applied carefully, poster tack can even help, but when it bonds with superglue it becomes a scary new adhesive that you do not want sticking out of the edges of your model so you have to be careful.
Just as an advance word of warning, DON'T use accelerant (like Zip Kicker). GOD. That stuff speeds drying, but at the cost of the strength of the bond. And too much definitely makes glue bonds very, very brittle. I was painting my friend's Flames of War minis, that someone else had assembled with massive amounts of Zip Kicker. Guns and accessories started flying off at just the pressure of my paint brush.
And I, who had 0 experience with World War II minis, let alone in 15 mm, had to figure out how to glue all the stuff back on in the right way. I'm pretty sure at least one of his Howitzers have something off with the cannon placement.
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I have used Gorilla Glue and Superglue numerous times for all kinds of mini works. They each have their advantages and disadvantages.
Superglue is great if you want something stuck right now...15 seconds and it won't move, it needs to cure longer than that but it is stuck after that first 15 seconds. I don't find it holds wood or metal very well. Plastic seems to be it's best media.
Well, since I pretty much ONLY need to attach the plastic Bones minis (once the broccoli blob base has been removed) to a round plastic base, it sounds like Super Glue is the way to go!
Any particular kind or type of Super Glue work best for plastic or is all Super Glue equal?
I have used Gorilla Glue and Superglue numerous times for all kinds of mini works. They each have their advantages and disadvantages.
Superglue is great if you want something stuck right now...15 seconds and it won't move, it needs to cure longer than that but it is stuck after that first 15 seconds. I don't find it holds wood or metal very well. Plastic seems to be it's best media.
Well, since I pretty much ONLY need to attach the plastic Bones minis (once the broccoli blob base has been removed) to a round plastic base, it sounds like Super Glue is the way to go!
Any particular kind or type of Super Glue work best for plastic or is all Super Glue equal?
More or less, they are all relatively equal, but people have their personal preferences when it comes to viscosity, etc. Just find something you can use easily.
Bones are made of PVC, IIRC, so will be able to handle whatever you use, I think.
Note some plastics actually warp under the use of superglue, and with those it's better to use stuff called plastic glue, interestingly enough, but Bones and any bases, just use the super glue.
I reccomend any one of the not little metal tube brands. While those work and are likely the cheapest, they get annoying to work with. Spend the extra buck to not drive yourself crazy.
Loctite Super Glue Control Gel is really awesome for minis. The gel consistency really helps with assembly.
i went through a phase of clipping mageknight minis off their bases to use for generic fantasy gaming, and in that case I used both washers and something else. Washers were great but sometimes the hole in the middle caused me grief.
Its hard to beat a mini base that costs less than 5 cents and is circle (yes, ladies and gentlemen, a nickle works great). I prime and flock the nickles so there's really no way to tell unless they're upside-down.
I still do that, but I foundTHIS place the get my bases from. Not a nckel but since I dont flock or paint the bases, solid black is good enough for me.
It cost about 11 cents a base for 25mm. Not bad considering all the other companies have their prices at at least 400% this cost. Yeah I'm looking at you Gale Force Nine. Talk about price gouging.
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Just go to eBay and do a search for 100 25mm bases (or other sizes, like e.g. 40mm) and you'll find loads and often rather cheap ones.
Here's a readymade search
I will continue to advocate that it's really really hard to find bases cheaper than a US Penny (if you live in the US). Failing that, a US Nickel. If you can otherwise find bases for LESS than a penny apiece, I'd love to know!
Now find us pennies that are 2, 3, 4, and 6 inches around. ;)
(FWIW, the square bases I use--and yes, I know square bases are horrible, terrible things that no real lover of minis should use, but I use them--can be gotten at less than a nickel per, although they are more than 1 cent.)