The tedious work of rebasing

So I’ve fallen in love with round bases. No, don’t panic this is not Age of Sigmar, read on calmly. This is about epic and the awesomeness of putting infantry on round bases, or stands as they are called in epic. Why is this awesome? Well, it just looks better is the short answer.

 

Why round is better (the long answer)

The round bases I use are 25 mm in diameters and so slightly larger, which means there’s more spacing between each model. The extra spacing makes each model more visible and the models can be freely oriented in various directions without clashing into their comrades. Finally, round bases as compared to square ones can be oriented in any direction allowing for other model arrangements than the classic X, i.e. two models up front and back and one in the center.

Rebasing – Not for faint hearted

Removing old models from their bases is something no gamer should ever have to do. Luckily, I “only” had go through two dozens stands, but it still took the better part of a day. I found it easier to break apart the bases with my hands and then pry the models out with a knife.

Martian Desert theme

From a fluff perspective Squats are known for their technical manufacturing prowess, and so the Martian red soil from the Adeptus Mechanicus theme seemed like a good start. However, I wanted to do something a bit different to set them apart from the Adeptus Mechanicus. A mountain theme would be obvious as dwarfs generally recide in mountains, one would assume this goes for Squats as well. However, Squats have lots of bikes and large vehicles that are poorly suited for mountainous terrain, so I came to think of the movie Mad Max and instantly knew that my bikers needed wasteland deserts to ride across. So I settled on a mix between a wasteland dersert and a martian red soil with pieces of added debris.

How I did the bases

I find it easier to first glue on the center model, then apply some basing/texture around that. I then add two more models and do the basing around those. Finally, I add the last two models and then apply texture around those. This makes it easier to fit in the brushes used to apply the texture.

I’ve used Games Workshop Texture paints on these.

1. Martian Ironcrust, let dry
2. Spots of Martian Ironearth, let dry overnight
3. Wash with Bloodletter glaze
4. Drybrush in different areas with Karak Stone to make desert and Baneblade Brown to make a more rock/boulder area.
5. Final drybrush focusing on edges of base with Karak Stone mixed with white.
6. Paint edge with black. Be careful and make a straight crisp line along the base edge.
7. Add 1 mm dark grass to some areas using PVA glue (white glue)

That’s it