I very nearly didn’t post this article but then I realised I had nothing else to put up so then decided what the hell. Part of the problem is flitting between various projects, not least of all my Knights Army one.
So, how do I make a dull post even slightly interesting? Well my only shot of doing that is by telling you that the figure which will go on this base when painted is very, very cool indeed and it wouldn’t surprise me if one or two of you were keen to buy one of your own in due course.
OK, exciting bit over, onto the dull bit. No matter how good the figure is it needs a base. The problem with this base is it needs to be very basic and very dark and dead looking and as a consequence the end result will be dead and dull looking!
First up we have a couple of images of small pieces of plaster board being stuck to a 40mm x 40mm base. The pieces were then trimmed back and carved a bit hear and there to make things look a little more rock like.
In the back ground of this next image you can see that I have added some slate chippings from my garden and mounted the MDF base onto a 40mm x 40mm oak cube. In front you can see various pieces of twig. In actual fact they are bits of root from an unknown plant but they have a great texture and so I thought I would try using them to make a very basic bit of dead tree. The only problem I had was none of the various bits and pieces were any good in their own right.
To get round this I decided to combine different twig pieces by drilling and pinning a couple together. If I can find the right plant roots in future I think I might prefer this approach to making trees rather than using wire. Thinking about it further a combination of the two approaches might be the ideal. I’ll file that idea away for the future.
A little while later and things began to take shape.
Another piece to add and it will be done and then I can add some Milliput to fill the gaps and mount it in the base ready for priming an d painting.
For some dead looking flora I thought I’d try painting some tufts black. The image below shows I have started.
Unfortunately due to incompetence, the excitement of painting the figure which will go on this base and the distraction (a welcome one, I’m not complaining) of wanting to paint my Baron’s War figures I made little more by way of progress and failed to take any more photographs! I am beginning to realise I will need more discipline when it comes future posts of this kind. Either that or I will have to put all my efforts into one project at a time. We will see what gives in the course of the next few weeks .
TIM
The Imperfect Modeller 
The fact that you post daily is to be commended…I am a little envious of those who have something to post at such a rate.
Can’t wait to see the figure…a Frazetta??? So a really big axe then?
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Being retired helps a great deal mate and add a year of lockdown exile into the mix and you end up with even more time on your hands. Alas things are reverting and the weather is improving so something will have to give before too long. As for the Frazetta … I think I can safely say an axe will feature. 😉
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So I’m envisioning something based around the Frazetta “Death Dealer” painting (you know the one – big scary looking lad, axe, glowing eyes, mean looking horse)? In which case consider me even more intrigued with where this is going than I would be anyway!
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Indeed I know the painting to which you refer. 😉
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You had me at ‘Frazetta’ 😁
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Excellent! 🤗
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Great work on the base TIM, and very enlightening to see your process, intrigued by the dying plant idea, and look forward to seeing how that works out
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Thanks Dave. 🙂
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Really looking forward to what you’re going to do with this.
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Thanks Matt. 🙂
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Oh, that’s an awesome one, indeed! If I were a horse, I’d say it looks nothing like it… But as a child of the eighties, can’t wait to see your interpretation of the piece!
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Nice to see your process. I try and steer clear of natural organic material for wargaming as it dries out and becomes brittle but for vignettes like yours I can see it being ideal.
Cheers,
Pete.
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Cheers Pete. Wood type stuff has never given me a problem but anything plant like can be an issue and I tend to steer clear. 🙂
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Thats a great idea on the tree!
And I look forward to seeing the model.
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This is intriguing. I wonder if the mini could be from a certain Lucid Eye Publications as well! 🙂 I’m looking forward to seeing this one come together and keep chipping away as you feel like it. Nothing wrong with knocking out a knight or two if you’d rather paint one of those next!
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I suspect you are spot on regarding Lucid Eye 😉 As for the knights there will be plenty more to follow. 🙂
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Whoo! I’m looking forward to both 🙂
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Nice post – normally root drilling involves dentistry! As for Army building, yup, it’s tough to see a vision way ahead of your ability to get it done. Been doing my usual WordPress catch up on the blogging so I get to see the ones I read on email, so I’m looking forward to a second look on all of these.
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Death Dealer, Frazetta, looking forward to seeing that one! Using roots is a pretty interesting idea, and it looks like you made an excellent choice there.
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If you can get the right roots they work a treat once dried out. 🙂
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I do agree with all of the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They are really convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are very short for newbies. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.
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