Basing Figures Part I

Basing figures is an important step in grounding them in a reality which you have created. When considering the base size, composition of materials density of debris/detail it is important to visualize the figure in character. That is to say, when basing a figure in a dead city, use dark pastels over rough, uneven rubble to create a sufficiently busy urban environment. Pictured here is one of my first attempts at base making from way back when.

Using a length of Tamiya tank tread and some DML Gen2 feet, I branded the base with simple details to make the surface look muddy and worn as if an armored infantry column was being rolled through. For smaller bases such as this HobbyFan one piece, I used a blend of pastel work and drybrushing to create the hot dusty road being walked by these Marines on their way to Hue City. A good way to anchor your figures in to the base is by weathering their feet/clothes with the same mixture you are using to weather the groundwork.

Hical, James

Elite Fighting Forces of the East: A Hical tutorial

Subject: DML German Fighting Elite in the East, WWII German officer with a replacement Pegaso Miniatures resin head.

Assembly: With this plastic, multi-piece Dragon figure; I did a typical assembly for a 1^st generation DML kit such as cleaning and removing mold lines before assembly. For this particular piece, I have no intention of using it in a larger diorama and so I will make use of a medium square base from Games Workshop for display. Once the initial pieces are in place and dry, I glued the triple magazine pouch in place, taking care to make the left arm fit once the pouch is on. To this end, I shaved off the smaller-sub pouch to about half thickness; do not worry about removing the detail in this instance as the pouch will be obscured by the left arm. The pieces on his rear belt section: bread bag and shovel were attached taking care to line up the bread bag straps with their respective location on the belt line. The shovel is used to conceal the gap between his two leg pieces still left from assembly. Mauser and binoculars are attached respectively. Once these pieces of gear are in place, the only assembly left is the right arm and weapon which were removed from the sprue and left independent until a later stage.

Initial coating: The resin head was initially primed with Humbrol Ocean Grey and left to dry before assembly. Once all pre-assembly is complete, mix Citadel Chaos Black and Vallejo Burnt Umber in a ratio of 8:2, thinned with a touch of water gathered on the brush. The initial coat was applied thinly in order to preserve the sharp detail of the figure. Once all pieces had dried, I secured the right arm in position and then touched up any bald areas.

The figure has three basic colours: German Field Grey, The black of the detail (boots, pouches and cap) and the flesh tone. First to be base coated is the largest colour: the uniform which is undercoated through a mix of Vallejo Gunship Green, Burnt umber and Chaos Black at a ratio of 6:4:2 respectively. The boots are coated with a simple Chaos Black layer and the flesh and hair areas are painted with a mix of 4:2 Burnt Umber and Chaos Black. All detail is left untouched until the final stages.

Applying layers: As it is the largest area on the figure; the uniform is first to be layered. I began by considering the initial base coat and building upon it in order to produce a uniform, consistent look. The first layer is simply the base coat minus the Chaos Black. The second coat is achieved by adding  Citadel Codex Grey in a small amount to the mix. After the first layer, the grey is also phased out to allow the primary colour of the mix, Gunship Green, to be drybrushed on its own. Once this colour has been applied, the highlighting phase can begin by adding Citadel Bleached Bone in progressively increasing amounts. Subtlety is essential in drybrushing highlights, especially as this is a well known subject, German field grey, avoiding a hyper-reality of sorts is a good idea. This can be achieved by keeping the Bleached Bone minimal and never reaching a point in which the Bleached Bone overwhelms the green. The final highlighting process on all three main colours will be reserved until after the washes have been applied in order to smooth out the often harsh, stark effect that dark washes can have on the overall appearance.

Detail work:Once all basic layering is finished (flesh and detail work will be discussed in a later post), I applied a thinned down wash of Warpig Medium Black pastel to all areas where the drybrushing had become blurred and details needed to be enhances such as the belt, collar, buttons and the line between the boot top and pant leg. A final upper highlight was applied to smooth out the wash and blend it into the whole figure on all details and colours. The weapon was added to the hand once all washes and details had been completed (weapons will be discussed thoroughly in a later post). Dust, a key component in many figures, was lightly brushed onto the boot and pant knee as a simple weathering technique using CMK light sand pastel (details on pastels and weathering to come in a later post). The final touch was adding ground work in the form of basic turf to the base, the bright colour chosen to accompany his summer/spring uniform.

Hical, James