Model/Diorama Bases?

Try cork. You can roughly cut each layer so that when stack them you get very realistic sedimentary rock outcroppings.

Cheap mounting bases that look good are trophy bases and plaque bases. They look especially nice if you do a brass plate identfying the subject. They come in wood, marble and acrylic.

Art supply stores have unfinished wood bases for very little. Paint or stain whatever color you want.

If you have access to a Japanese products store (such as in Japan Town in San Francisco) tatami mats for serving sushi are great display bases for Japanese model subjects.

Have also found decent bases and cheap plastic dsplay cases at The Container Store. TAP Plastics is more expensive, but they have all sorts of things.

Good luc,.

Tom

Wasn't sure if you meant the building material or the base. Yes, trophy bases ARE good. A lot of model contest plaques work well. It sort of offsets (albeit very slightly) the cost of the hobby.

Sorry if I'm off-track, AOL cut out the original letter, but if you're looking for a way to replicate sedimentary rock outcroppings, the best that I've found is to get hold of some pine bark chips. These are available at most garden supply stores. I've done several dioramas with them and they're fairly simple to use. Over a flat surface of stacked styrofoam I do the following steps.

1) Cut several pieces across the layers in the bark to give a flat surface. 2) Build up the wall from bottom to top. 3) Dry fit each succeeding layer, and glue in place. I use Elmer's Carpentry glue. 4) After you've got the wall as high as you want, spray paint flat black, especially in any holes that are results of gaps. 5) Dry brush different shades of gray onto the "rock". 6) When your wall looks good to your eye, give it several coats of Testor's Clear Flat (I use the lacquer). 7) Sprinkle some Woodland Scenics brown turf over the wall. I do this after the last coat of lacquer has been applied but isn't dry yet. After that's dry, apply lichen for shrubs and turf for any grass that you might want.

As I said, I've used this technique about a half dozen times so far (each one gets a little better as I figure out new steps and ideas) and I've been pleased with the results.

-- John The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. . - - - Henry Kissinger

(snip)

Thanks for the tips. I actually do most of these techniques currently and rely heavily on Woodland Scenic and similar materials.

However, what I'm ideally looking for, is some sort of pre-fabbed resin base(s) that already have rocks, debris, etc and some contouring molded into the base so basically all I need to do is paint the base and perhaps add some detail touches like brush to finish it. As I noted, using dense styrofoam or paper mache is too soft to pin heavy objects into and material like plaster cracks and doesn't stick well to the wooden display base.

I've noticed that some companies make basic resin or acrylic "terrain" bases for Dungeon and Dragon style gamers which is a start. I've even considered buying some diorama kits strictly for their terrain bases.

The search continues....

T.B.

Hello. I've just read this message string, and would like to share some thoughts with you too. My primary modeling interest is 1/72 figures and armor, and I almost always build/create bases for the finished models. Like you I've used Woodland Scenics, and been satisfied with the results. I understand your desire to want less time spent on the base, and more on the subjects for them. However, I find myself feeling the opposite. At any rate, have you looked at some of the diorama products by Verlinden and Custom Dioramics? Both make some prefab bases that only require painting (and maybe simple assembly). I've been on the lookout for such things a long time, and one thing I must tell you is that most anything prefabbed that's decent looking costs a lot. Only you'd know if the cost outweighed creating it yourself.

A question: Do you place figures and other things on your scenes permanently, or do they get repositioned? If you intend permanent attachment, use a small amount of super glue. I've been using a product called IC Gel for over 2 years and about 2 dozen scenes, and it's great. It's thick, not like liquid, and dries clear. I use it to fix the feet of my figures and tires/tracks of vehicles.

Finally, even though you didn't seem to be asking about the bases themselves, I agree with the person who suggested craft wood. I can usually get it very cheap and in sizes ranging from 3" to 5x7....all perfect for 1/72 scale.

Whatever you find, best wishes on your efforts.

Randy IPMS Houston

We're living in a world that's been pulled over our eyes to blind us from the truth. Where are you, white rabbit?

If you're willing to do urban scenery you can purchase ready made buildings, ruins, streets, etc. from a number of mfgers the latest of which is Verlinden. Most of these are in resin and/or plastic. Instead of building up the ground work you can just glue it together onto a base and paint it up. There are also lots of resin and/or plastic bases for aircraft that are ready made. These range from wooden hard stands to PSP plating.

Alternatively, you might consider shifting to a different type of material. While I enjoy working on diorama bases I did have some problems with plaster, Celluclay and other organic products either cracking or peeling away from bases no matter how much white glue was added to the mix. I've shifted to an "inorganic" system. I use acrylic sheets of various sizes and shapes as bases. I build up elevations using stryofoam and use epoxy putty and acryclic modeling paste for the primary ground work, topped by the usual mix of static grass, ground foam, etc. The epoxy putty dries rock hard, never shrinks, and stands up to all sorts of drilling.

Hope this is of some help.

Mark