Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Wider Wargaming => Painting & Modelling => Topic started by: Vanvlak on 04 March 2016, 07:26:11 PM

Title: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: Vanvlak on 04 March 2016, 07:26:11 PM
After testing the waters with a couple of tanks I went ahead and ordered more stuff for my small scale VBCW project: more tanks, some transports, and troops. And I'll probably order more for a different force.
Although I can probably get away with small troops of models on a single base, I a considereing basing the troops on individual bases. I can see three options:
1) Use the models' own round base - nice and easy, but a bit small, which does allow them to walk into a tight spot, but also makes them prone to tumbling and damage.
2) Use a larger base (small coins or discs) - more stable of course, and obviously the base is required in addition to the model. Will make the individual soldier a bit wider (and thus geetting onto e.g. narrow walkways will be less easy, although definitely safer for the model. Also allows for miniature vignettes.
3) As per (2) but using a transparent base. Which has its appeal. Or not...

For games with units a regular multi-model base can obviously be used, but for skirmish actions single bases seem nice, if fiddly.

Any recommendations?
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: fred. on 04 March 2016, 07:49:02 PM
I think you will find the cast on bases to be too small - but it does vary a bit by range and pose.

I based single figures on small metal washers - probably 12mm. This gave very good stability as the washer was big and heavy.

I'm not sure clear bases would work with with 10mm as the figures have quite large cast on bases and if you cut these off you would have almost no area to glue on. But it might be worth a go with a few figures. It looks very good on 28mm
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: ronan on 04 March 2016, 07:51:09 PM
Hello

I use washers for my skirmish games.
The figures can stand up and won't fell.

for example : http://2d6.fr/?p=3755 (http://2d6.fr/?p=3755)


I use some clear bases for motocycles. They're fragile ...
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: Subedai on 04 March 2016, 07:51:55 PM
I would go down the single figure route if they are exclusively for skirmish games.

Small metal washers or small, circular MDF bases would also seem to be the way forward.

Agree totally with fred. about transparent bases.
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: petercooman on 04 March 2016, 08:46:04 PM
Here are some examples of my miniatures based on 1 eurocent pieces:

british paratroops :   http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,11335.msg150808.html#msg150808

zombie/police:  http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,13701.0.html
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: Vanvlak on 05 March 2016, 08:05:35 AM
Thanks guys. The washer trade seems to be doing good business  :D
Very nice stuff, incidentally, apart from the base issue: the zombies look fun; the cork buildings are something I had not thought of; and I'd never realised red berets provide so muchcontrast on this scale.
I've used small bases and perspex bases previously - in the latter case I did not detach the models from their own small metal bases, but retained this and glued it to the perspex, the latter serving only to provide stability. But I'm now tending towards washer-style stuff.
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 05 March 2016, 08:05:51 AM
10mm square card works best. ROUND IS WRONG !!!!

IanS
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: fred. on 05 March 2016, 08:21:02 AM
Don't listen toIan (this is both specific and general advice)

Card is very bad for bSing, it's not the 1980s any more.
Card squares are worse as the corners will just bend.

Round bases tend to feel better for skirmish games - square when you want to rank troops up
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 05 March 2016, 09:39:57 AM
I'm going to be very rude - and interrupt Fred whilst he is making a mistake. Try fitting round bases to store them. Card is cheap and easy to use.

ianS
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: toxicpixie on 05 March 2016, 10:21:14 AM
I find 1p HMRC standard washers are cheap an easy, and when all put together store fine - doubly so if you use a "screw organiser" or other cheap divided box :)
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: Bodvoc on 05 March 2016, 10:25:57 AM
15mm round mdf bases from Pendraken are cheaper than washers and work really well. :)
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: toxicpixie on 05 March 2016, 10:51:14 AM
There's very little that's cheaper than Treasury Standard copper washers in either the 1p or larger 2p size ;)
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: fred. on 05 March 2016, 12:29:37 PM
Treasury washers are great for larger scales, and are unbelievably cheap! But I find them rather big for single 10s.

I'll check the size of the washers I used, they were only a couple of quid for 100 from eBay.
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: toxicpixie on 05 March 2016, 12:50:49 PM
Ive even used treasury washers for six mm single based skirmish - you do need to go "a bit scenic" with them in six or ten MM. :D
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: petercooman on 05 March 2016, 01:09:59 PM
1 cent pieces are smaller and come 100 to a euro  :d
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: Ithoriel on 05 March 2016, 03:07:04 PM
Quote from: petercooman on 05 March 2016, 01:09:59 PM
1 cent pieces are smaller and come 100 to a euro  :d

I mourn the loss of the half pence piece regularly. Just the right size for individual 10mm and two hundred for a quid.

As you can probably tell, I'm with the round bases faction.
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: toxicpixie on 05 March 2016, 03:11:30 PM
Id have to go get some from the bank for that, and I doubt many British banks carry much stock of euro coins :D
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: jimduncanuk on 05 March 2016, 03:14:24 PM
Quote from: Ithoriel on 05 March 2016, 03:07:04 PM
I mourn the loss of the half pence piece regularly. Just the right size for individual 10mm and two hundred for a quid.

As you can probably tell, I'm with the round bases faction.

I got some Euro one cent coins from the TSA guys a couple of years back at Crisis. Even the Belgian guys had difficulty getting them from their own bank.
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: Vanvlak on 05 March 2016, 03:18:20 PM
Quote from: petercooman on 05 March 2016, 01:09:59 PM
1 cent pieces are smaller and come 100 to a euro  :d
Cheaper actually - I regularly find these in the street, so if I strolledto the bank to get 1c pieces for a Euro there's a chance I might actually get one or two extra - especially if I take the long way to the bank!

Thanks forall the recommendations.
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: petercooman on 05 March 2016, 04:00:33 PM
Quote from: jimduncanuk on 05 March 2016, 03:14:24 PM
I got some Euro one cent coins from the TSA guys a couple of years back at Crisis. Even the Belgian guys had difficulty getting them from their own bank.


I once had a gift from my old collegues when i changed department at work. They gave me Money they had collected and changed in 1 eurocent pieces. They still don't understand why i was so happy to get the box full of centpieces  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: Aksu on 05 March 2016, 07:37:00 PM
I wish we had 1 or even 2 eurocent coins here. Everything is rounded to the nearest 5 cents in Finland and the only coins smaller than that were released in small numbers to coin collectors. Damn and blast, I say!
Cheers,
Aksu
Title: Re: Single troop figures for skirmishes
Post by: petercooman on 05 March 2016, 08:19:57 PM
Quote from: Aksu on 05 March 2016, 07:37:00 PM
I wish we had 1 or even 2 eurocent coins here. Everything is rounded to the nearest 5 cents in Finland and the only coins smaller than that were released in small numbers to coin collectors. Damn and blast, I say!
Cheers,
Aksu

They talked about doing that around here too, luckily they didn't!