Hello all.

I have been making 28mm scenics for awhile, but have just recently switched to 10mm.  It's a lot of fun, but I have found some difficultly in finding a good material for bases.  I usually would use cardboard or foam board, or for hills I would just use insolation foam.  But for things like forests and fields in 10mm I find I need something much thinner than usual cardboard.  I have used cardboard for 10mm, but it just creates such a big lip that it looks a little silly next to 10mm models.  What do most people use around here?  I am hoping for something cheap...

Hi there Tiberius,

I'm working my way through an old stash of bases right now but when I'm through I'll use plastic card again. I buy sheets of plastic and cut them in the desired sizes (the larger the base the thicker the plastic needs to be of course to keep it all stable) but I'm happy with that. It's relatively cheap but involves slightly more work then cutting them out of cardboard...  Another option, depending on how big you want them to be; forrests are nicely done on  old CD's (or even new recordable ones which are quite affordable). They are sturdy and consistent in size if that's what you're looking for.
Hope this helps somewhat!

Cheers,
Rob

To delineate forest areas I use pieces of wafer thin cork sheets cut into various assorted irregular shapes that I acquired on sale at an arts & crafts shop. In my head, the cork colouring and irregular shading gives the impression of a forest floor covered in wilted leaves, etc. Whilst it may not win any prizes for aesthetics it is not bad either and is a quick and cheap solution (especially as it was a closing down sale). My model trees are loosely placed on these cut out areas and, because they are not fixed, can be moved around within the area to accommodate any unit standing in or moving through said forest area.   

2mm MDF

www.michaelscott.name/1809/1809blogpost63.htm

www.michaelscott.name/1809/blog2015/1809blogpost190.htm

For woods and built-up areas - green or brown felt with trees or houses loose on top for all but my 6mm Sumerians where the houses are based on 60mm square mdf bases to allow for modular urban areas!

Gradually replacing brown and blue felt strip roads and rivers with rubber alternatives.

I dry brush my felt that I use for woods etc to add a bit of variety and 'texture'

All great ideas, thanks!  The CD is a great option, too bad I don't know if I have anymore...  Looks like 80mm is the biggest you can buy MDF board, but I suppose you could combine some circle bases and square bases, and make something pretty big.  I will definitely have to include some in my next order.   The Cork and the felt aren't bad ideas either, especially because they can be so portable!

Another option is plasticard, which is resistant to warping.

The link below shows some 10mm ECW figures plus terrain :

http://s761.photobucket.com/user/glorfindel-666/library/#/user/glorfindel-666/library/10mm%20English%20Civil%20War?sort=3&page=0&_suid=144749552602305575933825436778


The village and forest bases are plasticard.   For the forests,
I have created a large base to delineate the size of the terrain
and then added smaller based trees to show what type of terrain
it is.   Quite flexible as you can then change the terrain type (eg.
add small swamp pieces instead of trees).

Cheers,


Phil

I've heard of plasticard being used before, but I have no idea where to buy it.  I tried to explain it to a hobby train store, but the only stuff they had was very flexible, not rigid at all.  Any idea where I can find that material online, or a company that produces it?

CD's, MDF, Hardboard, artists card, cereal packet card -all for terrain bases; insulation board, polystyrene ceiling tiles in a number of heights on MDF bases for hills; sand and wet & dry paper for tracks and macadamised roads; sand in various grades from Sahara up to builders type for bases and wall coverings; masking tape -to cover the polystyrene tiles on the hills; felt squares (for thatched roofs): artists and cereal packet card for buildings: kitchen scourers for hedges and evergreen trees; roadside gravel, small stones and pieces of slate for scenic decoration as broken ground and to represent scree slopes and rock falls; toothpicks and BBQ skewers for tree trunks with lumps of painted and flocked cushion foam for trees; sisal from a hanging basket inlay for cypress trees, wooden lollipop sticks/coffee stirrers for hedgerow bases; clump foliage for smaller trees and hedges.

Pictures at :

http://thewordsofsubedai.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/battle-of-garston.html

>>Any idea where I can find that material online, or a company that produces it?

I buy this through an Ebay seller :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xplasticard.TRS0&_nkw=plasticard&_sacat=0

Quote from: Tiberius on 14 November 2015, 06:46:16 PM
I've heard of plasticard being used before, but I have no idea where to buy it.  I tried to explain it to a hobby train store, but the only stuff they had was very flexible, not rigid at all.  Any idea where I can find that material online, or a company that produces it?

I use sheet styrene, I get mine from a local sign writers supply store in large sheets (1600x1200mm or so) for the equivalent of GBP25, a sheet lasts a year or so

In my almost five decades of wargaming I have only ever based one unit on plasticard and it slid around the table like an ice skating formation dancing team. Never since! I don't do much scratchbuilding or vehicle modelling so I have no real use for the stuff.

Quote from: Subedai on 14 November 2015, 07:58:15 PM
In my almost five decades of wargaming I have only ever based one unit on plasticard and it slid around the table like an ice skating formation dancing team. Never since! I don't do much scratchbuilding or vehicle modelling so I have no real use for the stuff.

I give both sides a quick sand and paint both sides as well, no problem with sliding

I've bought A4 sheets of styrene off eBay. Various thickness, quick delivery.

If you want I can probably find the seller, but there were lots of options.