Flames of War- A Basic Basing Tutorial

  My tutorial will just show you a couple ways to model some nice flames of war bases. It will also give you a list of things that you can consider when figuring out how to base your army. When planning out your army you need to consider where the unit/army fought, the weather, the gear and uniforms and the season. They're many different types of basing including some of the more basic ones, Snow, Desert, Dirt and Grass. You need to plan accordingly to what you want and what you like but still take into account the models you are using. (Nobody wants winter Germans in the desert)

 
    So in order to know what direction you are heading in, you first need to know what model's you will be working with. If you have guys suited for a specific theatre of war like the DAK in North Afrika or the Finnish Ski troops in the alps then you've already narrowed it down some. Then you need to make decision on if you want to go ahead and theme the base to coincide with the same theme as the model. Winter bases with Finnish ski infantry and desert bases with the DAK hoofing it through the sands. This is a important decision because sometimes if you head over a buddies house or go to play in a tournament your models might not look right on that board. If you like your model's to blend in to most boards then the standard Dirt, Tufts and Grass is the best way for you. However when you put alot of effort into a winter or desert army and finally do get to play on a board that matchs the basing it is truly rewarding. So let me run you through my basing process and the material. I'm going to use Golden's fiber paste and just do up some empty bases.

          Whatever platoon you're working on a brush and a putty, paste or pumice gel of your choice!

                                                         Spread the paste/putty around                                            

                                                    Spread it around any models!


                                        Clean off the edges, I just use my fingers.


                                                  Toss some sand on it and wait a little bit.


                                           Gently give it a few taps to knock any loose sand off


       Let it dry! It could take just a few hours or maybe overnight depending on what you use.


That is generally the basic starting process for all of my bases. It can be daunting at times but once you get the process down you can really crank them out. The results are a nice uneven ground that stays level with your model's stands/bases.

Continuing on you'll want to give the models a coat of primer and some basecoats.
                                   A nice brown or "brownish" spray tends to do well.



                                Pick out some colors that work for the bases your trying to make.  
 

I'm going to basecoat the three different base types with three different colors.
 (Flat Brown, Beige Brown, Desert Yellow)


                               

Then you're going to wash the bases. A brown wash normally works best for most standard types of bases.


                                 Then once dry you will want do a little dry brushing.



  For the winter and spring base I just use a simple dry brush of khaki. For the desert I apply three       drybrushs of Tan Yellow, Dark Sand and lastly Buff.



   Once drybrushed you're going to want to find a nice sharp contrast color for the edge of the base


Now that the bases have been puttied and painted its time for the flock and other tidbits that will bring it all together. Lets start with spring.
 

                                                      My weapons of choice.


So you're going to need to find some basing materials that you like. Something that you know will make your army look great and stand out. Check out GaleForce nine's online shop. They have tons of great basing materials to work with!



       First things first, go ahead and spread the white glue into what ever sized patches you like.



       Next apply what ever flock you've chosen! I've decided to use Army painter's Steppe grass.


You'll want to let it dry for a little and then tap some of the excess grass off similar to what you did with the sand.



                                                                   Spring!


Go ahead and apply the tufts of grass (if any) or bush's, flowers or whatever you've chosen. Remember not to apply them too heavily, you don't want the base to look too crammed as it will also have your soldiers on it. Overall a spring base will just about look nice on any battlefield and they are easy to do up. Not to mention there are just about a million combinations you can do, let your imagination run wild or just look at pictures of landscapes and see what you can replicate from history.

Briefly moving onto desert. At this point since you already have the base painted and ready for the finishing touches, all you will be doing it adding the white glue and adding a small amount of arid grass and a few arid tufts. Same as with the spring base. Remember that the desert is a barren place so when you're putting down whatever materials you've chosen remember to not put very much down.



                     No one wants to fight here, yet some must.


Next for winter, you're going again do everything in the same manner as before. Adding the grass and tufts you like, let it dry. After that you will be applying the snow after you mix it. Let me show you how I do mine.





        You'll want some white glue and what ever type of white snowy basing you have on hand.



      Find a container and pour some glue in and toss in some of the snow.




                                                           Go ahead and mix in into a paste.


  You'll want to apply it similar to the putty and use a paintbrush to smooth it into piles and let dry


And there you have it just a handful easy to do bases for any miniature game. The ones I have gone over are just simple ways for simple bases. There are of course many other kinds of bases and materiel's to use as well as methods to apply. You just have to figure out what you like and what will work best with your models. I hope this short tutorial will be able to help some people.

 
                                                        Not just for flames of war!