No Mess Basing

So we've all had to base our minis.  The easiest is slopping some glue on the base and dunking it in a tub of our favorite basing material.  But what about the excess?  Usually, you'll end up with this:

Even if you use a tub or box that is big enough to fit your mini, you'll still have to empty it back into the original container.  And its usually smaller than the other containers.  So what can you do without making a mess?

Try using one of these.  I picked this up from Michaels in the jewelry section.  Its for rhinestones and other materials that you don't want to get all over the place.  Perfect for basing material.  

Just base your mini like you'd normally would.  Put it in the tray and shake off the excess.  Remove the plug at the end and just pour it into your container.

It just that easy.  And it costs less than $5!

GW's New Glues

So GW has announced the release of their new glues. 

Are these any better than the old ones or are they just repackaged?

Tip of the Month: February Edition

A hot glue gun is ideal for temporarily attaching miniatures to a paint stand for painting.  Peel off when done.

Red hot!

Tip of Month: November Edition

An old t-shirt is a more economical paint rag than a paper towel.  Just cut to size.  When its too full, either wash it or throw it away and get a new one.


Remove before cutting.



Tip of the Month: Paint Stripping

One question I always seem to get asked is how to strip paint from minis.


Easy.  Just an overnight soak in Castrol Super Clean brake fluid will remove paint from any miniature whether its plastic, resin, or metal.


Now a word to the wise for anyone thats going to do this.  Commit this to your memory, write it down, tatoo it on your forearm:
brake FLUID  FLUID  FLUID FLUID!!!

The last person who I told this to wanted to strip a Land Raider of what he thought was a bad paint job.  So I told him the very same thing above.  So what did he do?  He used brake cleaner. 


After the overnight soak, he was left with a glob of molten plastic that probably could be molded into an Epic size Land Raider.  So much for that.


Once it is soaked, use an old toothbrush to get rid of those hard to reach areas and your model will look good as new, ready for new paint.  (Let it dry first)

Tip of the Month

A small tile (2”x2”) makes a perfect and easy-to-clean palette (you can get one as a free sample from a hardware store).  Use a razor blade or soap & water to clean it off.

Making terrain

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, Hobos and Tramps, Bug-eyed mosquitos and bow-legged Ants.

Today we will talk about how to build scenery from the ground up.  This works for all types of scenery: be it a forest or buildings.  I'll go over the different types of materials and what is best.  So lets get to it.

MDF

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibers, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure.  MDF is denser than plywood.

MDF does not have wood grain, making it more uniform than natural woods which makes it relatively easy to cut.  This is probably the best material to use since it is very durable, easy to cut, does not warp when wet (except when saturated), and is relatively inexpensive.  I use a 1/8” thick board for all my terrain bases.  A 3’ X 6’ sheet usually runs about $5.

Pros:  Hardly warps, easy to shape with a razor blade.  Accepts wood/white glue.
Cons:  Power tools to cut (bandsaw, jigsaw; you could cut it with a sharp carpet knife but it takes a long time to cut through.)



Chipwood





Pros:  Hardly warps (if at all).
Cons:  Crumbles and splinters when cut.  Need saw or power tools to cut.  If the edges become wet, they will swell like a sponge.



Plywood



 Plywood is a common building material used in houses to furniture.  It is made from intersecting layers of tin wooden sheets. 

Pros:  Good for baseboards.  More solid than MDF.
Cons:  Expensive.  Need power tools to cut.  Warps if not braced. 



Hardboard



Hardboard is similar to chipboard, only much tougher.  

Pros:  Thinner sheets can be cut with a sharp knife.  Similar to MDF.
Cons:  Warps if not braced.  Edges act like chipboard.  Not as durable.



Softwood



Soft Wood is used more for bracing baseboards to stop them from warping.  Alone, it is not very durable and usually costs more than plywood.



Pros:  Easy to work with.
Cons:  Only useful for bracing baseboards.

Cardboard

Cardboard comes in either corrugated or a single piece.  Some use this as a baseboard, don’t use it this way!  Your scenery will look like crap!  It is not durable as a base, warps easily, and is easily damaged if not protected.  Only use cardboard for building up the base or to represent materials such as corrugated iron.



CD's

CD Bases can be inexpensive or even free.  AOL sends them out for free.  They are very durable and will last a lifetime when used as a base.  The only drawback is their size.  Since they cannot be modified, you are stuck with one size.

Pros:  Easy to procure.  Bonds with most materials.
Cons:  Limited by size.



So there you have.  I personally use 1/8” MDF for all of my terrain.  I’ve only had one piece warp on me and that’s because I left it out in the rain.  Having built terrain for GW stores, I can tell you from experience that MDF and CD bases have the longest play life of all the materials.  Only use plywood if your scenery is bigger than 4’X4’ (yes I have built terrain that big) as you need its strength, just be aware of the weight factor.

Chipboard is similar to plywood but is made out of tiny chips of wood, compressed together in sheets.  The wood is sold in various thicknesses and usually come in full 4’x8’ sheets; almost the same price of plywood.

My New Toy

 

I just got this off E-bay the other day.  Its the One Shot Photo Studio by Merax. Now I can take those really professional pix of all my mini's and post them.  The nice thing about this is I got if for half price and it comes with software similiar to photoshop to spruce up those pix.  The lights are very bright (and hot) and the whole thing folds up into a very slim briefcase. 

Now I need to take more pix and play around with the software to get those really cool shots of my minis.

Tip of the Month

An easy one of April. 

Got mold lines that need getting rid of quickly?  Instead of using files or the your hobby knife,  use the back of the hobby knife instead.

Hold the back of the blade at a 90 degree angle and scrape off that mold line.  Works like a charm and gets the entire mold line off.  But be careful, too much pressure and you'll shave off more than you needed.

TTFN

Tip of the Month

Today we have an easy one for you.  When putting together your scenery, whether its a building or jungle, you need a way to clamp things together.  The easiest (and cheapest) is to use clothes pins.  Now most get the plastic kind but the old wood ones are better and I'll show you how.

First, buy a pack of the wood ones like this.  They usually come in large packs and come in under a $1.

Now that you have a handful of them, the next step is to take them apart.  Easy enough.

Now for the last step.  Put the clothes pin back together, but with the wood pieces reversed.  The spring should go into position like the in the picture below; the clamping area is now the flat pieces opposite the spring.

This is perfect for keeping two flat pieces together while gluing as the clothes pin now has extra tension and surface area.  See you next month!

Tip of the Month

Every month, I'll give an easy tip for you fellow scenery builders.  This may be something that everyone knows or something completely new (remember, there are still a lot of beginners out there).

This month is about glue.  "That's an easy one", you say?  Most people use the old standby: white glue.  But there are other alternatives out there.  Lets have a look, shall we.



WHITE GLUE

This is the most common glue.  Every school kid uses it for all their craft stuff, so why not us?  White glue is good:  its easy to apply, dries clear, and gives a good bond on any porous surface.  It also is easy to dilute with water for bigger applications.
The drawback:  its a bit runny and takes a while to dry completely.  If the surface is dry, the inner layers may still be wet, so wait at least 24 hours for a complete cure, especially on thick applications.  If there are dribbles on your surface, it will not accept paint.



SUPER GLUE

Super glue/crazy glue/Cyanoacrylate.  Whatever you call it, this glue is good for keeping non-porous items together.  Works on plastic, resin, and body parts.  Can be sanded down like resin if there is too much on the surface.  Accepts paint very well. 
Cons:  Only good for spot applications.  A small building is fine; an entire model city with skyscrapers and the price can become excessive.  Does not work well on wood or paper based products as the liquid from the glue is absorbed into the material.


PLASTIC CEMENT



Just like the name says, its good for plastic.  It works by melting the plastic on both pieces and re-solidifies creating a strong bond.  But won't work on any other surface, including resin (it may work on some resins, but does not give a strong bond).  Easy to use but don't use too much.  A little goes a long way.  Just put a little bit on one piece and on the other piece.  Press together for about 20 seconds.  Will cure in about four hours with a very strong bond.  As with with white glue, any dribbles on the surface will not accept paint so you have to file or sand it off before hand.



WOOD/CARPENTER'S GLUE

This is almost like white glue, but used primarily for wood (as the name implies).  Easy to use as its thicker than white glue but dries in less time.  This is the best to used with foam board, balsa wood (or any type of wood), sand, foam, and just about anything else (except plastics).  This is the main type of glue that I use and prefer.  Gives a strong bond with foam board, won't warp any wood that you are using, and can be diluted with water for larger applications.  I usually use this when basing my game boards.  Just water down, use a big brush to spread, add sand, let dry.  That's it.
The drawback:  like white glue, it does not accept paint well (primers work on it) and does not dry clear.

There are other glues out there that I may not have covered: tacky glue, spray adhesives, hot glue, etc.  These are useful but I have found them to be limited in usage when building scenery.  Many of the above glues will last (even extended) for a long time so it doesn't hit your wallet too hard.

As you can see, I prefer using wood glue in most of my scenery builds for the walls, basing, and filling gaps as well.