I have liked the look of the minimalist war gaming bases that I have seen being used for armour. I realise that opinion differs as to whether armour actually needs a base for war gaming - some players prefer to have their vehicles unbased - but I think the little bit of terrain under the vehicle looks attractive. So, as it is another area I need to practise I thought I would have a crack at doing a simple base.
The vehicle I decided to base is my SU-122(3) experiment - which is nearing completion - because this would also give me a chance to experiment with a snowy scene.
The basics
First of all I cut a piece of plasticard to the rough size of the footprint of the tank, allowing a 5mm margin all around. I then masked a little border around the edge of the base as I wanted to paint a narrow dark green edge to my terrain. This is purely optional, as some gamers terrain goes right to the edge of the base, and some don't.
Next I plastered on some Polyfilla to give the rough ground I wanted, mixing in some cheap bird cage grit for texture (£1 for a big bag from Wilkos). Then I lift this to dry out before applying a mid-earth wash based on Tamilya's Flat Earth acrylic - the same colour I used on the tank's tracks.
Then when that was dry I first washed over with a darker and more diluted version of the earth colour so that I got some shadow into the nooks and cranes and then dry brushed a light mix of the Flat Earth over the top.
Above: Here you see just how tight the margin is around the vehicle - the white border
will be painted a dark green to finish it off nicely. Additionally you can see my
nearly complete Mk. II T-34 tank tracks.
will be painted a dark green to finish it off nicely. Additionally you can see my
nearly complete Mk. II T-34 tank tracks.
Next: The snow!
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