Procrastination on Painting, plus some Basing

I have done some, honestly. I just haven't finished anything.


I started doing a platoon - three squads of eight plus two command (officer and FO). The attached photo shows the method, if not the quality.

First a white gesso undercoat, then a thin black wash, followed by blocking in colours. I'm not trying any camo yet, just an olive green.

In the background you can see hints of how I intend to do the basing to try and get the best of all worlds.

The cloverleaf sabots - a special order from Warbases - take three 15mm round bases. I decided not to go with the 2mm base as well, so that the entire structure isn't 4mm high (base + sabot). That just seems excessive! I've just used thin card stuck on with PVA glue. With the glue and a layer of paint it's pretty sturdy. Each sabot (I also ordered some to take only two bases) is 4cm at its widest. With that shape you can also alternate the bases (point forward, point to the rear) so that the figures look like they're in two contiguous rows, and the average frontage is then about 3cm per base of three, which just happens to be the size that fits with AK47 rules without being stuck with basing 3 on a square base. Success!

However ...

... unfortunately the bases don't sit securely in the sabot, so I lose a lot of the benefit of multiple basing. I'm now looking at magnets to see if they will keep the figures securely in the sabot. I've tried 0.5mm flexible magnetic sheeting, but it's not very "sticky" in small amounts, and is a nightmare to glue securely.

I've now ordered some small rare earth magnets (and brass tweezers), with the idea that I glue one in the centre of each hole, and mount the figures on steel washers which will fit over the magnet, and stay secure in there. I am nervous that the magnets might be too strong, and suck entire units into a prickly sphere, but only time will tell.

If it works I'll have the additional benefit that the bases will sit securely inside  steel toolbox - as long as the magnets aren't so strong as to tear through the the card of course.

Basing

Right, so I want to base my figures to be able to use CoC (or a more modern development thereof), IABSM and also AK47. There's no reason why I can't use multiple basing really, but I want to have the flexibility of having individual basing.

So here's what I have come up with.

- all "rank and file" figures based individually on 15mm circular bases

- these can be grouped together in socket stands of 2 or 3 which have a maximum frontage of 4cm. Depending on how these are arranged, the "triangular" bases will have an average width of 3.3cm, which is functionally the same as the AK47 3cm bases of 3. So it works well for AK47 and it makes it easier to move figures around in multiples.

- officers/big men (for IABSM) will be based on polyhedral bases. Divide sides or vertices by 2 to get the level of Big Man. So a Big Man IV is on an octagonal base, a Big Man III is on a hexagonal base, a Big Man II is on a square base, and a Big Man I is ... well actually he's on a 2cm round base, so the pattern breaks down there, sorry.

- light weapons teams don't really matter for IABSM, they are counted in with the section strength, but they do for AK47 (if it's an RPG-type weapon) and for CoC. It is difficult to spot a LSW on 15mm figures from a distance, so I will mark them, and figures armed with and RPG, LAW or other light support weapon, with a small rock on the back of the figures' stands. For CoC these will be grouped with their assistants on the same base (of 2 or 3). For AK47 it's a stand of 3 anyway. So "cherchez la pierre" for such figures.

- For larger teams crewing heavier weapons, e.g. for HMGs, medium mortars or the larger RCLs, these can probably be fitted as stands of 2 or 3, depending on the number of figures. I haven't experimented yet, but I suspect some at least will not be individually mounted.




Admittedly unified field theory may have to wait, but I'm happy with this solution as a way forward.