I won a painting contest recently solely on the fact that I did an awesome base. The second place winner had a better paint job overall, but I won because it was based and painted.

tip for snow, base the base with a white for light snow, darker white for packed snow, turquoise for an ice shelf, brown for dirt/mud primer or paint before you glue the texture/snow bacing on, it will look like the snow is fresh , this means you can even put some of the basing material on your model once its glued on to make it look even more like its just snowed

Wait.....You're NOT my Uncle??

How do you spread your super glue on your base? Some kind of miniature rubber spatula or similar? This is probably the only problem I have with using super glue as a way to adhere basing materials. With CA glue the nozzle typically leaves a thick cylindrical bead that you can't use a brush to spread around w/o ruining it unlike PVA glue.

I was completely blown away by what you were saying. I find I do my best paint with the model unassembled. Like; you dont have to take so much care with crevices and corners, you just leave blank the glued sections, and then paint the rest, its so much more efficient, and you get better detail in areas that would otherwise be hard to get into. and then I paint the base separately, and glue them together...

I would like to add, make sure before priming a model, to go over it under a good lightsource and check that at least the obvious and most eye catching mould lines or moulding process errors have been sanded/trimmed/neatened. It's a small thing and it takes time, but it goes that much further towards a good looking model.

Cut the Uncle Atom is not a Uncle ... your ALL our uncle ! We all love your videos and your a good man. Thanks so much for your videos man.

ever since I started this hobby I've always based before priming. one trick I've learned is using elmers glue all for glueing it down, but then once it's dry a drop or two of woodland scenics scenic cement to act as a top binding layer really holds it onto the base.

Just finished 100+ Bases for my Marines one year after painting :D

There are so many way to do the basing... I personally do it as the last thing on the miniature.. But there always exeption... Always think of what you want as a final miniature and basing result is what would help you the most for the final result! ;)

I personally use scenic cement for my bases. And I also do it at the end, but that is only because I tend to use the basing sets provided by Citadel, and you don't want to paint some of the grass or snow (as was stated). My current project is painting all the figures from my Battle Masters set. Each figure does not have its own personal base, but instead sits on a base with up to 4 other figures. I'm painting/preparing these separately and will join them together once finished.

You can make a half decent base simply buy getting like a wine bottle cork and cutting little slices of it, because it's cork you're never gonna get a totally clean cut with that stuff so you get loads of texture, base it black, dry brush it a rocky colour, maybe add a wash and you're done! Even better still most corks are roughly the same circumference as a space marine base so you don't even half to modify it other than cutting the initial slice

I agree 100%. I plan the basing for my entire army before building it, then build the models, glue them on the bases, then prime them. The models are all painted first, then the bases are usually all painted at the same time.

Good basing is a huge part of the hobby. I did static grass and heavy grit back in the 90s when all GW ones still have been all green. I think they also didn't carry the supplies, but as both me and my gaming buddy had railroads as kids and our hobbystore was mainly a railroad store... well, I guess you know where that leads. It's just always good to be open minded and willing to learn something new. Anyway, PVA on pure plastic can be a problem if it doesn't have something to bite, it's imperative to at least sand and best if primed before using the glue. Before going that route it's just easier to slap on some Zap-A-Gap directly or at least an all purpose glue that will stick to plastic. PVA works a charm on so many things, it just doesn't have to bitch in on everything. And yes, PVA can be peeled off a lot of materials. I've even used PVA to duplicate textures when I didn't have anything else to do so. And I just put the flat side on, guess what, plastic, so I could remove it when it's dry to attach to my model. It's funny, the only thing I really used hot glue for is doing some quick mould. I don't trust that stuff either.

I’ve never done bases, I started out with board game pieces in this hobby and I always liked that sort of standard D&D look. Now that I’m working on pieces for different games I’m getting into it, more fun than I expected it to be.

Yep. Spray primer over the basing materials locks them in and stops the sand from crumbling off over time. I now always prime the base before painting. Usually I attach the base to the mini, then texture it, then prime, but sometimes I'll texture, then pin the mini to it, and then prime. Usually paint the base last then, in case of the sloshing paint around while doing the feet. It's just easier to clean up overpaint on the ground.When I first started the hobby I did a few models where I painted the model first and then textured the base, but honestly it's hard to get the same kind of strength and look that spraypaint provides. You can kind of get the same effect if (after the model is painted) you use clear matte varnish on the base to lock in the grit, and then paint over it, but it's much easier to just finish the basing before priming in the first place. You learn better techniques as you go in this hobby. I went back and fixed the basing on my earlier ones so it wouldn't deteriorate.Now, notice that when you attach the mini to the base first, then glue sand over it there's a tendency for the model's feet to look like they are sunken into the mud or ground. So sometimes it is better to pin and attach, but either way, it should be primed before painting. The sunken look is great for my skeleton hordes. With fine sand, the sunken effect is pretty subtle.

Fantastic advice. I've found at least for myself in all of the different techniques that this works the best. I am definitely not the best painter being partially color blind but I'm generally proud of the bases I do. Citadel and other companies have made the attempt at basing texture and that is sort of the response it seems when a lot of people talk about basing recently. But those basing textures are missing a bit of depth and you can really change them without messing something up or losing the little bit of texture it provides generally. That being said, they are a useful additive to the technique he talks about here. I have a Tupperware container where I've mixed fine grain and coarse sand, small rocks, diced up sprue, and cork chips. I do use PVA simply because it is easy to get off in places you dont want it without it leaving any kind of layer and it is cheap and easy to find in bulk. After building a model and throwing some of the glue on there I run it through the container maybe fix it up a little bit then move on to the next one to base. After all that prime the whole thing, paint the model, then the base, then seal it with a nice Matt varnish. Then hit it with flock or tufts of grass or other top debris and call it done. Have yet to have the issue of the base coming off fortunately. Definitely excellent advice.

I just saw this video as I'm working on my tyranid army during my 2 weeks off right now....and I'm feeling guilty kuz I posted my first batch feeling proud on reddit with some splotches and primer still showing on my basic black base hahaha... I have texture and basing bones sheets on the way but couldnt wait to start the nids....looks like I messed up

I'm glad you mentioned modeling the base separately. I hope the bases up before painting, but after posing, the mini. Then I paint each separately, them attach the base to the figure and clean up. I find it difficult to paint the underside of the mini with the base in the way. if the base is molded on, I tend to remove the base and add a custom one as a replacement, especially the broccoli bases that Reaper used for years.

I started this a couple of years back and completely agree, get the basing done before painting. Before that, the basing stage to me felt like the most mundane thing ever and it was because finishing it last is so tedious and you're limiting the input the base environment has to the story of whatever it is you're painting. So the day I started sculpting tile bases of the imperial palace for my fists, not only did I enjoy the painting stage more but I started to feel i'd created a laudable environment for those minis.

PVA glue is fine for most basing, except where warping is a concern. The reason that it comes off your fingers is that your flesh is flexible and not really porous. MDF bases are actually great for PVA, even rough plastic bases (i.e. GW bases) have enough texture for the PVA to grip. If I were to catch somebody picking at my miniature base flocking/texture they would get a back of the head slap long before they got anything off of the base.

I usually put small plastic 'stilts' between my models and the bases first. It prevents the models from looking like they are sinking in the ground and also halps keeping basing materials to the base and from the model. At the begining, I used to sut the models on top of the basing texture with super glue, but that bond just isn't as good as plastic on plastic with the correct glue. I usually use simple wood glue for placing sand on the base, but I seal it with a drop of thinned down wood glue before any paint comes close to the model. Another thing I like using is 'Tote Erde Paste' (dead earth paste). This consists of a primer (that's rather similar to wood glue) and a paste that will form deep crackles when it dries on top of the primer. Rather similar to crackle medium or even GWs Agrellan Earth (I think that's the right one at least), but I can apply it in a nice thick layer for nice, deep crackles and. Not sure where you can order that in the US (the one I use is made by Ziterdes, if that helps anyone).

What I do to make my PVA glue strongest is to glue down the model with superglue first, then use pure, PVA glue to spread around the feet and such, not worrying usually if a little gets on the feet(since I can always wipe it later). I then coat the base in sand first, just covering everything, making sure it’s all there. I add more pure glue for corners and such, let that dry, then put on some watered down glue and let it dry. I sprinkle more sand on top in some spots I want to add bumpiness to, and put more glue. After that, more sand, more watered down glue. I finish by letting all that dry, then using the glue again. It practically solidifies the sand, and it comes out very neatly, with the grains tightly packed and very rigid to the base. It’s a lot of time, but it’s nice to ensure your basing is sturdy

No, stop! I'm still trying to learn how to be a half-passable painter. I can't be learning how to base at the same time!

Your nightmare of having your whole base come off because you stuck it down with PVA is indeed a reality! Has happened to me a few times with heavy metal models with think layers of grit on the base, and you're right- it literally just does come off as one solid disk! A horrifying experience... Needless to say I no longer use PVA! Great video Uncle Atom

Kitty litter is a great idea. I bought a big bag of rocks and sand from the pet store(for fish tanks) and I primarily use those, but for fine grain sand I use Woodland Scenics fine buff sand B73.

Great tip as always! I learn't this after a year or two of being in the hobby and I have to say is has a major change on the effect a finished model has. An average paint job will look super slick with a nice base too it and a great paint job with good basing with make it look amazing! Also its very true about priming the sand when on the base. Definitely helps it stay on the base alot longer. :)

Agreed 100%. I've gotten glue stuck to my models more times than I can count - particularly because it can be tricky to get the glue onto the model sometimes when it it a very intricate sculpt with lots of pieces hanging low to the ground. Rather do that first than ending up with bits of sand glued on top of your paintjob

I use a light glue to attach the mini to the base for painting of the mini, then pop it off later, and attach it to the pre made base, I use usually make a small foot pad that will be securely attached to the base through the texture.

I have always based last. Sometimes I am not even sure what I want to do with my bases until I am done painting. It is easy for me to cover up paint mistakes on the ground. I might consider texturing before priming, but I haven't really had much trouble with my stuff coming off the base. I used watered down pva glue and then put another layer to seal the texture. I also use a lot of turf and static grass and natural pebbles, which I don't paint. I think as long as people are doing something with their bases, it probably doesn't matter too much when they do it. I am surprised to learn that so many people prefer plain bases, but I guess I can understand why.

I had a conundrum recently. The SAS paint their vehicles pink for desert operations because, the desert does not look like the beach and actually does have pink tones that show according to the light and time of day. So I based my 17 pdr AT guns with a coarse sand because I wanted the harsh terrain where there were chunks of rock lying around and sure enough there was this pink hue in the base. It then took me 4 days to come to a decision on whether or not to paint over it because of this natural hue that did change according the the light source on it. Tragically I did paint it because I needed to keep the basing on the base come games day and I did not try reproduce the colour because I just don't have that skill. But there was one moment where the natural colour said it all.

I just want to say that the Station to Station shirt makes my already high esteem for you increase exponentially.

Wouldn't static grass and clump foliage also go on after the painting?

something I've given a go at, I put down a thin layer of plastic glue then drop the sand on it, I let that dry then drop a drop or two of super thin CA glue on top to help seal it.

White glue thinned with water. Use an old brush to spread the glue. Dunk in a tub of grit, or sprinkle. After it's dried, use another layer of watered down white glue. Drizzle it on. Seals the grit to the base so it doesn't flake off when painting.

I find scratching and roughing up the base before putting on pva to the base helps give it something to hold onto.

I just use liberal amounts of agrellan earth. It gives it's own texture as it can be lumpy when you use large amounts and it cracks to give a dry mud esque look. I tend to paint quite dark models so having a light grey/brown base tends to make it stand out nicely. For my Chaos stuff I'm adding some blood for the blood god as well to give it a cool finish (possibly put some on the feet as well so it looks like they've stepped on something)

I once saw a army of Lord of the rings at GW. the miniatures were painted about 5/10 quality, not that great, but they all had decent and consistent base jobs and it made the army loook fantastic.

Nice tip, although I don't go to town on my bases, I do put the sand on before painting the mini and it does seem to make life easier! :)

I had a friend (he died few years ago) that always painted his models like RTS units- they all had same colour motifs and plain base from its color- for example, elves had purple clothings and ornaments and plain purple bases, orcs had reds, uruks had white, dwarves had orange etc. It looked as if he's playing a computer game on table, and he said he never had problems quickly identfying which minis are his on torunaments.

I may be doing it a bit odd, but I do the base separately. I basecoat and paint the miniature on either temporary bases or via other means, coat and paint the base as if it was its own stuff, then put the two together. In the case of snow or desert, I premarked the footprints of the model, so I already know where it'll go. (The gargoyles I did a bit different again, made the rock pillars, finished the texturing of the base, painted it up, and since the rocks kept the girls high up, I did not need to put them on a different medium during painting.)

What I do sometimes is mix the sand with texture paste and applied it on the bases before I prime paint the models. I also did one where I mixed the brown basecoat paint with the sand and texture paste before I spread them on the bases around the models I already painted.

PVA glue is personally preferred because it is flexible and stays on like a glove. CA glue hardens into a disc and can pop off with a heavy bump or god forbid - a drop. I've tried both and had failures with CA when stressed with play over time.

This is a good pro tip, alss I am far from a pro and just use the GW texture base paints, tuffs and maybe some moss :)

I LOVE doing bases. I side with Non-Uncle Tom on this. I do quite a bit of re-basing for minis that come with bases already attached and for WH 40K, I do the bases separately...whether I make my own or use Secret Weapon bases.

I am new to the Warhammer scene and I am doing basing last as I am still trying to decide what I will have for my Shattered Dominion tiles. Since this is going to be a centerpiece in the house, I’m more inclined to make sure everything fits the scene in the best way possible.

Yeah, I never got the blank bases or unpainted basing materials thing and honestly its one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to miniatures and the hobby of painting them. I'd even prefer the pre-molded bases that come on Reaper Dark Heaven and Bones miniatures to a blank base or glue and sand. I can't even describe the disappointment/irritation I feel when someone posts a picture of even a mediocre paint job (let alone something truly good) with absolutely nothing going on on the base. I've heard and, at least academically, understand the point of view that some people feel like it strains their suspension of disbelief if the miniature bases don't match the tabletop scenery and/or they feel like having something on the base is distracting, but in practice I just can't wrap my head around it. There have been quite a few videos where the creator talks about the base being more like a single snapshot into whatever world your miniatures are supposed to be a part of, basically another tool to help you tell a story with your minis whether they be 40k, Age of Sigmar, Malifaux, or whatever and its a philosophy that I share and practice. It doesn't always have to be something staggeringly elaborate; just some sand, rocks and grass tufts can still make a miniature look like it belongs to some sort of world and add a further element to that story.

A decent base beats a decent paint job any day. I always prefer painting the miniature separately from the base, as you mention, because it allows you to do both justice. This has only burnt me a few times, when the mini basically obscured all my work, but I learnt from that mistake.

I started using GW new (to me new) textures range and one of them is called Stirland mud. basically just thick brown paint with sand/grit already added to it. It works best straight after priming because it's already the right colour and it retains a wet look. perfect for my nurgle models. otherwise I always base before undercoat. I once tried basing before gluing - didn't work out well!

Iv had bases with PVA glue on for years. The truth is I rather use other glue now. As long as the PVA dont get wet your good to go It seems. Thanks for your videos

I am new and learning as I go. For my WOR models I am trying to add texture after but I will try switching

I use texture paint religiously and go through phase of doing texture first before prime , or texture after painting or even base separate completely. For speed I do the texture last and do all my guys in one go bases wise however this actually takes longer than doing the bases separate as a sub assembly which had its own issue when gluing .

i use a mix of patches of snow, tufty grass and charcoal grit on my bases... bit of a nightmare, but it looks cool and helps lift my colour scheme. PVA is yet to fail me thus far.... it is important to note though that there are good and bad PVA glues... wood glue is just decent PVA. i have used it to repair one of my guitars and have a friend who is a luthier, he repaired a smashed up guitar that was in tonnes of little shards with just watered down PVA!!!! it still plays great! im just gonna say PVA one last time.... PVA.

Yeaah, realized I should have put my basing textures on first when I finally completed my first five models. I mean, I have no idea what I even want it to look like at the moment so I suppose I will have to come back and do them all once I know what to do and how. Worst case, I really like the aesthetic of the bases GW is selling so that's an option.

I usually use wood glue (not sure if that is the right name, I mean the white stuff used for glueing wood) for basing. First to make the sand stick to the base, and after that is dried, I do a 50/50 mix of wood glue and water. Takes a bit longer to dry, but afterwards it is almost like concrete. Of course all before primer.

been doing this for years!

Wise words from Unca Atom. Build-Base then Prime-Paint.

Am with you all the way on this point...!

I have had PVA glue peel up in one big layer with all of my basing grit and paint efforts. I was not a happy camper. It remained in one piece, so I managed to glue the entire layer back down to the base.

A blazer! Sartorial splendor abounds!

Ill do that later. The story of my basing.

Interesting material for basing is crushed pumice, creates very interesting porous texture :-)

Good to know i'm in the safe spot......painting bases and models separately, and only when both complete, glue (or better pin) togheter

Well, look who got all dressed up for the video today :P Hah - Great stuff, as always!

What you said about pva glue has happened to me before

I plan on painting some Guild Ball models with a sort of gravel mixed with grass for the base. Should I glue down sand first and add grass after I paint? Thanks for the great videos! Helpful and enjoyable to watch.

just noticed you've hit 20k subscribers! congratulations! :-)

Another way of doing things are doing the base separate. It's a bit more time consuming, but I find the end result to be even better. But yeah, Basing makes all the difference in the world.

Eh? I just got into painting like a month ago and I just naturally wanted to do the base and the model separate because I couldn't afford the colour scheme for both. Now that I've done a couple of models I can easily do the bases and glue on the models afterwards. It wasn't on purpose but I'm much more comfortable this way

this is 100% true, but if you don't do this use texture paints they look guite good for basing and come in quite a few colours.

This might be weird, but I'm 2D painting my current army's bases. I paint rocks, bushes, craters, fire, etc. on the flat base, sort of Bob Ross style. This mediocre base painting goes very well with my poor paint jobs :D

To avoid the PVA popping off a base primer the base first. Same reason we prime before painting.

My Legion army is all Tatooine sand and I use a Vellejo sand paste. I really just shade it with some Saraphim Sepia so I wait to apply till right after priming. But I always get the paste on and shaded before painting the model..

I hear hour fear about pva glue peeling off. I find matte medium mixed with flock, sand and maybe some paint makes for a great basing material before or after priming

I just finished removing the 25mm bases for my Space Marines as they now use 32mm. Considering using the now unused 25mm to rebase my square based Tomb King force for AoS. how much better do you think round bases look and feel for AoS? taking into account that although I collected while WFB was still around I did very little playing until AoS came around. I am hesitant as I keep thinking, what if WFB comes back. Side note: Just found your channel earlier this week, love your content. subs :)

Interesting tip... Never considered it before. Going to start working on my bases now.

good vid and tips homie!

OOOooo get you, wearing a jacket :D

Doggonet you could make a topic about melting ice sound intrigueing, and having a nick name like Atom Smasher doesn't hurt either

I like to paint the bases seperatly from the models (if they are characters or larger models) otherwise I allways based before priming, especially since I like to have alot of stuff going onto my bases

Whoa. So I just got back into painting, had painted some miniatures in my early 10s/teens. And I'm more pro than uncle Atom. I kept my Skittari ranger off the base to make it easier to get the underside of his coat.

Wham! This video hit me right between the eyes! I have never based a single one of my tyranid models... oh, the shame!

I use Elmers glue for my sand texture basing. I am not worried about it peeling off because I apply valeo varnish

Came here from Kwik & EZ Stormtroopers vid. Got freaked by the sport coat

I know that this is a super old video but: do you ever run into problems using CA glue since it tends to dry so fast? Do you use thin or thick glue? I tend to use PVA with some asphalt flock (often onto cork) but the PVA comes off super easily so I'd be happy to find a more effective glue.

How does this advice work when we use Citadel basing texture paint?

Necro reply :) But, what about if you are playing on a board like the adventure system (Castle Ravenloft etc) then you want the base to just fit in with the dungeon tiles, plain grey. So, having a lovely base is very cool for RPG or Display Models, but.... and even then, if you are playing a game located in the desert sands a snow theme bas is going to look strange. Plain bases have a function then?

So you recommend applying basing materials, gluing the model on the base, and then priming?

I really like not having my minis based. I like that they look clean, plus I hate when the bases don’t match the mat. There’s something weird about a dude with snow on his feet in the middle of the desert. You know? To each his own, right?

I have a hero forge mini and on it's base are mushrooms, how can I paint them to be bioluminescent (blue). I also have some water effect paint that I've never experimented with and i wanted to have it under the mushrooms for a moist damp effect. tips?

Hey, so I am starting the "basing" part of my army for the first time, and I planned on using the texture paints from GW and static grass. Shouldn't I do that after? Or, not?

I love the outfit!

My basing standard is Heroscape. Just slap a sticker on it XD XD.

I've preached this same message for years now.

I don't like basing because the base never marches the terrain.

what if you use static grass or flock? that would be last right

More visual examples, please!

Haha Thats awsome that he goes by Uncle. He honeslty looks like my uncle haha

What if you rebase your model to a clear base? I'm guessing then you leave it plain?

Damn. Fancy suit!