Most Miniature Bases SUCK! Here are Tips to Help! 

the only problem I have with your videos, is that, after seeing them, I want to rebase my whole army

EoB is the undisputed king of basing on youtube

I used to do all my bases the same way back in the day when I started with this hobby. But now I find it just as exciting to come up with a new base concept for each project, as painting the miniatures themselves.

I spent around an entire week prepping all my Gloomspite bases with various sands and stones, sticking wire through it and sculpting small rivolets of muddy water. Then sculpted more than a 100 mushrooms for all the bases varying sizes. Yes even for the humble spear&shield goblins. I love painting and making bases. Especially when tackling an entire army at once!

We need a montage of just Jay's head pasted on various scenery and replacing people's heads!

"have fun and don't let anyone stop you" is the absolute best thing I have heard you say. I have only recently found your channel. I've watched, and saved, a bunch of your videos lately. It wasn't until I heard what I just quoted that I decided to actually subscribe. There have been many other things that got me close but that was it. I have built model kits (mostly car but a few random miniature figures) for well over 30 years now. I always wanted to get into wargaming but there has never been a real interest from others in my area. When I built things for D&D, Warhammer, or whatever, it was just for enjoyment. Recently I have been been really interested in building miniatures and items that are more related to wargaming. I noticed quickly that the "rivet counters" and/or perfectionists plague this genre of a hobby also. Any hobby is supposed to be about enjoying your time spent doing it. Doesn't matter if it's hardcore gaming, model building, miniature painting, scrapbooking, or whatever. That line hit me as the same thing I've tried to tell everyone about any hobby I've ever dealt with. Screw what anyone says, do what makes you happy and allows you to enjoy it. It's great to get constructive criticism and to search out ways to get better but don't be discouraged if you can't do it. Understand that you may have limitations due to whatever reason. Skill, money, time, resources, whatever. Do the best you can with what you got and enjoy yourself. Lol. Sorry for such a long reply here. That one little sentence screams a whole lot. I just wish more people understood it. I have seen so many people quit things they really like because they feel they aren't "good enough" for people that don't really matter. "have fun and don't let anyone stop you"

Personally, I tend to treat bases the same way Sideshow Collectibles treats their premium statues. The base is as much a part a canvas as the character inhabiting it, and can convey as much personality as the body language or facial expression of the miniature. Part of the reason I do this is because far too often, miniature games in my circle tend to be picked up and abandoned. It's hard to maintain interest in a mini if you're assembling it purely for a game, but I've found that treating each one as a miniature diorama helps me appreciate the aesthetic of the model more, and I've ended up keeping a lot of pieces that while I have no use for them, still end up being pieces I admire and proudly put on display.

Great timing! Just as I was thinking about how to base my new Tau

Glad you took basing as your personal mission for the hobby. All those little black circles ⚫ out there, unloved and unflocked..But here you are aiming for "No base left behind" attitude. well cheers to you and your multitude of basing videos

Flat base with dirt, rock and tuft of grass. Pet peeve as well. Especially when it doesn't suit mini. Great video.

Thanks to a friend showing me how to base (AND referring me to this channel) I now exclusively 3D print my (dnd)models, and leave the bases as blank as possible. Yes, 3D printing is cool and all (and way easier than you'd think!) but just doing some arts and crafts on a base is still really cool! Especially how YOU do it... I never thought I'd use kitty litter for a base... but here I am! Recycling EVERYTHING... how cool is that? (Joking with the recycling kitty litter by the way XD)

I watched your Giant's Causeway basing video and it helped me so much with crafting block. Now my Company Commander has her hero base. Thanks so much.

I'm not alone for collecting Gelato jars for basing. :)

Back about 6yrs ago I made a video in several bases. After seeing this and all your cool basing videos, I kinda wanna revisit my basing video and see how my basing techniques have improved. Look forward to more videos my friend!

I absolutely LOVE your basing videos. Thanks for so many amazing ideas. I can apply these ideas and techniques to my terrain as well as bases ( which are just mini pieces of terrain after all ).

Great video as always! And I think your right homemade bases are not disappearing anytime soon

Had some fun basing my NH and SE a while back. I used plaster parts made for RPG scenery originaly. A cemetery/broken cathedral looks awsome

Your basing playlist is a must watch!

Nice concise overview of the world of basing..

I'm having trouble figuring out a base scheme for my death guard, mainly how to do mud to match the Grimdark of my minis. I'll have to watch you're tutorials again!

The animations/editing in this vid were great! Really useful insights and examples, thanks for sharing

EoB tutorials will turn you into a master baser!

Glue+Sand and small stones +base color coat and light dry brush is one of the best beginner things to do for bases. And as well pretty versatile, as you can go from vulcanic earth, to more mountain or desert like looks to full on polar ice waste simply by the choice of colors you use after the glue has dried. Used white base+ light blue dry brush for my first army ( Everwinter themed Mawtribes) Basing and it looked way better than my actual painting skills at that time.

Creative juices sounds like a brand name for home made moonshine lol Seriously though thanks for the vid I am considering re-doing my army's bases and this will help greatly in picking the right scheme

Magnetic bases would be fun for a sci fi game, walking on walls and stuff in a space station.

EoB: Don’t add washers Me: *looks at box of washers I bought for bases*

Love yer stuff ! Keep up da good work!

For easy to make, some artificial bases are actually the simplest to make. Things like a modern base using some finer sandpaper, paint a dark grey, then a drybrush of a lighter grey. Then add road markings with off white or yellow. It's also rather easy to upgrade it with cracks, debris, and similar. As for washers, they're normally worth using only on the very strangely balanced miniatures that are just unstable. One of the WizKids male water genasi druids from their Nolzur's line (The one with the crashing wave), is something that on a normal base will just randomly fall over if you don't do something to weight the base.

Excellent video (as always). Personally I would say that the appearance of elevation/irregularity rather than necessarily actual elevation is the important part. If every model is on a little hill it can start to look weird (to me). I generally use some sculpted textured basing paste and ‘bits’ to create undulations on the surface to lose the flat base look but save the ‘rocky promontory’ look for characters or larger bases. Also, excellent points about the base, and base edge, colours. Definitely agree with Jay that a consistent and/or complementary edge colour or theme is just as, or more powerful than, the, apparently hobby mandated, black base edging…

Kill Team player here soooo, sadly I avoid added height

My current basing scheme for my evil sunz orks is to paint the base red and then add some splotches of martian ironearth and ironcrust. On small infantry sized bases the texture paint gives enough elevation to look alright. On larger bases I've used cork and Spackle to add some variation to the height. GW gives away nice sand textured bases with most of their minis, it seems a waste to not take advantage of that at least a little bit.

I love designing bases. it's actually one of my favourite parts of painting minis. Even in the olden days I would paint the rims goblin green and put flock on them, ha ha. Things have evolved a long way since those days though. Designing the bases for a new army is actually something that factors into the overall scheme for me. I'll sometimes pick minis because of a certain type of base I want to create.

I literally screen shotted those necrons right before you said “no good!” I love that scheme 💙

I was just searching some basing ideas for my Lady Olynder, I love her model and I want a fitting base.

The Base Ready line from Geek Gaming Scenics (some others have likely pointed it out somewhere in here) would give you what you are looking for in a prepackaged basing material. They are not uniform, and they are color blended to appear natural. Arid Earth is my go too.

There may be hope for my bases too.... Thank you so much for this informative video, keep up the awesome job! ☺️

I often choose the accent colour as baserim colour. It does draw the eyes a bit, but I find that it make a more complete impression. Just like a beautiful carved frame around a picture.

Talking to a friend about basing his mini today then I sent him some links to you.

I nearly died when I saw the clear round ice-cream container with basing stuff in it cause I literly only use those now to store my stuff.

Love your base videos so helpful :)

A way that I've figured out to create a crackled effect (the model is going to need to be not on the base) paint is to: 1) base the model with sand or very similar and keep it compact. 2) get the main colour you're using, water it down and slap it on. 3) get that colour and a slightly lighter one, get your hobby tooth brush, mix it in a flick the paint on with it. When it dries I've found it makes a pretty reliable crackle effect but also a great way to create grass on dirt on the base, making it blend more when adding tufts.

Modelling putty for bases is an amazing tip!

I do love the captions.. Necrons have become Neck runs. Also, great video and wants make to do actual basing for change..

I was not expecting a Food/Film Theory parody opener. Can you do a Mikerophone one?

As a 3D Printing hobbyist with both kinds of hobby printing. I still like to base my minis individually! I like to make things and unless the model is made for a specific base I want to experiment. I just printed a bunch of 25 mm basic flat bases and some recessed ones that I can decorate with whatever I like. I do minis for dnd rather than army building so my minis dont alwayd have bases. Always handy to have spares anyway.

Your floor tiles tutorial inspired my Emperor's Children bases. Purple armour vs tan sand and cracked red and grey tiles

I find thin thin cork is good to add subtle height changes you might see on flat ground

I’m a year late but that sponsor with Cobalt Keep is the first time I’ve clicked away from a video to check a sponsor out And I like em

Great advice! Thanks.

Easiest bases I ever did was for a Necron Tomb World theme for my Immortals: literally just cut-out pieces of the box they came in sprayed black and dry-brushed bright green. Pretty sure I learned how to do that on this channel, as a matter of fact!

That last name on EoB complete had me dying. Great video!

Great video! BUT, I must see more pictures of that beautiful Astra Militarum Sentinel please! Even better, maybe a how-to video on the model and/or the base - did you ever make one for this?

As someone who almost adds some 3d printed parts to my minis, I think slightly fancier printed bases for like..... charactes and elite models is fine, but I almost always use the standard GW bases because it feels so right

"Don't put weights in the bottom of your bases! .... Bur also put heavy magnets in the bottom of your bases" :p

Thanks for featuring my Space Marine Terminator Librarian!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who uses those Talenti gelato containers for this hobby.

The elevator pitch at the end in favor of homemade bases is so *_*weirdo grunty noises of approval_****

I find basing one of the best parts of a build, it’s a great time to use up some of my bits :D

Is that a talenti ice cream container at 5:45? I approve, those things are sturdy and perfectly sized for just about anything.

Thanks for the info 🙏!

The idea behind single grade flock material is you can mix various sizes as the base requires for your project... You have total control over the size ratio you want.

For my army's I paint the edge of the base color coded to the primary weapon that they are carrying with vertical stripes to show the smaller gear.

I'm glad to know that i'm not the only person who uses those talenti containers for other things

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

2:15 I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who used cat litter, there are no wrong materials for bases.

I generally don't put weights underneath bases, but some minis are so off-balance - usually because the base is too small - that they demand weighting, otherwise they tip over every 5 minutes.

Good stuff. Thanks.

I'm trying to get into mini sculpting. Do I have to buy those premade base and work on them for my custom minis or make the entire thing on my own? What do you think would be the pros and cons? Also would that require plastic glueing?

Awesome content. Kudos for a great video and a new subscriber. Two points though: You really should base Before painting, so you can do the entire piece in a single go and do a complete color composition. Second important tip I would add is that you do NOT want to paint base rims pure black. The reason is because you will be essentially putting the highest contrast point of your color scheme outside the model/basing itself. You should go with a slightly "off-black" color if that's what you are doing with your rims (totally fine to use other colors for color-coding armies or for boardgaming in general though).

I've noticed some people saying "but the bases won't match the table I'm playing on" over the years, and I kinda think they're coming at it from the wrong direction. It should be more about making the models in your army match each other in some way, especially if there's a lot of variation in colour scheme. It can also be a great way to tell a story with your army, or explore their lore/themes more. That said, knowing how to vary your basing without losing that sense of unity is also super useful, since it can help differentiate squads and characters if done right.

Hello. These are all great tips but if i may add something to your bag of tricks. I have been painting minis and bases, dioramas for around 40yrs. Cat liter is made to absorbe moisture and it will sooner or later even sealed in super glue. I have had scenics fall apart 20yrs after the build or 1year after. If you can replace with small stones it will last longer. Just a tip from someone who has been around long enough to see what time does. All the best.

I super glue a penny to the underside of the base. Helps keep those top-heavy models upright.

The painting the edge of the base a simmilar color of a different tone seems to work the best 9:38 the painting base same green does not work (looks old and dated) vs the sentinal with earthtone base and brown around it

I'm thinking a light gray terrain for my eldar with ruins features. As if they were guarding the remains of their lost civilization.

I wonder if tile grout would work for fine sand.

What would be your tip/trick for sand dunes? like the dune sea from star wars or arrakis?

What do i do if my minia already attached and painted should i just put glue all over the botton and add sand and pebbles from my yard after i sift it

9:10 I painted the rims of my ultramarines with macragge blue without knowing people say black, it was my instinct and I see it like the base has protruded from the earth and the model as being highlighted like a video game. This means my ultramarines are painted the same as the rim however the base itself is a dark brown/grey/green colour for contrast. I do however use a lot of metallic paint in my models so they pop for their shiny highlights too

hey i have a question for a tau army that have mainly muted realistic green as its main colour what type of base do you recomend.

Never been a fan of models kicking rocks across the battlefield :p I actually like the 'super flat boring ground' I have an urban mat and do urban basing but keep the rim black, looks good to me ^^

Holy craaaaaaaap, the ratio of info to minutes in this video is insane.

I have an army I'm working on. and I, not really having a lot of practice, did some things in the wrong order. Now I've got a bunch of primed minis attached to plane bases. Should I try to seperate them, base, and reattach later, or just base arround where their feet already are? They are supposed to be in a desert envirionment with some bigger rocks, chunks of an old highway, and red/orange sand

You're awesome and this is a great video

I've got planned an ice and snow base for my tau

i would love to see a video on the mushroom base at 10:22. pops out soo much looks like a light effect or somtheing not paint lol

I'd love to see a video on like "stupidly accurate bases" where you just cut a circle out of the ground in a couple areas and make them into bases 😄

One exception regarding adding weight to bases: Resin/printed minis *will* shatter into many pieces if dropped, regardless of how light they are. Resin is much less flexible and more brittle than GW plastic, so they can't survive a drop the same way a GW model can. Might as well weigh the bases down at that point.

Great video

If it wasn’t for EOB’s tutorials I would be in texture paint hell Also 12:38 woooooo

Does anybody have a reference to doing grass well? Also I see a lot of people using tiny spray bottles with PVA and wet water but I haven't yet found those bottles anywhere

Paint that bonesinger! A crime to leave such a model unpainted! :P Good video btw, I took it upon myself to make some space hulk themed bases for my own army.

I use Soda Powder as sand it is fine enough and looks more inscale with the Minis

Well, my bases are basic. Since it takes me so long to paint units, I usually build them first and stick them to the base. The 100+ guardsmen will all be pretty basic bases, too, but I am replacing a few Crisis suits, so I should take that chance to make some cool red sand instead of the basic flat red that the other guys have. Also, I paint my rims bright green for that classic touch.

Garlic powder or granulated garlic makes a good sand or mud depending on the glue used to adhere it. Also can help verify who's minis are whos at a game or area if some are painted in same scheme (liek both the same chapter or such roughly) when you can sniff the mini and go, ah yes, that's garlic and black pepper, clearly one of mine I believe all present can agree...

I need to go buy some zipties. I have some Star Wars characters that need some real extra thicc wiring. In terms of basing color I try to keep the colors on the base accenting those on the mini, or in the base of armies, based on the army lore. Sisters are on jungle bases, Khorney Chaos are on blood soaked desolate bases. Warcry guys are all on diorama styled craggy plataeu bases. My Star Wars Legion guys are all on on specific planet, the one all of my terrain is crafter for. So the Rebels all blend in (and I mean REALLY blend in, I did too good with the camo) while the Imperials all stand out. As for the coin on the bottom of the base: I only do it for top heavy models. Like those with banners or if the base is too small for the mini.

This video was very based. Thankyou

This video is rated: BASED

I was dead when Jay pulled out, Creative Juices. Lol

I LOVE the game theory intro XD

The clear base debate is something I didn't realize had support.