It was something we did all the time. A friend only recently finished his stash of beer mats from his twenties. Back in the day I used the flimsy card from my father’s shirts for basing and the figures lived in his Van Heusen (?) shirt boxes even though they buckled under the weight of my Mythical Earth fellows. We are spoilt for choice when it comes to mdf and have some really good base companies such as Warbases who stock every conceivable size and shape. It was fun doing the old school bases yesterday but I will stick to mdf for non flat matters. What do you use for your basing?
I still cut up card. I use mounting board from the local art-shop.
ReplyDeleteI am willing to admit that the accuracy of some of my HOTT bases is not outstanding :)
I am Impressed you are so old school, well done.
DeleteI bought some Litko perspex bases for my aircraft and superheroes because it allowed me to use them on any table surface without having to worry about matching the base to the board :)
DeleteYes decent card was an issue in the early years , Kellogg's was my go to product , MDF are of course are the thing nowadays - and 2p's
ReplyDeleteWe have a sort of builders supply shop nearby and I find 2p sized washers are almost cheaper and more convenient these days plus they have washers in different sizes too.
DeleteThere is something rather nice about curling bases with the tetrion or flock crumbling off.... reminds me of happy days round the gaming tables of the 80's.
ReplyDeleteCrumbly tetrion ,yes I remember it well.
DeleteAh beermats. Takes me back to the late 70s and early 80s. I’d tried cereal packets, which were OK with Airfix soldiers but not for my Minifigs. I reverted to cereal packets when I took up with 6mm 30 years ago but switched to mdf a decade or so ago. Apart from command and casualty figures which are usually on coins.
ReplyDeleteI might have to try card again if I’m to get a Continuation War game on the table soon though.
Card cutting has a zen like quality to it which can be pleasing.
DeleteFor several years I relied heavily on Clementine crates but for my 40's and 54's I'm now changed to foamcoare for ease of cutting.
ReplyDeleteWashers for the collections based as individuals.
I also made good use of Litko till there was a budget crunch. I suspect I will return there next year since they are actual rectangles with square corners rather than various nearly rectangular rhomboids.
Foamcore nor crate wood I have not tried. Crate wood is probably too like woodwork for someone with little or no craft skills like me.
DeleteI thought of using washers, until I found out that the ones which are the same size as a Australian 5c coin actually cost more than 5c. So I just use the coins instead - my local cafe is more than happy to give me piles of them in exchange for 'grown up' coins :)
Delete(I still have a small supply of UK 1p pieces as well, which are roughly the same size)
I use cardboard; I recycle old book boards, box folders, A4 folders.. - I even sometimes buy cardboard (usually Daler mounting board)
ReplyDelete2mm card for my 28mm figs and 3mm cardboard for my 40mm figs; using washers for single figures (1p size or 2p size). My 54m Gauls all went on poker chips, while the 54mm romans went on square 3mm card bases.
I have bought Daler in the past, I had forgotten about that, poker chips are a great idea.
DeleteI mostly use washers and/or commercial plastic bases. All individually mounted. I did buy some Litko laser-cut plywood bases some time ago with the idea of making some multi-figure stands for battles, but have only mounted a few figures on a handful of them so far (as a test).
ReplyDeleteI did use cardboard decades ago when I was doing some 15mm gaming (The Sword and the Flame), but that small army is long gone (since I moved away from my opponents/compatriots).
Plastic basing is so often something we are use/ deal with due to the way figures come these days. I find it can be as much a hinderence as a help with trying to get narrow bases to stay up in wide slots or bases. Rather fiddly at times.
DeleteIn the old days, I cut balsa wood bases by hand. For at least ten years, I have used 3mm mdf laser cut bases from Oitko Aerosystems.
ReplyDelete3mm is so much more robust than 2mm. Recently I ordered some 2mm bases and when they arrived I felt the need to glue them together in twos prior to use.
ReplyDelete