Creating, molding, and replicating custom bases for your models.

Ever been to a gaming event or looked online and seen a perfectly themed army with matching bases and wondered how you could have that for yourself.  There are a few ways to have this for yourself.  You could buy bases from one of the many online stores.  You could create your own by hand make each one individually, or you could make a few for replication.  There are advantages and disadvantages of each one of these options.

Buying custom bases from an online store is appealing in that you can just order the quantity you need and wait for them to arrive.  There is very little work from your part and you can get an army based quickly.  But the downside is the cost, and being able to find a base type that fits your armies theme.  There is also the potential problem of sourcing more bases if you decide to change or expand your army.

Creating your own bases individually allows you to theme the bases exactly to what you want.  But it does take a lot of time, and there is always the potential problem of not having enough materials to make all bases match.  This can be problematic if you decide to add new units, or expand your army.

The third option is to create a few themed bases of differing sizes and mold them for reproduction. This will allow you to create as many bases as required, while still having the mold to make any additional bases you may need in the future.  This can be cheaper in some cases as well depending on what materials you are basing with.  The drawback to this in most cases is knowing how to mold and replicate the bases.

Creating your own themed bases for molding

The tools and materials needed for this project will vary depending on what materials you are working with.  For this I have used:

Cutters
Super glue
Sand paper
Match sticks
Bases (size and numbers as needed)
Modelling putty (Kneadatite)
Sculpting tools for putty
Basing materials (sand, gravel)
Spray paint (colour does not matter)
Plastic sprue (model frames)
Random bits left over from other kits

Firstly look at your current army and take note of all the differing base sizes you will need.  Put aside a selection of bases in these sizes for you to work on.  These will become the master bases for molding.  The number of each size you choose is up to you depending on the amount of each type you will use, and the amount of variation you would like to see when done.  Something to keep in mind when selecting numbers is that each base can be further customised when painting to add additional variation.

These are the bases I have selected to terrain and become the "Master bases".

The next step is to work out what theme you wish to use.  This could be anything from a dense city environment, to an alien space ship, to a nightmarish jungle.  The options are only as limited as your imagination.  Once you have settled on the theme it is time to start putting together the materials you will need to create the bases.

For this tutorial I have decided on a prolonged war environment within a ruined city.  So I want to have bases showing both rubble and debris, as well as paving stones, and trench boards.  With this in mind, I started on the largest base first.  As this base size will only be for larger models such as walkers, It will be more open and less confined with rubble.  So I decided this was the base to have visible paving showing through.

The paving was made by firstly mixing together a small amount of modelling putty.  I have used Kneadatite in this case.  Once it was thoroughly mixed I pressed it into the centre of the base.  Then using my thumb I gently worked it outwards thinning it as I went.  You only need a 1mm covering on the base for basic paving to be made.  At this stage I found that I had not mixed enough putty, so I decided to just cover the centre and have rubble surrounding the paving.

The basic modelling tools used to sculpt the putty.

With the putty spread I began working with basic modelling tools to imprint the lines that would define the edges of each paving stone.  As this is from a protracted war environment, the paving would be old, so I went with irregular shapes and sizes for each stone.  I then used a match stick to press into the paving stones to add further texture.

The finished Paving stones.

Waiting for the putty to set, I moved onto the next base.  For this next base I chose to cover it in timber boards to simulate the boards in the bottom of a trench.  Match stick were placed over the base to cover it, and then glued in place with glue.  After this dried I used clippers to trim the matches in line with the edge of the base.  Sandpaper was then used to round the edges and finish the shape of the base.

The match sticks prior to being clipped to length.

Next I moved onto the remaining bases.  For these I wanted to cover them in varying amounts of rubble and random spare bits I had put aside.  But first I had to fill the slots in the smaller bases.  For this I trimmed match sticks and glued them into the slots.  Then I made the larger rubble by taking lengths of sprue (the frame the unassembled model parts are attached to), and using clipper cutting them into small irregular shapes.  I glued some of the random parts I had to some bases, and then began gluing varying amounts of rubble to the other bases.  I also wanted there be some wood visible on some bases, so I cut some match sticks into small lengths and placed and piled them on some bases.  I then glued these in place once I was happy with their placement.

Bases before any basing material was applied.

Using basing materials.  Please note that it is best to place your base within an open container or box to minimise mess, and so you can collect the excess for reuse later.  Apply a thin layer of glue to a small area of the base and gently sprinkle the basing material to this area.  Gently tap any excess off into a box or container.  Then move to the next section of base and repeat.  If you want it to appear thicker, then just go over the same area again in the same manner.

It was now time to add the basing materials.  For these I used a fine gravel, and sand.  I applied a thin layer of glue to parts of the bases around where the sprue rubble piles were, and then sprinkled the gravel on to them.  I applied gravel in this manner to areas in and around the rubble piles.  Next I went over the gravel areas and any uncovered areas of each base with glue, and sprinkled sand over the top.

With the bases now covered it was time to undercoat them.  This is done to ensure the bases are sealed prior to molding.  For this I used spray paint, and applied two this coats of paint.  The colour you choose does not matter at all as it is just being used as a sealing agent.  For mine I used yellow as it helps for the detail to show.

Sealed bases ready for molding.

Molding the bases for replication

To mold the bases you only require a few simple items.  The items I have used for this tutorial are:

Silicone
Small water dish (Filled half way with room temperature water)
Dish soap
Plastic sheet
Ruler or straight edge
Super glue

Molding the bases is a very simple task that anyone can do at home.  I do recommend working in an open area, or have good ventilation, as some types of silicone do smell or can have toxic fumes.  For this tutorial I am using the cheapest silicone I could fine.  It is a generic tube of clear flexible silicone sealant that I bought from Bunnings for around $4.

The first step is to layout the bases on the plastic sheet to determine spacing for the mold.  I recommend that you have approximately 1cm between each base.  This will allow the mold to retain strength and not tear during repeated de-molding over time.  Once you have worked out the layout you prefer, use a small amount of super glue to glue each base to the plastic sheet.

Molding supplies ready for molding.

You will next need to add a small amount of dish soap to the water dish and gently mix it together. If you are using a basic silicone caulk as I am, you will need to start adding it to the water/soap mix in small quantities.

Silicone being added to the water/soap mix.

Press the silicone in the water together to make a small ball to work with, and then gently press it to the top of one of the bases.  An even coverage will be best for capturing the detail.  Repeat this for all bases, joining the silicone between as you go.  Add any remaining silicone to the water/soap mix and then spread it over the entire mold.  This will add thickness and strength to the mold when it is dry.  

The thickened silicone mold ready for smoothing.

Now take a plastic ruler and wet it in the water/soap mix and use it to clean up the edges, and gently smooth the top.

Use the ruler to smooth the back of the mold to create a flat base for casting.

Now leave the silicone mold to dry.  This can take anything from 4 to 24 hours depending on the type of silicone you have used.  I recommend leaving it for the full 24 hours to allow it to reach maximum strength.


Once it has fully cured, you can peel the silicone mold away from the plastic sheet, and begin gently demolding the bases.

The mold after being peeled away from the plastic sheet.

To demold the bases, begin at the edge and gently pry the silicone away from the base.  Do this all the way around each base, and they will be free of the mold.  You will find some of the paint has transfered from the base to the mold, this is fine, as the paint was just a barrier to prevent the base from sticking.  The paint that has bonded to the silicone will make its way into the first few casts you do in the mold, but will not wreck any detail in doing so.

Large base removed from mold.

 Once all bases have been removed from the mold, it is time to clean the mold by removing any trapped basing materials that may remain.  To do this use tweezers to pluck away any trapped material.

All bases removed and mold cleaned ready for casting.

Next we will make a quick cast in the mold with Plaster of Paris to check the mold, and ensure all detail was captured correctly.  For this simply mix a small amount of Plaster of Paris, and slowly pour it into the mold where each base is.  I recommend pouring extra into each space using the surface tension to go slightly above the mold height, as plaster can compress as it dries, and the resulting base may be to thin to demold intact.

Mix and pour Plaster of Paris into the mold to check the detail was captured.

Mold with wet plaster poured above the mold height.

Once the plaster has dried, remove it from the mold using the same method we used earlier for the bases.  Check the plaster bases to ensure detail was captured to your satisfaction.

Demolded plaster bases next to the originals for comparison.

If you are happy with the plaster bases, then it is time to cast these in resin.  (When choosing your resin you should keep in mind that cheaper resins may not capture the details as well as you would like).  For this mix the resin you have chosen according to manufacturers instructions.  You will only need a small amount of resin similar to that of the amount of plaster used.  Pour this into the mold as you did previously with the plaster, and allow it to cure.  Most resin's produce a lot of heat while curing so be careful not to attempt to demold them until they have cured.  Curing times vary depending on resin type and manufacturer.  This should be listed on the resin packaging.

Once the resin has cured, demold the resin bases.  Some resins can have a film on them from casting. This will prevent correct adhesion of paint and can be removed easily by washing them in warm soapy water.  Your new bases are now ready for paint, and you have a reusable mold to create more bases as you require them.


I have painted the original bases that were molded as well as the plaster and resin castings to show to show the differences between them.

The completed painted bases.

The original bases (right) compared to the plaster (centre) and resin bases (left).

Original bases painted.

Plaster bases painted.

Resin bases painted.

A closer look at each shows the slight differences and minor defects from the casting process.  In this tutorial I used the cheapest products available and in doing so I compromised the quality of the resin bases.  This could have been due to a few factors.  The resin could have had contaminates, may have been stored for a long time prior to sale, or the catalyst may have not matched the resin type correctly. The finished resin bases in the tutorial lack the same crispness of detail the originals and the plaster bases have.  But having said that, the plaster bases being created in the same mold have shown that the mold itself has captured the details well.  If a higher quality resin was used, then this problem would have been avoided.

After looking at the entire tutorial and the problem with the resin bases produced, it is still cheaper than having bought the bases from another source.  And it has taken far less time than creating each base by hand from scratch.  The total cost of all materials used in creating the mold came to $6 AUD. This does not factor in the costs associated with creating the master bases that were molded, but does give you the advantage and opportunity to create as many future bases as you need simply and cheaply.  The total amount of resin I used for the casting was 41grams.  If you buy as good quality casting resin, which can cost $40 per Kilogram, then you can create all of these bases 24 times from 1kg of resin.  That means each casting has cost you approximately $1.66, or just over 20 cents per base.