Making large bases?

[Flightless]

I want to base everything in my army.
Everything!
This means i\'m looking to base tanks...
Somehow i would like to construct a couple of bases to match the standard GW round ones (~4mm thick), but about 100mm across.
It will be removeable, almost definitely using magnets (basically unless that isn\'t possible given the base).
The only thing i have been able to think of so far is using milliput, rolled out, cut a la cookie cutters, and then laboriously sanded around the edges. But i\'m worried that will end up with a horribly heavy base, or be otherwise unfeasible.
Plastic that thick would be stupidly hard to cut, let alone to refine. Or even buy, come to that.
Your suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[marineboy]

Masonite or 6 mm mdf...thicker than the 4 mm you states, but easy to come by and very light in weight....easy to work, too.

 

[Sjakkie]

Maybe you could use foamboard (aka foamcore). It is not all that durable though. But you can cut it at an angle with a hobby-knife; you could even design (or buy) a tool which basically alligns the blade to the foamboard at an exact angle of 45 degrees.

 

[marineboy]

That might not work too well with round bases, though, Sjakkie.

With square bases, it would be possible to use a beveling tool of the type used for picture paspartouts cutting at a 45 degree angle.

For round bases with mdf or masonite, using a belt sander would be easier. Cut the base roughly to size and drill a hole in the exact middle. Mount a board with a nail in it at a 45 degree angle to the belt sander\'s bottom, place the blank on the nail and rotate it while the sander is running -- the base is bevelled at 45 degrees and turned round in one operation....

...am I being clear here at all? ???

 

[Ritual]

I\'d go for the MDF like MB suggested. It\'s very easy to work with. Just remember to protect yourself while working with it, since the fine MDF dust is slightly toxic and shouldn\'t get into your lungs (not in large amounts, at the very least).

 

[marineboy]

Good point, Ritual!

Mounted the nozzle from a vaccuum cleaner right up alongside the point where the mdf and the sander belt meet each other, no problems there.

And wear hearing protection too -- belt sanders are notoriously noisy, save your hearing for music.

 

[KingM]

Why not just use Games Workshop Chariot bases? I think they\'d be ideal, they\'re rectangular rather than round though.

On the other hand, there are the new Oval chariot bases for the GW Lord of the Rings game, they might be a bit small for most vehicles though

 

[Flightless]

@mb: I... sort of get what you mean. But unfortunately i don\'t have access to a belt sander.
However, MDF might just be an idea. Can\'t believe i hadn\'t thought of it myself.
Even without a belt sander, i would think that if i drilled a hole in the centre i would be able to simply draw two circles of the appropriate sizes to get the same angle as on GW bases (roughly 20 degrees) and sand down to them.

Right, off to find a DIY store...

 

[marineboy]

Flightless, put up a pic of your bases when you get them done.

If you end up having trouble, lemme know what size you\'re doing and I\'ll run up a couple for you.

 

[Ogrebane]

I make my own large bases lets face it why spend money on bases when you already have all the stuff sitting around.

Use plasticard (You may have to buy this I found a couple of old warning signs at work)

Next find all the old sprues you have sitting around. Cut long straight bits to length and clean up all the daggy bits. Glue to the sides and then fill in the middle with scrap spru bits. It should look like this

This base is 50 x 50 but I have done bases bigger and they are very sturdy. Whilst the base is drying put some heavy things on it so it doesnt dry warped.

Total cost is under $1 if you have to buy the plastic (That would be 1/2 a euro 75c american and 1/3 pound approx)

 

[petey]

Ingenious

 

[mickc22]

have you tried old CD\'s you know the free ISP ones, might have to araldite a few together to get the thickness you want, we used them at GW for cannons and such