Ruined City Bases, Hussar style - Part 2

Continuation on the guide:

Step 5

Now, once it has dried, you will feel like it's just a bit to smooth of a surface to be totaly believable. To solve this, mix some more of the same sand + PVA as before, and smear it on in bigger lumps at chosen locations. This will give a more bumpy and realistic look to the base later on. Once you've done this it should look something like this:

Step 6

Now, once this is dry it should look something like this (I've also cut up some of the thinner guitar wire and put it in the pole, simply attached with a drop of super glue) :

Now, once it look like this we should start checking where our models feet are going to be, and in most cases (especially in the case of metal models) drill a hole for one of the feet to pin it to the base. I do theese with all my models though, seeing as this raises them of the base a bit and works against that sunk-in feeling. Unles you want this, of course. Here's the model i'm putting on this base. A lone, worn Cadian survivor:

But, once we've checked where he's supposed to go, it's time for the texture.

Take some PVA glue and mix it up with water, in a 2:1 mix. Spread this all over where you want the sand etc. If you want some on the brick, fine, put it there, just try to think about how dirt stacks up around objects. For a sense of realism, some should be attached to the concrete to, but it's not necessary. I've done this though, around the "light-pole" bottom. Altough this doesn't show in this picture, (Sorry...) it wil in the later ones.
Once this is finished, I had something like this:

The hole will be covered up now, but try and poke it up while you've put the stuff on.

The exact way I get this nice varied sense of stuff on the base, is by simply doing this:

I use three different kinds of base material on my base:
GW Small slate (Found in their 40K basing set)
GW Modelling sand (The one with the almost round grains)
Common, sandbox sand.

After you've spread out the glue, I spread out some of the slate. I try to keep this concentrated on some areas, like around the concrete and brick, while at the same time putting a few around the rest of the base. After this, we spread SOME of the GW-sand on. Just a little bit though, to add variation. To much of this I find start looking unnatural. After this, we simply drop some sand all over the rest. Just simply cover ALL of the base in this, it will only stick wher you have the glue, and once it' on you can just pour back/blow off the excess.

If you want to add more bumps to the base, simply add more PVA+water mix on it where you want the "bump" to be and do the same on this.

Step 7

Now it's time for the model to be mounted. Pin it on the base and attach him with super glue. Once he's there, we go to the final stage. Mix some PVA with water in a 1:6-8 mix. Now, this will turn the PVA into something simillar to milk, looking something like this:


Now, this we will spread all over the basing material (sand/slate, that is). This will sink into the recesses and only bind the material to the base. A second coat might be neeed sometimes, simply check this by rubbing your finger against a part of the base. If stuff comes of, go at it again.

Step 8

Now, admire your spiffy base that truly makes your standard trooper *pop*, and look like a propper threatening being! (Still Cadian, but think whatever model you'll put on it ;) )
And throw old Hussar a thought and a thank ^^



Cheers everyone ^^

Gloria Imperator, the Firstborn Stand!