Article updated: 2020.04.04
I've collected the different ways to base your miniatures. Although you can choose your own style, sometimes the ruleset of your chosen game dictates the stand shape or basing style you can use.
For further information on how to base your miniatures:
- Basing miniatures - Miniature hobby guide
- Games Nexus: Painting miniatures - Design concepts - Basing miniatures
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Basing
- No base: You don't use any additional bases with your miniatures. This can work with well balanced miniatures (especially quadrupedal creatures).
- Single base: Every miniature has its own stand.
- Multi-base: A group of miniatures share a larger base.
Base shapes
- Square base: Single base or multibase.
- Rectangular base: Single base for long miniatures (horses, bikes), or multibase.
- Round base: Single base, or multibase for small groups.
- Oval base: Single base for long miniatures (horses, bikes), or multibase for small groups.
- Hexagonal base: Single base, or multibase for small groups. Rarely used.
Base materials
- Hard plastic / resin: Mass-produced bases.
- Cardboard: Usually hand-cut.
- Wood / MDF / HDF: Hand-cut or laser-cut.
- Polystyrene sheet: Usually hand-cut.
- Polystyrene foam: Usually hand-cut.
- Metal: Usually mass-produced metal washers.
Base types - Surface
- Flat base: The base has a flat top surface. Ideal for flat basing.
- Lipped base: There is a depression on the inside. You can glue a miniature with integral base and hide the integral base in the depression.
- Scenic base: The surface of the base is sculpted with scenic detail.
Base types - Attachment method
- Plain base: The base doesn't include any help to attach a miniature.
- Slotted base: The base has a slot that you can slide the slottabase insert (called tab or lid) under the miniature for a tight fit.
- Slottabase: The insert (slottabase tab or lid) is a 2mm wide, long piece. Square bases can have parallel or diagonal slots, some has two slots, one parallel with the edge, and one diagonal.
- Covered slottabase: The slot is covered by a thin layer of plastic that you can cut if you need a slot, otherwise it's a perfectly fine flat base.
- Mantic base: The insert is a 10mm radius circle for Mantic Games miniatures.
- Epic base: The insert is a 5mm radius circle for Games Workshop Epic-scale miniatures.
- Slottabase: The insert (slottabase tab or lid) is a 2mm wide, long piece. Square bases can have parallel or diagonal slots, some has two slots, one parallel with the edge, and one diagonal.
- Pegged base: A peg protrudes from the base that fits into the slot in the miniature. For wargame miniatures it's mostly used for flying bases.
Base types - Profile
- Straight: The edge of the base is vertical.
- Bevelled: The edge comes at an angle.
- Chamfer: The edge comes at an angle, then after a break it becomes vertical.
- Rounded: The edge is rounded.
Base types - Bottom
- Full, flat: The inside of the base is not hollow, the bottom is flat. It's ideal for flat terrain, 2D terrain, board games.
- Hollow: The inside of the base is hollow. It's easier to use the base on realistic, non-flat terrain, that has varied surfaces (rocks, vegetation, debris).
- Hollow with supports: There are some supports to make the base more balanced. This is the kind of hollow base that's used with heavy, metal miniatures.
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Slottabase
If the tab of your metal mini is too wide, you can squeeze it into shape with a plier.
If the tab of your metal mini is too thin for a tight fit, you can twist a wave into it to form an S-shape, until it fits the slot in the base.
If the tab is too long to fit into the slot, you can cut it with a clipper.
If you have a slottabase but you want an un-slotted flat base, you can fill the slot:
- glue a piece of plastic or plastic wrapper over the slot
- glue a piece of match, toothpick or other thin piece of wood or plastic into the slot
- fill the slot with glue or filler
Slottabase - Resources
Corvus Miniatures: Tutorial: filling the gap in a slottabase quick & easy: Tutorial video, about using a toothpick.
Tabletop Minions: How to Quickly Fix Your Slotta Bases: Tutorial video, about using plastic wrapper.
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Do you have further thoughts about miniature basing? Tell us in the comments!
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