Sweet basing method

S

Skorro

Mongoose
Hello Everyone,

I have been working on a cool way to base ships, inspired by StarRangers method http://www.star-ranger.com/BasingMinis.htm. After a few weeks, some reading, measuring and trial and error I succeeded in creating what is below. I am in the process of writing a proper How-To that I will post here, but I just had to share my initial success.

Trust me when I say that metal bases are worth the price.

Cheers,
Skorro.

threadedwhitestar2mo5.jpg
 
Hi JayRaider,

It is a fairly simple process and only needs a few tools. I use a Tap and Die set, the Die will carve the threads onto the post, where as the Tap will thread the hole in the ship, I also bought the drill bit that matches the Tap.

The learning curve isn't too bad, I only messed up one post (still usable put probably won't stand up to much abuse), and one of my white stars now has three holes instead of two. I will of course fill any excess holes and sand them down.

I am impressed with how well the hole thing holds together. I have a number of photos outlining the steps I just have to sit down and right the text that goes with it, if there is enough interest.

I will have to look it up but I think I bought all the parts I needed for $30-$40 and as I have 5 fleet boxes to do they should get some serious use.

Cheers,
Skorro
 
Nice result but still like most of these other basing methods seems like alot of work for not a massive gain to me. I just glue my ships to their bases and have never had any trouble carting them around laid on their side. Then again I use AoG flying bases that arent 12 miles wide.....

That said this does look like one of the better ideas if you want detachable bases :)

One thing though, are you not worried that the thread will wear down/snap relatively easily in soft metal?
 
Lord David the Denied said:
Why didn't anyone think of this before? :shock:
Click to expand...

Actually, I bought a pre-assembled and pre-painted Dargan and Sulust off of Ebay that did this exact same thing.

I never thought to share it...
 
yeah, that's my thought...Kudos for the work, but skilled work with hand tools isn't for everyone. I'm pretty good with hand tools and I cringe at the thought of tap and die sets...

Chern
 
Locutus9956
Once you get the hang of it the time needed is pretty low, I can do a ship start to finish in maybe two minutes.

I am worried about how they last in the long run, however they are stronger than I was originally expecting. I started the project more to see if I could do it rather than making a perfect basing method. The weakest point is of course the threads but as long as the posts aren't being thrown around when loose I think they should last.

I will very interested to see how it holds up when I do one of my Victory class this weekend.

Chernobyl
You are not alone when it comes to using a Tap and Die, I actually bought everything I needed and it then sat in a drawer for a few weeks before I got up the nerve to give it a go. When I tried the first time I did screw it up, and then it everything went back in the drawer for a few more weeks. After my first attempt I was starting to think it couldn't be done, but the pic above is actually my second attempt.

You will better be able to decide if this is for you or not once I post a more detailed description.

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I am glad that I can finally contribute to a community that has taught me so much.

Cheers,
Skorro.
 
It really itsn't too, too hard. You drill a hole... tap it... and you're done.

It can be tough getting the sizes right, but after that is should be a sinche.
 
Tredrick said:
Can you make the ships reliably face the same point so you can paint the fire arcs on the bases?
Click to expand...

As I understand it, the threading will allow a certain number of turns, and that will always be the case. So the model will end up facing the same way every time.
 
alien027 said:
Just to give more info or ideas.

http://www.rattleheadgames.com/catalog/NJM1101.html
Click to expand...

I've started using these (so far on SST WASP troopers) and found them to be great! Good strong magnet and making packing a lot easier.

Cheers
Mark
 
Hey Everyone,

Well unfortunately I have to admit that Locutus9956 was correct to worry about the longevity of the threads, after only about 15 to 20 uses the threads on the post rounded right off. I tried to use the die on it again and the top twisted right off.

I also noticed an amount of inconsistency between them that I am sure was contributing to the quick demise of each post. The differences were manly due to the use of hand tools, I was unable to consistently make the holes the same size and angle.

For now I will probably just glue each post in and chalk the whole thing up to have very securely glued bases.

I will keep my eye out for larger posts that are also made of a harder metal as I think that might go a long way in improving this method. I would also think having some type of rig that would work like a drill press would be great too, but I think that is going a bit too far.

Thanks again for all the interest, if I try any more wacky projects I will be sure to share them.

Cheers,
Skorro
 
I've not used the metal bases, or even got a mini that came with one, but I'd be willing to bet since it appears to be a cast part, that the metal is too soft to really hold up for long.

Chern
 
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