If you’re interested in Warhammer, you’re probably eager to buy your own Warhammer miniatures. Warhammer figures can be pretty pricey so its nice to know everything you can before purchasing them. One common question is, do Warhammer minis come with bases?
Warhammer minis do in fact come with bases. Some come with round bases while others come with square ones.
Although the minis come with bases, they mostly come quite plain. It’s always a great idea to decorate them with different types of terrain to give them that awesome battlefield look.
What Is the Meaning of Basing?
Basing is important in Warhammer because it:
- Frames the model
- Ties the army together
- Important to the sizing and movement of your minis
Basing Frames Your Miniature
Adding a base to your minis pulls all the components together. It frames your mini.
The base adds structure to your model as well which makes it sturdier and look nicer, especially with a fully painted miniature.
Ties The Army Together
Bases are required to be painted during games. The meaning of this is to tie your army together.
Your bases should be painted uniformly across all minis to preserve the atmosphere as well as show that your army is a united force.
Size of Bases Affect Your Game
The rules of the game require your base to be a specific size to ensure you do not have an unfair advantage over other players.
If your base is smaller or sometimes even larger, you may be able to move around the board in a more beneficial way to you than your opponent. This will make the game unfair.
Also, the height of the base adds to the realistic size of your mini. If you don’t base your minis, they will appear short compared to your opponents which will take away from the general atmosphere.
How Do You Base a Warhammer Miniature?
The basic steps to basing a Warhammer miniature are:
- Glue the mini to the base
- Decorate your base
Attach Your Mini to the Base
The first thing you want to do is glue your already painted mini to the base. We recommend using a glue specifically for miniatures and basing, but many different types of super glue will work just fine.
This glue from War World Scenics works great with plastic and adheres well to rocks, sand, grasses, flock, and many other types of terrain.
This is important to ensure your mini stays attached to the base. Especially if you plan to use sand or other tricks to make your base look realistic that could easily cause your mini to fall off.
Decorate Your Base
When painting and decorating your base, be sure to know what terrain your army will be fighting in to ensure it fits the atmosphere.
Most tournaments require your base to be “battle-ready.” This means that it needs some sort of paint job consistent across all bases.
Don’t worry if you’re not an expert painter. You can buy textured paint that will easily get the job done.
If you’re looking for a more advanced method you can glue things on your base like:
- Sand
- Rocks
- Fake grass
There are plenty of youtube videos available on how to do different base scenarios if you want to try a more finished look.
How Do You Glue Minis to Bases?
You can choose to glue your mini to its base after decorating the base or before. If you decorate first, be sure to choose a glue that works well with the material you have decorated with.
Simply apply glue to the bottom of your minis and hold them still in the desired position on the base for about 15 seconds to ensure the glue takes hold.
Different types of glue you can use to attach your minis to their base include:
- Superglue
- Plastic Model Cement
- PVA glue
Super Glue Is Great for Most Materials
Super glue is easy to come by and will work with a lot of different base materials. However, it does not work well with:
- Wood
- Paper
- Cork
Plastic Model Cement Is Good for Bonding Plastic
Plastic model cement is great if you are gluing your mini to its plastic base before decorating the base. This is because it will fuse the plastic of the mini and the base permanently.
However, this glue does not work well with other materials and therefore will not be effective at gluing your mini to an already decorated base.
Pva Glue Is Great for Cork
If you plan to decorate your base using a porous material like cork or wood before gluing your mini on, PVA glue is a good option.
The downfall to this glue is that it is not as strong as other types of glue and takes much longer to dry.
Final Thoughts
All Warhammer minis come with bases. However, how you decorate and mount the minis is up to you.
Sand, rocks, and fake grass are just a few example of what you can decorate your army’s bases with.
Make sure you use glue and materials that are best suited for your specific army’s needs and to whatever material you are trying to adhere to.