Basing and Painting Questions

[tfelts]

Hi all,

I just got two crew boxes of Malifaux and I am very excited on getting started in this game however I have VERY little experience painting and basing miniatures and was hoping for some tips and pointers.

I have a couple questions on how to get started:

1) Should I glue the mini to the base before doing any basing work?! Or do people typically paint and prepare the base first then add the mini to a completed base?

2) If I add the mini first should I paint the mini then do the basing last or do the basing work first followed by the mini?

The two boxed I have are Perdita and Lilith if that makes a difference on how I should proceed...

I viewed a few videos on basing and they all appear to add rocks / gravel / etc with no figure on the base, but wasn't sure if that was just for demonstration purposes or if that is standard? If that is the case do I just cover the slit in the base with rocks, etc and cut the figure from the piece that connects the feet?

I know this is a bit long, but I am really looking for good advise to get my miniatures ready for some games!

Thanks,

Tim

[Omenbringer]

The short answer is it depends on the model.

Most of the time though I paint the base and the model seperately. A pin vice is a great tool to assist with painting the model off of the base.

If you do attach the model to the base and then paint, I would recommend painting the base first as it is usually the messier part (and nothing angers more then having to go back and touch up your blends after a slip of the hand painting the base).

[ispep]

There are as many different ways to base your models as there are models. Its mostly a trial and error thing until you find what works for you.

It also depends on what you want your bases to look like. If you are just going to do a basic base with some flock and maybe some rocks or skulls or other doodads here and there, its probably easiest to just stick the model in the slot and call it a day. If you want fancy scenic bases, you have to figure out if you can reach all the details (both on the base and on the model) if you put it together before painting. And you have to decide how you are going to attach the figure to the base.

[tfelts]

Thanks guys...I think for the Perdita crew I am going to go with simple bases (just gravel/rocks) so I will start with that crew and glue the mini to the base before painting...I will need to think about how I want to do Liliths box...

[Alphawog]

I think another thing that should be considered, when deciding on scenic or "stock" basing is the purpose for the model. Scenic bases can really made a model stand out and look great, but depending on the terrain you play with can end up being a real PITA. There's something incredibly annoying about replacing the model that you spent hours painting with a blank base, because the model was too tall to fit in a building or such. This is why in skirmish games I try to keep my models as low profile as possible. When height isn't an issue for gameplay or the model is meant for display I'll go wild.

As a side note if any part of a model was visible(and not declared hidden) it could be shot at or charged(albeit with penalties). I once faced a dwarf player that used tall scenic bases that made them taller than 28mm humans and lost all the natural advantages of being stunty. Besides this being slightly humorous, its good to keep in mind if you may end up using your Malifaux miniatures for other games that do not judge LOS by base.