Basing Lord of the Rings Figures

This tutorial will show how to base figures for just about any miniature game. While I am using figures from Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings, these techniques can be applied to any game. The one change for other games might be the colors of the components used. The colors I have chosen are for a standard "Earth" color scheme. Some Sci-Fi planets could have blue dirt and red grass, so feel free to get creative with coloring.

These are the components you will need. You need one or more dirt colors. I am using Calthan Brown, Black, and either a sandy or flesh color for highlights. Standard white glue will be used to glue down the ballast and flocking. Both ballast and flocking can be found in stores which sell model railroad supplies and they come in a wide variety of colors. I also have two empty spice containers which I will use as containers for the ballast and flocking. Also, you may want some small rocks or plastic flowers for the add detail step.

Start by mixing some black paint with you base color and paint each figure's base with this darkened color. Keep in mind that the paint will dry darker then it appears. Once the paint has dried, move onto the next step.

Apply white glue to the areas of the figures base that you want to be come the rocky areas. Then pour ballast over the figure so that ballast will stick to the glue covered areas. Have a cup or bowl beneath the figure to catch the excess ballast. Then shake the figure a bit to remove any pieces of ballast which did not stick to the glue. Allow the glue to dry before attempting to paint the ballast.

Take your base paint color and mix a little bit of dark color and maybe a bit of water to thin it down. You want this color to be lighter then the initial coat of paint. Paint the ballast with this color. Only paint the regions of the base covered by the ballast. Do not paint the areas not covered by the ballast. Once this layer of paint has dried, apply several layers of dry brushing over the painted ballast. Each layer of paint should be a little lighter then the last layer. Then apply a final dry brushed layer of the light colored paint.(The sandy or flesh color). Allow for the paint to dry before proceeding to the next step.

Now cover all the areas not covered with ballast with white glue. These are going to be the regions that will be covered with flocking. It is alright if some of the glue covers the ballast covered areas. After applying the glue, pour some flocking over the figure. Once again, use a cup or bowl to catch the excess flocking. Shake the figure to remove any flocking which is not glued on. Allow the glue to dry before continuing.

This last step is optional, but it can really character to the bases. Using white glue or super glue, glue on small amounts of small stones or plastic flowers. The small stones I used can be purchased at any model railroad store. The plastic flowers are the tips of plastic floral arrangements. These can be found at any craft store. Also, do not limit yourself to only these types of details. Many more objects can be used to enhance the bases, so be creative.