The process of basing an Eldar titan securely


I knew basing this guy was going to be interesting. Actually, I wasn't so much concerned with the base itself as I was with getting the pose my client wanted while mounting the Titan on the base at the same time.
That was the challenge.

The request was for the Titan to be "just about landing... on one foot" over an urban/battlefield base. Sure, no problem.

I decided to keep the base somewhat clean and simple so as to not detract from the model. While it's big, it's classic Edlar in it's look and I didn't want to have it on some clunky looking base. I tried to match the two parts as best I could.

At first, I thought about using a handfull of Hirst Arts blocks (given to me by the owner of my FLGS, Game Vault). The more I worked with them, the more I realised that they were a bit too big for what I wanted to do with this project. Don't get me wrong, I'll find a place for them in some project but they weren't what I needed this time around.



I ended up using a smaller piece of resin terrain from Dark Art Miniatures in place of the blocks. I found a sandbag wall that had a small crater in it and with a little cutting and greenstuff work, I got it to fit perfectly on the base.

To make sure there wouldn't be any problems, I glued the sandbag wall in place and used two small woodscrews for additional stability.


Here's a side view of the original attachment points for the landing leg. At first, I only had two but I ended up adding a third one in the toe so that he didn't sway too bad if the table was accidentally bumped during game play.
If you look close enough, he doesn't actually even touch the base, he's about 2 or 3 millimeters above it... just about to land.


And here's what he looked like before going to paint. I left him in a few pieces to making painting easier and decided to assemble him completely afterwards.

I think Ron's base size is spot on. Resin is generally lighter in weight than it looks. As long as you are reasonable with your center of gravity I think it's best to use the least amount of base possible. Even if you do go wild with the pose, I'd consider a heavier material for the base rather than an over-sized base.
Painting sub assemblies is also a must. It will make it easier to paint for sure, but it will also make it easier to handle during painting. One trick I use is to work in layers. For instance, on my Reaver Titan I would airbrush the main colors till I was satisfied, then spray a coat of DullCote on them to preserve the work I'd already done while working on details.
- The Inner Geek


Project Link: Follow my Eldar Titan project

Additional FTW basing links:
Assembly: Standing ON basing material
Basing: Resin base manufacturers
Basing your models with free stuff
Basing in the simplest form possible


Ron, From the WarpIf you've got any questions about something in this post, shoot me a comment and I'll be glad to answer. Make sure to share your hobby tips and thoughts in the comments below!