I have embarked on a new project. Much to my excitement a large box of miniatures arrived at my house recently. Here is what it contained.
This is my Kraytonian army for Dark Realm Miniatures' Seeds of War game. Dark Realm Miniatures is a small company producing high quality Sci-Fi 6mm miniatures. The rules for Seeds of War can be downloaded from DRM's webpage here.
I chose the Kraytonians because they are a very alien looking race, quite different from other miniatures available in the 6mm scale.
From The Base Up
Good looking bases are really important to the look of a 6mm army. With the size of the base in relation to the models being much larger than in 28mm miniatures a little extra effort here can have a big impact on the overall look of the army. With this in mind I decided to focus my initial efforts on the project from the base up.
The rules for basing in Seeds of War are rather flexible.
"Infantry can be mounted on any base whose total area is between 4cm and 9cm square. The base itself could be round, square, oblong or almost any shape. Vehicles need not be based though players may certainly select to do so." - Seeds of War Rules
Some of the basing options I am considering are:
Cereal Box Card - Cut to size this makes for really strong bases when you stick the miniatures on with a two-part putty, such as Selleys Knead It or Milliput. It cures rock solid after a minute or so and makes for a really durable base. I have used this previously on my Epic Khorne Army. Stick the miniatures on the rough side and the shiny side makes for a durable bottom surface.
GW Plastic Bases - The rectangular and square bases that GW produced for Epic both fit DRM miniatures nicely. While rectangular bases are still available separately from GW I felt they were a tad expensive for my taste. The square bases are only available second hand these days and I was never really a fan of them.
Washers - To fit within the rules round bases need to be between roughly 2.5cm and 3.4cm in diameter. The picture above shows a range of washers that would make suitable bases. I like the look of 6mm Sci-Fi armies on round bases so I am definitely leaning towards this option. I have used round bases in the past and used Selleys Knead It to attach the miniatures and shape the base.
The Verdict - I have decided to use round bases for the army. I will also base my vehicles on round bases. The Kraytonian army fields some very futuristic and alien looking hover tanks and I think round bases really suit them. I will also be using similar basing for my aircraft so that I have consistent basing accross the entire army.
The plan is to create several master bases for infantry, vehicles and flyers and then create a silicone mould and cast up enough bases for my army. While this is probably just as much effort as creating all my bases using washers and Selleys Knead It I have another 6mm army in the pipeline once I finish this project so the effort will pay off for me in the end.
I will also be following the progress of the project on my webpage. Larger images and a few extra pictures will be available there once the painting begins.
What's Sci-fi without Lizardmen ! 
