Wee Free Men

Another quick post today though about another slow process. I’m trying not to leave the basing until last like I usually do. In the future I’ll go into further detail but today’s main goal was to use some insulation foam and sculpt all the bases at once.

I’ve not really used the foam before but I’ve had a small sheet of it for a while in the stash. Cutting it down to the same size I marked out on my cutting mat before, I drew the base outlines on the bottom of the foam so I could check as I worked what would be on what base/lost in the trimming stage.

I then spent an afternoon listening to an audiobook and carving away with a utility blade. As someone who doesn’t usually take a ton of time on basing, I don’t have a great mental picture of what I am going for. There was a lot of going back and forth but eventually I got it to a place where I’m happy. Part way through I decided to cut out the base footprints and get them glued onto the MDF to prevent warping. I used a cheap but very cheerful grab adhesive which was cured enough within 20 minutes (or a perfect time for a tea break). Some more carving, making sure to mark the footprints for a couple of elements I know will be on them. This is a horribly messy stage and reminds me why I don’t do terrain making.

Next step was the first application of filler (with brown and black paint added).  I’ll need to go back for a second pass on the areas I couldn’t easily get without mess and to touch up areas that I missed.

There is a lot more to be done but for the first afternoon, I’m happy with the progress.