Lock Down Hobby Time #1 Road Bases in 10 easy steps!

So during lock down, I have been able to get some painting time. Through the miracle of not commuting 2 hours a day and nap time for my children, I can get a good 1 -3 hours a day about 4 days a week to paint and hobby. I have finished up painting most of the Speed Freeks, or at least the ones I use in games on the regular, so when it came time to base them I wanted to base them the same as my bikers: Cork, dashed road lines, and nothing fancy.

So I started with the stencil I’d use to make the dashed lines. The biker bases I free handed the lines, and that was a pain being about 5 minutes per base, it took too long. Also, I got some lines messed up and dashes that were unequal in size. Using a stencil was the best bet.

I had never made one before but I saw some guy on FB make one using tape, so I did that. I started with the straight lines. I went a tad bit wider that I though because I figured cutting would not be exact. I also opted for a diagonal line for the dashes as I would not be able to have done that if I free handed it.

Then I started with the cork and cutting it to the sizes. Unlike the stencil, I went a little small on these and I did not want any overhang on the base. The fresh cut was too clean, so I tore off the edges of all of them.  

I also took the opportunity to  break some up more. I used the broken ones for the special buggies, like the Deff Killa and the one dragsta I painted really well.

Next was gluing. I really could not figure out a different way that using super glue, so I used about half of my last bottle, which is putting me dangerously low during lock down. Doing swirls was better than lines. I did this because when you hold the model, you will usually hold it by the base.

 If one would be rubbing up again the edge, I wanted to have the glue secure it, rather then a potentially unsecured part. with the bikers I put a brick on top of the base over night to make sure it was secured, but this time I just let it dry in the warm California sun and it was good to go in about 30 minutes.

Next big shift was painting. I really like how cork looks, but it is really annoying how it absorbs paint. I did an air brush primer, but I could still see the brown/tan poking through so I got my handy Paynes Grayink from FW and doused them to block out the brown/tan. 

 With the bikers, I used a gray then a white to dry brush the “pavement” but I really could not tell the difference so I just did white.

Also, most of the bases are covered by the buggy where as the bikers you can see much more of the bases albeit smaller base. Once it looked like pavement, I went to using my stencil to drybrush the yellow on the bases. I did a test, and it worked well (I am actually thinking that this stencil could be used for hazard stripes in the future). I don’t know what it is about yellow, but it tends to clog the air brush every time. You can see I was having trouble here.

sorry about the noise on this 'un

One thing I did not do different from the bikers was attaching them to the base. I decided to pin them. I went in this order:

1.  Starting upside down on the base, I started to drill a hole using the size drill just a bit bigger than a paperclip.
2.   Then I matched the hole to where the tire of the buggy should be and put a mark with the drill through the paint.
   
3.  Removing the drill from the base, I then put a hole in the tire.
4.  Cutting a paperclip to size, I poked it through the base and up into the tire.
5.   Keeping the pin in the first tire, I then found the point where I wanted to attach the other pin in the tire.
1. Sometimes I did the front tires only, others I did the diagonal tires, and some I just did the back. I’ve notices the buggies are not perfectly flat (could be me putting the model together) so work with what id best.
   
6. After repeating step 1-4 I now have two holes that line up.
   
7. I bent the pins at a 100 degree angle, I did not actually measure, but it should be grater than just 90 to give the pin strength to hold up better.
   
8.  Lastly, I the pin in without the buggy on the top side, doused it in glue, and sprinkled baking powder on the glue and pin, and pressed down gently.
9.  After blowing off the excess powder, I now have a pin that is secure to the base and sticking up through the top waiting for a tire to be stuck on.
10. Finally, put I put a little glue on both sides and slide them into place. 

From cutting the cork to pinning the last one, I was able to do 7 buggies in the span of a week, in my hour or two a day approach.

Next up is the making and painting of the landing pad from Dragon's Rest