ZOMBICIDE: Re-basing

Zombicide! It's Popularity keeps on increasing. With over three million funding during two Kickstarter projects the number of zombies produced will, this September, reach epidemic proportions. This is in part due to the fantastically generous Coolminiornot Kickstarter projects, they haven't ceased to provide a bucket full of models for anyone purchasing their game publications through Kickstarter. Anyone simply investing in both seasons of Zombicide could probably swim in a vault filled with zombie miniatures Scrooge McDuck style (though I found it was not as fun as it looked).

But I am here to talk about basing, or rather re-basing. As an old time wargamer and painter I am unshakably aware of the impact decent basing can have on a model. This is no less true for miniature boardgames, the atmosphere and investment in such a game is highly dependant on the pieces you are pushing around. You can weight up the urgency of shooting a grey lump of plastic to shooting a crazed rotten zombie dripping with blood, his lifeless yet fierce eyes bearing down on you, hungry for any taste of your flesh. To take it one step further, the imminent danger posed by a crazed rotten zombie stood on grey plastic is perhaps less than one stood on the same patch of tarmac as your alter ego survivor. Obviously there is only subtle shades of realism involved, but the more visual indicators the greater the experience must be, consciously or otherwise.

Besides, some of the bases are utterly wobbly and just a pain to keep upright. From the get go I coated Zombicide bases in fine sand to provide a subtle texture that was painted in greys for an urban look. But had always considered fully re-basing the models. Unfortunately this is hampered, as the model and base for these figures is all one piece. Removing any one of these models is difficult and potentially disastrous re-basing any quantity of these models was a terrifying prospect in terms of time and modelling. So I wanted to base the models to look consistent and professional while maintaining the structural integrity of the models.

But don't fret, the answer is at hand!

Strangely enough the answer also appears to be produced by Coolminiornot, or at least produced in conjunction with Coolmini for Dark Age. So step forward ye delightful Dark Age 30mm Deep Bases. While these may be similar in overall design to Warmachine (they are in fact subtitled as such) and many other rounded 30 mm bases, they differ enough to be absolutely perfect for Zombicide.

The Zombicide models do not fit inside the top of a Warmachine base as their base is larger than the indent, even if you were to trim it the Zombicide base it would protrude noticeably. However the entire disc of a Zombicide model base fits inside the indent of these deep bases with unerring accuracy. \o/

The fit is so ideal the models can almost snap-fit into place. With a touch of glue (Polycement was used in this instance, rigid plastic or super glue would likely also do the job) an entire set of Zombicide can be based in minutes.

While the bases can be easily glued I wanted to ensure that any of the troublesome and wobbly bases were completed levelled. With the help of a few Bullclips each models bases could be viced in place while the glue would weld securely; I just left them overnight.

I ensured that the Zombicide bases were textured and painted (including the edging) before attaching them. This kept the rounded bases pristine as new avoiding any undercoating, paint, or basing materials. The level and flat stability these bases provide is a joy on the boardgame. Although, I have yet to test if a full Zombie swarm might be oversized for the board since packs of zombies form on certain street sections. I also need to test the larger 40mm Deep Base, the Abomination look fantastic on these! Photos of them coming soon.

So here we have my latest almost finished painted Survivors (last minute details & shading needed) including shiny bases! Hopefully this will help peeps out there who were considering re-basing but wasn't sure how to go about it. These bases will also feature as a option on my price list for any future Zombicide commissions.

Flames of War, Open Fire, Sherman fixes.

Battlefronts' Flames of War - Open Fire boxed set is quite an awesome box of toys. However currently there are a couple of awkward problems with the construction of the allied Shermans included in this set, as any who have tried to build them has attested on many forums.

But these problems can be fixed relatively easily. At least the models from my box were fixed like this, I hope that it is helpful for all.

Lets start with the main issue. The right hand track piece on every Sherman tank will be crooked, resulting in a tank that leans at best (If you glue and physically vice grip the model in your hands in two places until securely welded) and has ugly gaps in many places. Never fear with one easy step this can all be resolved!

Here we have the 4 main components, we will only need to fix the left most piece shown here.

To fix simple cut away the part shown. Ultimately this will not hamper the construction, you can leave a cm of the front portion to ensure a solid model.

Easy as that. This tab/shelf sits on (and can be glued to) the top edge of the lower hull component, but it angles downwards by a fraction at the rear of the model. When the components are put together this will very firmly push all other pieces out of alignment. Thankfully, with this removed the models fit together perfectly!

Before

After

Wham, bam, Shermann. 6 new top notch and squared up Sherman hulls built in minutes.

One other small problem involves the Turret magnet placement for the Sherman Firefly, this is a far smaller issue and readily fixed in many manners. I wanted a nice secure housing for the magnet to be glued in. The remedy was found on the sprue themselves. The regular Sherman open hatch piece will fit the magnet almost perfectly inside. So I clipped off the hatches, sat the magnet inside and filed down the top of the hatch. This can be a little work, unless you have a decent side file at hand (working the fiddly piece against the file will be considerably easier than visa versa).

Completing construction of the magnetized turret at this point involves a number of careful and patient steps.

1) Super glue the magnets into the housing as shown above and into the turret. (obviously with the correct polarities for affixing turret to hull)
2) Allow time to dry securely. (Dependant on your Super glue)
3)When dry, let the magnets snap together and cover the bottom of the hatch piece with plastic glue.
4) Place the turret firmly and squarely into position.
5) Allow time to dry securely. (This time will be the welding of plastic so I would leave for 20-30 minutes)

These step will ensure the turret is level and perfectly placed. Simply gluing the hatch piece to the hull can inevitably result in wonky turrets.

On last general construction tip (This may already be a standard method, but seems fitting to add it here).
After avoiding wonky turrets, its time to avoid wonky barrels. I initially found gluing the barrels for the Shermans rather tricky, especially if you try to glue these to the turret with the mantlet attached. So the last quick tip is gluing the barrel to the outer mantlet separately while it is flat on the desk/cutting mat as shown below. This allows the barrels to be placed firmly and as straight as can be. Once all dry fixing this to the turret is a doddle.

A wild doddle appears!

Stug Fodder.