Technique
Basing by theatre
Bases tie an army together. Choose one recipe per army and stick to it, matched to where your force fought.
The basic method
Texture
Brush PVA (white glue) on the base and dip it in fine sand or grit. Let it dry fully.
Paint
Base coat an earth colour, wash darker, then dry-brush lighter.
Rim
Paint the base edge a single colour (black, brown or earth) across the whole army.
Tufts and flock
Add a few grass tufts or patches of static grass. Don't cover the whole base.
Recipes by theatre
| Theatre | Ground | Extras |
|---|---|---|
| Normandy, North-West Europe | Mid brown earth, green static grass | A few small stones, summer tufts |
| North Africa | Pale sand, light dry-brush | Small rocks, very sparse dry scrub |
| Italy | Dry yellow-brown earth | Stones, dry grass tufts |
| Eastern Front, summer | Dark earth, long grass | Wheat-coloured tufts |
| Eastern Front or Ardennes, winter | Earth base, then snow effect or white texture paste | Brown slush showing where feet would churn it |
Tips
- Base your vehicles' mud and dust to match the infantry bases.
- Try a recipe on one test base before doing the whole army.
- Winter bases look odd on a summer table. Some players base a second set of figures, or use removable snow on the table instead.
Models to practise on
Good models to practise on, in stock at Warlord Minis (the shop that runs this site) as of October 25, 2026:
