The Base Completes the Look

I always figured the base was just a means to highlight the model. I never paid much attention to them. However, I’ve had a moment of clarity. You see, I’ve come to realize that, much like an oversized belt buckle on dark blue jeans, a pinky ring with a pinstriped suit, or a fist-sized medallion dangling within an open collar… a well-executed model base is the best way to complete the look of a model. 

Oh, I’ve made basic bases before. The reason they were basic, you ask? Well, I was lazy and I didn’t want to spend hours super-detailing them. Not that I knew how. I also feared that such a base would overpower and distract from the model on top. 

But I was wrong to have this fear. Maybe not as wrong as that chesty medallion shown above, but definitely wrong. 

You see, the base gives us modelers an opportunity! The base can frame the model and provide additional context for why the model is finished the way that it is. There is a maxim in creative writing called “show; don’t tell“. In a nutshell: it is far better to illustrate story and characters through details and action, rather than just telling the reader about them through exposition. Taking this concept to model making, the modeler can explain why his or her Airacobra has been weathered to show extreme paint fading, chipping, and lax maintenance. Or the model can be placed on a red clay base that looks baked in the sun, with some stained PSP plating, a couple wind-beaten palm trees, and maybe a single word to give all the context needed: “Guadalcanal”. 

Granted, this may take more research, more time, and the development of new skills. But there is a great opportunity to tell a compelling visual story, or at least contextualize a build, with a well-thought-out and executed model base.

More importantly, the reaction the model would get would be completely different. I’ve seen many nicely weathered airplane models placed on nothing more than their wheels, only to be pretty much ignored by the passers-by. But, if that very same weathered plane was placed on a similarly weathered base… Well, that’s when all the double takes happen, the phone cameras come out and maybe some inspiration is had.

Now, don’t get me wrong. You can talk me into a fine-looking ‘info base’ as well. Make no mistake, there is an art to these that goes beyond simply plastering the base with prose. I’m still gathering information and maybe I will have more thoughts about these down the road. But if it can quickly attract the eye and impart some key information about the model, the pilot, or the location. Then I think these can work. I’ve got to see more.

Wanna See A Video?

I have got a long way to go before I catch up to the level of the armored car base up above. But I recently took some risks and got a pretty nice result for my soon-to-be-completed Okinawa Corsair:

Let me know what you think

Do you think that a base completes the look? What sort of bases work for you? What have you tried? What doesn’t work? Let me know in the comments.