The end of summer is a great time to start preparing your tabletop gaming projects for the winter season. If you’re building an army, creating a gaming board or looking for a way to make your miniatures stand out, custom miniature bases can completely change the appearance of your collection.
Vacuum forming offers an interesting option for creating repeatable shapes and textured components for tabletop gaming.
Start with the Design
Before making anything, decide what you want your bases to look like.
Think about the environment your miniatures inhabit. Are you creating:
- Rocky terrain?
- Industrial flooring?
- Alien landscapes?
- Ancient ruins?
- Urban streets?
- Sci-fi corridors?
- Desert terrain?
The base should complement the miniature rather than distract from it.
Create Your Former
The former determines the shape transferred to your plastic.
For a custom project, the mould needs to be designed with vacuum forming in mind. Sharp undercuts and complex enclosed shapes can make forming more difficult, so a practical design is essential.
If you’re planning a large number of identical bases, creating a suitable former can make producing consistent pieces much easier.
Choose Your Plastic
The right material and thickness depend on the size and purpose of the component.
Thinner sheet can be useful for smaller lightweight pieces, while larger or more demanding applications may require a thicker material.
Consider how the finished piece will be handled, trimmed, painted and attached to the miniature.
Form and Trim
Once the plastic sheet has been heated, it is pulled over the former using vacuum pressure.
After cooling, the formed piece can be removed and trimmed.
This is where consistency becomes important. Clean trimming helps your finished bases look professional and makes them easier to attach to miniatures.
Add the Finishing Touches
Vacuum forming creates the underlying shape, but painting and weathering can bring the finished base to life.
Try adding:
- Dry brushing
- Washes
- Weathering powders
- Artificial grass
- Sand
- Small stones
- Static grass
- Model debris
A simple plastic form can become convincing terrain with the right finishing work.
Why Start Now?
Winter is traditionally a popular time for indoor gaming, painting and modelling. Starting your terrain and bases at the end of summer gives you plenty of time to experiment before gaming nights become more frequent.
If you have a specific idea for a custom gaming component, speak to Jabro Games about whether vacuum forming could work for your project.
The best tabletop projects start with a good foundation.