Trench base


Creating a trencher base

I started out in Warmachine with Cygnar about when the Gravediggers theme was coming out. It had a fun appeal to me right away. Pre ordered Siege 2 and blockhouse, along with a trencher jr warcaster I have yet to put in a list. In the meantime, I had an unassembled trencher unit to work on. Painting was fairly straight forward for the classic trench coat wearing infantry. For the base I wanted to take some extra time to create the look of running through the trenches. After all the blockhouse does bring its own trench templates. So how to make the look…

Started off with some craft sticks I picked up at the local hobby store fairly cheap for kid projects. In hindsight these were a bit too thick to work well with in comparison to some others that may have worked better. I used a hobby knife to cut into the top part with light and deep cuts, even making a few divots in an attempt to make it look more like worn lumber. 


Next up, cutting the sticks to length. I placed one end of the stick over the base and cut about to size to cover the whole edge. Then cut the end tips to more of a curve in order not to obscure the lip of the base so measurements can be made easy, got to keep it tourney legal.



Alright, now for some underneath mud. I used the easy go to of green stuff. Typical idea and application here, mix and cover up the inside of the base with out too much consideration to levelness. For the slot I use a small piece of clear tape.


Now before it dried I put a dap of super glue on the wood plank and pressed it into the green stuff. I found it useful to line up the sections next to each base in order they will be put on. This way the curved edges fit along the lip.



Now they are ready to be primed. I used a cheaper primer paint combo to make this part go faster. What I used has a semi gloss but this is taken out at the final step of using a dull coat.



Time to paint. Used some brown paint into the plank openings to give the “mud” a different color. Treated each base with a good coat of agrax earthshade. Grab a snack or nap to let it dry. Then did a dry brush of Army Painter desert yellow. 


Put on your arc and model. I used a matte clear coat to protect the models and take out the gloss. Check out the final product.





Hope this inspires you to go try a new technique.

PS, you may notice one grunt is missing a leg. Unfortunate mishap while priming, but tried to make the best of it with an explosion in the trench. 

List of items used;
Craft sticks


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--Dan

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