some advice for an amateur please?

[PegaZus]

My problem with basing after everything is painted is that I rarely manage to get the feet matched up to what the base is supposed to be like. So, if I've got to bend something, the mini is easier than the base, at least with metal minis. Plus, its easier to scrape off the basing material from the mini before its painted rather than after.

Not that I follow that advice anyway, thinking back to the last few I've done.

 

[RuneBrush]

If you're gluing a mini onto it's base (as you have) then you really should be doing the texturing before you undercoat and start painting. Texturing a base is a messy job so you can foul up your paint job very easily. However if you intend to paint the base as a separate entity (and most likely pin the model in place) then keep the two parts separate - ensuring you pre pin the model with wire (a drill bit and paint do not mix).

My last mini had a very detailed base, so the mini and base were kept as separate components and not glued together until both were painted. My rank and file mini's just get glued straight onto the base and then I apply the basing material before undercoating.

Also one thing to remember - super glue fumes will stain anything (including glass) so be careful if you use it to glue painted things together.

 

[Bailey03]

Yeah, I've had a couple cases where super glue fumes stained my paint job and caused me to have to redo parts of a mini. Now whenever I glue anything that already has paint on it, I put the figure in front of a fan while the glue dries. I don't know if it's a perfect solution, but I haven't had any more issues with the fumes.

 

[RuneBrush]

Yeah, I've had a couple cases where super glue fumes stained my paint job and caused me to have to redo parts of a mini. Now whenever I glue anything that already has paint on it, I put the figure in front of a fan while the glue dries. I don't know if it's a perfect solution, but I haven't had any more issues with the fumes.

That's really useful to know! I've tended to use epoxy glue for those bits now, although the bond isn't as strong as super glue.