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BUILDING
A MAGNETIZED ARMY DISPLAY BASE
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Click the images
to see larger versions. |
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Assemble the Frame.
Start things off by carefully removing the two
Sectional Frame Kits from their packaging. The one's shown
here make a 24" x 14" frame, but the size of
your frame is totally up to you. Find a soft surface,
like a rug or carpet, on which to assemble the frame.
No use in scratching it up before you've even begun! Most
kits will come with some sort of plastic wedge that fits
into each of the four pre-mitred corners. Dab a tiny bit
of wood glue into the open slot and press the wedge into
place as far as it goes. Then, gently tap the wedge with
a hammer to seat it firmly. Repeat this three more times
and you'll have your frame completely assembled. |
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Fitting the Foamcore. Set
your frame aside to dry and grab a measuring tape. Carefully
mark down the exact inner dimensions of the rear inside
of the frame. Do not measure the front side! We need to
cut out a piece of 3/16" thick black foamcore that'll
slide snugly into this void. Once you've measured, carefully
cut out the piece of foamcore to fit your specs. Gently
test-fit the foamcore into the frame without bending it.
Trim as necessary. Once it fits the frame nicely, mark
an arrow on one foamcore edge that points to a matching
arrow lightly penciled onto the rear of the frame. These
marks will help denote the exact way the foamcore should
be placed within the frame later. |
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Plan the Display's Composition.
Thanks to your handy cutting skills, you now have a foamcore
backing in your frame. Dig up your army (or just a bunch
of bases to represent models) and a pencil. Place your
models in a satisfactory formation within the area you
have created. It's a good idea to to leave enough space
(about 3/4") in between models to take into account
arms/claws/wings/jump packs and dynamic poses. Once you
have a layout that you're happy with, start tracing bases
with the pencil. You don't have to be totally exact –
approximations will do fine. Vehicles are a bit tricky
to outline, but I'm sure you'll find a way. Mainly, you
want to outline where a vehicle meets the ground, as these
areas will be the points for your magnets. |
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Crank up the Compass Cutter.
Test-cut a few circles with the Compass Cutter if
you've never used one before. It's not brain surgery,
but a bit of practice can't hurt. Once you have the hang
of it, move on to setting the Compass Cutter so that the
circles you cut will fit your models' bases. When you
are setting the Compass Cutter, you definitely want a
little larger diameter around your bases. Having exactly
sized circles for each base is a bad thing due to the
fact that the sand you will be adding later may add an
additional millimeter or 2 that'll throw everything off.
Thus, plan in a few extra millimeters while you still
can. When you're all set to commit, start into the foamcore.
The key to cutting out precise circles every time involves
three factors: cutting slowly through the layers, patience,
and replacing dull blades as you go. Stick to these three
rules and you'll plow through this step, though your fingers
will probably hurt a bit from strain. Take a break every
now and then – the foamcore ain't goin' nowhere! |
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