Anyone know of some techniques or articles on creating display bases?
I’ve make my own display bases. What tools do you have available? I generally use a circular saw, a drill and a router.
Jesse
I live in a town house so no shop I get the local lumber shop cut and plane oak boards to my specs sand and oil it my-self and use brass tubing for pedestals Works great ,looks good and is cheap
If you go to a craft store or even Wal-Mart, you can find bases (some are called “craft bases”, others are “plaques”) in various shapes that are pre-made and will only need staining. As Sailor Dave said, brass tubing or lamp finials are good for pedestals.
Also, there is a great article on waterline bases in the November '04 FineScale. The author uses aluminum foil, spray paint and Modge Podge (available at craft stores) to make very convincing water for his waterline ships. The February FineScale has an article about converting the Revell USS Lionfish[/] kit to a model of USS [i]Gato as she appeared prior to launch, and it details haow he made the stand–just balsa beams arranged the proper way, very simple stuff, but you’ll need to see the photos.
April issue of Finescale has a model that was done as both a waterline and a full hull model. The modeler built it as a full hull on pedestals, but on one side he placed a sheet of curved glass with water media, showing the vessel as a waterline model, anchored in a quiet lagoon.
Lastly, Paul Boyer used a picture frame as a display stand for an airplane in one of his books. He painted the Plexiglass in the frame as if it were concrete, and here he has this flightline ramp surrounded by a wood frame–very sharp looking. I’d bet the same sort of thing could be done with a waterline model: Placing the water media on the Plexiglass, and the frame…well, for lack of a better word, frames your model.