To re-base or not to re-base...

So, a small discussion that has been had this week in the Dad camp is: do we re-base our old miniatures?

We're probably behind the times and this discussion is long dead in the community, the 32mm bases having been launched a good 6 months ago now at least, but it's only just hitting us old timers. We didn't rush out to buy 32's like the kids did, but as we buy new kits the bigger bases are slowly coming to us (it really is a story of  'if the mountain will not come to Muhammad...').

So, like many gamers we're left with a dilemma; to re-base or not to re-base. And I don't think we are all taking the same approach.

Dad Rich has a small-ish (but ever growing) 30k Imperial Fists force which he will entirely re-base, where as Dads Steve and James are not intending to re-base existing miniatures, just putting new Space Marines on the 32's they come with.

The problem is, on the whole, we have all been collecting for years and re-basing an entire Space Marine army is going to take money and a lot of time. Us all being busy Dads, time is the key there. There's simply better things to be doing than breaking off old bases (and the odd foot...) and sticking new ones on and then repainting them.

There's no denying that as Space Marines have gradually got larger over the years and their poses more dynamic, they needed a new base size. Back in 1987 you could fit a Space Hulk terminator on a 25mm base, but now even the humble tactical marine overhangs this diameter plinth. So in my mind, 32's are the right way to go and even allow you a bit of extra room to add something from those Citadel basing kits GW keep flogging :-)


So what am I going to do? I have nearly 200 foot-slogging Space Marines in my army already painted and sitting on 25's, and have just stuck together another 60 on 32's, so the squad members are no longer interchangeable. Heresy-era 20 man tactical squads demand a lot of bases be replaced if I am going to go down that route.

Dad James suggested using Third-party bases to help reduce the cost (because lets not forget, 100 GW standard 32mm bases will set you back £27 in cold hard cash, as well as the time it takes to actually replace them), but both myself and Dad Rich intend to enter our armies in GW-run competitions, which require everything on a miniature to be either GW-branded or your own work. So third-party won't cut it.

I've decided that I will base all new squads on 32's, but leave existing squads that are finished on their 25's. What I might do as a compromise is swap the bases on the squad sergeants, which will enable me to add some scenery to make them stand out more. Who knows, maybe one day I'll find a shed load of hours where I have nothing better to do and replace the rest... but I doubt it! Not when I could instead be pretending to be a baby-eating bear or looking for treasure with the Playmobil pirates or creating the worlds longest Brio train or... There really is better things to be doing in my book!

What's your plan of action?

Dave