Step 1 - The Figure
It is best if you have finished painting the figure with my technique but feel free to ignore me. For the purposes of this demonstration I am using a couple of Revell Modern British.
Step 2 - The Base
I have used coins as a base for a long time. They're cheap (unless you start using 1 Euro coins or silver dollars or something) and readily available. Most of us have a wallet full of the things. I use the NZ 10 cent piece, but other suitable coins could be the 1 Euro cent, the US penny, the British 1 pence piece or the Australian 5 cent piece.
Step 3 - Attaching the figure
With a glob of PVA glue, I attach the figure to the coin. This is needed to make sure the figure grips onto the coin during the next part of the process. It takes a couple of hours for the glue to dry, so I'm off for a beer.
BURP... and back. Gosh doesn't time fly fast on the internet. Here's a figure securely glued to the coin.
Step 4 - Build up the base
I now apply putty around the edges of the figure to disguise the presence of the coin. I use a wood putty because it's cheap and dries pretty fast. I'd recommend you use a water based filler rather than a solvent based one as it won't stink the room out. The putty is applied with a thin metal blade, taking care not to touch the figure itself.
Even though the drying speed is reasonable, it's still best to leave it for an hour or two, so I'm off for another beer.
Step 5 - Tidy up the base
Once the putty is dry, I use a craft knife to cut away any excess putty, trying to make the top of it level with the top of the figure and to remove any putty that has spilled over onto the sides of the coin.
Step 6 - Painting the base
Next I take some brown paint - Flat Earth seems to work well - and cover the sides of the coin, and the base of the figure. This is just in case any of the base of the figure manages to be seen after the next step.
Step 7 - Applying sand to the base
Once the paint is dry, it is time to apply sand to the base. I use sand from my local beach, but those of you not fortunate enough to live next to a beach will have to source your own. With an old paint brush, I apply PVA glue to the base, taking care to avoid the boots and anything else that is touching the ground.
Once the glue is applied, I then dip the figure in my container of sand, covering the base.
Guess what, the PVA will take a couple of hours to fully dry, so another beer is called for.
Step 8 - Painting the sand
Once the sand is glued to the base and is fully dry, I now paint it. What colour it gets painted depends upon where the figure is supposed to be. For a temperate climate, I use a Flat Earth Brown. For arid climates, I tend to use a pinkish desert sand colour, and for Vietnam, and orange-brown colour. The paint is applied with an old brush (nothing like painting sand to ruin your brushes in a big hurry). Once it's dry, I give it a very light dry brushing with a lighter colour, often a light grey.
Step 9 - Applying the flocking
Last of all, flocking is applied to the base. With an old paint brush, I apply PVA glue to two to four locations on the base where I want the flocking to go. I tend to leave plenty of non-covered areas as a base covered in "grass" looks too busy to my eyes.
Then the flocking is applied to the glue spots, the loose material tapped off back into the container, and then I blow on it to make it stand up.
Mission accomplished, time for another beer.
Mines very similar except I´m a skinflint and use my self made plastic "Ikea" discs and woodglue/sand mix.
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Mine are very basic grass flock, with a few scattered stones.
