Ever since the JSA Box I've been getting a few 25mm bases here and there that are just ridiculously hard to pierce with an Exacto. To get a 3mm hole in one of them for a peg can take me 10, 15 minutes applying pressure, scraping and cutting away, whereas normally I can just cut the entire tab out in 30 seconds. They're so hard to cut I've been using my hand drill on them and cutting the bars off the bottom of my miniatures and filing a peg to fit in the hole, because that's easier! I figured it was just a production error or something but today I got a pack of 20 25mm bases and EVERY ONE OF THEM was too thick to cut through. Is anyone else experiencing this or is it just me? It's making me crazy.
Same problem here. I'm cutting my base to insert the minis in them and these last few months they became crazy hard to cut
I don't have a link, but I saw a comment from a CB poster after the JSA box came out. They didn't intentionally change anything, that's just how the latest batch from their plastic base manufacturer came. I agree that they're super annoying to work with.
Good to know this was not changed intentionally. I have some spare from the one army I placed on third party bases but the stock is getting smaller with every new release.
Same problem here. Cutting the bases from the JSA Box was very annoying and time intensiv. I even broke a blade from a cutting knife ... hope this will not become a new standard.
I don't have a problem with the new bases, but I "tab-pin" and therefore don't need to cut the ENTIRE slot out. I just drill holes through from the underside and widen them to suit the trimmed tab "pins", then glue into place. I haven't used a knife or clippers to cut a slot in a plastic base in decades (bar using the point to widen it, like a reamer)
I must be the weird guy... I just glue the models to the base after cutting the whole tab from the model.
I normally found that more trouble that cutting a slot for it - these new bases changed that opinion.
I am old school and have to cut the bases. Took me far too long lately. I hope this will change again.
Yes, the hardness is weirdly and wildly inconsistent. Too soft to support models and too hard to work with. Are CB properly advised?
So it's not just me, then. Yeah, the new bases have been a real pain in the ass, I also broke blades (plural) cutting the slot out. Makes me wonder if the plastics company changed the tooling for their bases to not have a thinned-out slot. Or try to convince CB to make some resin bases...
Noticed this as well with JSA box. After half an hour and a broken cutter it convinced me to buy third party bases
Exact same shape, except maybe they're a little thicker. It looks like it's just some variance in the casting process.
Hunh? So no one knows how to use a Dremel? If you do not own one, buy one. A nice jeweler's saw too. A chisel blade for your Exacto. A pin vise a a decent collection of bits. The hobby requires tools. Get the correct ones. This is the best advice I've given on this forum, BTW. I'd like to see bases that are not slanted on the side. The current ones are impossible to pick up.
I find straight edged bases much less aesthetically pleasing than slanted or rounded ones. It's one of the main reasons I don't like laser cut ones.
Wait a few years until you get a touch of arthritis. Then you'll hate the current base style. The rounded ones are very pretty too, but impossible for me to pick up. I hate picking up minis by the mini. Not good for the paint. Plus with all the delicate bits on some of these minis... I've seen people invert the slant side bases and put a top on it. That looks interesting, and is easy to pick up. Plus, no need to cut a slot in the base :) I've done it with counters.
