Infantry Stands?

BurtWolf · Post by **BurtWolf** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 9:54 pm

Over the years I have amassed a small pile of infantry stands - you know like G76, the square blocks of infantry- that I don't use. Just seeing if anyone has cool suggestions for mods or whether I should give them away as I only use individual infantry ... Thanks.

7.62 · Post by **7.62** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 11:44 pm

Hi,
Any modern ones? Like N75
Cheers.

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 8:11 am

I have seen them used in the land crafts to show that the landing craft is loaded with troops.

Also you could use them for open bed trucks to show that they are loaded. Also a great source for helmets, and upper torsos for tank crew.

BurtWolf · Post by **BurtWolf** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 4:08 pm

Thanks - all WW2.

Good idea on helmets and heads, that's about all I could come up with. Maybe I will save them for my LVTs.

Extra Crispy · Post by **Extra Crispy** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 7:19 pm

You could also use them to mark trenches/fox holes that are occupied - just use the torsos like tank crew.

exodusforever · Post by **exodusforever** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 1:21 pm

Hi all, I know this is a little unrelated to the topic but it is the most recent that goes in conjunction with my query.

I have decided to start basing my infantry in squads instead of just using them on an individual basis.

As recommended and used by many here, I ordered a bulk of Litko 1 in flexible steel bases bottoms and i noticed there was like a sticker paper on one side.

Apparently one side is a sticky side. My question is, do i use that sticky side to do the basing like putting sand and flock for grass or am i not even suppose to peel that side to reveal the sticky side?

Do advise

Extra Crispy · Post by **Extra Crispy** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 9:24 pm

The Litko magnet bases are intended to be affixed to a second base of plywood, card, or plastic. That way you can use magnet or steel lined movement trays and storage boxes (that's what I use). AFAIK they are not intended to be used solo.

That said, I don't think that adhesive alone would hold figures, so I would still add super glue. But it would be enough for basing grit, that was later sealed with diluted white glue.

My concern would be that during a game the base might "flex" with handling and everything would pop off.

exodusforever · Post by **exodusforever** » Sun Dec 06, 2015 1:13 pm

Ahh Dang it... That means I have to buy plywood from litko to really complete the base.

That being said. I think it would be better to use the plywood for basing then just the steel bottom yeah?

exodusforever · Post by **exodusforever** » Mon Dec 07, 2015 11:03 pm

Hey Cama and Extra Crispy, would u recommend plywood or plastic? I know plywood is slightly thinner which mean my infantry would be slightly closer to the ground. However, would like your take on the bases.

Extra Crispy · Post by **Extra Crispy** » Mon Dec 07, 2015 11:21 pm

I use a variety of bases, so am somewhat agnostic.

For MicroArmor I use steel bases so my tanks and infantry aren't wandering the countryside on soap boxes.

If I want a thick base so gamers will move the base and not grab the figures, I like 3mm plywood. For in between - with a magnetic bottom - I use both plastic and matt board. I generally prefer mat board because I can cut it more easily than plastic and it never has a sharp edge.

Here is a picture of some guns of mine on their steel bases:

paul · Post by **paul** » Tue Dec 08, 2015 1:06 am

What about a penny for a base? I have used metal up to this point but debating using a penny and wonder if it is big enough for a squad, I would put 3-4 figs each. Heavy weapons and AA would be 2 figs per stand. HQ's would also be 2 figs.

Extra Crispy · Post by **Extra Crispy** » Tue Dec 08, 2015 2:20 am

I have a bunch of infantry (bought second hand) mounted 3/4 per US penny. Works fine (except they are naturally not magnetic so don't work with my magnet lined storage boxes).

John Secker · Post by **John Secker** » Tue Dec 08, 2015 3:23 am

I'm with Crispy - steel bases, almost all 1" square, the exceptions being long thin models such as towed guns. The bases are nice and thin, but still rigid, and the steel adds a bit of "heft" to the piece. They're a little more expensive than plastic or plywood, but when you consider what we pay for GHQ models, and the time we put into painting them, there's no reason to save a few pennies on the base.

Delta Echo · Post by **Delta Echo** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 8:22 am

I have had good luck using steel bases from Wargaming Accessories. Mostly 1"x1/2" bases for 4-5 man stands.

Mk 1 · Post by **Mk 1** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 3:41 pm

I use pennies.

This is an example of my GHQ Romanian infantry based on pennies.

I use 4 figures to a basic squad stand. Most rulesets I play are 1-to-squad unit scale. For my purposes the 4 figures can represent a full squad ... it's a stand of men. But if I do happen to wind up in a game with 1-to-fireteam unit scale, my 4 figure stands still work (although my infantry forces get cut in half!).

I use 3 figures for special purpose squads. So engineers, or weapons crews (with full squad sizes, like mortars or ATGs) will get 3 figures. Just makes it easier to tell the regular infantry squads from the special purpose squads when it's 4 vs. 3 figures.

I use 2 figures to represent teams that are half-squad or smaller. Commo, observer, and some special detachments might be just a few men.

In this Romanian infantry platoon there are four full sized squads in the front (right side of the pic) row, a vanatori di carre (tank hunter) team in the foreground of the back row (with one vanatori carrying a tellermine and a SMG-armed escort), then a command stand of 3 men (full sized squad -- Romanian units had generous numbers of men), and a 3 man (full sized squad) 60mm mortar team.

Another view. There's enough space to put 4 figures and a little bit of brush or rocks (model RR talus or just large bits from the sand from the playground) without too much crowding.

The pennies work well for me. If Cama ever finds them truly un-available in the cold white north, he is welcome to visit here ... I seem to have an endless supply between the cushions in my couch!

I find them easy to work with. They seem to make the infantry stands more robust -- something about the size and heft makes them pretty easy to manipulate without grabbing individual infantry figures OR squeezing two or three figures as you grab. I've been using pennies for my infantry for about 15 or 18 years now, and I'm very confident in this approach.

With my Romanians I also settled on using the pennies for gun crews too. I mount the crew on the pennies, but leave the guns loose. In this way I can set the guns up with the tows or set them up on the crew stands, and separate them if the rules provide for guns to be destroyed without the crews, or vice versa.

It also allows me to build some number of crews, and use them to serve a variety of guns depending on the scenario. So my Romanian arty crews might serve APX 75mm field guns or Skoda 100mm howitzers, and my Romanian ATG crews might serve 47mm Bohler guns, 37mm Bofors guns, or 75mm Pak 97/38s guns, depending on the scenario.

But alas, as others have mentioned, they are indeed non-magnetic. Doesn't bother me, as I've never set up magnetic trays, but it might limit others' enthusiasm for this approach.