What you need to start basing miniatures, and where to buy it in Australia
To start basing miniatures you need bases, PVA glue and superglue, fine sand or a texture paint, a few cheap brushes, paint for a basecoat, a wash and a drybrush, matt varnish, and some tufts or static grass. In Australia most of that comes from a hardware store, a model railway shop or your local hobby store; we sell the resin bases, basing bits, movement plates and trays and texture rollers, and nothing else on the list.
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To start basing miniatures you need bases, PVA glue and superglue, fine sand or a texture paint, a few cheap brushes, paint for a basecoat, a wash and a drybrush, matt varnish, and some tufts or static grass. In Australia most of that comes from a hardware store, a model railway shop or your local hobby store; we sell the resin bases, basing bits, movement plates and trays and texture rollers, and nothing else on the list. Here's the shopping list, where each thing comes from, and what's worth buying first.
- Level
- Beginner
- Must-haves
- 8 things, most from a hardware store
- Nice to have
- Basing bits, tufts, a texture roller
- Step by step
- How to base miniatures
What do I need for basing? The shopping list
This is everything for a classic earth-and-rock base, the kind you can repeat across a whole army. The first eight rows are the must-haves; the rest you can add once you've based a few models.
| What | Why you need it | Where to get it in Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Bases | Most plastic kits come with them; resin and metal figures often don't | In the box, or our resin bases (round, square, oval and 10mm/15mm movement plates) |
| PVA glue | Holds sand, grit and static grass | Hardware stores such as Bunnings (wood glue), Officeworks or a supermarket (craft glue) |
| Superglue | Holds the model and any resin or plastic bits | Hardware stores, Officeworks, hobby stores; a gel is easiest to start with |
| Fine sand or grit | The ground texture | Bunnings or a garden centre (play sand or fine paving sand), or ballast from a model railway shop |
| Texture paint (optional swap for sand) | Glue and grit in one pot, quicker but dearer per base | Hobby and game stores |
| Brushes | An old one for glue, a big soft one for drybrushing, a medium one for washes | Cheap craft brushes from a hardware or craft store do the glue and drybrush jobs |
| Paint: a dark brown, a light earth, a bone or pale grey, and a brown wash | Basecoat, wash and two drybrush layers | Hobby stores; craft acrylics from a craft store work for ground colours |
| Matt varnish | Protects the drybrushing and takes off the shine | Hobby stores (spray or brush-on) |
| Tufts or static grass | Finishes the base and hides any mess | Hobby stores and model railway shops |
| Rocks and basing bits | Height, interest and a theme | Our resin basing bits, or real stones, cork and slate from the garden |
| Texture roller | Paving, planks or cracked earth pressed into clay | Our texture rollers; air-dry clay from craft stores |
| Movement trays | Move a ranked unit in one go | Our movement trays, or magnetic sheet and card |
Store names are a guide to the kind of shop that stocks each thing, not a promise that every branch has it on the shelf. Ring ahead for anything specific.
What we sell, and what we don't
We make our own resin bases, basing bits, movement plates, movement trays and texture rollers, printed to order in our Perth workshop. We don't sell glue, sand, paint, varnish, tufts or static grass. Buy those locally: they're cheap, heavy or bulky for what they are, and every hardware and hobby store has them.
Prices on our store in November 2026:
| Ours | What it is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Round Bases | Pack of 10: 25, 32 or 40mm | A$4–9 |
| Square Bases | Pack of 10: 20, 25, 25 × 50 or 30 × 60mm | A$3–8 |
| Movement Plates | Pack of 10, 40mm wide, for 10mm and 15mm stands | A$2–9 |
| Rock Clump Basing Bits | 32 rocks, outcrops and flat slabs | A$18 |
| Small Rock Basing Bits | 51 small rocks and chips | A$22 |
| Themed basing bits packs | Desert, woodland, swamp, graveyard, WW2 and more | A$16–30 |
| A texture roller | One pattern, 28mm or 10mm/15mm | A$15 |
| Texture Roller Set | 5, 7 or 10 rollers with handles | A$37–64 |
| Movement trays | 20, 25 and 30mm square, 30 × 60mm cavalry and 32mm round | From A$7 |
Are model railway shops cheaper for basing supplies?
Often they're the better place for loose materials. Model railway layouts use the same things wargamers put on bases: fine stone (they call it ballast), flock, static grass, tufts and scenic glue. Because a layout covers a whole table, railway shops tend to sell these in bigger bags and tubs than the small pots in a game store, which suits basing an army. Brands like Woodland Scenics, Noch and Heki come from the railway side of the hobby. Search for a "model railway shop" near you; in American guides it's called a "model railroad" shop.
Can I use sand from the beach or the garden?
Yes, with a bit of prep. Rinse beach sand in fresh water to get the salt out, and dry it completely, spread on a tray in the sun or in a low oven. Sieve garden sand through an old tea strainer to get rid of the dust and the big stones, and keep a few of those stones for bigger rocks. Play sand from a hardware store is already washed and dry, so it's the easiest start.
Is a ready-made basing kit or set worth it?
A boxed basing kit, with a few pots of sand, rocks, grass and glue, is a good buy if you want to try basing before you commit, or you're only doing a handful of models. Everything matches, and you're not left with a giant bag of sand. For a whole army, buying the pieces loose works out better: a bag of sand and a bottle of PVA from the hardware store last for hundreds of bases, and you can pick the colours of tufts and grass you actually want. The Army Painter, Vallejo and Gamers Grass all make basing products, and most game stores carry at least one of those brands.
Do I need basing bits to start?
No. Sand, a couple of real stones and a tuft make a good base, and that's where we'd start. Resin basing bits are for when you want a base to say something: a desert, a graveyard, a ruined street, a woodland floor. A single Rock Clump pack is a sensible first buy, because broken rock suits almost any army and any theme.
Our packs are made for 28mm figures (they suit 32mm too). When you're ready for a theme, each one has its own page: desert, woodland, swamp, undead, WW2, ruins, sci-fi and lava, among others.
Basing 10mm and 15mm armies
Small-scale historical and fantasy armies are usually based several figures to a stand. You need the same glue, sand and paint, but finer sand, smaller tufts, and stands instead of single bases. Our Movement Plates are 40mm wide, the frontage most rules use at these scales. How many figures go on each stand, and how to lay them out, is in how to base 10mm and 15mm armies. For ranked 28mm units, see which movement tray fits your bases.
Shipping and how long it takes
- Orders ship from Perth within 3–5 business days.
- Standard shipping in Australia is A$11 and takes 2–8 days; it's free on orders of A$120 or more. Express is A$15 and takes 1–3 days.
- Spend A$75 or more and a Rock Clump basing bits pack is added to your order free.
What to do next
Once you've got the kit, the step-by-step basing guide takes you from bare base to finished. For which glue does which job and how to stop sand falling off, read which glue holds sand and basing bits. Rolling paving or planks? Start with how to use a texture roller.
Start with the ground. Our resin bases, basing bits, movement plates and texture rollers are printed to order in Perth. Pick up the glue, sand and paint locally, and the rest is here.
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Questions and answers
- What do I need to start basing miniatures?
- Bases, PVA glue for sand, superglue for the model and any bits, fine sand or a texture paint, a few cheap brushes, paint for a basecoat, a wash and a drybrush, matt varnish, and tufts or static grass. Rocks or resin basing bits and a texture roller are nice extras once you've based a few models.
- Where can I buy basing supplies in Australia?
- Hardware stores such as Bunnings stock PVA wood glue, superglue, play sand and cheap brushes. Model railway shops sell ballast, flock, static grass and tufts, often in bigger bags. Hobby and game stores carry texture paints, washes and varnish. Scale Command sells resin bases, basing bits, movement plates and trays and texture rollers.
- Are model railway shops cheaper for basing materials?
- They're often the better place for loose materials. Railway layouts use the same ballast, flock, static grass, tufts and scenic glue that go on wargaming bases, and because a layout covers a whole table, railway shops tend to sell them in bigger bags and tubs than the small pots in a game store.
- Is a ready-made basing kit worth buying?
- A boxed basing kit is a good buy for trying basing out or for a handful of models: everything matches and nothing goes to waste. For a whole army, buying sand and PVA loose from a hardware store works out better, and you can pick exactly the tufts and grass colours you want.
- Does Scale Command sell glue, sand or tufts?
- No. Scale Command makes resin bases, basing bits, movement plates, movement trays and texture rollers, printed to order in Perth. Glue, sand, paint, varnish, tufts and static grass are cheap and easy to find locally, so buy them from a hardware store, a model railway shop or your local hobby store.
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