Several Words about Bases
Call them what you will; Bases, Stands, etc.A Base is the essential part that, tho' not really part of a figure per se, is necessary for it to not topple over at the slightest breeze. Sometimes figures do not have bases. While laying figures are universally agreed to not need a base, other poses such as kneeling shooters are often not given a base, but instead are supposed to balance on their own. Sometimes a scabbard is made longer than normal, or a rifle made extending to the ground, to provide a 3rd leg so the figure can be without a base. These balance-type figures are called "annoying".
There are many different philosophies about bases.
Some feel a base should represent the terrain a figure is supposed to be standing on.
In this view, bases are actually a story-telling part of the figure and may have not only a specific color but also a texture such as brick.
At the other end of the spectrum of tho't, it is felt that bases should be as invisible as possible and are a necessary evil.
Roco Minitanks was at the far end of this idea with their clear plastic bases.
Another very useful ability of a base is on the underside; to provide information about the figure or the manufacturer, and point of manufacture.
Most of the time, bases are simply green, presupposing that grass is the usual place the figure will stand. Most of the time, this green has little or no texture in an attempt to not draw attention to itself.
The physical TYPE of base is also significant. There have been five main types:
1. Removable Positive Peg type (RPP); where the base has upright pegs that fit into holes in the figure, such as Britains ACW Swoppets.
2. Removable Negative Peg type (RNP); where the base has holes for pegs. In this case the figure has the pegs; such as Elastolin soft-plastic swap figures.
3. Negative Rivet type; where the base has holes for extentions of the figure that are melted (riveted) by the manufacturer so that
the figure does not come loose from the base. Examples are Timpo's last swap figures such as Vikings, and HTF figures.
4. Flat type that a figure is glued to, such as Elastolin hard-plastic figures.
5. Continuous type; the base is intrinsically part of the figure, such as Britain's Swoppet Knights.
The Negative Rivet type base has two shortfalls;
1. the base cannot be changed,
2. the base-figure connection can rarely be repaired.
But it does have one advantage; the figure has pins in the feet that can be stuck into a display board, dismissing the need for a base.
After all, in a serious display, who wants toy-like bases?
The positive aspect of the RPP type base is that you can change the base should it break or should you want a different-looking base.
Long ago, HTF decided on the Negative Rivet type base because it was foreseen that customers would want to take the many,
slightly altered poses of figures and put them in a serious diorama.
Thus the figures were made available without bases.
However, it turned out that nearly all customers wanted bases.
With this preference now known to HTF, and since an opportunity to make another base mold presented itself, HTF has changed its philosophy on base type.
As a result, HTF will be issuing all new themes of figures with an RPP type base, and different colors of bases (mud, snow, grass, stone, and even clear) will be available.
This will begin with our WW1 Theme. However, the old Negative Rivet bases will still be available for quite a while.If one wishes, an older-theme figure can be re-tooled to have the new RPP base (for $1/figure)
Below, you see the old HTF bases before being attached to figures.
Note that one of our bases - the one for kneeling poses - has always been an RPP type base. It was originally made as a generic base for any figure.
To the right, you see the new HTF bases as RPP type and in various colors.
Note that our kneeling base now has a third pin. It shall hereafter be dual-purpose, replacing the Lunging pose base which proved too thin.
The underside of the Kneel/Lunge base, which previously never had any legend, now sports an HTF logo.
