On The Desk - The Nurse Part 6

As I mentioned last week the nurse does come with a simple resin base representing a damaged tile floor. It's a perfectly good base but with the time I've spent on the miniature I wanted to do more, I wanted to go bigger!

I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of abandoned asylums and hospitals to get inspiration (some fascinating photos out there even if you aren't doing research!) In the end I came across a screenshot from a horror game called Outlast set mostly in an asylum. The screenshot showed a concrete floor partially collapsed with the reinforced bars jutting out into nothingness.

I started by rolling out a thick slab of Sculpey for my flooring, baked it in the oven to set it and then weathered it with my hands, pliers, hobby knife and other tools. I used some paperclips for the bars, drilling into the Sculpey and gluing the paperclips in. I kept two sides of the floor undamaged to represent this being a cutaway of a room.

I wanted this floor to overhang, not just be the floor, so I glued some cork tiles together and tore them up to give me a hole in the earth that the floor can extend over.

And now we skip a few photos because sometimes I get carried away and forget that I need to take photos! I used some more cork tile to make a pillar structure to go in the corner. I even gouged a chunk out of it and put some more rebar in to show how damaged this building is. I decided I liked the broken tile theme from the included bases so set about recreating something like that on my base. Plasticard tiles cut up, scratched up and glued to the base.

I wanted the tiling to extend up the pillar a little way so more plasticard tiles glued into place. I then used Vallejo White Pumice to cover up most of the cork on all four sides of the column as well as the undamaged sides of the base.. I've got a few of the Vallejo Textures line and they're fantastic for various basing uses. They're pricey but come in big pots and last for ages.

Here is the column pinned and glued to the base, we're getting there. But something isn't quite right... 

I've joked in the past that sometimes base building can feel like DIY on a smaller scale. Well in this case I think those tiles need some grouting! At the moment they are just sort of placed on the floor and it doesn't look very believable. Out comes the Milliput, I wet my finger and just spread it over the surface into the cracks. I also build it up on the edges to get some texture there. I use a spare piece of cork tile to press into the Milliput for texture.

Finally I decide that the white pumice on the column doesn't really look right, it's fine for the outside of the column but I want the inside to look like damaged concrete. More Milliput! Again just using my finger and a little water I smooth it over the pillar and use some cork tile to introduce a better texture. It's all about experimenting and finding out what works for you.

I'm happy with the way this has turned out, it should provide a good platform for the mini. Next week we'll attempt to paint it!