THE BASE For all these Steampunk models I decided to do a very  minimal base, a fake stone paving trompe l’oeil effect.  The key to the trompe l’oeil effect is to decide where the  light is coming from and highlight accordingly. The final  highlight goes on just the very edge of the fake stones  on the paving.  1. AP-WP1101 - Matt Black mixed with AP-WP1122 - Fur Brown 2. plus AP-WP1102 - Matt White 3. plus more AP-WP1102 - Matt White 4. plus even more AP-WP1102 - Matt White VARNISH Make sure all the paint on the model is thoroughly dry  before commencing varnishing.  Gloss The models were then given a coat of Humbrol  polyurethane gloss varnish and set aside for 24 hours to  dry completely. Be careful not to let the varnish pool,  

especially on the feet. You don’t need a very thick coat of  varnish, in fact the thinner the better.   Matt Then they were given two coats of AP-WP1103 - Anti-  Shine Matt Varnish. Be even more careful when painting  on the matt varnish. When applying the matt, brush it out  well from any nooks and crannies where it is likely to  collect and pool. A BIGGER BASE I would seriously recommend a bigger base if you are  going to game with your models. The small bases are  perfect for photography, but your models will fall over if  you are playing on anything than a perfectly level surface,  or if you jog the table or are less than very careful how  you place them down.   Try something like this, using a 25mm circular plastic base from Renedra. Use superglue to stick the models in place,  blowing over them with a hairdryer set on cool, to prevent  the glue whitening off on the model, then infill around the  model base with household filler. When the filler is hard  paint on the stone paving trompe l’oeil effect as detailed  above.