Competition-Ready Basing — Alien Terrain for Display Boards

A competition entry lives or dies on its base. Judges see the whole model — and a weak base undermines even the finest paintwork above it. For VoidHive Forge miniatures, the base is an extension of the lore: alien, hostile, and alive.

Here's how to build a display-quality alien terrain base that holds its own at any competition table.

Materials You'll Need

• Cork sheet or bark (cracked rock/obsidian effect)
• Baking soda + superglue (instant texture for rubble and ground)
• UV resin (bioluminescent pools)
• Tufts and alien foliage (Gamers Grass alien range works well)
• Weathering powders (Vallejo or MIG)
• Fluorescent pigments (purple/teal for OSL glow effects)

Step 1 — Build the Terrain

Break cork sheet into irregular shards and glue them at angles to your base to create cracked obsidian rock formations. Fill gaps with baking soda activated with thin superglue — this creates an instant, rock-hard granular texture that takes paint beautifully. Leave deliberate recesses for your bioluminescent pools.

Step 2 — The Bioluminescent Pools

Mix UV resin with a tiny amount of fluorescent teal or purple ink. Pour into your recesses and cure with a UV torch. Build up 2–3 layers for depth. The final layer should be slightly domed — surface tension does the work. Once cured, dry-brush the edges of the pool with a lighter teal to suggest the glow bleeding onto the rock.

Step 3 — Painting the Base

Prime black. Drybrush the rock with dark grey, then mid-grey, then a final edge highlight of near-white on the sharpest edges. Wash the recesses with Nuln Oil or a dark purple wash. Paint any chitin fragments (spare resin bits work perfectly) in your model's colour scheme to tie the base to the miniature.

Step 4 — OSL from the Pools

This is what separates a good base from a competition base. Using a thin glaze of fluorescent teal, stipple and feather the glow effect outward from each pool onto the surrounding rock. Keep it subtle — the light should feel like it's emanating, not painted on. A second pass with pure fluorescent pigment dry-brushed very lightly at the pool's edge adds the final punch.

Step 5 — Finishing Touches

Add alien tufts and foliage sparingly — less is more on a competition base. Dust the rock edges with weathering powder for a worn, ancient feel. Gloss varnish the pools only; matte varnish everything else. The contrast in finish reads beautifully under competition lighting.

Your base should tell the same story as your model. Make it part of the Hive.