T2 Core Base - planned Kickstarter late Spring
With demountable magnet system
A standard miniature base but with a threaded magnet chamber beneath. Change, remove or reuse magnets at any time — no glue, no guesswork.
Flexibility and a large range of sizes
Choose magnet strength by task. Change polarity when needed. Reuse magnets instead of locking them permanently into bases.
Available in circles, rectangles, squares and ovals, across 45 sizes from 20mm to 240mm.
T2 Core Base Insets
Insets are optional but they do improve the finish on all your bases and add rigidity to larger bases.
Insets are customisable colour, embossed copy, textures.
Insets sit recessed in the bottom of the bases, the base rim remains the primary contact point with the tabletop.
The T2 Core magnet chamber
Accommodates multiple magnet sizes
From above, the T2 Core Base looks like any other base. The difference sits underneath.
The chamber is 15x2mm and can house any combination of magnets up to this size. Larger bases have multiple chambers, using them is optional.
Magnets are secured with a retaining bolt fitted with a printable spanner that we call the Star Tool.
Fitting a magnet into a base
Gluing an Inset into a base
FDM printable Toppers
Includes FDM Friendly Toppers
T2 Core Bases come blank, but we've also included 22 terrain swatches to slice base toppers from.
Photorealistic Textures
The swatches are created from photographic surface textures, ranging from rock and earth to paving, slabs and mosaic stone.
80mm Square FDM Stone Slab Topper enhanced with grasses and moss effects. FDM printed Titan model 150mm tall. Sculpt by @Duncan Shadow
Paint them, or let the filament do the work
Filament can be used for the toppers base colour, just seal it with a clear varnish first. PLA comes in an array of finishes, solid, translucent, matt, gloss, and even multi-coloured. A pale grey is especially useful for stone, browns and beige for wood, black-brown for lava, some filaments already have a stone effect.
Creating a Base Topper
Stamp the topper from a terrain swatch
Swatches are 100x100x2mm and each base size comes with a matching swatch cutter file to stamp your topper out with using your slicer software.
Swatches are 2mm high but they can also be cut down in height to a wafer thin 1.25mm without loss of detail as all the relief is in the top 0.75mm of the print.
Place the cutter object on the swatch, positioned to capture the terrain area you're interested in. Select both objects, choose the Boolean operation 'Intersection' and click execute.
The result is a fast, repeatable way to produce consistent bases, either as finished pieces or as foundations for further terrain work.
T2 Core Bases are 100% Locked On
The magnet chamber doubles as an immovable paint handle connection
The T2 Core Base thread can be screwed onto a paint handle, with no limit to base size. Our own future range of 3D printable paint handles offer connection by thread, putty or magnet. They can also hold a cork.
Paint Handle Compatible
Files for 3D-printable adaptors are included for Citadel and Redgrass paint handles.
Fits putty, magnets, clasps, corks and the T2's Base thread.
Our own 3D printable Paint Handle System...
T2 Core Bases have many ways to get connected
3D printed adaptors are compatible with both Redgrass and Citadel paint handles.
...or, use these popular paint handles
T2 Core Base FAQs
What magnets can I use?
The magnet chamber is 15 × 2 mm and can accommodate any combination of magnets up to this size. In practice, most miniatures require far less than the maximum capacity; magnet size and strength should be chosen to suit the model and its intended use.
As a general guide:
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Metal miniatures typically benefit from stronger magnets, especially for transport.
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Plastic miniatures usually require much less magnetic force.
Assuming magnetisation is for transport, a starting guide for magnet options would be:
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8x2 mm N42 , 12x1 mm N42, 10x2 N35 for plastic miniatures
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15 × 1 mm N42, 10 x 2mm N42, 8x2 N52 for metal miniatures
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15 x 1 mm N42 or 15 x 2 mm N35 for a larger plastic miniature
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15 x 2 mm N42 for a larger metal miniature
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Note that larger base sizes have several magnet chambers, so several less powerful magnets can be employed across the base.
The surface being attracted to will affect magnet choice. If it's to another magnet - then magnet strength can be much lower, for ferrous metal - the suggested magnet guide above is about right, for rubber steel - a stronger magnet is suggested.
Being demountable, magnet choice can tried and tailored to your specific requirements at any time for any purpose. An example of this would be, if you attached your base to a paint handle using magnets, then a stronger magnet could be used for the painting stage. Once done, the magnet could be replaced by a lesser magnet for storage and transport.
When fitting smaller magnets inside the 15mm x 2mm magnet chamber, 3d printed spacer rings can be used to centre the magnet, making the system adaptable to a wide range of magnet setups.
Magnets between 8–12 mm in diameter tend to offer the best balance of cost and performance, as they are widely available.
Do they print easily on FDM printers?
Yes. T2 Core Bases are designed specifically for reliable FDM printing.
Because the system includes threaded components, good print precision is important. A layer height of 0.16 mm or lower is recommended for optimal results.
Can they be printed on a resin printer?
T2 Core Bases are designed for FDM printing and optimised for thermoplastic materials such as PLA or PLA+.
Because the system uses threaded connections, materials with a small amount of flexibility are preferred for a snug fit. FDM plastics naturally provide this, while most resins are more rigid. Resin toppers can be a great complement to FDM bases.
How do T2 Core Bases differ from standard bases?
At a glance they don't differ. Beneath the T2 Core Base is a magnet chamber. This chamber allows magnets to be swapped, removed or reconfigured as needs change. The chamber can be used to connect the base to a paint handle. Standard bases typically require a determined magnet choice at some stage of your project, attached with adhesive.
In practice, this means:
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You can use stronger magnets during painting and lighter magnets for storage or display.
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Magnets can be reused across projects instead of being permanently fixed in bases.
Will they work with my paint handle?
Yes. T2 Core Bases retain the external shape of traditional bases, so they attach to most existing paint handles in the usual way.
To take advantage of the threaded connection, the files include printable adaptors for Citadel and Redgrass paint handles. These adaptors are not endorsed by either manufacturer but are designed for compatibility.
If you currently 3D print your own handles, the supplied threaded connector in these adaptor files could probably be used to merge a threaded connection to them.
Why is it called the T2?
During development, the design was referred to as “Type 2” to distinguish it from traditional bases. The name was shortened to “T2” and has remained in use.
The T2 Hybrid Base actually came first, the T2 Core Base came while working on the T2 Hybrid Base.
When is the T2 Core Base Kickstarter being launched?
The Core and Hybrid Bases will be are our first Kickstarter project. Click Here to visit the General FAQ's for our latest timelines.