With the new Tau codex out now and my (ok, more my kid's) army growing a fair bit I decided to pick up some better bases for them. Shiny new models definitely deserve shiny new bases. I looked through the Secret Weapon Miniatures range and for something like Tau, the Alien Temple and Tau Ceti bases definitely stuck out. I went with Tau Ceti bases because I felt the clean lines fit well with the clean lines of (most) of the Tau models. In the grimdark of the future (only war, etc etc) the Tau are the only race that feels purely hi-tech so I wanted to accentuate that.
When I picked these up I took advantage of the trade in program SWM have going. My existing Tau were all on old straight sided Ruined Temple bases, but it didn't take long to pop those off. The majority of my Tau force will now have Tau Ceti bases which will give them a great thematic look. The Kroot and Pathfinders I'm putting on Blasted Wetlands though as it suits them a lot more.
Painting these bases was different to what I'm used to. Lots of detail, but also lots of flat, clean surfaces. This actually meant they took a little longer to paint than normal for a base, but I'm happy with the results. I decided to paint a lot of the recessed areas yellow/orange to look like power conduits or similar. To mix it up some I then went for a blue glow look of a few of the panels for, in my mind, a power generation point look. Really though, the same three-tones and a dry brush method I use for plasma guns and the like. Once these bases have models on them I'll pull the blue or yellow glow up on to the model's legs to make sure they well connected.
Lastly, a couple of shots with models on them. Sorry, none of the models are finished yet, but I hope it gives you a good idea of what these bases look like. They paint up well, are full or detail, and will look good with the greater good on them.
Oh yeah, and the new broadside is so much nicer of a model.
Marcus