Bases and suchlike trivia.

Now when it comes to basing most of my collection I'm pretty picky. I do use painting services - mostly for display units in the line of business as it were but also sometimes for my personal stuff. However I do have 1 rules I always base the stuff myself. The reasoning is simple even when I use different painters whose styles may differ slightly making the bases match through out the army gives homogeneity to the collection- looks better on the table too.
Bases have several functions of which the most important is protecting the model- then perhaps running a good second is the bases function in the game as a way of sspacing the unit . All my figures get based even those that remain singles though this may change in respect of one collection assuming the project comes off as I hope- under most circumstances the base is an integral part of the model . This is certainly so in the case of my modelof Denzil Holles Regiment of Foot for my ECW armies. The bases of the front section of the unit were deliberately made 3 inches loner to accomodate "Charge your pike" figures as the idea was to model the unit under some pressure from an enemy. Obviously the rest of the bases had to matchand I laid the odd stiff out there on the base fronts for added interest .The whole unit is 44cm wide almost 18 inches so the players need to watch the flanks- just like real generals.