Hey, long time lurker but new to posting and first time asking for assistance so please be kind with my possibly stupid questions!

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could point me towards a reliable source for custom name plaques to put onto diorama bases.

I haven't bought any bases as of yet but I like to plan for the future.

The bases I intend to buy will be from here:
http://www.woodenbases.co.uk/
Of course if someone can suggest a better source for bases, I'm all ears for that too.

I have done a bit of searching and found a few sites, mostly based in America, but they seem to cater more for trophies, name plates and the sort - I'm not even sure which material(s) would be easily applied to a wooden base.

I constantly see other people with dioramas that have these featured but the supplier or material aren't discussed.

Thanks for reading and looking forward to any help provided.

Nok

http://www.nameitplates.co.uk/

Try these guys.

Paul

Local trophy shop is your best bet!

I second that. You can almost always find a local trophy shop or engraver. A nicely engraved plaque will cost usually around $10.

I went to a local trophy shop once, charged me an extortionate amount for two small plaques. Julie and Paul at www.nameitplates.co.uk provide excellent service at brilliant prices- I get all my name plates from them and if you don't see a suitable size on their list they will make you a custom one (most of the ones I get are custom sizes) and can even add various symbols etc if you can provide a decent JPEG of it (a badge or insignia for example).

+1 with Terry and Mr. Biggles2.

An advantage with dealing with a local trophy and engraving shop is that you can inspect their quality and ensure that your desired text is correctly understood. Foreign nomenclatures and abbreviations along with unusual place name spellings can leave the engraver second guessing your order and being able to explain to the guy on the other side of the counter precisely what you want can be important.

You can also usually look over examples their offerings first hand to see the differences between various colors and text fonts, and finally, you can usually get your name plates sized exactly to the space available on the base that you want to mount it on.

Finally, the prices for buying something like this locally are usually better than ordering on-line or by mail plus you get to contribute to your local economy.

I get my diorama and vignette name plates done at the same shop that does all of the trophies and special awards for our AMPS shows, so I have established a good working relationship with the owner. If you belong to a local modeling club that hosts a show, ask around and see where they get their awards done. The proprietor will surly appreciate your extra business and that can only be a good thing for your club, too.

Thanks for the speedy replies! I guess part of my problem was I was searching for "plaques" and not "plates".

I hadn't thought of trying a trophy shop though, I had to use one a year ago to get some items engraved so I really should have considered that. Though I do agree with Karl that they can be pricey at times.

I'll give Julie and Paul at name it plates a go first, the prices seem quite reasonable and as I'm just looking for something basic what they offer is ideal.
However it's always good to have a back up so I'll keep in mind that trophy shops are a great alternative, and considering you can see the product while you see the vendor, it's easier to ensure you get exactly what you want!


Thanks again for all the help folks, I knew I could count on Armorama.