I just knew I should have been sending more emails to John, telling him how great his minis look...
All kidding aside, drilling some holes in stock bases won't be a big deal for the measly two squadrons of fighters I have. I'll probably prepare 3 bases for each group of 12, to give a little flexibility. That should more than take care of me.
I might steal Dan's magnet magic though. I could stick a flat sheet magnet (the kind people send you to stick their ad on your fridge) under the bases and use steel pins on the fighters instead of brass. Might prevent rattling and weathervaning a bit, and help keep them there during transportation.