Sitting down to craft and paint your first set of miniatures can feel like an intimidating task. With dozens of tiny plastic pieces in front of you, you might fear accidentally gluing yourself to the table. But don’t worry, once you get the hang of it, assembling and painting miniatures becomes an incredibly rewarding hobby. The process takes a lot of patience, precision, and a little bit of artistic flair. I’ll walk you through the essentials, from assembling your figures to adding those final brushstrokes that make them stand out on the game board.
Gather the Right Tools
Before you dive into assembling your miniatures, first you’ll need to gather versatile and user-friendly hobby tools. A good set of clippers is essential – ones with sharp, flat edges will give you clean cuts and help avoid unnecessary stress on the plastic. While there are plenty of options out there, the slightly pricier clippers tend to be sharper and make the process much smoother. Alongside that, a hobby knife gets rid of those pesky mould lines that can make your finished miniatures look less polished.
Glue is another essential hobby tool that you’ll need. If you’re working with hard plastic miniatures, plastic cement is the way to go. Unlike regular glue, plastic cement melts the plastic slightly, creating a super strong bond that makes your miniatures more durable in the long run. However, if you’re dealing with PVC miniatures, like those from Mantic Games, or resin miniatures from companies like Forge World, you’ll need regular super glue.
Beyond the basics, there are a few extra hobby tools that can make assembling miniatures a lot easier. Tweezers, for instance, help you handle tiny pieces that are too fiddly to hold with your fingers. They give you more control and help prevent parts from slipping or getting lost under your desk. Files and sanding pads help smooth out rough edges and remove excess material left behind from clipping your miniatures off the sprues.
Cut Your Pieces
Once you have your tools ready, it’s time to tackle those sprues. When you first open your box, you’ll typically find hard plastic miniatures attached to a sprue, just waiting to be transformed. To make sure you get the right hobby tools in Australia, take a moment to look over the instructions. Most miniatures come with a guide that numbers each piece, and it’s crucial to follow that carefully. Cutting everything off without paying attention to the numbers can lead to confusion later on, especially if you have a lot of parts to work with.
Now it’s time to cut out the pieces. When you use your clippers, try to position the flat edge as close to the piece as possible. This technique helps minimize leftover plastic, making your cleanup a lot easier once the part is free. As you work on extracting parts, take your time and be gentle.
If you’ve opted for 3D printing your miniatures, you’ll need to take an extra step to prepare them for assembly. After the printing process, it’s common to find some excess material that needs trimming off. This can include support structures or any stringing that occurred during the printing. To clean up your figures, you can use some of the convenient hobby tools online, such as hobby knives, clippers, and files. Carefully trim away the supports, making sure to get as close as possible without damaging the miniature itself. You might also want to sand down any rough edges left from the printing process. A sanding pad can be really handy here, helping to smooth out the surface and prepare it for painting.
Assemble
Before you grab that glue, take a moment to dry-fit everything first. Line up the pieces to get a feel for how they fit together, ensuring you don’t accidentally glue something in the wrong spot. Once you’re confident about how the parts align, it’s time to apply the glue. Focus on the areas with the best connection points and remember – a little goes a long way. Using a hobby tool like a handy brush allows for precise application, which is super helpful for avoiding any mess. Just squeeze a tiny bit if you’re using a nozzle, and be mindful of any excess that might seep out.
Unlike mini car models that come with larger pieces and fewer intricate details, game miniatures often require a more detailed approach, particularly regarding painting and customising. Miniatures usually involve finer details, so techniques like dry fitting are important to ensure every piece aligns just right before committing with glue.
Refine
Even with all your careful assembly, you might end up with some tiny gaps between the parts, like the one between the arm and shoulder. But don’t worry – this is a common hiccup. You can often fix these gaps by adding a bit more plastic cement and gently squeezing the pieces together. The melting plastic can help fill in the joint, creating a more seamless look. If that doesn’t do the trick, a little plastic putty can come to the rescue. Just take a dab on your hobby knife and carefully spread it into the gap, then wipe away any excess with a paper towel.
Paint
Once you clean up and assemble your miniatures, it’s finally time to bring them to life with some paint. Is painting miniatures easy? This part can be incredibly simple and rewarding, so I’ll break it down into a few easy steps:
-Base coating: Start with a solid base coat to cover your miniature in a uniform colour. Use a medium brush and apply thin layers to keep all those lovely details visible;
-Washing: Next, grab a darker, diluted paint to wash over the entire model. This will flow into the crevices, adding some nice depth and shadow;
-Dry brushing: Lightly drag a nearly dry brush across the surface to catch the edges and create highlights;
-Layering and blending: Once you’re comfortable, start layering different colours to build highlights and shadows. Blending can help create smooth transitions between colours, giving your miniature more dimension;
-Detailing: Finally, use a fine detail brush for the small touches that make your miniature pop – think eyes, buckles, and tiny accessories.
