Miniatures: Prepare Yer Bones!

If you've been living under a rock some where you may have missed Reaper's incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign for their new Bones miniature line. Cast entirely in a hard but flexible white plastic the Bones line is a relatively new product that can be found in stores now for a limited number of models. If you're interested in picking up some of these very affordable new minis read on! If you're like myself and several thousands of Bones kickstarters we're also about to receive 200+ of these plastic minis by April. That's a lot to paint!

Having spent 2 decades painting metal minis, from the old lead miniatures to the pewter ones and later the excellent lead-tin mixtures such as Reaper's P-65 series, I wanted to know how preparing the new plastic minis would be different from prepping metal miniatures that were so familiar to me. Below is what I found in 4 simple steps:

Step 1: Clear Flash

Flash is the excess material left on the mini along the line where the mold separates. For metal minis a small metal file, a hobby knife, and a steady hand did the trick. For the new white plastic you'll want to use a softer nail file and a hobby knife, taking greater care not to gouge the surface of the relatively softer plastic material. It seems you'll be using it more like a paring knife than scraping across like you would do on a metal miniature. There's also less flash on the Bones minis but its harder to detect against the white surface, so fair warning.

Step 2: Clean

Once the flash is clear you'll want to clean the mini with soap and water. That's right, it appears the process of making the new plastic minis causes white plastic dust to cling to their surface. So unless you enjoy having white flecks in your base coat its best to dunk each mini into a bucket of soapy water and agitate at the least. A quick brush with soft bristles might be a good idea as well. 

I plan on using a large soapy bucket to dump en masse my Bones minis so that I can pull each out, swipe with a small brush, rinse in a water bowl, and finally set aside on a cloth laden table for drying.

Step 3: Bendy

Along with the desirable traits plastic minis bring (i.e. cost) there is one down side. Those already familiar with D&D and Pathfinder pre-painted plastic minis already know this well: the occasional bent plastic mini!

When you do end up with a mini with a not-so-straight sword or a crooked spear do not despair. Get yourself an old pot (one you'd rather not cook with anymore) and set some water to boil. Nearby, place ice in a large bowl and fill with water. Next find some tongs and, you guessed it, dip your plastic mini into the boiling water. It shouldn't take too long ~30s for a medium sized minis and longer/shorter for larger/smaller minis respectively. 

At this point you'll be able to lift the mini out and bend the offending piece back into shape with your fingers, being careful not to burn yourself on any hot water still dripping from your mini. While still holding the unbent piece of the mini, place it into the ice water you set side and wait a few seconds for it to rapidly cool. Once you've done this the plastic will remain firmly in place and be just as flexible as it was before.

Step 4: Base Coat

A coat of primer is no longer necessary with the new plastic minis as the acrylic paint adheres quite well to the surface. So you may begin straight away with your thicker base coats on your newly cleaned and dried minis. I've always favored darker earthy tones myself and will likely base coat all of my minis black to start but that's just a personal preference.

So now that you have a veritable host of miniatures dried and awaiting your brush its time to get painting! After all, those 200+ Bones minis aren't going to paint themselves. I hope to be attending several local weekend and evening painting parties in my near future. Its always a good idea to share one's suffering! Those of age would of course be well advised to partake in numerous malted and distilled beverages, preferably sans sharp implements and scalding hot water.

Good luck!