Octopus Overlords

These last few days I've been digging through my old collection of metal miniatures and washing them with dish soap, cleaning them with a modeling knife, and assembling them with super glue and green stuff. Some of these I thought I'd lost.

I took a quick picture of a few of the miniatures that I think may be of interest to you guys. From small to large, they are two orcs (I believe we'll get the exact same models in plastic with this Kickstarter), a stone golem (also part of the Kickstarter. This one I've given a light coating of white primer. I'm going to give it another before I'm ready to paint it), a silver dragon (not part of the Kickstarter, but very similar to one of the options), Kaladrax (an updated version is in the Kickstarter. Should give you an idea of the scale) and a gargantuan red dragon (not in the Kickstarter. This one is heavy!).


(click to see the full image)

After fiddling with these metal minis, I'm really seeing the advantages of the plastic approach. Kaladrax in particular feels like it's going to fall apart if I'm not very careful with it. The weight doesn't help, but the metal itself feels brittle. I suspect the Bones series is going to feel very tough and solid in comparison.

Good lord, that red looks like it weighs 20 pounds at least.

I actually don't like working with metal models at all. They're more expensive, more troublesome to assemble, more fragile, and harder to transport due to their weight and fragility.

Yeah, that red dragon is incredibly big. He'd be one hell of a piece to transport, but a blast to paint. He's big enough that you could paint each scale individually. Never have I finished a move that I didn't have to reassemble at least a couple of metal miniature whose wings or heads snapped off, even packed in styrofoam peanuts. The lighter, slightly flexible plastic will make that so much easier.

An update on the primer issues: Apparently, the problem with tackiness is specifically related to enamel primers. As long as you prime with acrylic primers, you're fine. It has something to do with how the enamel reacts with the material in the Bones (which are polyvinyl chloride - PVC based.)

I did a test on a spare base last night with my usual Krylon, and it turned out tacky. I'm grabbing some Army Painter primer and will test with that - Army Painter primers are all supposed to be acrylic based.

I tried painting a couple of sections without primers just to test the theory that they could be painted unprimed. The results were not good. Very little adhesion and I had to put on multiple, multiple coats to get a decent result. Could be the paints I'm using, but I've never had problems with them on my lead minis.

I know that's not an issue with most of us here who have painted minis before and always prime, but I did want to point it out.

I've experimented a bit with the 'unprimed' approach. It is definitely workable, with one caveat: The base coat cannot be thinned much. Overly thinned coats tend to puddle. You can do your buildups, highlights, shading and so forth with thinned paints, just not the base coat. The material is formulated to bond with the acrylic base in paints, not with water. I've heard that good results can be had if you thin with a colorless acrylic base, but I'd just as soon prime anyway.

Anyway, I'm not to worried about it. This is a new material, and as with any new medium, there are a few techniques that need to be learned. It was the same when they switched from lead to white metal in the late 80s, and when they started putting out styrene plastic miniatures in the early 90s. Each new medium has a couple of old techniques that don't work, and a few new ones to pick up.

/edit - and, in case you didn't, make sure you wash new miniatures with dish soap and warm water before painting (or priming them.) I use a soft toothbrush set aside for just that purpose myself. When they're molded, a release compound is applied to the molds to keep them from sticking. Traces of this can remain on the miniature and interfere with paint adhesion. This applies to any miniatures, from the Bones to my old Ral Partha '77 leads.

So I've got a mix of Tamiya acrylics and Model Master enamels. Is the consensus that I will need to apply an acrylic primer to the models to be able to effectively paint the minis?

Isgrimnur wrote:So I've got a mix of Tamiya acrylics and Model Master enamels. Is the consensus that I will need to apply an acrylic primer to the models to be able to effectively paint the minis?

You should be able to paint directly on them with the Tamiya acrylics (although I haven't , but with the enamels you'll need to prime, yes. Enamels and PVC don't seem to mix well. I'd still test the enamels on the bottom of a base, just to be safe.

I've experimented a bit with the 'unprimed' approach. It is definitely workable, with one caveat: The base coat cannot be thinned much.

That could have definitely been my problem. I was trying to paint them with my typical "milk consistency" thinned acrylics.

Reaper says you shouldn't use water at all when painting basecoats on their Bones minis, if the mini isn't primed first. The water stops it from sticking. So don't thin even a little.

Yeah, that's my experience, too, and is why I'll continue to prime before painting, just like on any mini. I just can't handle painting with unthinned paint anymore!

Just after the Kickstarter ended I ordered both MSP HD paint sets from Reaper's site (2 x 19 colors in trays, which is the entire HD range of more dense pigments than what we're getting in the Kickstarter), several additives (flow improver, anti-shine, drying retarder), a few colors I felt were missing (mostly metallic shades, such as Shadowed Steel, Polished Silver and Coppery Orange, but also a grey liner for that detail work) and five Bones miniatures that weren't in the campaign and which I felt would be worth owning (Dwarf Warrior, Werewolf, Cavetroll, and 2x Gnoll Warrior).

I received the package today, which means I should now be able to start painting. I think I'm going to start with the Zombicide minis (which I also received today), and since I'm not a total masochist I will cut a few corners. I'll spray-prime them, then do a quick basecoat followed by some quickshade. I'll do additional highlighting on the important models. Finally I will add some matte spray varnish and do a bit of simple basing (or not. The minis will be rolling around inside the box, so the basing would probably come off. I'll have to think about it). It'll probably take a while even so, but it'll be doable. I'll report my progress once I get started.

I'll probably make a new thread for sharing painting tricks and pictures once I get started, unless someone else does it first.

TiLT wrote: I'll probably make a new thread for sharing painting tricks and pictures once I get started, unless someone else does it first.

I promised just such a thread, and have taken a bunch of pictures, but have been waiting until I finished another time consuming project before I started.

An update today from Reaper, for those not keeping track. The pledge manager is coming along, but isn't quite ready yet. They had some issues getting all the data from amazon and KS - they got it, but it took a couple of weeks. In the meantime, they've posted master sculpts of some of the new pieces in the Bones line.





That elemental is huge and will look great in transluscent red. I also love that snakeman.

They also posted a painted version of the female frost giant:

Death by snoo-snoo!

bloo snoo-snoo. Oooh-nooo!

Heads up! Looks like the pledge manager is coming within the next week, and they've reduced the management window from 30 days to 10.

Anyway, some new Bones sculpts have been posted, two lizardman warriors and a storm giant. Those following the miniature painting thread will recognize the Green Stuff.

I wish I had seen this thread while the kickstarter was going on.... My wallet is glad I did not see this thread while the kickstarter was going on.

Genghis wrote:I wish I had seen this thread while the kickstarter was going on.... My wallet is glad I did not see this thread while the kickstarter was going on.

https://www.reapermini.com/ks/" target="_blank

Put your email in there.

Just a heads-up: The Pledge Manager is coming today, so check your inboxes later. You will only have ten days to fiddle with your order.

Got my pledge manager email and locked in my pledge (after triple checking that it was correct). Can't wait for March!

I ended up adding Deathsleet, There Be Dragons, and C'thulhu for a total damage of $185.

Locked in my pledge too. Final haul:

-- Vampire x1 $100
-- Undead Horde x1 $10
-- Starter Paint Set x1 $18
-- Orcapocalypse x1 $25
-- Mind Your Manors x1 $10
-- Figure Case x2 $50
-- Demons x1 $15
-- Starter Set 2 x1 $18
-- Jabberwock x1 $10
-- Swamp Things x1 $5
-- Hydra x1 $15
-- C'thulhu x1 $10

Looking forward to the paints so that I'm not just stuck with my basecoats. They'll be sent pretty soon. I'll worry about the miniatures later.

Oh, and sorry about not doing any more painting updates. I'm currently sitting on my balcony at a hotel in the Canary Islands as the sun rises in the horizon, an entire continent away from my minis. I'll paint when I'm back.

Mine's all locked in, too. Now I just need to kill six months or so.

I swapped out Sophie for three of the paint sets for another $29. Looking forward to my next painting job with some quality paints.

I debated adding a large mini or two, but with so much coming already it just felt like overkill. As it is I'll be busy for years, and maybe find a way to use these minis in an actual game or RPG.

I'm really looking forward to some of the non-fantasy miniatures. The NOVA troops, the Chronoscope, the IMEF Marines. I've been painting for nearly 25 years, and can count the non-fantasy figures I've done on one hand. The chance to paint some space marines, cowboys, and cybernetic gorillas has me excited.

Locked in. Have Vampire, 2 cases, 1 starter paint set and one $7 add-on coming my way. Splitting with a local friend who is also new to minis.

Argh! In the latest update they say that they've decided to consolidate the two shipments for international backers, which means I won't get my paints until March at the earliest. That seriously fucks up my painting plans. Now I'm going to have to consider how to proceed. I may have to purchase some other paints in the meantime. I was supposed to use these two sets for layering, but now that will have to wait.

TiLT wrote:Argh! In the latest update they say that they've decided to consolidate the two shipments for international backers, which means I won't get my paints until March at the earliest. That seriously fucks up my painting plans. Now I'm going to have to consider how to proceed. I may have to purchase some other paints in the meantime. I was supposed to use these two sets for layering, but now that will have to wait.

Are the reaper paints Enamel or Acrylic? I prefer acrylic, because of fast dry time, but I am still a beginner at the whole painting thing. I used enamels as a kids on models and it was always just a PITA, even if it looked pretty good.

It's pretty much always acrylic these days with miniature painting, at least on this scale. I haven't heard of anyone specific using enamel, but I guess some people do. Reaper paints are acrylic, as are all their competitors.

Out of 23 years of painting, I used enamels for the first 20, but yeah - acrylic is the way to go these days. I very much prefer it now.

Oh, I thought Games Workshop was enamel.

I don't know of any miniature-specific paint line that is enamel.

The clockwork dragon master is done, along with one of the deep dwellers.

Also, no Reaper paint sets from this Kickstarter until the full mini shipments next March, instead of the original intention of Sept/Oct this year.

I get that apparently the demand for them far exceeded their projection, but that's still disappointing. I ordered a couple of the paint sets with the expectation of being able to use them on other painting projects while I wait for the Bones shipments next year.

From what I've read, it wasn't the paint that ran short, it was the supplier of the empty bottles. They figured they'd need, at most, 100,000 bottles, then sold 300,000 in the last couple of days.

Yaaaaaayyyyyy!

I am way, way too excited about the Bones still.

So should I just go over there and knock on the door? (I live a few miles from their HQ)

In case some of you didn't catch it before, here was the last video they posted. I found it, er, inspirational.

Fidget fidget.

March?