What you need to know before painting miniatures.

The calm before the storm.

This guide will show you what you need to know before getting stuck into painting your new miniatures.

It's all very exciting. You've just slid open the box and are now fondling some plastic frames filled with dismembered miniatures. What next?

Tempting as it is to twist and rip them from their spokes, I would recommend a more relaxed and tool based approach. Firstly do you have any tools? If not, see this post on the diverse equipment you need for this hobby and how you can get by with just one or two.

In this beginners guide we will show you how to get started and prepare you miniatures for painting. So, lets begin:

1. You need to cut out all the pieces to start with. This can be done with a knife or clippers. With a knife, in the frenzy of the moment, it's a bit too easy to accidentally cut into the miniature itself so I recommend the clippers if you have some.

2. Don't clip out everything at once. It's satisfying to have a piles of bits to assemble but one false move and you've jogged the table and the tiny but vital gun/heads/feet have scattered to the four winds, never to be seen again! Just cut out 2 or 3 bits and glue each bit as you go.

Look at those cast lines. Disgusting.

3. Scrape everything. When the miniatures are cast they always have a thin line of ugly extraneous plastic crisscrossing it. This can be lightly scraped off using a knife. Angle the blade slightly away from you and scrape away. Its more like spreading butter than cutting. A fine file can also be used but that can leave a rough area if you are not extremely careful.

4. If your miniature is one of the cool new ones that allows for multiple poses, clip out enough to make a miniature and stick the bits together with bluetac or similar kind of gummy adhesive. This way you can try out a bunch of different poses. Once satisfied, just remove the bluetac from a bit and glue it on. Repeat until you have a complete character in a stylish pose!

Hated enemy disappointed in your lack of undercoats

5. Always spray your miniature with an undercoat. Painting straight onto the plastic is a grim experience I wouldn't wish upon a hated enemy.

That concludes the basics. Step forward into this new hobby with confidence, armed as you are with this vital knowledge. Next step is the painting! Check out my step by step guide.