How to Assemble Miniatures at Home

Miniatures are popular for display and gaming purposes.

Painting miniatures is a relaxing and popular hobby that allows people to express their creative side. However, for some people, assembling miniatures is a difficult, tedious task that they would rather skip. However, just as the quality of a painting on a torn canvas will suffer, so will a paint job on a quickly or poorly assembled miniature. Using the proper techniques for assembling miniatures, a framework will be set to allow for a paint job suitable for display or gaming purposes.

Things You'll Need

• Miniatures
• Soap and water
• Plastic clippers
• Hobby knife
• Files
• Superglue or liquid polystyrene glue
• 2-part modeling putty

Instructions

Plastic Miniatures

1. Wash your miniatures in soapy water. This will remove any lubricant or release agent which was sprayed on the mold to help remove the miniatures after they are cast.

2. Remove plastic miniatures from the sprues (the framework that holds a selection of miniature parts). A clipper is an ideal tool, allowing the most precise and safe cuts, but you can also use a small hobby knife.

3. File any notches or excess sprue material from the plastic miniatures.

4. Assemble the pieces without glue. This will allow you to see if the position you have the miniatures in is acceptable.

5. Assemble the miniatures using liquid polystyrene glue. This glue is used only for plastic miniatures, and actually causes the two plastic surfaces to melt together.

6. Use a two-part modeling putty to fill any large gaps left after the superglue has set. It will cure hard and you can paint over it easily.

Metal Miniatures

1. Wash your miniatures in soapy water. This will remove any lubricant or release agent which was sprayed on the mold to help remove the miniatures after they are cast.

2. File and cut away flash, venting or mold lines on metal miniatures. Flashing is when metal runs between two mold halves, creating a thin layer of metal. Venting are small threads of metal coming from the miniature, where the mold has tiny channels to allow air to escape. Mold lines are from when the molds do not line up perfectly, creating a small imperfection in the miniature.

3. Assemble the pieces without glue. This will allow you to see if the position you have the miniatures in is acceptable.

4. Pin together any large pieces, or those that may be subject to more stress, such as outstretched arms. Drill small holes using a pin vise into each piece where they need to be connected, and insert a small metal rod into the holes to act as a skeleton-like support between the two pieces.

5. Assemble the model using superglue.

6. Use a two-part modeling putty to fill any large gaps left after the superglue has set. It will cure hard and you can paint over it easily.

Tips & Warnings

• Metal paper clips are an excellent source of rods for pinning.

• If individual pieces of the miniatures will not stay in place while the glue sets, you can fix them into place temporarily with an adhesive putty such as that used to put posters on walls.

• Patience is very important. If you proceed to the next step before allowing glue to set or putty to cure, the final painted miniature will suffer.

• Assembling miniatures requires the use of powerful glues and sharp knives. Be very careful when using these items to avoid damage to eyes, fingers and other body parts.

References

• "How to Paint Citadel Miniatures;" Rick Priestley; 2003

Resources

• Games Workshop: Painting & Tools