Preparing for WoK

[Xavarir]

I was hoping you guys could point me in the right direction before WoK hits my doorstep! I'd like to be prepared as possible so I can dive right in after opening the box!

This will be my first experience with miniatures that you have to assemble yourself. Do any of you miniature veterans have some tips on where to begin? Or supplies I will need?

I was planning to grab a bottle of glue, a utility knife, and just go to town!

 

[Jike Ichi]

Damn...I just wanted to give you some good recipes for Wok-cooking. Wrong forum i guess.

 

[nipples]

Some flush cutters would be useful, and with this type of plastic I would recommend a small file for mold lines.

 

[Crewgar]

Some model clippers (basically like wire clippers, but small, to fit in gaps, and that have a flat edge, so that you can line that up with the good side and not have any little bits still attached). A small file for mold lines is always good. A small exacto knife never hurts, both for mold lines or conversions you want to do. Glue, superglue is standard, easy to use and works with anything, plastic glues can work, but depend on the types of plastic. Paints, the colours you'll want, generally a lot of people use water based acrylics, though the company that you choose is up to you, pick the one with a good price and good selection of colours in your local store . You'll also want a good supply of d10 dice.

 

[Axoid]

Here's a link to the cutter combo I use.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Xcelite-4-in-Shear-Cutter-Plier-Set-2-Piece-S2KS5/100163974/

Use a good primer once the model is prepped. I prefer gray over black or white. The reason is I prime in gray then do a black wash. This really brings out the details on the models and makes it easy to paint. A wash is a really thin mix of paint to water or an acrylic medium (see below)

Also, get a small paint palette, it will help you when you start to blend colors.

http://www.michaels.com/artist's-lo...gular-palette/10207783.html#q=palette&start=9

With acrylic paints you'll find they start to dry out quickly when you are painting. Some people mix a little water in prior to starting to paint, but I prefer a dedicated medium for acrylics. It will let the paint go on smoother, will blend easier, and won't dry out as fast. I don't have a link handy but the folks at the art store where you buy your paint can help.

Finally nothing is worse than putting all that time into painting a mini then when you go to spray on the clear coat it gets screwed up. Spray on clear coat is really susceptible to humidity. I only use brush on clear coats now. Any clear polycrylic from home depot will work. Don't get the high gloss one unless you want a real shiny mini. They have a satin which gives a nice blend of shine and protection. If you want to can top that with a brush of flat clear coat you can get from any hobby store.

Hope this helps.

Don

 

[Xavarir]

Thanks for the info everyone. I have very little miniature painting experience. The only minis I have ever painted were ones for Descent. I used Folk Art water based acrylic paint. One thing that really discouraged me while painting was mixing colors. I found it incredibly difficult to produce the same mixtures over and over again. I think this time around I'm going to stick to single colors.

I don't think I have a small set of clippers/cutters, so I'll have to pick one up. I guess I'll also need some superglue.

 

[Jike Ichi]

If you have painted miniatures for Descent Boardgame you had a difficult start. The are much smaller than many miniatures for tabletops. They are very detailed too. At the same time the plastic of the minis is very soft and it starts chipping pretty easy.

A wet palette would solve the problem of the paint drying before you have finished. It can be made in DIY style, it's nothing fancy. Just a wet kind of tissue and on top of it you put a baking paper. You mix your colour on top of the paper and the colour sucks in water from underneath, staying paintable very long.
Put tissue and paper in a box and you have a wet palette. Here's the first thing I found on google: http://www.fullborerminiatures.com/articles/wetpalette.html

Maybe not a direct painting tip. But maybe you should make selection of music/songs you like to listen to. I really enjoy listening to music while painting! And a good cup of tea or coffee always helps! Make pauses!

Happy painting Xavarir!

 

[Axoid]

Glad we could help. It's a fun hobby and I find it relaxing. Since you're just starting out, I would practice on some more minis, before you get your WoK stuff. You'll be amazed at the difference in painting quality after you get more practice. That way your WoK minis will look amazing. One thing I forgot to mention was to get an eye dropper to use for the acrylic medium. The paint you use has a flip-top lid, so you can measure out the paint in drops. You'll want to add about 1 drop of medium for every 5 or so drops of paint. Combine that with the wet palette Jike Ichi your paint will be good for days.

 

[Xavarir]

Just had a chance to read through that wet palette link.

Wow.

If it REALLY is that simple......I'm actually excited to try painting again. I can't tell you how many times I would mix up some paint in my little plastic palette tray, just to have it dry up in 10-15 minutes. I would then have to try and mix the exact same color again (which is almost impossible for a newbie like myself). Between the wet palette and starting with single colors, I hope I can get back into painting!

 

[Jike Ichi]

It is that simple. There are wet palette deluxe versions to buy in shops, but for starters just make a DIY. Like Axoid said, every mini you paint will make you better.
I'm not sure what techniques you already know, but these are basics:

*preparing, cleaning model
*base coating
*dry brushing
*washes
*layering
*getting a "feel" for the right constancy of paints. Too thick - Perfect - Too Thin (but rather thinner than thicker)

Try to get some info on them, youtube is a gold mine for seing techniques. Also here in on CMON are many great tips.

 

[AngelicOne]

I'll make a video for you Xav.

 

[Maverick_]

I almost bought some flush cutters in a hobby store but the price annoyed me and I figured there must be an equivalent in a hardware store. I haven't really looked yet but that's because I found that fingernail and toenail clippers work great for removing small unwanted plastic/resin bits. Come to think of it I also use the twissers and files you can get with said clippers too.

 

[Maverick_]

For prepping miniatures, probably the most important tool is a sharp x acto knife with a fresh blade (be very carefull and always cut away from yourself and cut away from all parts of the body, like fingers.)

CMON Dereck can say more about specifically WOK miniatures but in my experience plastic and resin is best cleaned up with an x acto blade.

The next step will be assembling the miniatures. From watching CMON Dereck's youtube videos, you should be able to use super glue or plastic glue.
I think I'll be using super glue most of the time except for parts that I think the brittle nature of the super glue would not hold up well, such as small parts or the bendy parts. In those cases I'll be using an epoxy glue.

After that you'll prime and paint!