WoK miniature design: Anyone else had an issue with this?

[Father Bloodlust]

I'm hoping somebody here has some suggestions on this problem I'm having with my WoK minis.

I bought my Wrath of Kings starter box of Carcharians at GenCon. When I recently went to start painting them, however, I ran into a problem - the design of the miniatures.

Basically, it's really difficult for me to tell which ones are wearing armor and which ones aren't for the simple reason that the armor is molded (like Batman's armor), so bare, muscled skin and armor are nearly impossible to tell apart. It's made even worse by the fact that the armor is somewhat fantasy-ish in design (being designed for shark-men and all). And of course the fact that I prime with black primer just makes it worse.

Has anyone else had any issues like these with the WoK mini design, or have any ideas what to look for to indicate who's wearing it and who isn't? It seems like a small thing, but I'd like to paint these guys accurately, y'know?

 

[Frost_Brood]

Just did a quick Google image search for "wrath of kings hadross" and that shows a good reference for every model.

 

[Father Bloodlust]

Do you mean the Hadross page on the Wrath of Kings website? That only shows the Deepmen.

 

[Frost_Brood]

No it's displaying tons more then that. Just be sure to search under image. Pages of hadross then other factions.

 

[evil_homer]

you can try a zenithal priming coat over the black. It helps to make the details and ridges pop some.
http://www.crookedeye.net/tips/zenpriming/zenpriming.shtml

 

[Father Bloodlust]

you can try a zenithal priming coat over the black. It helps to make the details and ridges pop some. http://www.crookedeye.net/tips/zenpriming/zenpriming.shtml

That might help, but the problem is less the black primer and more that the muscle and armor is virtually impossible to tell apart because they both look so similar.

 

[Gregdorf]

You could also prime the model white and use a dark wash to pop out the details.

 

[oistene]

Okay, I understand that you want it 'right' - but if they are that similar, you can paint them however you want!

 

[paradox1]

The issue I've had is very long, thin parts in plastic. Specifically, Arkan Thesh. I assembled him and put him in a foam tray. One of his horns snapped off and the haft of his hammer snapped before I took him back out.


I knew the haft and horns would be a problem though. They are too thin, and the material too weak, to survive for long. I'm pondering how to best address this moving forward. The ashmen backspines have similar issues, but being much smaller are, thankfully, less-prone to snapping in transport.

 

[evil_homer]

The issue I've had is very long, thin parts in plastic. Specifically, Arkan Thesh. I assembled him and put him in a foam tray. One of his horns snapped off and the haft of his hammer snapped before I took him back out.


I knew the haft and horns would be a problem though. They are too thin, and the material too weak, to survive for long. I'm pondering how to best address this moving forward. The ashmen backspines have similar issues, but being much smaller are, thankfully, less-prone to snapping in transport.

best bet is to replace the haft with brass rod.

 

[paradox1]

best bet is to replace the haft with brass rod.

Yeah. I'd have preferred a better-designed model for my money though.

 

[Chinkster]

best bet is to replace the haft with brass rod.

True. But doesn't help with the horns.

 

[JMac74]

Horns are an issue with most plastic miniatures lines. There is always a break point. They are a problem with my GW plaguebearers and any other time there is a tapered tip in some of my Mantic minis. It has more to do with the nature of the shape and being plastic than poor design. The only way around it really is metal minis or no horns.

 

[EvilDave]

There's a slew of pics of them here:

http://wrathofkings.com/ks/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/?MA

 

[saramin]

try mixing a thin white wash... a little paint thinned down with water and wash them... it should make it easier to see what is what

 

[blkdymnd]

My Carcharians were done without too much hassle. But I didn't stress too much on what was and wasn't armor. I painted the parts I wanted to in armor and skin on the parts I thought were skin.

pic by Jasons Painted Stuff, on Flickr