265 replies to this topic

[buglips*the*goblin]

did you wash the bones mini? ive had that issue on other ones due to not washing them.

Yep, and primed.

[buglips*the*goblin]

My explanation of what I think happened with the cracking pro paint is here:

http://www.reapermin...post__p__636935

[Exwilly]

My explanation of what I think happened with the cracking pro paint is here:

http://www.reapermin...post__p__636935

makes sence to me but you are a goblin and dont know what wash means lol.

[buglips*the*goblin]

I think I'm done painting Ogres for tonight. After 3 attempts on the eyes, all I've managed to do is get them pointing in different directions.

I know they're Ogres, but I'm still not going for the inbred hillbilly look.

[Exwilly]

I think I'm done painting Ogres for tonight. After 3 attempts on the eyes, all I've managed to do is get them pointing in different directions.

I know they're Ogres, but I'm still not going for the inbred hillbilly look.

why not then my ogre can roll his eyes to the right lol

[ObsidianCrane]

Well the WIP thread is going well at the moment. It is interesting to see the similarity in concepts that people are producing.

[buglips*the*goblin]

Well the WIP thread is going well at the moment. It is interesting to see the similarity in concepts that people are producing.

And also the differences. This is exactly what I was hoping for, and not everybody who said they're in has started yet. Should be plenty interesting.

What makes a group WIP (or build) so interesting is just how different things can be when everybody starts from the same base. It's very individualized.

[Miar]

Buglips - I really like your metal to bones comparison. I'm not seeing much difference in detail between them except on the club. The woodgrain and face on it don't look as well defined. When they are on the table do you notice any differences?

[buglips*the*goblin]

Buglips - I really like your metal to bones comparison. I'm not seeing much difference in detail between them except on the club. The woodgrain and face on it don't look as well defined. When they are on the table do you notice any differences?

Other than the obvious warped base, if I put them on the game board most people probably wouldn't know the difference from a few feet away if they're painted identically.

But closer inspection? They might be on the same field, but definitely not in the same league. This will be the only Bones I give this level of attention to. If you want a gaming miniature, go Bones. If you want a painting miniature, go metal. There's no contest.

But, realistically, nobody should expect metal level detail quality for 1/4 of the price anyways. This is not a criticism of Bones on my part, metal snobbiness aside, just that I think people should have realistic expectations of what's coming in the big box in March - and not throw a fit when the cloud giantess doesn't look quite as gnarly as the metal master does.

We're not getting that level of detail. I am a little concerned, having seen Bones up close now, that using metal examples as early display proofs might create unrealistic expectations. (I am, however, quite happy to pay $20, $30, even $40 to get the Lady CG in metal).

All that said, I'll be buying plenty more Bones. I won't give them the TLC I'd give my metals, I don't think they're worth that level of effort, but I'll be happy to speed paint them to a reasonable standard on the cheap and send them to the field. There's no better deal, money for mini, if you're looking for game pieces.

But the money for mini value equation is completely reversed if you're looking for something to devote a good paintjob to.


ETA: So it doesn't look like I'm being harsh on the Bones, I think the level of detail is adequate for most needs. I'd even say I think it's good, considering the material - and in that respect I am impressed. And you can make a Bones look pretty good if you want to.

I'd guess the fairest way to put it is the difference between a nice Kolinsky brush and a cheaper synthetic. That's the difference between metal and Bones. A synthetic will do a utilitarian enough job, but if you want to do really good work you have to go Kolinsky. Same with Bones. You can cut your teeth on them and paint 'em up, but if you want to get to the next level you have to switch to metal.

Also, I don't know if it's feasible but if there are new Bones paint kits coming I'd like to see them run side-by-side with the current metal offerings. Just so people more interested in painting than gaming still have an option.

[Miar]

But closer inspection? They might be on the same field, but definitely not in the same league. This will be the only Bones I give this level of attention to. If you want a gaming miniature, go Bones. If you want a painting miniature, go metal. There's no contest.

For me I'm interested in tabletop so that's fine. It's interesting to me when you say 'If you want a painting miniature, go metal' in that anyone who paints miniatures must be getting them to paint on some level. If not why not just get prepainted. It does take some effort. When I get my Bones I'll be putting some effort into them because I want to improve my painting skills. I don't really think I need metal for this. More that you would want it when the piece would only be used for the shelf or a competition.

[Pingo]

I've wondered about that myself. It's hard to imagine an inexpensive plastic that takes detail as well as pewter does. And although I don't have a metal ogre to compare my Bones one to, the metal figures I'm working on adjacent to it seem to have a lot finer detail and a lot cleaner boundaries.

The price and the accessibility cannot be beat. And I suspect there was a pent-up demand for inexpensive minis, as the Kickstarter demonstrated. Just judging anecdotally from people's comments, it sounds like there are lots of people who would like to play, or experiment, or learn to paint minis, who were intimidated by the cost and the commitment needed. With a huge mass of tough plastic Bones, one can experiment, let the kids try, maybe mess up few, practice, and not worry about it.

There's room in this hobby for a lot of approaches and levels, clearly.

Back on subject, I've been following the ogres pictures thread. I think the similarities of approach may be due to the early nature of the project; there's only so many ways to approach the start of one of these things. There are fascinating differences already, and I expect to see more as people develop their projects and more people join in.

[buglips*the*goblin]

But closer inspection? They might be on the same field, but definitely not in the same league. This will be the only Bones I give this level of attention to. If you want a gaming miniature, go Bones. If you want a painting miniature, go metal. There's no contest.

For me I'm interested in tabletop so that's fine. It's interesting to me when you say 'If you want a painting miniature, go metal' in that anyone who paints miniatures must be getting them to paint on some level. If not why not just get prepainted. It does take some effort. When I get my Bones I'll be putting some effort into them because I want to improve my painting skills. I don't really think I need metal for this. More that you would want it when the piece would only be used for the shelf or a competition.

It's a balance of interests thing. For me, I kept painting even when I didn't game for three years. In fact, painting became so much more the primary interest that when we did start to game again I was loathe to let my metals out to play, lest they risk damage.

For me, the fun is in the painting. Now, I understand if people think that's a little weird since I've specifically limited myself to "good tabletop" as my quality level, so you'd think it wouldn't make a difference in that case, but that's just my own (current) personal aesthetic.

Anything (outside of custom player characters for my game group) that leaves my table for active duty will be Bones. Every monster, npc, dragon, baddum, and piece of furniture will be Bones.

But every mini that goes on my shelf will be metal.

That's what I'm saying by painting mini or gaming mini. You'll still learn to paint off Bones, and they're not especially a hindrance to that task, but if the painting part is more important than the gaming part - metal will be a better match for you. If the gaming part is more important than the painting part - Bones will be a better match for you.

That's how I see it breaking down.


ETA: With regards to prepaints . . . mostly those paintjobs are pretty awful and basic. Painting Bones allows a level of customization. Sort of a bridge between prepaints and metals, if you want to look at them that way.

There's painting, and then there's painting, if you get what I'm saying.

[ObsidianCrane]

But closer inspection? They might be on the same field, but definitely not in the same league. This will be the only Bones I give this level of attention to. If you want a gaming miniature, go Bones. If you want a painting miniature, go metal. There's no contest.

For me I'm interested in tabletop so that's fine. It's interesting to me when you say 'If you want a painting miniature, go metal' in that anyone who paints miniatures must be getting them to paint on some level. If not why not just get prepainted. It does take some effort. When I get my Bones I'll be putting some effort into them because I want to improve my painting skills. I don't really think I need metal for this. More that you would want it when the piece would only be used for the shelf or a competition.

To give a different perspective;
If I was buying a miniture for competition painting and/or display purposes I would want the metal version of the model.

It isn't that the Bones version is bad, or that I couldn't paint it to the same standard, it is that the details of the metal miniature are enough cleaner that when people are being really critical it is noticeable.

Fortunately I'm not buying minis for display/competition, I'm buying them for table top use and in table top use the only time anyone will notice the difference is when they pick them up.

So while I might choose to give certain models a better paint job, in general I'll just speed paint the monsters etc to get them all done and have a lot of great looking models for my games. The Ogre I'm working on here is getting a better treatment than what I expect for a typical Bones model to give some perspective.

[buglips*the*goblin]

Ultimately my final word will be the final pic I put up when they're done. If you can't tell the difference, then there's your answer. If you can, then that's also an answer.

So much of it is wrapped up in opinion that it's hard to be fully objective even if I'm trying not to be a metal snob. The bottom line is that I can only give my point of view as impartially and honestly as I can, but people will have to decide for themselves when they see it.

If somebody came to me and didn't know what they wanted, I'd tell them to try both then decide.

The Ogre I'm working on here is getting a better treatment than what I expect for a typical Bones model to give some perspective.

Yes, and I should point out that it was never my intention to paint my forthcoming Bones to my regular standard. From the moment I hit the pledge button, my goal was to get all of them off the table and ready to play in 60 days.

That's where the real beauty of Bones shines. If I need 100 kobolds, I can get them and field them fairly rapidly for 60 bucks. To do that in metal would cost 200 bucks and take at least a year to paint (at that price, I'd feel too guilty doing them rough).

[Pingo]

(at that price, I'd feel too guilty doing them rough).

I think you've put your finger on one of the key points of the success of Bones.