Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Ok, I'm a bit new granted and working some 60+ hours a week doesn't help either, but it seems that I have been trimming the $#@% out of these mold lines and it's taking FOREVVVVVVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Even with a hobby knife with consistently fresh blades and a small set of really nice jewelry files, I'm still taking like 30 minutes on a backpack!

I understand the tradeoff- Good looking models = more time but it's like, man! I want my army assembled already so perhaps I can play a game sometime in 2011! Any tips from you dakka pro's out there?

Are there commissions for this kind of work- clean and assembled?

30 mins on a backpack?
i think your over cleaning, my friend.

post a pic as to what your are talking about, because if you are taking ~30mins on a backpack, it might be worth swapping them.

yea sorry no pic available at the moment.

It was a plastic mek backpack from a set of lootas/burnas. The mold lines weren't all that bad, but running a blade around any "ribbed" type stuff, bolts etc or ork fists even just seems like to get every last piece of mold is a monumental task.

But lets say a typical infantry model, two arms, head, body and legs

What kind of time frame should I be looking for? Perhaps even that would help me adjust to what I should be concerned about and what I shouldn't be.

A fully built marine shouldnt take more than a few mins to do with a sharp knife but other figs mite take a bit longer if theres less flat sections.

Don't bother with the knife. Just use the files. Use the large flat file for any flat surfaces, and a round file for anything fiddly. Stuff like the ribbed cables and such, use some thin polystyrene cement (I use this: http://www.humbrol.com/accessories/glues-and-adhesives/ae2500-28ml-liquid-poly-bottle-28ml--adhesivesglues/ , marvellous Stuff), which partially melts the plastic, and will smooth out the mould lines dead easy. Also, don't worry about being utterly perfect, if you're making 150 Orks, no one is going to notice the slugga on Ork #126 has a line on the underside.

well you are making a horde army , it takes longer for a horde army to get to the same per model standard as an Elite army

I have the same problem as you do. Can't start painting a miniature without getting rid of everything in excess.

I'm looking at about 20 minutes for a whole miniature. I typically use sandpaper (1000 to 2000), and afterwards I give all my minis a warm bath with soap and clean them with a toothbrush.

I finished undercoating my AOBR boyz not so long ago after having the box since Christmas 2010 :cry:

But I don't regret it. I really like each miniature I have, every single one. So I'm not going to rush it, only to look at it later and regret it.

GCMandrake wrote:Don't bother with the knife. Just use the files. Use the large flat file for any flat surfaces, and a round file for anything fiddly. Stuff like the ribbed cables and such, use some thin polystyrene cement (I use this: http://www.humbrol.com/accessories/glues-and-adhesives/ae2500-28ml-liquid-poly-bottle-28ml--adhesivesglues/ , marvellous Stuff), which partially melts the plastic, and will smooth out the mould lines dead easy. Also, don't worry about being utterly perfect, if you're making 150 Orks, no one is going to notice the slugga on Ork #126 has a line on the underside.

thanks for the advice, I'll keep my knife at bay more and pick up some of that ploystyrene cement!

Destrado wrote:I have the same problem as you do. Can't start painting a miniature without getting rid of everything in excess.

I'm looking at about 20 minutes for a whole miniature. I typically use sandpaper (1000 to 2000), and afterwards I give all my minis a warm bath with soap and clean them with a toothbrush.

I finished undercoating my AOBR boyz not so long ago after having the box since Christmas 2010 :cry:


But I don't regret it. I really like each miniature I have, every single one. So I'm not going to rush it, only to look at it later and regret it.

lol I know, they're all like my little babies!



ork# 126 has a line? Damn him! I told him to go on a diet...

Another thing you can do for legs (marines, etc) is to cut up a thin line of sandpaper (really thin one, like 1600) with some scissors so it's a long line about half a centimeter wide.

This is tricky to explain, but you have to hold the model with two fingers, while also holding the sandpaper with the same hand. You then have to push the sandpaper with both hands, back and forth, like a hacking saw. This is great for cleaning round surfaces, like the inside of legs.

Destrado wrote:Another thing you can do for legs (marines, etc) is to cut up a thin line of sandpaper (really thin one, like 1600) with some scissors so it's a long line about half a centimeter wide.

This is tricky to explain, but you have to hold the model with two fingers, while also holding the sandpaper with the same hand. You then have to push the sandpaper with both hands, back and forth, like a hacking saw. This is great for cleaning round surfaces, like the inside of legs.

kool, So polystyrene glue and some 1600 sandpaper... off to the stores and thanks man!

Good luck, don't forget to show us your work later

The more you clean, the faster you get at doing them. Some models are brilliant when it comes to mold lines. Take Empire State Troops for example: if I put my mind to it, I can get a body/torso section done in a couple of minutes max. Space Marines are, unfortunately, probably some of the worst cases. All of those smooth, flat armour panels with so many mold lines! ...and let's not talk about Chainswords! It can also seem like a hard slog - there's so much grey plastic! Newer production models definately have less mold lines. It's something that manufacturers are taking into greater consideration - such as Mantic. If they ever invent a way to make miniatures that have no mold lines then I don't know what might happen. It'd be too good to be true! But we can only hope and dream. Until then, however...

I bought a mold line scraper tool from MicroMark, it helps out a bunch. Then only light sanding or filing is needed in most cases.

Destrado wrote:Another thing you can do for legs (marines, etc) is to cut up a thin line of sandpaper (really thin one, like 1600) with some scissors so it's a long line about half a centimeter wide.


This is tricky to explain, but you have to hold the model with two fingers, while also holding the sandpaper with the same hand. You then have to push the sandpaper with both hands, back and forth, like a hacking saw. This is great for cleaning round surfaces, like the inside of legs.

I came across some sand paper but they were all in the hundreds not thousands, but they were really fine stuff, I wonder if they drop off a number or something...

Cosmic wrote:The more you clean, the faster you get at doing them. Some models are brilliant when it comes to mold lines. Take Empire State Troops for example: if I put my mind to it, I can get a body/torso section done in a couple of minutes max. Space Marines are, unfortunately, probably some of the worst cases. All of those smooth, flat armour panels with so many mold lines! ...and let's not talk about Chainswords! It can also seem like a hard slog - there's so much grey plastic! Newer production models definately have less mold lines. It's something that manufacturers are taking into greater consideration - such as Mantic. If they ever invent a way to make miniatures that have no mold lines then I don't know what might happen. It'd be too good to be true! But we can only hope and dream. Until then, however...

Yea, chainswods are rough for orks too, think I found a good size file for them.

Rhich wrote:I bought a mold line scraper tool from MicroMark, it helps out a bunch. Then only light sanding or filing is needed in most cases.

going to have to check that out...

I just use an X-acto knife. I hold the knife perpendicular to the mold line and scrape it off, it takes relatively no time. With this I can shave a marine fairly thoroughly in about 3 minutes.