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"...Yes, nice to mold you... MEET you! Nice to meet your mold! Don't say mold... I said mold."

I think that I need to inform every hobbyist and gamer on dakka dakka about a growing problem in the hobby community . The problem is that of mold lines . People I need to inform you that it does not matter how good you can paint, It does not matter how great that the conversation or idea is; however, if you leave the mold lines on any part of the model then is just becomes a waste of time. I have been looking at some of the greatest and worst painting skills on the Showcase and Painting & Modeling forums, yet every one of them in my mind turn into something half-complete if you leave the mold lines. Stop acting like noobs and clean your models. Paint skill is not enough when one looks at a model with a great paint job and yet there is the eyesore staring back at you. You know you wasted your time painting a great model since you cannot go back and remove them later on without destroying your art.

"Moldy...... Moldy...... MOLDY, MOLDY, MOLDY, MOLDY, MOLDY!!!"

This is not that hard to avoid! Use a file, knife, sand papers. Just remove them.

I feel like Austin Powers looking at the mole on the Mole. I just want to scream at it.

"MOLD!! BLOODY MOLD!! We're not supposed to talk about the bloody mold, but there's a bloody mold WINKING ME IN THE FACE!!"

"I'm gonna cut it off, chop it up, and make some guacaMOLDY!!"

As a n00b painter (see my sig), I can honestly say that it wasn't until watching a video on prepping models that I even knew you could remove these lines. I didn't really notice them very much, but now when I look at the models I'd already painted (thankfully not that many), the mold lines pop out and smack me in the face.

This message is not for new hobbyist, I have my fair share or redo’s and scraped projects from when I have just started. This is more for those who were in the painting and models for years that still put final produces with models lines. This is no way intended for new and learning people. If that is the way it came off I apologies now.

When fixing up my own models, I probably spend as much time on prep as I do actually painting. Mold lines bug the crap out of me. When I paint models for friends, I insist that they don't assemble the models before hand, but tell me the poses and weapon options they want. Half of them still refuse, thus end up with mold lines that I don't spend the effort to scrape. so they end up with a banging paint job marred by mold lines. Not my problem any more.

I think we're overreacting here with mold-lines.....Think about it, when do we a guy who looks at your painted models when they look nice and stylish and then says "they would be pretty good I guess, except for THOSE MOLD LINES! please don't try and bypass the swear filter. Thanks.
If you DO meet this guy, would you talk with him again? I honestly don't notice them on nicely painted models, and I take pride in my growing painting skill. I would rather see a nicely painted model with a couple mold lines than a horribly painted one without.

I agree, when you are painting a model for a friend and they leave the model line on it, that mean they do not care, not you. At the point that I see a model line on a model that someone said that they have spent pain streaking hours on to paint to perfection, I don’t even both to look at it. I judge my own models now as if I was a gamesday judge; I look for all of the detail. Same soon as a model line appears then it automatically disqualified in my mind. I do the same with other people’s models as well. No one wants to see a “final produce” and it not been as good as it could be.

I'd gladly let you purge the mold lines off of my minis, I think they need them! I'm guilty as charged.
I seriously agree with hero here, we don't spend half of our paychecks on green plastic dollar store army men, do we? These are expensive, and you're doing yourself a disfavor by not modeling them as such.

SoliderSnake wrote:>.>

<.<

I think we're overreacting here with mold-lines.....Think about it, when do we a guy who looks at your painted models when they look nice and stylish and then says "they would be pretty good I guess, except for THOSE MOLD LINES!
If you DO meet this guy, would you talk with him again? I honestly don't notice them on nicely painted models, and I take pride in my growing painting skill. I would rather see a nicely painted model with a couple mold lines than a horribly painted one without.

I will never tell people that their models are gak or worthless. That is not only rude and insensitive but it is extremely unethical between hobbyists to hobbyist. The only thing that I would say is that I would be disappointed that it is not all that is could have been.

I agree that there is a big different from a hobbyist and a painter as well. One takes pride in all aspects of the hobby, from modeling to painting, and the other is just for the painting. Me being a Hobbyist my opinion (which that is all the it is and take no prescient over others peoples views ) looks at the model as a whole from the smallest detail to the great paintjob that was applied.

I agree that mouldlines are foul and they must be destroyed!

Many times I have seen people doing good and sometimes really good paint jobs but there are still mouldlines present and it ruins the whole thing. I don't understand that people sometimes go to such lengths in cooking up a colour scheme and the just leave the mouldlines on.

It is truly awful.

Leech wrote:I agree that mouldlines are foul and they must be destroyed!

Many times I have seen people doing good and sometimes really good paint jobs but there are still mouldlines present and it ruins the whole thing. I don't understand that people sometimes go to such lengths in cooking up a colour scheme and the just leave the mouldlines on.

It is truly awful.

Most of my downtime at work today was looking through many forums, I have search through the Models and Painting, Showcase, and Blog forums. I was at most part in awe at the great paintjob yet stunned by some of best paintjobs out there and just like that looking closes a mold line appeared to kill that view. Pride in the work you do for a hobby that you spend thousand on from brushes, models, paints, etc. is not a bad thing. Even if one were trying to just make it tabletop ready would put a little time cleaning the model. You do not leave clip marks and mold line.

I am guilty of this at times unintentionally. I think I have the mold line good and gone, than BAM I fish painting it hit it with a wash and...........FUUUUUU there is a mold line.

Meh I give my minis a quick once over and if any mold lines remain so be it. Sure if its omething I want to paint then I will go to town and get it perfect otherwise I dont really care that the 68th spearmen in the back of a unit has a mold line.

Doesnt really bother me unless its a show piece mini, I can totally see why those with horde like armies dont get rid of them.

After primer I always find a mold line I somehow managed to miss. It never fails, no matter how much time and energy I pour into removing them, there's always one.

SoliderSnake wrote:>.>

<.<

I think we're overreacting here with mold-lines.....Think about it, when do we a guy who looks at your painted models when they look nice and stylish and then says "they would be pretty good I guess, except for THOSE MOLD LINES!
If you DO meet this guy, would you talk with him again? I honestly don't notice them on nicely painted models, and I take pride in my growing painting skill. I would rather see a nicely painted model with a couple mold lines than a horribly painted one without.

Yes and no.... there are the mold lines that most sprues have...

then there are the mold lines that occur when the mold plates didnt line together properly.
or the material sort of leaked.

THOSE ARE SUPER BAD. e.g Assault marines OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Sometimes I don't see them until I'm halfway through painting something... -.-

Everyone has a valid point. One, you will not catch all of the mold lines across 100+ models, but being a hobbyist, I sure will try. Two, after primes the little lines that you missed show, but being a hobbyist, I will still remove them and touch up on the primer. Three, personally I see all of my models up for show. Everyone most hold themselves up to a higher standard because it makes ones self want to improve at all times.

When I first started Warhammer and 40k, I said I did not care what the model looked like, and then playing game after game and improving little after little, wanted more. I was tired of play with half finished models and basic paint jobs. I want to have my themes and let other players look at them in awe. I want that when I look at other people’s models too; however, mold lines kill models paint jobs all around. From listening to prior post, people agree and I am happy will that. Sometimes we miss them, so give it to a friend to double check, but saying you do not care about them seems more like giving up then trying to improve.

+ undrilled gun barrels...

Over reaction IMO, but then again, im not much of a painter.

beezley1981 wrote:+ undrilled gun barrels...

That is a different rant all together. That and dipping.

Yep, them mold lines can mess up an otherwise really great piece of work. I've only just started into the hobby so I've been learning about all of this and those mold lines always drive me nuts. When I'm working on something I want to look really good, I'll clean up the model one day and then let it sit for the next day so I can look with some fresh eyes for any mold lines I miss. I always have a mold line or two hidden somewhere.

Fat_Little_Ripper wrote:After primer I always find a mold line I somehow managed to miss. It never fails, no matter how much time and energy I pour into removing them, there's always one.

This. Oh I've done the entire cleanup bit a few times and will likely do it again, but it's never something I spend more than a few minutes on... I guess I'm not a hobbyist -- though I enjoy conversions and am getting into painting, it's not my primary enjoyment for 40K -- that of playing the game.

I made a lot of mistakes with mould line with a lot of my first models. Some of which I primed back in 09/10 and I'm only getting round to painting them now. I'm noticing all them mould lines I didn't remove at the time of assembling.

It pains me on a daily basis.

You know what... Just because of OP i am now going to leave all my mold lines on just to spite him. Hell im even going to green stuff on new mold lines onto old models which i had previously scraped them off.

So uh... Come at me bro!


Also next time. Less Orkmoticons. A wall of moving green faces is just distracting. I mean, i know they are there to be used but come on!

Snrub wrote:You know what... Just because of OP i am now going to leave all my mold lines on just to spite him. Hell im even going to green stuff on new mold lines onto old models which i had previously scraped them off.

So uh... Come at me bro!


Also next time. Less Orkmoticons. A wall of moving green faces is just distracting. I mean, i know they are there to be used but come on!

Those are your opinions and I respect them. They are your models, it is your time, and it is your money. I am only voicing my opinion which has not the same as other. I do not like mold line. Someone else may agree with me, but this is not an attack or a movement. This is just one person posting their thoughts so others may know them. This is not a challenge so there is no “come at me bro”. This is not a statement of fact, so leave your mold lines and extra green stuff; however, do not be upset for peoples comments about finally produces especially if it is constructive criticism about the mold lines and green stuff that you leave on your models.

Meh, I paint/model to the 3ft standard. If a moldline, brush-touch, gap, etc is not particularly noticable from 3ft away, I don't really worry about it. I'm not trying to win painting comps. As long as the army looks good on the table, jobs good.

Maelstrom808 wrote:Meh, I paint/model to the 3ft standard. If a moldline, brush-touch, gap, etc is not particularly noticable from 3ft away, I don't really worry about it. I'm not trying to win painting comps. As long as the army looks good on the table, jobs good.

If you are painting to a 3 foot standard then this post is not attended for you, but I like your opinion none the less. I am voicing my opinion to those who paint to a 3 inch standard. This includes models for competitions, show case, and models that you just want to show your painting skills. A 3 foot painting is different from a 3 inch standard. I personally look at the detail on the models. One cannot see certain skills if the model is not clean properly. You cannot wet blend correctly with mold lines. You cannot not dry brush or feathering. This again is not for the new or 3 foot standard crowds.

I understand what you are saying, I just think that those that are serious about producing an amazingly painted model and at the same time don't care about assembly issues (mold lines, gaps, warts) are a fairly small percentage of the people out there. As others have said, I think often mold lines end up either because the person isn't trying to achieve that particular standard, or because they simply miss them until they start painting and at that point deem them not worth trying to go back and fix.

But I do agree in that if you are trying to achieve competition level painting, assembly issues must be cleaned up first.

I just am too used to seeing this as a comment on people work.

“I like the model but the mold lines take something away from it.”

Many people are guilty of this as well as me; prevention will help others, especial when you post on a site asking people how do like my work?

Little bit of an over reaction perhaps, but ..... It has made for an interesting thread.

Plus I too hate mold lines, particularly on well painted miniatures, for me it can spoil a hole peice. It's kinda lazy not to remove them IMO, along with drilling barrels and gap filling.

I for one spend an age prepping and cleaning minis befor even concidering painting them, I can't stand it if I miss something and have to fix it mid paint job.

But hay, one mans meat and a that. If it doesn't bother you thank great, but don't be too surprised if other point it out.