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I like models with crisp details, hard edges where appropriate and good recesses.

Problem is I find a lot of the models I currently have, don't fit that description. Especially if it's a model I've stripped, i.e. it was moulded in the 90s.

GW's metal models of the time are often a prime example of this, I'm sure their 'eavy metal team of the time always received the best casts possible...

How do you deal with such soft details and lack of definition to make a model look good, even if it's not a particularly good casting?

Thanks in advance.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/784363/10684884.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/784363/10684884.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/784363/10685086.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/784363/10685086.page GMT
If it's just some parts it could something that might be covered or greenstuffed. For example if there's bad detailing where a leg joins a hip I might add a loincloth, or pouches and other gear to cover it.

I might just lay down some greenstuff and have sculpt in some detail myself. I've had to do this with some non-GW minis where shallow detailing made the fingers on a hand look like just a blob.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/784363/10685138.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/784363/10685138.page GMT
When I want to physically sharpen things up, I usually go subtractive before I go additive, in terms of re-sculpting. Sometimes, just a few swipes with a fine file (I prefer single-cut steel files to diamond abrasives) or sanding sticks on a rounded edge will sharpen it up nicely, without significantly changing the overall profile. Likewise with inside corners that have a bit of a rounded fill, instead of a crisp inside corner. For finer work, I've even been known to break out a graver/burin (same thing, name depends on where you're from). If it's sharp and polished, hand pressure alone makes quick work of white metal, let alone plastic. Soft materials tend to benefit from a slightly wider heel and shallower face, when shaping your cutting geometry. For plastics, even a pin/needle or the back side of a pointed blade can work as a makeshift scribing tool.

Scribing, engraving, or even cutting a small notch with a blade gives enough separation to give a sense of fingers on a hand that used to look like a mitten, instead. Painting individual fingers on a hand-like blob can work just as well, from a distance, but sometimes the effort in painting is greater than physical modifications. Other times, the reverse is true. It really depends on the part/model, as well as where your skill and tool sets lean. For line troops, I might choose to cut in fingers quickly and crudely, then basecoat and slap on a wash. On a character model, I might choose to try and highlight where knuckles should be, but aren't. On a display piece, I might try and add missing detail with putty or even cut away and completely re-sculpt sections of the hand. Horses for courses, more than one way to skin a cat, YMMV, and all that...]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/784363/10687398.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/784363/10687398.page GMT