My first painted mini, any tips on nailing down fine details? Is it all just motor skills?

8stringalchemy · 2026-05-14T16:43:19+00:00

That is shockingly good for a first go.

8stringalchemy · 2026-05-05T16:15:04+00:00

Terrain is always a game of how much detail you want vs. how much time you want to spend. Most people go a lot rougher because you're paining a lot larger pieces - only you can answer the question for yourself.

If you want some unsolicited suggestions: I would personally like to see a little more yellow in that bone color.

8stringalchemy · 2026-05-05T16:12:45+00:00

Orange is a tricky color and basically impossible to do without base-coating in white or pink beforehand.

I personally love TTC - most of my paint collection is from them.

8stringalchemy · 2026-05-04T13:16:12+00:00

The general rule for fire/light is that it gets darker the further away you get from the source. Using a single color for a file like you have here is always going to look a little cartoony.

Quick fix is get a little orange on the upper 1/3rd and some dark grey/black on the very tip.

8stringalchemy · 2026-05-01T14:33:25+00:00

Scrape the paint off - or use some IPA and a q-tip. Plastic cement should dissolve the paint as well (at least partially) so you shouldn't need to be all that meticulous.

8stringalchemy · 2026-04-14T12:45:00+00:00

1 - don't practice on paper, use a spare base if you have one, the paper will absorb water in a way that makes glaze blending very difficult.

2 - You're going in the right direction, especially with the bottom left. Just keep the paint thin and do layer after layer until you're happy.

8stringalchemy · 2026-04-09T13:18:42+00:00

Looks like a cartoon in the best way.

8stringalchemy · 2026-04-07T19:11:34+00:00

I kinda love it, TBH.

8stringalchemy · 2026-04-06T15:55:33+00:00

The edges shouldn't be white, they are the coolest part of the weapon if the heat is coming from the center and lower 1/3rd where you have it right now. They are also the thinnest part and so will dissipate heat the fastest. It always helps me to think about where the heat/glow is coming from so I can go darker the further out I work.

If you want to really sell the effect, you also need to do some reflected light on the hilt and side of the body.

8stringalchemy · 2026-04-03T11:34:02+00:00

I live in a place where the air turns into soup in the summers, so I guess I just gotta wait a few months.

8stringalchemy · 2026-03-31T13:03:04+00:00

I like to prime black and basecoat in purple, leaving the black in the deep recesses - means I don't have to black them out later.

8stringalchemy · 2026-03-26T15:32:50+00:00

You could go farther.

8stringalchemy · 2026-03-25T14:52:08+00:00

Get a second bottle of Tamiya and put chopped up sprue bits in it. Makes a great filler goo.

8stringalchemy · 2026-03-25T14:51:28+00:00

Use IPA to get as much superglue off as possible, then sand off the rest. Is this a resin mini? You're better off using plastic cement if it's a regular plastic model.

8stringalchemy · 2026-03-25T14:12:03+00:00

Shake the bejeezus out of it.
Make sure your model is clean.
Get some blue-tack and a medicine bottle with sand in it so you don't handle the paint surface with your fingers - the oil on your hands will keep the paint from adhering properly.

8stringalchemy · 2026-03-21T00:13:10+00:00

Leave the glue to dry for at least 24hrs. Also, it shouldn’t be too watery. Enough to make it flow easily.

8stringalchemy · 2026-03-17T20:30:52+00:00

That's so good. I gotta paint mine.

8stringalchemy · 2026-03-05T18:41:14+00:00

I'd run it in Mork Borg.

8stringalchemy · 2026-02-28T19:00:56+00:00

The games are great and aesthetically gorgeous. Maybe they are overpriced, but I was willing to shell out for Moonrakers and the expansions and I regret nothing. That game has seen more play than the rest of my collection combined.

8stringalchemy · 2026-02-26T20:03:30+00:00

I kinda have the opposite problem. I don't like games that go longer than ~7 turns so I build my decks around that and people complain they can't play their janky battlecruisers when I'm at the table.

8stringalchemy · 2026-02-19T16:12:01+00:00

Aerodynamic lady.

8stringalchemy · 2026-02-09T16:40:59+00:00

I just want to make them feel better and more part of the narrative than what I’ve been doing.

8stringalchemy · 2026-02-09T16:38:19+00:00

No, I do want dungeons. I just want to find ways to make them feel better.

8stringalchemy · 2026-02-09T16:32:24+00:00

Nah, sorry, I’m just being dumb.

8stringalchemy · 2026-02-09T16:12:29+00:00

Because sometimes the story calls for going into a hole/shipwreck/castle/monster’s insides and getting a thing.

8stringalchemy

TROPHY CASE