My first BONES!

[maxxon]

I painted my first BONES minis last weekend. I got the Kickstarter set almost a year ago already, and it's just been sitting on my shelf collecting dust because I didn't really have any need for any of them and other projects were eating up my time.

The I decided I'd try painting the translucent figures that came in the box. Here's how they look.

First the fire elementals:


Then the ghostly things:


While this was an interesting experiment and the translucent figures were kinda unique, overall I must say I'm not too impressed with BONES as a material. I will probably paint up the big monsters at some point, but I'm not convinced the normal infantry figures are really worth the bother.

A little more about it here:
http://www.smallcuts.net/blog/?id=1761

[Elbows]

Pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.

[DoctorPete]

These are nicely done!  What is your reluctance with the small figures?  Too bendy?  Poor detail?  I don't own any Bones figs and I keep hearing bad things about them.  

[maxxon]

These are nicely done!  What is your reluctance with the small figures?  Too bendy?  Poor detail?  I don't own any Bones figs and I keep hearing bad things about them.  

Thanks.

I find them way too soft and bendy. Removing mold lines from them will be infuriating, but even if you don't care about that I found that I had to support the figure against the brush pressure, e.g. the wings on the female fire demon would flex away from the brush on contact.

If I had painted that normally, I don't know how well paint will stay on such a flexible model. Paint will flake off a lead model if it's bent too much, I have a hard time seeing these would be any different -- except they are much easier to bend by accident.

In addition, the small detail seems to be on the soft side.

This is not as much of a problem with the larger models such a the giants and big monsters -- their parts are sturdier and less flexible and the detail also tends to be more pronounced.

Apart from the price point I really don't see the upside of this material. Anything that makes them harder to paint is a big minus for me.

Even this translucent stuff... while it's cute in a way, given the choice I'd rather have taken hard translucent plastic.

I actually happen to have one model in both metal and BONES. I'll probably paint them both side by side to really see the difference.

So far the painting experience was... pretty much like the one time I tried to paint 1/72 soft plastic figures. I never went back to those, no matter how cheap they are. But some people seem to like them, so YMMV.

[Conquistador]

I like them but playing, not painting, is where I find my pleasure.  At three feet (game viewing distance) the mold lines might not even be seen on some of the figures.

there are some pictures of some Bones figures here: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=70345.msg855213#msg855213  - please do not add comments to that thread at this time until I finish taking and posting pictures.  That will take soe times.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Conquistador]

I would have thought the translucent figures would have little to no painting except on the bases to make them "table ready" but YMMV.  Painting transparent or translucent figures is a great way to diminish their appearance unless done by a gifted hand (not mine.)

Gracias,

Glenn

[maxxon]

Hi Glenn,

 Not quite sure how to take that but I'll assume you liked them.

 I did think about just basing them and maybe painting the parts that were perhaps not really translucent (like the gravestone with one of the ghosts).

 But I wanted to see what could be done with them. If you like the effect, it is really simple to achieve.

 You will need to spray matte varnish on them first, or the inkwash won't take. Then just slap that on. That in itself lends much more depth to the miniature.

The drybrushing stage is optional and in retrospect I might have left that out. I finished them off with another layer of matte varnish, but in this case gloss might work too. Especially for the fiery ones.

 For comparison, here are the same models prior to any paint:


I find them to get a bit flat and formless without paint, especially at distance. What's the point of having engraved runes on the ghost's sword, if you can't see them without a microscope?

[Zoggin-eck]

By fun coincidence, I just spent an hour taking every remaining unpainted model I have from the first set out of their packages and into a smaller container! I think your painted elementals look much better than the transparent plastic. Looking forward to seeing more.

While this was an interesting experiment and the translucent figures were kinda unique, overall I must say I'm not too impressed with BONES as a material. I will probably paint up the big monsters at some point, but I'm not convinced the normal infantry figures are really worth the bother.

Yeah, going through them all, there are tons I'd pretty much give away or stick in a box never to see again. Some really poor choices with the skinnier models with bendy arms and weapons. So many missing noses on the female models, too.

Material-wise, my painting style relies heavily on a drybrush at the start, which the slightly softer details and material don't like as much as usual

Clearly the intent was a cost-effective range for RPG gamers and people happy with unpainted models, more than mass-battle wargamers and picky hobby painters. Even with the issues raised, the quality is still better than most (all?) pre-painted models and certainly cheaper. That the company still sells the original metals and releases new ones still, I think they do give the best of both so I'd never complain.

This is not as much of a problem with the larger models such a the giants and big monsters -- their parts are sturdier and less flexible and the detail also tends to be more pronounced.

So true. The "Ogre sized" models are ace, as are the giants. The ogre, troll, bugbear and gnoll they released before the Kickstarter came out great. Some of the monsters that didn't survive "bonesification" so well I can forgive since the price was so cheap

Of the smaller models, the dwarfs and similarly stocky models come out the best. Really good detail on these. Infuriatingly, they didn't choose the models based on whether they were most suited to the process. Perhaps because it was still early days for the material, but their first releases before the Kickstarter seemed to have been chosen better.

So far the painting experience was... pretty much like the one time I tried to paint 1/72 soft plastic figures. I never went back to those, no matter how cheap they are. But some people seem to like them, so YMMV.

Ha, I can forgive 1/72 purely on the price, and that's a scale I think benefits from a simple painting style. My simple blocked colour 1/72 models from years ago look better than the ones I painted this year with my usual 25/28mm approach.

there are some pictures of some Bones figures here: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=70345.msg855213#msg855213  - please do not add comments to that thread at this time until I finish taking and posting pictures.

I think your approach works better than mine for bones models. I almost always start with a dark base, working up. Starting with white and toning down the colours looks like you'll loose a lot less detail than I have been. (Good work so far, by the way).

I would have thought the translucent figures would have little to no painting except on the bases to make them "table ready" but YMMV.  Painting transparent or translucent figures is a great way to diminish their appearance unless done by a gifted hand (not mine.)

I'm not the best painter, but I simply can't leave mine the way they are. Way too garish, the colours they chose. They just scream "plastic" to me, even more than unpainted plastics, if that makes sense.

I actually happen to have one model in both metal and BONES. I'll probably paint them both side by side to really see the difference.

I did a test on one model side-by-side, I'll post it here if you don't mind. I know I've seen a few for some of the monsters online.


(Phew, I kind of sound very anti-bones, don't I? For the record, I've bought quite a few from a local store recently. I'm just careful about what models. Other than the mentioned mid-sized models, I think the spider/rat/beetle "swarms" came out great.

[maxxon]

(Phew, I kind of sound very anti-bones, don't I? For the record, I've bought quite a few from a local store recently. I'm just careful about what models. Other than the mentioned mid-sized models, I think the spider/rat/beetle "swarms" came out great.

I agree.

BONES seems to be reasonable choice for relatively inexpensive large models, especially if you need to buy them in bulk to assemble an army of giants or whatever. I just think it has its limitations and some models would have been better off left in metal.

Definitely check before you buy.

Oh yes, one further issue. Some of the BONES seem to be actually cast multi-part but pre-assembled at the factory. Why? I think that speaks volumes about what Reaper considers the target audience to be -- incapable or unwilling to handle superglue.

Unfortunately at least the assemblers who did my models left huge gaps in places...

[Elbows]

Put me in the "big Bones are great...small ones...not so much" camp.  I really like the bigger ones I've painted up.  The smaller ones are mediocre at best.  The spiders turned out okay, but I won't be buying any more.  The flesh golem I started will end up in the rubbish bin.

Luckily there are some really good choices for metals and plastics for normal sized figures.  I'm happy sticking to Bones for the big things I don't want to spend for metal.

I will say the Bones skeletons are nothing short of dreadful.  All personal opinion.  I think stuff like the blocky CAV mechs etc. will be very good in Bones material. 

[psyberwyche]

I too have had it with Bones. I'm a painter first and foremost, and I bought the spiders because they looked about as good as anyone else's spiders for a fraction of the cost. However, it's false economy - after multiple attempts at reposing the stupid bendy legs, I've finally managed to pin the bugger into place. Mould lines are almost impossible to remove. I can't get any of my existing paints to adhere to it, so I had to slather it in primer (following the Reaper paint guide which actually suggests that covering up detail is no biggie!). Even after that, with subsequent layers of paint, the model is weirdly tacky to the touch.

I have a pack of goblins too, with spears and bows bent in every direction. I can't even be bothered to work on them. Why anyone would choose to make miniatures out of this stuff is beyond me.

[Vermis]

Why anyone would choose to make miniatures out of this stuff is beyond me.

Ask Airfix, Zvesda, Italeri et al.

I swore off bendy vinyl 1/72s before I bought my first bones: a blister of skeletons. I checked out the bendy spears on those and was disappointed when I recognised the stuff. I'd forgotten what the V in PVC stands for.

Gotta say those transclucent ones look intriguing, though.

[eilif]

Nice work on your bones.

I've had mixed experiences with bones. I baught the first (and second) KS's Most are pretty good, but there are some stinkers, and it does seem to be the thinner, more finely detailed female figs that suffer the most.  Some chunkier infantry like barbarians and NOVA corp sci-fi troops seem just fine.

I have never had a problem finding bargain prices for metal foot miniatures, usually at prices less than Bones, so it doesn't offer me much in that respect (though I have been acquiring the NOVAs for a project).  However as others have said, Bones really shines with the big stuff. It looks fine larger models where bending isn't as much of an issue, and the price differential between metal and Bones for large figures is just amazing.

[Elbows]

If anyone is having issues painting them I will say that I've had absolutely ZERO issue with priming/painting them - using Army Painter black primer and standard Vallejo paints.  Following that, I've dipped and flattened them with Army Painter Anti-Shine.  No issues with paint adherence or tackiness etc.  Just a heads up.