Painting HeroQuest for Beginners: Episode 0 - Preparing Miniatures for Painting

Steps

1. 1 Break down miniature prep into three stages: removing mold lines, filling gaps, and priming.
2. 2 Gather tools for mold line removal — a Citadel mold line remover, an X-Acto knife, files, coarse/fine sanding sticks, and an old toothbrush for dust.
3. 3 Sand down the nub and mold line on the base with the sanding stick, coarse side first, then the fine side to smooth it.
4. 4 Scrape a mold line out of the base rocks with the X-Acto blade held perpendicular to the surface, then smooth the area with the sanding stick.
5. 5 Brush away the sanding dust with the toothbrush so it doesn't get trapped under the primer.
6. 6 Scrape a mold line off the loincloth using the Citadel mold line remover.
7. 7 Mix Vallejo plastic putty with a little water on the palette and brush it into gaps and seams between assembled parts.
8. 8 Smooth the putty with a damp brush so it doesn't obscure the surrounding sculpted detail.
9. 9 Once the putty is fully dry, prime the whole miniature black with an airbrush.
10. 10 Add a zenithal highlight by spraying white primer from directly above only, leaving the undersides dark as a guide for later highlights.