Miniatures Guide: How To Assemble Your RPG Miniatures

At Dark Elf Dice, we carry an amazing selection of award winning RPG miniatures. Whether it's premium Dark Sword Miniatures or the esteemed Reaper Miniature Dark Heaven, Warlord, Pathfinder, or Chronoscope lines, we offer the best miniatures for collectors and gamers alike.

Before your RPG miniatures are ready for the game table though, some assembly and preparation is in order.

How To Assemble Your Miniatures

Note: Game miniatures are not toys and contain small components that should be considered choking hazards. The use of glue, hobby tools, and epoxy may be needed to properly assemble miniatures. Assembly and preparation should only be done with proper adult supervision.

Reshape Bent Parts

Gently straighten any bent pieces on the miniature (swords, staffs, etc.). It’s perfectly normal that some pieces are bent during the manufacturing and packaging process. If your miniature has a bent piece it just needs straightening -- it doesn’t mean that your figure is broken or defective in any way.

Remove Mold Lines and Burs

Your miniature was created via a mold injection process and small mold lines and burs (little metal bits) may be present on the finished figure. Remove excess metal bits and carefully smooth mold lines with a hobby file.

Attach Separated Pieces

Some miniatures come in separate pieces and require assembly; this allows you to assemble the miniature in a variety of poses by positioning the detached parts in different ways. It is normal for arms, heads, weapons, shields, etc. to be detached. Your miniature is not broken! A small amount of superglue works best to glue the pieces together.

WARNING Use caution! Fit the pieces together first to see how they go together before gluing, and only then use a small amount of glue. Be careful and follow the glue manufacturer's instructions and precautions.

Mount Miniature to Its Base

Some miniatures come with a detached base, or you may wish to use a different base.

• If the base is metal, you can attach the figure with superglue (follow the safety precautions above!).

• If the base is plastic, you will need to use Milliput or another suitable epoxy putty (called “Green Stuff”) to attach the figure. Again, make certain to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and precautions.

Gently Wash The Miniature

Once your glue thoroughly dries, gently wash the miniature with a small amount of dish soap and water to remove any oil or dust (an old toothbrush works great!). It’s important to clean the figure first so that primer and paint will adhere properly. Once dry, you can prime and paint and get to work on your masterpiece.

Happy adventuring!