BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
Off Topic and Technical Support => Off Topic => Topic started by: Black_Knyght on 03 June 2018, 20:16:39
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Don't know if anyone here has any of the mechs or miniatures by Reaper Miniatures made from the "BONES" material, but I just got some and am seriously NOT happy with them at all !!!
To me the feel like the same kind of rubbery material you get with micro-toys from a 25 cent vending machine. The feel...weird... to the touch and are IMHO unworkable for modding. I bought two CAV mechs and two Pathfinder minis from them, having heard a friend rave about the "BONES" material. I'm now convinced he's secretly an idiot.
Anyone else have any thoughts on this, good or bad?
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Good stuff, IMHO. It holds detail very well, holds paint great - doesn't even require priming, just a wash to get mold residue off! - and if it gets bent, it springs back into the original shape unless it's forced into that shape for a long period of time. It has memory. Unlike metal minis, that bend and then break with the slightest provocation; I'm looking at YOU, Mad Dog.
Modding? It cuts easier than harder plastics, which can make it difficult to keep control if you're used to that firmer surface, but make some practice cuts and it'll be second nature. Just because it's different and new to you doesn't mean it's bad.
Oddly, the one problem I've had stems from its memory - when it's held in a new shape for a long period of time (like, in say, a package) it keeps that shape. Fortunately you can boil it, reshape it, dunk it in ice water, and viola it's fixed in less than five minutes.
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I like it, i prefer metal or hard plastic but for the price it is pretty decent, especially for large minis.
I do not agree with the no prime technique, i prime all of my bones miniatures. Technically metal is "no prime" but i still prime that.
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Agreed, very good stuff to work with, and definitely prime. For me, it's a mini, it gets primed. No exceptions.
The trick is to not use a spray primer. Those sometimes don't sit well on the mini, and it will feel tacky even weeks after spraying it. This is a case where I suggest a brush-on primer, that stuff works well.
It doesn't hold detail quite as well as metal, but the price makes up for it. If you just need a tabletop quality mini, Bones is more than enough for the task, and oh my lord is it cheap, usually less than a single game's snacks!
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After seeing the not-Thiamat they made for the third kickstarter, I'm sure nobody could afford that in metal. Bones is perfect for all the fantasy monsters and dioramasyou can dream of. even the bug with the spray primer is minor for what you get.
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Their Hiram Mcdaniels figure? Yeah, they sell resin versions every so often, the prices are insane.
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I've gotten a large number of fantasy miniatures as Bones over the last few years...terrific stuff for the price...
They even sell some of them pre-painted, with very nice paint jobs...the painted ones sell for about twice the price, but I love my painted minotaur Bones mini...
Ruger
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I like it, i prefer metal or hard plastic but for the price it is pretty decent, especially for large minis.
Also if you are getting large amounts for certain games (like ADND), its cheeper getting the plastic ones, rather than the metal ones.
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I only like it for monstrous sized figure, where the cost and weight savings is actually worthwhile. I refuse to buy human and human sized figures due to the soft detail and tendency for thin parts like swords to sag and bend easily. I much prefer metal or hard plastic.
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I'm of two minds on the BONES minis.
On the one hand, as has been said, they hold details and paint very well. Not needing to prime them is another bonus. Mostly I just love the low price. They are GREAT when I just need to paint something.
On the OTHER hand, I despise how bendy they are. I have read so many comments about how all you need to do is dip the mini in hot water to reshape a bent piece but that has never worked for me. I love my Jabberwocky mini, and would never have bought a metal one, but he leans like nobody's business.
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Large models that put weight on a relatively narrow limb do have this issue, yes. From what I understand, the most common solution is to drill into the limb in question lengthwise, and reinforce it with a stiff wire of some kind.
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Hmm, that would have been better than the makeshift, greenstuff, broken castle wall that I molded to keep him propped up.
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Propping with terrain also works just fine, and can potentially look REALLY cool. :)
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It might have looked really cool if it were done by someone who knew what they were doing and had some talent at it :P
As it is, I was pretty happy with the outcome, just not... very happy with it.
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I refuse to buy human and human sized figures due to the soft detail and tendency for thin parts like swords to sag and bend easily. I much prefer metal or hard plastic.
I will admit that I quite often hunt through several packs to minimize the sag and bend issues out of the box...
But when you want a lot of small minis, like goblins or kobolds, for cheap this is one of the best ways to go...
Ruger
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A lot of bones looks real good if you know what you are getting into (my favorite reaper sculpts i still try to get in metal)
This is bones and i think it looks great....
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Bad ass! :thumbsup:
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any one buy their "Blackstar Corsair" figures from the Bones stuff? i've been eyeing some to serve as PA troops for a Fallout Enclave inspired display army project*, but and i like the looks.. but i wish they'd show if the mini is multipart or at least list if it is with a listing of parts. (was wondering if the visor was a seperate part that i could replace with maxmini heads or something, or if the starcraft marine look is the only option)
*it was originally a 'Proxy Guard' project for 40K.. Imperial Guard using no Game workshop parts, as a suppliment to my Tau in Apocalypse games.. don't do 40K anymore, but still wanting to finish them up for display purposes and the painting practice. i'd been looking for some Power armor figures i could do up, the way that the Enclave used T-51b and 'Advanced PA' suits in the games. but space marined, even the new primaris ones, didn't seem to fit.
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I've picked one up, pretty nice. I'm slowly converting it into a Longinus, or close enough.
They are taller than most person minis, with mine being 44mm from the bottom of the foot to the top of the suit. Looks like most person minis will likely come up to the Corsair's armpit, or mid-shoulder.
Parts-wise the one I got is one piece from the waist down, one piece for the torso, one for the bubble helmet, each arm is one piece, the right hand holding the gun is one piece, and there's a few bits such as a knife and a bayonet, and at least one other nonessential greeble that's going into my bits box.
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I've picked one up, pretty nice. I'm slowly converting it into a Longinus, or close enough.
They are taller than most person minis, with mine being 44mm from the bottom of the foot to the top of the suit. Looks like most person minis will likely come up to the Corsair's armpit, or mid-shoulder.
Parts-wise the one I got is one piece from the waist down, one piece for the torso, one for the bubble helmet, each arm is one piece, the right hand holding the gun is one piece, and there's a few bits such as a knife and a bayonet, and at least one other nonessential greeble that's going into my bits box.
sounds good then. especially the arms being separate.. ought to allow for some extra pose-ability. and i have a ton of leftover bitz from my 40K days (between the tau and black templar marines) that i can kit them out so each is unique.
though on 2nd thought, might make them a squad of Brotherhood of Steel, since those do kinda look like T-60 armor.. could get one of the iron golems as a Liberty Prime copy.. >:D
and now i'm wondering what would make a good supermutant..
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sounds good then. especially the arms being separate.. ought to allow for some extra pose-ability. and i have a ton of leftover bitz from my 40K days (between the tau and black templar marines) that i can kit them out so each is unique.
though on 2nd thought, might make them a squad of Brotherhood of Steel, since those do kinda look like T-60 armor.. could get one of the iron golems as a Liberty Prime copy.. >:D
and now i'm wondering what would make a good supermutant..
Well, there IS the Fallout Miniatures game... which should be released sometime this summer.
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Well, there IS the Fallout Miniatures game... which should be released sometime this summer.
which will be much more expensive
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The bending is easy to deal with (until they're painted). Dip in boiling water for a minute, then dunk in ice water for a minute. That's usually it. They'll return to their own shape on their own. For the really bad ones(of which I've only had one), you'll need to hold it in the correct shape when you dunk it, but you won't have to hold it yourself for more than a second or two once it's in the water. Be careful though. One you've boiled them, they get really soft. You'd could probably tear one in two on your own if you tried.
I'm hoping they keep doing more in the new grey plastic. All the benefits of the white bones, but not so floppy.
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and now i'm wondering what would make a good supermutant..
How much bashing do you want to do? An ogre seems like a good start.
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I'm super happy they put a lot of CAV in Bones. Some of those big CAVs were bordering on $30+ each, now their like, $6.
I agree with all the previous comments, small bits tend to be really bendy. I've found some of them are not big fans of bending back. But I'm fine with a little bendy because they are so cheap.
The only problem I have with the big minis is if there are significant mold lines or mold slippage. Those mold lines don't like to come off at all.
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How much bashing do you want to do? An ogre seems like a good start.
preferably minimal, but since i have no experience with this material yet, i'll be holding off on those for a bit. :)
but yeah.. ogres, Orcs, and some of the giants look like a good start.
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I'll jump on the bandwagon and sing Bones' praises. Great minis for the price. Used them quite a bit in my Kings of War armies.