Miniatures - Miniature related definitions
I've gathered some miniature related definitions that are useful to know when you work with miniatures.
3:1 master sculpt: Some mass production methods require the use of master sculpts that are three times the size of the final product.
Adhesive putty: A kind putty that has adhesive properties. If you’d like to remove adhesive putty, roll some putty into a ball, press it onto the putty that needs removal, and try to pull it away. It should come off after a few tries. One famous brand of adhesive putty is Blutac.
Bit: A part of the miniature. Some minis are one-part casts, others come in several bits that need to be put together.
Bits box: This is where you store your spare parts you’ve accumulated.
Base: The part of the miniature that helps it stand. It can be integral part of the miniature, but most wargaming miniatures are produced with a separate base as wargame rules use different kinds of bases for games.
Casting error: A problem that happens during the casting of the miniatures. Most often a mould line or a flash.
Flash: A casting error, an overflow of material that remains on the miniature.
FLGS: Friendly Local Gaming Store. A physical store you can visit to buy games, miniatures and supplies.
Glue: A gel-like substance. They set slowly compared to superglues.
Liquid superglue: A glue that needs to be brushed on. They are setting in seconds so don’t use it if you’d like to fiddle with the parts.
Master sculpt: The original sculpt used for creating a mould, to create further copies of it.
Miniature: A figure that represents something on the tabletop. It’s usually a scaled down version of a real or imagined person, creature or equipment. When you buy it, it can come in one-piece or in several bits that need to be assembled.
Mould: A frame for casting miniatures, that has the negative shape of the miniature in it.
Mould line: A casting error, a visible line on the miniature due to the two sides of the mould not fitting tightly enough.
Pin: A small, strong (usually metal) rod. You can use practically anything that is strong enough – rods (brass, steel), metal wire, paper clips.
Pinning: Sometimes glue don’t hold the bits strong enough. Drilling a small hole into the bits, glue a small metal rod into the hole can help a better hold. It’s especially important for metal minis as they are heavier so the glue must bear more stress.
Self adhesive glue (SA glue): A kind of gel that will make the prepared area permanently sticky.
Sprue: The plastic or metal casted frame with the miniatures that comes out of a mould. Some companies remove the miniatures from the sprue before packaging them.
Static grass: A kind of miniature plastic grass that can be charged with a static grass applicator to stand up realistically.
Static grass applicator: An electric appliance that looks like a strainer, used to charge static grass to stand up.
Superglue: A gel-like substance. They usually set in minutes. It’s usually Cyanoacrylate (CA) glue.
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Do you know further miniature related definitions? Do you have your own, better definitions? Do you have any questions about a phrase? Tell us in the comments!
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