Miniature assembly commission services

Miniature assembly commission services: If you find it difficult to put your metal or plastic models together, they can assemble and glue your miniatures for you.

There are those kind of people who like to play with minis, some might even like to paint them, but just hate to fiddle with the assembly. If you ever wondered "Who would assemble my minis for me?", I've collected a database of commission wargame and boardgame miniature assembling services for you. I've listed the commission miniature assembly services by area.

Services

• Miniature figure assembly
• Miniature vehicle assembly
• MDF scenery assembly

Guidelines

• From the Warp: How to find a good artist for commission work: Guidelines for ordering commissions.
• From the Warp: How to find a good client for commission work: Guidelines for those who take commissions.
• Spikey Bits: Cheap is Not Enough! Painting Studio Study: Review and comparison of miniatures related services.

Miniature bits trading services

Article updated: 2022.10.15

Miniature bits trading services offer small parts and bits for miniature modellers. These bits can be used to build your wargame and boardgame miniatures or to convert and change existing ones. I've listed the miniature bits trading services by area.

Resources

DakkaDakka: Buying Bitz and Wargaming Supplies Online: A list of bits stores.

Miniature casting services

Miniature casting services: Do you have an own wargame or boardgame miniature sculpt you'd like to have some copies of? You can cast as many as you want if you pay for casting services. I've included some 3D printing services that specialize in miniatures. I've listed the commission miniature casting services by area.

If you see (Games Nexus) listed in the links for a casting service or 3D printing service, it means you can find product reviews of their work on our website. If you see the name of a person highlighted as a link, it means you can find an article about that person and their work.

There are two kinds of moulds you can use to cast miniatures:

Rubber moulds: They are made of rubber, cheaper to produce. You can cast metal or resin miniatures from these.

Steel moulds: They are made of steel, have a longer life, but more expensive to produce. You can cast polystyrene, PVC miniatures this way.

Prodos UniCast: An interesting version of steel moulds, seems to be cheaper than the usual moulds.

• Michal Hartlinski (from Prodos Games): Prodos UniCast is here: Preview article.

Guidelines

• From the Warp: How to find a good artist for commission work: Guidelines for ordering commissions.
• From the Warp: How to find a good client for commission work: Guidelines for those who take commissions.
• Spikey Bits: Cheap is Not Enough! Painting Studio Study: Review and comparison of miniatures related services.

Miniature painting commission services

Article updated: 2021.08.25

Miniature painting commission services: If you don't like to paint, don't have the time or don't have the patience, there are others who can help you. You don't have to wonder "who would paint my wargame or boardgame minis for me?" any more, just check these commission painters. I've listed the commission miniature painting services by area.

• DMOZ Database of Painting Services

Guidelines

• From the Warp: How to find a good artist for commission work: Guidelines for ordering commissions.
• From the Warp: How to find a good client for commission work: Guidelines for those who take commissions.
• Spikey Bits: Cheap is Not Enough! Painting Studio Study: Review and comparison of miniatures related services.
• How To Commission A Painting: Although it's a guide to painting pictures, but I feel most of it is useful for commissioning miniature paintings too. (2020.03.29: The article is offline.)
  
  • the article on Archive.org
• Atom Smasher (from Tabletop Minions): Finding a Commission Painter: Video about commission painters.
• Sarkadi Sándor (Kaba) (from Gates of Hell - The Beardy and the Fluffy): Kabaman's personal opinion about Hungarian commission painters (in Hungarian): Guidelines article in Hungarian.
  • English version by Google Translate

Before you order your miniatures to be painted, decide on your miniature related philosophies, and check with the painter to do the miniature according to your wishes: Games Nexus: Painting miniatures - Design concepts

Miniature sculpting commission services

Miniature sculpting commission services: When you really need a wargame or boardgame miniature but you can't find it on the market, you can always commission a sculptor. I've listed the commission miniature sculpting services by area.

Physical sculpting: The sculptor creates a physical copy while sculpting it. If you already have a caster, ask them about their requirements of the original sculpt. Some sculpts need to be larger than the intended size of the miniature, some need to withstand intense heat, so get the information before the sculpt is done.

3D sculpting: The sculptor creates a virtual miniature that can be 3D printed. Before you assume the sculptor will give you a miniature ready to cast, ask them whether they'll create a file ready to print, will they send you a printed copy, and will they create a physical copy of the miniature, ready to be casted. Don't assume a 3D sculptor will do any of these, beyond creating a 3D design. It's also recommended to find 3D sculptors that have some history with creating castable miniatures, so they'll have a better idea what you expect of them.

If you see (Games Nexus) listed in the links for a sculpting service, it means you can find product reviews of their work on our website. If you see the name of a person highlighted as a link, it means you can find an article about that person and their work.

Guidelines

• From the Warp: How to find a good artist for commission work: Guidelines for ordering commissions.
• From the Warp: How to find a good client for commission work: Guidelines for those who take commissions.
• Spikey Bits: Cheap is Not Enough! Painting Studio Study: Review and comparison of miniatures related services.

Miniature terrain making commission services: If you like realistic scenery but don't have time or patience to do the terrain making yourself, there are professional terrain makers to help you out. Most wargames require terrain and scenery, and several boardgames are enhanced with scenery or 3D terrain and props you can commission to terrain makers. I've listed the commission miniature terrain making services by area.

Guidelines

• From the Warp: How to find a good artist for commission work: Guidelines for ordering commissions.
• From the Warp: How to find a good client for commission work: Guidelines for those who take commissions.
• Spikey Bits: Cheap is Not Enough! Painting Studio Study: Review and comparison of miniatures related services.

There are some miniatures related commission services I couldn't list anywhere else yet, so I try to list them here. These services have something to do with wargame and boardgame miniatures, beyond assembling, painting, sculpting, casting, and terrain making. I've listed the commission services by area.

These miniature commission services include:

• Miniature basing commission service
• Miniature converting commission service
• Miniature magnetizing commission service
• Miniature movement tray making commission service
• Miniature paint-stripping commission service
• Miniature purchasing commission service
• Miniature repairing commission service
• Replacing bending gun barrels or spears with solid brass
• Miniature MDF terrain assembliy commission service

Guidelines

• From the Warp: How to find a good artist for commission work: Guidelines for ordering commissions.
• From the Warp: How to find a good client for commission work: Guidelines for those who take commissions.
• Spikey Bits: Cheap is Not Enough! Painting Studio Study: Review and comparison of miniatures related services.

Second hand miniature trading services

Article updated: 2020.09.16

Second hand miniature trading services are for those who have wargame and boardgame miniatures or scenery that they don't need anymore or for those who would you like to collect miniatures on a budget. You can find cheap, used miniatures and terrain in these webshops.

I collected the second hand miniature webshops I know of. While not strictly webstores, I decided to also include trading groups for the sake of completion. I've listed the second hand trading services by area.

One thing you should be aware of is that some of the second hand miniatures can be illegal copies, so before buying them make sure to check it's legality with the seller. Even if you are okay with buying them, you should know what to expect.

Second hand miniatures - Basics

Games Nexus: Selling used miniatures: Article about setting prices and how to handle the trading.

DakkaDakka: Recognizing counterfeit miniatures: Article about things you should be aware of when buying miniatures.