Update: test shots!

[Archon Shiva]

Blow drier. Or Ziplock bag. There are ways.

That said, if you really want to customize, and out of 60 walkers you probably should, is to take a knife blade to them. Cut off a hand, an arm or a leg. Blue it back on at an angle, or on the ground next to them, or held in their other hand, or not at all (or have another zombie use it as a club). The thing with zombies, your mods don't have to look anatomically feasible.

I guess that's what's happening to the last 13 zombies in my sets...

 

[Scorpion0x17]

I don't even wanna think about what happens if you throw a painted mini in boiling water.

Dry acrylic paint is waterproof.

 

[rabski]

Dry acrylic paint is waterproof.

I always dip and clearcoat my miniatures aswell, don't know how that will react with hot water. Also, won't the paint "break" when you start to bend the figures?

 

[KingZombie]

I also am thinking about what paint jobs to do as I will be making a foray into figure painting with this set. I was thinking that the runners should be fresher than the rest and that is why they're fast.

 

[Darsc Zacal]

From my understanding, warpage occurs if the mini is taken out of the mold too soon after casting, while it is still warm before it has hardened sufficiently.

That's the shape it retains memory of, and will eventually revert back to, even with the hot water cold water method of reshaping.

If that is indeed the case, then the obvious answer is ensure the minis cool properly during the production process, even if it slows the rate of production. I'm guessing that with time equalling money, it's a difficult thing to balance.

 

[KingZombie]

Someone mentioned dipping in Miniwax which hardens real good. Maybe a dip like that would help it retain it's shape w/out warping?

 

[Skittlebrau]

I dip with minwax polyshade, but I haven't been dipping long enough to answer that. I have had some plastics that revert to the bed over a year or two.

None of my dipped one have reverted yet, but my OLDEST dip that I remember having to bend in less than a year ago.

 

[Archon Shiva]

If you really want a shape to hold for years, you have to do it the hard way: cut it off, drill a tiny hole in both end, put in a wire and bend the wire. Yup, that's as scary to me as it is to you, yet I'm sure people doing gallery-worthy mods do it routinely - in 1.5mm thick arms, no less.

 

[Scorpion0x17]

I always dip and clearcoat my miniatures aswell, don't know how that will react with hot water. Also, won't the paint "break" when you start to bend the figures?

That can happen, however acrylic is a type of plastic, so it does have a certain amount of stretch and malleability (and the warm water will help with that), so it basically comes down to how much you try and bend something.

I also am thinking about what paint jobs to do as I will be making a foray into figure painting with this set. I was thinking that the runners should be fresher than the rest and that is why they're fast.

I was thinking the very same thing myself!

I think I'll probably go with something like the following:

Abominations will mostly have 'normal' skin tones, with just a little gore and maybe a little redder, particularly around the 'shards', like the skin is 'inflamed'.

Runners will get a touch of blue-grey highlight tones, over pale, but normal, flesh tones, to hint at being slightly less fresh than Abominations, but still quite fresh.

Fatties will get a touch of green-grey highlight tones, over pale, but normal, flesh tones, to hint at being even less fresh than Runners, and slightly bloated from the onset of rot.

And Walkers will get full blown blue-grey and green-grey rotting flesh tones.

 

[empinchen]

Love the freshness color coding idea!

 

[JokerOx]

If you really want a shape to hold for years, you have to do it the hard way: cut it off, drill a tiny hole in both end, put in a wire and bend the wire. Yup, that's as scary to me as it is to you, yet I'm sure people doing gallery-worthy mods do it routinely - in 1.5mm thick arms, no less.

This isn't so scary and believe me my painting while passable is not gallery worthy. That said my conversions have only ever been with metal or GW plastics which I believe these are a lot different too and I cannot tell you how easy it is or isn't. Perhaps a more simple modification of sawing/cutting through torso or at shoulder/leg to produce a different pose and re-glue (need someone to recommend the best sort for these plastics)