What makes a great miniature?

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victoria

New member
Hi all,
I have been doing some sculpting lately and have been wondering what it is that makes some minis hugely popular and some...well....not. I expect there is no clear answer, its an individual thing, but I am interested in what what people consider important, is it: proportion, expression, subject, character, humor, enormas breasts, huge weapons, number of spikes, intricate details, origionality, realism, etc?
After all most minis are not cheap and painting them takes many, many hours. What makes you choose the ones you do?
Cheers,
V:)
 
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SebastianRushworth

New member
I think the pose is really important. A figure should have a dynamic, interesting pose. The face is also very important, and should be well sculpted and preferably ooze personality even before the paint is slapped on.

Personally, I also prefer minis with clean surfaces, where you can do something interesting. I hate figures that are muddled over with different little details, and I hate chainmail and anything similar that is quite simply not very fun to paint.
 
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Klute

New member
First off I think anatomy has to be perfect or near as damn it for me to like it. Especially on humans.
Faces have to be very well and cleanly sculpted. Especially female. Males can get away with some roughness.
Im personally not keen on over the top filigree and such. The reason I dont like painting Rackham figures though I do think they are good.
Lots of character is a big draw for me.
 
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demonherald

New member
Pose , Balance , Proportion..
A different and dynamic pose really helps ..something that makes the model look like it is doing something..For example if GW\'s Orcs were doing the whole animosity thing like yours that would be far better..
Balance..GW have been guilty of getting this one wrong a couple of times lately ..Lots of detail on one part of a model and none on the rest..just makes it look unfinished.

Overall though I think the thing I look for is a model I can see unpainted and imagine how I want to paint it...
 
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victoria

New member
um, thanks for that vote of confidence Green one.
For me I think as long as the sculpting quality is good character and expression are the things that make me buy a mini. I agree with SebastianRushworth masses of tiny details or chainmail generally dont interest me but I do have a weakness for fabulously sculpted drapery, eg; Raul Latorre\'s jaw dropping work.
I also like minis with potential, this is kind of hard to pin down. It usually goes along the lines of...\"this mini is kind of cool but if I chopped half its limbs off, replaced them with greenstuff and found it a new head it could be very cool.\";)
 
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hakoMike

Active member
I\'m rather a novice, but the face has a lot to do with it for me. I can really only paint two expressions at this point (grrr and hmmm) so a face has a lot of personality in the sculpt appeals to me.

I love little detail work (like the pipe with a face on the bowl on gw\'s dwarf thane) but I typically don\'t notice those things until after I start painting.
 
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Modderrhu

New member
Atmosphere and quality sculpting. :) For me, it\'s atmosphere that provides inspiration to paint a mini, and it\'s quality sculpting that makes it a joy to paint. I expect that much of the atmosphere comes from the original concept artwork.
 
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Orb

procrastinator
As Mark says, anatomy is so very important to me, not just in humans. Even in \"alien\" races, it has to have some believablity and basis in the real world.

pose is not so important to me; actually I prefer less dynamic poses because I like display pieces as opposed to pieces that are designed primarily as part of an action gaming system.

clothing; yep Latorre is indeed a master; the draping on the plaid on the 75mm veteran clansman was amazing

face; character. I want him/her to be an individual, not a clone
 
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MarkusTay

New member
When I first read the title of this thread I was going to make a joke, but then noticed the name of the author and decided perhaps a little maturity was in order on my part (for once).

The only answer I can give is the \'WOW factor\'. It\'s hard to boil down, but I can give examples. Sandra Garrity is an incredible sculpter, and used to be one of my favorites. Her attention to detail is amazing. However, she has no \'Wow\'. Her poses are stagnant and her subject matter is hardly ever original. Another \'dark knight\'? Ho-hum. Another \'Elf with sword\'? Boooooring. Sorry to Miss Garrity, I\'m actually a fan believe it or not. I buy most of what she produces... but always with some moding in mind.

Now take Werner Klocke... A demon coming out from under a cloak? Oh-my-God! A cook ready to bash someone\'s head in with a frying pan? Insane! Even his Freebooter lady, while not an original concept, was a work of art because of the dynmaic pose and his trademark amazing faces. And let\'s not forget the whitch bending over her cauldron. He took an old concept and made it HOT! I have one in my gallery, but she is a bad example do to my meager painting skills.

So that\'s it... great poses and faces are important, but give us something we haven\'t seen before and drop our jaw.
 
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Marmoset

Guest
I like models that have a lot of character, preferably with a dynamic pose and a good face/expression; a model that tells a story, maybe from little items/trophies that can start you guessing... where has he been? Who has he killed? Why? lol My GD project mini has a great face (can\'t beat an eyepatch :]) and looks very battle-scarred and venerable. God, I love this mini.... :bouncy:
 
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MarkusTay

New member
Thank you Sebastion

I have made a great injustice, I realize, by not mentioning Kevin Whites work at Hasslefree. Although I don\'t feel his technique is as refined as Miss Garrity\'s (sorry Kev), his original concepts blow me out of the water. Definately a top-notch line.
 
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Zordana

Member
Assuming the anatomy is all in order then I have to agree that the pose is a big thing for me. It has to suit the miniature and be interesting.

The face is another, I love well defined facial features because they really lend themselves to painting and they look much better in the end.
 
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vincenti

Member
For me the number one priority is anatomy , primarily because most of my minis are military so they are based on the human form, I always make that my personal priority when scratchbuilding .My own vision for my minis is realism(,even when doing my larger scale Space Marines ).Like my military pieces, I want them to look like they are on campaign with plenty of weathering & battle damage .When I look at other peoples work its completely the opposite, Beauty,I love the artists on site who paint with vibrant & well chosen colours, and its here that the ladies often have the edge on us guys. (I love seeing Angelas,Margots & Natalyas new stuff get posted ) .I also like to see dynamic figures with plenty of action ,this sadly is limited because casting limitations restrict to much wild movement on small minis . Finaly I love the style & flair of Rackham minis, that Fench touch is amazing some times, oh , last but not least when it comes to veihcles \"Yellow One \" is tops for me . The last Dread he did was for me the most realistic looking Sci/Fi a.f.v. I have ever seen (probably because it was battered & weathered ) . GOD bless ..............VINCENTI:duh:
 
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dougaderly

New member
I hear boobies are popular on minis.

Ok, for a serious response, I look for variety. It\'s amazing how many miniatures all have the same pouches attached to the belt, the same sword held up at the same angle. I also really get giddy over a model that has an interesting face. There are too many serene looking models, and too many with the mouth wide open in what you\'re supposed to assume is a war cry. Doesn\'t anybody smile while they kill people? I know I d... would...
 
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Dark Seraphim

New member
Conversion possibilities, large surfaces, smoothness, great poses, good details and originality.

It\'s hard to pick a certain reason why a mini is great... But minis that have life to them, are deffinatly the best, because they tell a story.
 
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sniffles

New member
I\'ll agree with other posters and put pose high on the list. Facial expression (if it has a face) is also very important. Some of that comes from the paint, but you can only do so much if the sculpt is poor.

I like versatility, and something that makes the figure stand out from others of a similar type.

I also prefer fairly realistic anatomy. But I don\'t mind a little exaggeration if it makes my job easier on the painting end.

I really like a mini that seems three-dimensional. A lot of older minis (from the \'80s) had a very flat profile. A mini just seems a lot more appealing to me if it doesn\'t look like it\'s been run over by a car. ;)

But mainly I like a mini that inspires me to paint it. There are a lot of minis out there that are nicely sculpted, but they don\'t make me want to paint them. :)
 
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Malfoy

Guest
Narrative. A great figure is one that tells a story all by itself and a brilliant model conveys a sense of character. It\'s maybe a little abstract, but I think you know what I mean.

dave
 
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