a) Getting rid of those casting lines:
I use a craft knife to do most of this, carefully ‘peeling’ the casting lines away, a bit like peeling a potato. I spend a lot of time on this, as those lines really spoil the figure later on when you are putting on highlights. When you buy a lot of figures from one particular company, you quickly get familiar with the places that have the casting lines and will soon go straight to them. Foundry figures tend to have them running from the top of the head down both sides. Just about all horses have them on the insides of their legs, down the mane and in a very annoying line from the saddlecloth to the tail. Use your craft knife to gently scrape them away and don’t worry about the marks that get left behind.
b) Filing:
Over the years I have built up a collection of ‘micro files’. The best place to find them is model railway shops. I use my files to smooth out any marks left from scraping away the casting lines. At this stage I also accentuate things like folds in material, by filing a little deeper into the fold than the casting already has. This is just a personal thing, but I like to see deep folds, particularly around knees and elbows.
c) If the casting needs other bits, such as spears or shields, I do all the bits at the same time, just to make sure that everything will fit together smoothly.
1.CLEANING UP
I know many brilliant figure painters whose work is far superior to mine and yet they spend a tiny fraction of the time and effort I do on cleaning up their troops. My method works for me because I only need a few figures to create a new unit and you may do well to seek an alternative if you are sitting in front of 48 Napoleonic Austrian Line Lancers, which form just one regiment in the cavalry division you want to put on the games table next Thursday!
Read on to follow my cleaning up stage.
A very grand looking Landsknecht officer, from the superb Wargames Foundry Renaissance range. These are some of my all time favourite figures and I am determined to build an army of them one day! The cross emblem on his tabard has been enhanced with the craft knife to make it stand out in painting.
Above
Two figures from A&A Miniatures Middle Imperial Roman Range. These fine looking fellows are destined to become a command element for a cohort of Roman legionaries. They have been cleaned up with craft knife and micro files, followed by an overnight soaking in washing up liquid solution. After their overnight soaking, they get a good cleaning with an old electric toothbrush! Once dried, they are temporarily stuck with blutac onto 2p coins, which act as a holding device during painting.
