If you are new, or just want some tips, check out this tutorial on how to assemble a miniature, in all kinds of mediums.
The Army Painter is known for having some of the best and most affordable paints on the market! But they also have an extensive collection of tutorials and paint guides. Their tutorials are perfect for learning how to get your minis on the table. If you want to see everything The Army Painter has going on, check it out here.
Today they are walking us through how to build basically any mini out there! Just as a note, all the materials used in this video will be from them, which you can pick up all their stuff here. Let’s see how to do it!
How to Assemble a Miniature: Army Painter Tutorial
Let’s start with the most common type of minis, plastic!
First things first, a lot of the tools we are using are sharp, so be very careful!
Start with your clippers and clip off the pieces you want. Use the flat side of the tool to get close to your part without damaging it.
Next, get out your hobby knife and clean off any of the flash and mold lines.
Miniature model files are also great tools to have on hand, they can clean up any irregularities before you assemble your models. Keep in mind that files are made to be used in one direction only, don’t “seesaw” the tool back and forth on the part.
Now the all the surfaces of your miniatures will look smooth when you paint them.
Now you’re ready to assemble. Open up your glue and poke or (clip off) a small hole in the top with a needle. Then, simply dab a little glue on the pieces you want to glue and hold them together. You can even move the piece around a little to get good even coverage. Then hold the piece until the glue has created a bond.
Then, just do this for every part you need to assemble and eventually, you’ll have your miniature!
For smaller pieces sometimes using hobby tweezers is the best option. Simply put the small piece in the tweezers, add the glue and use them to assemble.
Assembling Resin & Metal Miniatures
The miniature here they are assembling is from Raging Heroes and is resin. One of the most important but often overlooked parts of resin, is sometimes you have to clean them with a brush and warm soapy water.
Much like with a plastic mini, you will then cut, file, and clean the pieces before assembling your miniature entirely.
One additional step is to sand the model joints where pieces come together to help with the adhesives and be sure to use super glue here.
Magnetizing Your Minis
The video doesn’t don’t cover a ton here, but the first thing you do is find the size of magnet that will work and drill a small hole (with a pin vice) on both pieces you are magnetizing. Then glue down the magnets and you are pretty much good to go.
Or, you can just always glue the magnet down like the picture above on top of where the pieces will go, but generally its better to have the pieces recessed into a socket to give them more strenght.
Pinning
This is extremely useful for heavy minis or fragile pieces. First, take your hobby drill and drill out the first piece you want to pin together, just be careful here to not damage either of the pieces.
Then put a small dab of glue into the holes you drilled and insert your paper clip. Give that a few minutes to dry, then press the clip into the second piece to give you a pilot hole. Then drill that side out.
To finish it off, simply add glue and hold the pieces together until the bond holds.
Using Greenstuff
Greenstuff is perfect for filling gaps left from assembling your miniatures and can be used by itself to sculpt models too. Roll together a ball of the two colors until it’s green. Then simply put it into the bigger gaps so the painting will be smooth.
You can use water with a little bit of dish soap in it to smooth out the surface of Green Stuff as well.
Basing Your Minis
Lastly, you’ll want to base your model. The Battlefields Basing Kit makes it easy. All you have to do is affix a couple of the bigger pieces on the base first, then apply glue to the rest of the base and dip it in!
Hit play on the video for all the details on how to assemble your miniatures like a pro. Plus be sure to follow The Army Painter on Youtube for more great content like this.
Get Your Army Painter Tools Here!
About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
