For those who paint their minis, how do you prep them? I usually spray mine with primer, but have recently read that Reaper Bones plastic minis are better prepped by just washing them in soap and water. Does this work for FFG's minis as well?

Thanks,

Bruce

I do both, just to be safe. The minis have oil on the in some spots, from the mold. I will shave mold lines, liquid green stuff any seems or imperfections, and then wash with dish soap an let dry. After mini dries, I glue on the end of a 1 ft dowel and prime with Krylon flat black (or white) primer. Then paint. I love the Krylon primer. $5.50 at O'reiley's or Autozone and it sprays a nice, even, thin coat. It dries in less than 10 minutes, so no long wait to paint.

I use Gesso white from Liquitex. A much more environmental-friendly solution than spray primers. Doesn't intoxicate me or my kids sleeping next door, Don't need the gloves, don't need all the pricy setup etc. Above all is not dangerous and dries very fast. I don't know if the result is in pair with spray primers but I have found it to be satisfactory enough for my own painting skills. From what I read though it looks like more and more painting pros say it's more than decent. It also costs nothing.

I don't prep them at all. I just start with a black base coat painted on with my brush. (I use an older brush since this is a quick and dirty coat that was a way of fraying the bristles.)

Sometimes I need to give it some touch ups after it dries before I begin proper painting, but I haven't had any issues with chipping or smudging of the paint when I'm done.

Edit: When I say I don't prep, I'm only talking painting here. I will clean off flash if present, although this is only rarely an issue with FFG figures, in my experience.