Miniature Material,
Production & Features
Our backers, pro-painters, and influencers are interested in the material of the Eldfall Chronicles miniatures because they’ve never seen it before and it’s getting very positive reviews. However, we know that because it’s a new material, it can raise doubt with some.
Check them out on our web store here.
Why This Material- unicool plastic (resin)?
It combines all the best qualities we are after: better durability (isn’t brittle like other resins), the possibility of very dynamic and complex minis (with fewer assembly parts), and quality/sharpness of detail. What’s more, the minis are very easy to prepare for painting – they usually come very clean and almost without any mold lines, while they are easy and quick to assemble. The minis come in fewer pieces but retain their extremely dynamic design.
The quality we strive for and how it became possible
Exquisitely detailed, realistic and dynamic miniatures that are fit for every painter – for novice painters and even the most demanding! As hobby painters, this was our goal when choosing and adamantly chasing the material for Eldfall Chronicles miniatures.
To achieve these standards, we needed to start with the design of the miniatures – we learned how to design the miniatures through trial and error in vigorous testing. We modified their sculpt files many times before physical production to ensure that they came out as detailed and crisp as possible. Then, the casting and the material also had to click to make our miniatures possible as they are now. This is where it got tough.
In the beginning, we strived for hard plastic (HIPS), however, it is a very expensive material for smaller runs of a few thousand minis and it had its many drawbacks regarding dynamic poses – we would essentially have to cut up the minis in many more parts or/and change their designs quite a lot. So we had to look for an alternative, but we never wanted to compromise on the quality or the dynamic, intricate designs. And after a while, our manufacturer Unicool Game Manufacturing, made a new kind of resin called unicool plastic.
It was perfect. It was sustainable, and the quality was exactly what we hoped for.
It is a traditional resin, albeit next-generation called unicool plastic (resin). It is not Siocast, pvc or hard plastic. Although, in its appearance and visual quality, it most closely resembles the latter. And in a way, you could say it is a mix of hard plastic and resin.
Casting Process
You can say that the minis are made with a traditional hand-crafting method. A silicone injection casting method is used to create the miniatures. Then the minis are carefully removed from the molds after hardening, and washed and finished.
And because of this material and process, the minis can come in fewer pieces but retain their extremely dynamic poses. Something that – for our minis – indeed cannot be achieved with other materials and casting methods.
Looking for tips on how to Assemble the minis?
You can check the below video for our tips on assembling and preparing them for painting. Read the next section on bent parts and mold lines (the video is a tad outdated).
Encountering bent parts or mold lines?
The only drawback with this material is that occasionally you may receive bent parts due to transportation. However, this is easily rectified; all you need to do is dip the bent part into hot water (80°C) and help it bend back into place. Sometimes, the material bends back into the correct shape by itself. No “quenching” is required. If the material returns to its bent shape after some time, simply repeat the process until it retains the memory of its new shape. We have also tested this on painted models, and in our experience, the paint remains stable. If you are concerned about dipping it in water, you can also try gently heating the plastic with the lowest setting on your hairdryer.
Furthermore, we use silicone molds that have a limited lifespan to ensure the dynamic and sharp details of the miniatures. This is why some miniatures may have a few mold lines. However, the material is very easy to clean, and most of the time, a soft toothbrush (we recommend water + hand soap) removes the casting remnants, and a quick pass with a fine knife eliminates any mold lines if present.
Current Feedback About Quality
We are very grateful for the overwhelmingly positive feedback about the minis and their material. We are still a small company and are just starting to enter the worldwide retail market. Currently, our biggest challenge is spreading the word about the existence of the game and minis. However, we are pleased to say that we have received nothing but positive feedback about the quality of the product from miniature enthusiasts.
We hope we can always meet your standards and continue to improve the minis even further.
They are received as finely detailed, fun to paint, crisp, and easy to assemble. We also tested them with a few professional painters; all of them were surprised and curious about the quality of the new material. Additionally, we received reviews stating that they come very clean and are mostly free of mold lines.
We will continue to further improve them so that we can all enjoy painting and assembling them!
Replacements / Missing Parts
If there are any unfixable broken parts or missing parts on your minis, please write to us at [email protected].
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