Review: Bones by Reaper Miniatures

 I was super excited about the Reaper KickStarter drive, which I covered in my previous post. Well, they're at nearly $1,000,000 as I post this and the mountain of miniatures you receive at pledging just $100 is astounding! I wouldn't be surprised if it reaches 175+ miniatures before it's all over with. The real question though is, how do these Bones stack up when compared to other plastic miniatures or even metal miniatures? I'll tell you!

 I picked up quite a few of the current line of Bones as they were dirt cheap compared to the metal counterparts. Right off the bat I was really impressed with the detail compared to most plastics I've seen. I'd say they retain 95% of the detail, so it's barely noticeable. That's quite a feat! The material they're made out of is polymer and is quite bendy and forgiving. At first I was kind of iffy about this but, I have to say, I'm liking the bendiness. It's especially great when you get one of those hard to reach mold lines near an armpit, just bend the arm back! I've heard it also makes them great for modifying by dipping them in hot water or using a blow dryer and then reforming the position, although, I haven't tried this myself.

 The only real difference I noticed between these and metal (and other plastics) was that cleaning took a while longer. I used mostly a hobby knife and an emery board (one of those wooden files people use on their nails), as I didn't want to use a full metal file and damage the figure. Still, it wasn't too bad and will be easier once I'm more comfortable using my tools on them and coming up with strategies.

 Here are some pictures!

 My favorite figure has got to be the big worm up there. He cost $2.99 as a Bones when his metal brother cost almost $28.00. Sure the Bones model doesn't come with the tail section but that's a fair trade, I'd say!

 Now, A lot of people are unsure about Reaper's claims that you don't need any primer at all and can just paint straight out of the package. They're specially formulated to work well with the Reaper line of paints, so I'm not sure how well thinner paints work. For me, I use cheap hobby paints like Apple Barrel...Yeah, the cat's out of the bag! I use Apple Barrel paint except for metallic paints! Anyway, off on a tangent there. They seem to work better with thicker paint and so other really thin paints might need several layers.

Here are a couple painted examples and one mini in the process of being painted.

 So, my overall opinion of the Bones line is excellent and I'd like to see tons more being made, which is currently happening through the Reaper KickStarter program, so take advantage while you can! I wouldn't be surprised if they expand out this line for years to come. It's good for gamers who need lots of monsters and adventurers or collectors like me who just like to paint up a bunch of cool miniatures without blowing my life's savings.

 Well, that's it for tonight. Enjoy your gaming and painting, fellow miniature enthusiasts!!