"Reaper Miniatures Dark Haven Bones Review" Topic

These are a new line of affordable minis from Reaper. Please read our review so you'll be informed about these new products!

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Hi, yeah I agree that they are great value and good detail. You should wash them with soap and water to remove oils. The line has been around for a few years now. The new Bones Kickstarter is an addition to the line.

Thanks,

John

I've noticed that the detail is not nearly as sharp as the Bones releases from a couple years back. I got a handful of stuff from the recent Kickstarter delivery and it's pretty mushy. Anyone else notice this?

The soft/missing detail issue has been mentioned on a number of other blog reviews that I've seen. It appears that the line is rather hit-or-miss when compared to Reaper metals, with larger models generally being safer gambles. Hopefully it's a temporary teething problem, not an inherent weakness of the material in casting some sculpts.

I've found Bones a FABULOUS deal for RPG monsters, especially the larger monsters; giant spiders, beholder, mimic, the semi-translucent ghostly casts, fire effects, etc.

For smaller monsters – goblins/kobolds; I do not like the bends and warping and am very critical and discerning at which packs I may decide to buy.

But for your PC's and notable NPC's in RPG's… you just gotta go metal to ensure you have the crisp details.

I've read on the Reaper forums a few times that the apparent lack of detail on some Bones is an optical illusion. The unpainted Bones material causes enough refraction that the details on the model are obscured. The illusion disappears once they are painted, according to these posters.

Huh? I've painted half a dozen of the Bones figures that were based on the metal pathfinder line and they are fine…until you look at the faces. No detail at all, and that is after painting them. Maybe the illusion has me fooled, but I don't think so. If I had paid $5 USD a figure for these I would be really ed off and wanting my money back.

I got in on the Reaper Bones Kickstarter and I can say that there is nothing wrong with the detail level on any of the Bones figs. The biggest problem with Bones is the fact that parts are bent and will need the boil/ice water treatment to straighten the parts.

Now I will admit I haven't yet compared the ones that have metal versions side by side with their metal version and neither have I painted any of them. If they aren't as sharp, then Bones probably aren't a good choice to use for PCs. I can't imagine anyone having a problem with squad builder type figs being a little bit soft in detail. I will have to dig out the metal versions that I have and do a side by side comparison with all of them.

Even if they are a little bit softer, you can't argue with most character figs being less than $3 USD, and closer to the $2 USD end of the spectrum.

@CBChris

As to some of the problems you noted in your review. The stickiness is a problem with many vinyl type figs. It can happen with primer and even with the clearcoat once you are finished. You've got to be careful especially with the clearcoat you use. I don't remember, but there is a thread on the Reaper forums of peoples experience with what primers work best.

As for paint not sticking when painted directly on them. Do you water your paints down? If you do that is likely the cause of them not sticking. You have to paint your base coats without watering them down if not using primer.

They are also "ready" to paint. That only means that they don't need primer. You should also scrub them with a toothbrush in soapy water before you use them. I've heard that that helps paint stick better when painting them without primer.