"What is a "Museum Quality" paint job?" Topic

Well?
I have seen some that did not impress me.
This seems to be a meaningless term like "pro painted".

Yup. Some museum diorama figures are very crudely pai ted.

Obviously a subjective term as is 'pro-painted'. However, pro-painted, to me, means it was painted by a professional figure painter who earns his/her living painting miniatures.

I first heard these phrases back in the 70's / 80'S when I was competing in figure and IPMS shows. Then, it implied that the miniature or model was painted by a professional and available for sale.

Note that it had nothing to do with wargaming figures.

Well, judging by what I've actually seen in museums, "museum quality" when applied to miniatures involves minor inaccuracies, dust, some parts fallen off and a certain amount of the "creeping crud."

Castings I buy over the Net come in two grades--painted and unpainted. Castings I buy in person come in four--ready to play, needs work, unpainted and I wish they were unpainted.

Obviously some castings are better painted than others, but on a table of hundreds, terrain, flags and basing usually matter more. The place for a truly splendid casting is in a display case of some sort, not a gaming table.

I understand that "Museum Quality" means that these painted figures are overpriced by 200-300%.

To me it means that a lot of time was taken to make the shadows and highlights transition smoothly into one another. That can take 10 or more layers. These figures will take a long time to do.

I only see this kind of work on figures being used as a sales piece for companies making the figures.

Found by archeologist, under layers of dust, in the basement of a museum…… Once found…. the owner never allows a foreign hand to touch on pain of ______, is considered the only worthy miniature on the tabletop, no other miniature allowed nearby, and packed away in its private box surrounded by foam, with nitrogen pumped into the sealed container. Armed guards escort the carrying container to its royal coach for travel to its next appearance while glossy war game magazine photos proclaim worldwide.

I think Stecal takes the win.

Museum quality paint job? Well, it's anything I paint. 😏

Something outside of my budget range for a figure.

I painted some figure dioramas for a museum, to their specification, using 6mm figures to illustrate various Napoleonic fighting formations.

They insisted on accuracy but were, I think, surprised at the level of detail that could be shown on a 6mm figure – though wanted as much as I could do once they saw samples.

I also needed to use environmentally suitable mount board, primed with special primer to prevent outgassing, and a UV protective varnish.

Depends on what the figure(s) are needed for in the museum what quality of paint job is required. To help 'flesh out' a model of a building may not need a high quality paint job but a set illustrating the regimental uniform over time probably would.

Just like 'professionally painted' it is a meaningless term that will lead to misunderstandings.

I recognize that like "pro-painted", the term has become fuzzy with loose use, but I figured genuine 'MQ' pjs were in the category of what GildasFacit described.

I would describe Sasha Herm's work as Museum Quality.

depends on the museum…

Museum quality means like something you would see in a museum. I'm sure everyone has seen figures painted with eyes like the example below. Well, that's museum quality. Paint flaking off is another characteristic of an A-grade museum quality paint job.

When I use the term it's to refer to the highest quality paint job possible. It usually means the eyes are painted in, many blended highlights, no stray strokes, error free application, maybe elaborate free hand work if appropriate and often with advanced techniques like OSL, or SENMM.

Museum > Showcase > Collector > Gaming

Painting companies offer varying levels of service also describe them that way:

link

miniaturelovers.com

And people call their stuff whatever they want; it's an un-enforcable standard unless you are a paying customer.

Yes "pro-painted" does not refer to quality of result. Used properly, it should mean that painting is the profession of the painter.

In my opinion, only the Russian St. Petersburg line is of museum quality. The quality of those figures is beyond anything that I have ever seen.

link

Check out the mounted knights with banners. Amazing!

I believe the term started in the Toy Solder world where Museum Quality figures had shading and highlighting and were painted matte rather than the usual simple glossy paint job. They were initially, obviously, produced for museum displays.

Mike

Gotta say nevinsrip that is very fine work.

I'm sure that people who paint Museums do the best they can… ;-)

Forgive me for asking, Flashman, but what techniques are you referring to: OSL,SENMM?

Tia

If I want to buy it, its poorly done.
If someone else comes along later and wants to buy it from me, its museum quality.

The term itself is obviously meaningless, over-used hype, like "world-class." However, as a former museum curator, I can tell you that what actually appears in museums depends on many factors. Obviously, a local history museum largely staffed by amateurs is going to have a very different standard of quality than a large, well-financed art museum. And a different standard would also apply to something offered as a gift to the museum, versus something specifically commissioned and paid for. The latter case is the only one where the term really ought to apply, because only a craftsman or artist of proven ability would be selected in the first place, and the finished work would have to comply with very specific contractual standards both in terms of appearance, and durability (paints resistant to fading when continually exposed to light, underlying substance not readily subject to chemical breakdown, etc.). By the way, most commercially manufactured wargaming figures would not be considered suitable for anything but a temporary exhibition. Lead is fairly prone to corrosion problems, and the chemical stability of most plastics is suspect.

Tin Dictator – that same ethos informed a local antique shop I recall passing many years ago, which had a sign in its window that read 'We buy junk… and sell antiques'.

OSL = Object Source Lighting

SENMM = sky/earth non metal metal – painting polished armor and sometimes weapons such that they "reflect" the surrounding environment. No mettalic paints used.