The Dip Technique is your friend, along with Magic Wash.
I recommend Minwax Royal Walnut urethane stain: it is a dark, dirty brown. It works superbly for a dirty look. Otherwise, Tudor is plain black.
Magic Wash is Pledge Floor Gloss + acrylic paint of desired wash color. Use it full strength, with a drop of dish soap, as a flow aid, if desired.
Dry-brushing will help, but it is not really necessary, IMO. The wonderful thing about The Dip Technique and the Magic Wash is that they blend everything so well together. I do simple block painting, on my mini's, followed by either technique, and they are done (sometimes I finish with a matte clear coat, if they come out too shiny…).
The Magic Wash may be more advantageous of the two techniques: you can mix up any custom wash color desired; it dries in 15 minutes; it is water-based so easy clean up; it smells rather pleasant. The downside is that you need to mix it, every time (or do batches, and keep them in tightly sealed bottles/jars).
The pro's and con's of The Dip Technique are: you only need to mix the can, thoroughly, before applying; it is extremely durable when dry (urethane!); it comes in a variety of brown colors; and the downside's: it is oil based; it can take days to dry; it smells, for years afterwards; turpentine is required to clean up brushes -- I use throw-away school paint brushes to apply it, at $0.04 USD per brush); it can pool excessively, so you may need to wick away excess using the edge of a paper towel/napkin; it is more expensive, but it lasts for years, and 1,000's of mini's -- literally.
For the Minwax, I suggest a Slow Cooker/Crockpot. Put the mini's into it, on the Low Setting (170 F), for 30 minutes. They will come out fully cured, ready for the table (might need a matte clear coat…). The Low setting is hot enough to cure the urethane stain, but cool enough that plastic and lead/pewter mini's will not melt (400 F -- most thermal plastics; 700+ F -- lead/pewter), or be damaged by the heat (the plastic will soften, but it will not melt). You can pick up a suitable Slow Cooker at Wal-Mart for around $20. USD Keep it for mini's, only, not food, due to the chemical off-gassing.
You can use it for curing white PVA Glue, as well as other glues. You can also use it for spray primer paint, to dry that faster. No sparks generated, safe for flammable fumes -- use it in the garage, or outdoors, only. Cheers!
