If you have any need for unpainted miniatures, you have to check out Reaper Miniatures’ most recent Kickstarter. This is Reaper’s third crowdfunding campaign for their Bones miniatures, and their fourth if you include the CAV: Strike Operations campaign. Bones are made of a flexible polymer material that results in a very durable miniature that is ready to paint right out of the box.
The prior two Bones Kickstarters raised over three million dollars each. With an initial goal of just $30,000, the first campaign ended at $3,429,235–11,430% of the goal with 17,744 backers. The success comes from the fact that while it’s expensive to create the molds necessary to make Bones miniatures, creating individual miniatures from the mold is rather cheap. So, as stretch goals are achieved and new molds are then created, miniatures are added to each pledge at very little additional cost to Reaper. For example, at the beginning of the Bone’s II Kickstarter an initial pledge of $100 would provide 54 miniatures, but stretch goals were quickly achieved and by the end of the campaign the same pledge yielded over 150 miniatures and other goodies. When done right, miniatures are the perfect Kickstarter for the creator and for the contributors. Check out these images showing everything a $100 pledge would receive in the Original Bones and Bones II Campaign.
I participated in the first two Kickstarters and am now swimming in Bones. While I would have to spend most of the rest of my waking life to paint them all, and will likely never paint most of them, it’s nice having a wide selection immediately available when I’m generating a character, or looking for a villain for a role-playing session, for example. We also use them unpainted for games, and my children have enjoyed many hours of playing with the figures as toys even though they are unpainted. Again, due to the flexible polymer material, I have no qualms about letting my kids play with them, painted or not.
As an owner I can attest to this durability, and the figures paint easily. Per Reaper’s recommendations I don’t prime the figures, but my first coat does need to be a nice thick layer of paint, as watered-down paints will bead up if applied directly to this material. Reaper has some helpful guidelines on preparation and painting of the miniatures if you are curious about the process.
In the first day this current project funded in minutes, and is over its goal by around 3,000% with over 8,000 contributors. The image at the end of this post is everything a $100 pledge will at the time of this writing receive. Check the Bones III Kickstarter page for all current information.
If you’re interested in starting a collection of miniatures, or wanting to add to what you have, this is an inexpensive way to pick up dozens of miniatures. If you are interested in only specific miniatures, a small pledge will allow you to select from numerous add-ons. If nothing else, it’s interesting to watch a project soar into the millions in contributions.
There is no discount for early backing; delivery dates are one month further back for every 2,000 backers. Backing right now will yield a September 2016 delivery date. The project is only scheduled for eighteen days, so if you’re interested, don’t let July 25th slip by before you pledge.
Now I need to go paint some miniatures so I can justify adding another couple hundred to my collection!
This is far and away the most cost effective way to acquire a miniatures collection. The investment may not be worth it for players but it’s definitely worth the investment for Game Masters.
Yes, and even unpainted they are fine for gaming… So there’s no need to feel as if you HAVE to get them all painted right away (or ever). I am making a concerted effort to get through my Bones 1 and 2 figures though.