Customizing Star Wars Minis 4

Simple Repositioning

By Jack Irons

Welcome to the fourth in a series of articles about customizing Star Wars Miniatures. In this installment, we'll look at a simple way to change a miniature's pose.

Customization Archive Part 1: Tools and Precautions Part 2: Color and Paint Part 3: Basic Painting Techniques

Do you have a hard time keeping track of miniatures when you have more than one of the same piece in a game? Do you wish you could vary the look of your troop pieces in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game? No problem. Just use the hot water method to change the poses of your figures.

The hot water method works best for simple repositions of elements such as arms. For example, sometimes a miniature or its lightsaber is bent during shipping, and it stays bent even after you take it out of the pack. This method works great to fix a bent element or straighten a lightsaber.

You'll need a microwave-safe cup (made of glass or sturdy plastic), a regular cup, a fork, and some water. The cups should be big enough to let you submerge large- and huge-sized figs. Because this process heats up plastic, don't use the cups for drinking afterward. Save them for use only in repositioning miniatures.

First, fill the microwave-safe cup and the regular cup with enough water so that you'll be able to submerge the fig completely. However, try not to use too much water because it will take longer to boil.

WARNING! Under certain conditions, water that has been microwaved can "explode" after being removed from the microwave, possibly burning your skin. For details on this hazard and possible solutions, please check out This Thread in the Star Wars Miniatures forums. We want you to be safe when customizing your figures!

Add an ice cube to the regular cup of water, and microwave the other cup of water until the water reaches a rapid boil. You can also boil the water on the stove to avoid having it spill over in the microwave. (If needed, have your parents supervise.)

Carefully remove the cup of boiling water from the microwave and drop the fig into the water, base side down. If you want to reposition a huge fig, putting it in the water upside down might allow it to be submerged more easily.

Remove the ice cube from the regular cup of water.

After 30 to 40 seconds, remove the miniature from the hot water using the fork, not your hand. The heat from the water will have softened the plastic. Use caution because any water on the fig will be extremely hot, and the water will heat up the fork, too.

If you're trying to straighten a bent miniature or lightsaber, check to see if the plastic has reverted to the correct shape. The plastic has a "memory" of its original molded shape and should revert back to that form while in the hot water. If it doesn't, just bend it back into the correct shape by hand.

Once you've got the mini in the desired shape, place it base side down in the cup of cold water for 30 seconds. While the fig is in the cold water, its heat will be removed and the miniature will set in its new shape.

If you're trying to make a simple reposition that involves more than just straightening a bent element, begin by following the above method. However, when you remove the mini from the hot water, bend the part you want moved into the desired position. While holding the part in that position, submerge the fig in the cup of cold water for 30 seconds. When you remove it, the miniature will retain its new pose.

A few things to keep in mind:

This method is great for repositioning multiple pieces of the same miniature, such as Battle Droids, to give them a varied look.

Next Time

In the next article on customizing Star Wars Miniatures, we'll go over a permanent repositioning method involving cutting and gluing that works for most miniatures.

About the Author

Jack Irons is an artist and graphic designer. He has been fan of Star Wars since he was four, when his dad took his sister and him to a matinee on the second day of its release. He posts regularly on the Star Wars Miniatures Game boards under the name "ironlightsaber" and often works with other board members on projects such as the Lost Twenty fan set. Jack lives in the middle of the U.S. with his wife Ruth and their son.