Affordable Metal Minis? Nano MetalFigs Has You Covered!

It's been a while since I've talked about my weekly craft night projects on here, but I started one recently that I'm pretty pleased with. Partly because it's my first ever miniature project, but also because it involves something I picked up at a local Dollar Tree. Because I was just grabbing some necessities one day, and I decided to swing by the toy aisle to see what they had on-hand... when I noticed they had a diecast figure of the Undertaker! At just over an inch and a half tall, and for about $1.50, there was no way I wasn't going to take him home. I was barely out the door before I was scrolling through my mental archive, and trying to decide which character I was going to use him for.

After making sure I had a very small brush (which got trimmed even smaller to get into the nooks and crannies), and borrowing some green paint, I got to work on modifying this figure to show up at my table. While it might not be much, I'm still pretty pleased with how it's turned out so far.

Never talk shit about a greenskin inquisitor, my friend.

While the photo isn't great (sadly, all I have on-hand for taking them is my phone), all I did was paint the face, neck, and chest the virulent green we tend to associate with orcs. A few coats of that paint, and then a sealer, and bam, I had a shiny, metal mini all my own to bring to the battle.

There was, however, one more modification I needed to make. The bases for these figures are pretty wide, and tend to stick out past the single square we're used to using. However, if you have a dremel tool in your work space you can quickly shave those sides down with no real trouble. As long as you keep them even, you're good to go in maybe twenty minutes or so (less if you're used to this kind of mod).

Turns Out, There's More of These Figures On The Market

I kept poking my head in at the store for a few weeks after, seeing if any more of these figures had come in, but it seemed I grabbed one of the last ones. However, since I was curious, I popped onto Amazon to see what models were around, and how much work they'd take to get them ready for some action at a game of mine.

Ask and ye shall receive, I suppose...

Turns out that not only are there a lot more figures like the one I found out there, but they're not really all that expensive if you're looking to get your hands on them (particularly considering what metal minis tend to run, if that's your jam). A full set of WWE diecast figures goes for just over $25, coming out to about what I paid for my one individual mini. Of course, if wrestlers aren't your jam, then you might find the Marvel hero figures or the X-Men figures to be more up your alley.

One problem you'll run into with some of these figures is that the wide base is really needed to accommodate their pose, so you won't be able to just shave down the base to make it fit. However, plenty of figures don't need such a wide surface to stand on, and they hold up just fine with a quarter of an inch or so ground off either side. While you might need to rough up the finish on the figure if you want to do a more extensive paint re-touching, if you just want to add a splash of color here, or change a detail there, it's surprisingly easy.

And, for my two cents, it's a lot less intimidating than getting a totally blank mini and trying to do a ground-up paint job on your first try. Might just be the way my brain works, but making small alterations to a mostly complete piece gave me a lot more confidence than trying to do a full figure on my first try.

Though I might still try that out in the future. More on that later if I decide to dive down that rabbit hole!

Interested in More Gaming DIY?

If you're interested in more tabletop DIY (or just finding cheap ways to get a lot of figures, dice, etc. for your table), then you might want to take a look at some of the following posts:

- Want Cheap Minis? Wizards of The Coast and 5 Below Are Here To Help!

- 4 Tools To Help You Control Your Dice at The Table

- Towering Defenses Against My Chronic Bad Rolls (Dice Tower DIY)

- Need Cheap Minis? SCS Direct Has You Covered!

- Organize Your Spell Cards With a Portable Spellbook!

And, of course, if there's a topic I haven't covered yet that you'd like to see show up, feel free to leave a comment below!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed, and if you've used run these kinds of games before, leave us a comment to let us know what worked for you!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Gargoyle Forge is Your New Destination For LARP Gear

Live action roleplaying is not a cheap hobby, especially if you're a regular attendee in boffer games. From your boots to your cloak, your bedroll to your backpack, you find yourself constantly trying to find gear that fits your persona, but which will also hold up to long days and nights of adventure. Some of the biggest costs you're going to have to deal with, though, are your weapons and armor. They need to be up to a certain standard, and if you want to maintain your persona you have to invest in the good stuff. Even high-quality items from some of the best names in the boffer world, though, can give out after a year or so of regular use, meaning you're faced with the difficult decision of whether or not you shell out another C-note for a new blade.

Dara Williamson, though, decided to take on an art project. An art project which quickly grew into a very notable name in LARPing circles.

After all, where the hell else can you buy boffer torches?

Gargoyle Forge is Your One Stop LARP Shop

What Dara found was that she had a knack for making high-quality LARP gear that lasted several times longer than even the most well-known products on the market. That was when she started crunching the numbers, and seeing how fast she could create new products without sacrificing an ounce of handmade quality. Which is why everything from spears and torches (which hold glowsticks, making them ideal off-hand blockers for nighttime ambushes), to longswords and katanas can be found at her company Gargoyle Forge. With reasonable prices, and a quality guarantee that makes most LARPers eyes widen a little bit, they've been in business since 2012. Not only that, but a lot of the gear they've sold is still in use by their initial customers, and most of it's looking nearly as good as the day they bought it.

They also do custom commissions as well... in case you were wondering.

In addition to practical gear for boffer warriors, though, Gargoyle Forge also creates cosplay-quality props. That's particularly useful for serious cosplayers who don't want to deal with the sheer weight of a wooden prop, and who can't bring live steel to an event. Gargoyle Forge's gear is lightweight, keeps its finish, and can take a hit while dishing out a riposte or two.

What more could you ask for?

If this sounds like the sort of thing you'd like to get on, check out Gargoyle Forge's Facebook page to get a load of some of their past work and convention appearances. If you're in the market for serious props today, though, stop by The Gargoyle Forge store.

Hopefully folks enjoyed this Monday's highlight. If you'd like to help keep Improved Initiative going, then consider dropping by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron. As little as $1 a month is enough to keep content flowing week in, and week out! Lastly, if you want to make sure you don't miss out on any of my other updates, then make sure you follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, too.