Boneclaw Paint Kit: Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures Review

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Two weeks ago I did something in my miniature hobby I’ve never done before. I painted in a public setting, more specifically in my friendly local game store. I decided to join in the festivities of a paint night by painting the Boneclaw from Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures paint kit. These paint kits were made as a way to get the models before they go to mass retail and encourage people to gather show excitement and give people reasons to support their in person stores. Or rather that is at least what i’ve been told. What makes them special is that for $20 you receive a model, two wizkids paint brushes, and 12 paint samples from the Vallejo paint line.

However due to the last year many of these kits were unused and have been sitting around. So although this model is available for purchase my store just reently had theirpaint night. Slowly the painting nights have been happening and I really needed a night out and opportunity to meet new people. Over the course of the last decade I have known the tabletop gaming community I can count on one hand how many times I’ve spent a substantial amount of time in a store so this was a really big step for me. I still haven’t played in a store in over 10 years, but perhaps this is the year that changes. To put it lightly I was pretty nervous.

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The Prep

When preparing for this paint night I had no idea what to expect and if I should come prepared. Would it look ridiculous if I brought my own wet pallet? What about brushes? I did not know if this was a class, an open paint night, or what really to expect. So I actually packed some things in my backpack to pull out what I needed without hopefully looking ridiculous after gauging the room around me. This turned out to be a great plan and know that next time I shouldn’t be so concerned.

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What Comes in the Paint Kit?

So what does the kit comes with?

• A Nolzur’s Marvelous Miniatures & Base
• 12 paint samples of Vallejo paints. (Mostly using Vallejo model color)
  • Two paints I believe are washes
• A paint water cup
• Two wizkids paint brushes

For the price this is an incredible way to see if you were interested in miniature painting and wanted a night to see if they were interested in painting or wanted to try a few paints out. The cost of the Nolzurs Paint Brushes ($10.99 via Miniature Market) and the miniature Boneclaw ($8.99 via Miniature Market) alone cost the same as the entire kit. The only thing missing from the Nolzurs Paint brushes is the dry brush. So having extra paint and more than you need on one model is a great deal.

Overall the only primary thing I felt like I was missing was some of my mediums or a dropper bottle to help thin down my paint. Also most importantly I wish I had a paint handle to hold the miniature while I paint. I can’t believe how much paint I got on my hand while trying to paint this model. I really loved having my wet palette and was glad I was not the only one who brought some extra tools to paint night.

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The Experience

Sitting at my table I got to meet a wide variety of hobbyists. I loved how we significantly ranged in age and experience from two high school siblings painting their first model. Older cosplayers including one who forgot his glasses so chatted instead. And of course someone who 3D prints as well! It was great to share experiences and feelings like everyone at the table was on an equal playing field. I did not get to meet and talk to everyone at the other tables as there were about 3 full tables and a 4th that was there for part of the time.

I realized quickly that I am not a speed painter and paint extremely slowly. That along the fact that I appeared to have chosen two of the worst paints in the collection; Violet and Skin Wash. Violet was not labeled as a wash but is definitely a wash which you can see was a choice for a good portion of the robes and took too long for coverage and in hindsight I should have abandoned the task and picked another color. After painting some of the skin I used the skin wash in attempt to just have a bit in the recesses darkened but instead turned my all of the skin on the model orange. Between attempting to clean up the violet that kept spreading like a plague around my hands and table and attempting to build my ghostly pale skin back up from the poor orange spray tan it received I did not get anywhere close to where I wanted to be with the model. I was also distracted trying to make connections with people and feeling out the community in hopes to find people to play games with in the future. After about two and a half hours I gave up for the night and just enjoyed the company chatting.

I have every “intention” to going back and finishing this model to my personal standard in the future but alas I have too many projects going on. Make sure you follow along the blog to see if I ever get to updating it.

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What Would I do Differently?

There were definitely paints in the paint kit that did not age well in their sample pots and separated pretty significantly. Perhaps if I drop some mixing balls it could give me a better life in the paints provided. I think I will try that next time and bring some to drop in. If I know the model ahead of time I also want to prep with an image or two to gauge what paint scheme I should go with. Trying to decide how I want to paint the model is a pretty slow process to me.

As for the paint kit I definitely think that it is now one of my favorites to suggest as a way to get into the hobby and feel it out. While the paint range would be substantially limited to the colors directed towards the model getting a miniature and two paint brushes is worth the $20 alone.

I also fell in love with two colors from this kit and am currently using it for my Snotlings Bloodbowl team. Once I run out of these samples I absolutely plan on purchasing full bottles of them. Those colors are Dark Prussian Blue and Luftwaffe Unif. WWII. I appreciate the fact that the samples also include the product numbers for easier finding.

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Conclusion

Would I do this again? Absolutely. I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to get to know my local game store more. Plus I was surrounded by a bunch of people who are a bad influence and encouraged me to not only buy a second Blood Bowl team but also a start collecting box from Age of Sigmar. I am so excited and definitely plan on trying to play a few games at the store.

Next in line for paint night in March is the Chimera Model! Have you ever used these paint kids what did you think?

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