Super Squirrel Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 It is no secret that my gaming group uses Shrinky Dinks for miniatures. 50 sheets of Shrinky Dinks costs about $20. Depending on how well you space the figures apart, you can have about 6-8 characters a sheet. To make the miniatures vertical, buy yourself stands at $1.00 per 25. You don't need more than 100 unless you are really enthusiastic or obsessive compulsive. Get a box of colored pencils. I recommend getting a variaty of about 50 different colors. You need a good paint program (I use Photoshop but free ones are available on the web) and Hero Maker Full which is well worth the $20.00. You also need either an oven or a toaster oven. I also recommend getting a small craft box from the sewing section of your local craft store for keeping the figures. The one I purchases was about $3.00. Then you have everything you need for making around 300 miniatures. Price Overview 50 pages for $20.00 100 stands for $4.00 ~Shipping for $5.00 Colored Pencils for $15.00 Craft Box for Storage $3.00 Hero Maker for $20.00 Total Price: $67.00 That works out to about $0.22 a miniature. To make them, use Hero Machine or scan that picture you want. Resize it so that the height of the character after printing is 4.5 inches high. Print in black and white. Trace it with either a pencil or black colored pencil. Fill in color to preference and make sure to fill in white with a white color pencil. Cut the shrinky dink leaving spaces between legs and not completely following the outline. Stick in oven as per shrinky dink instructions (~350 degrees) and wait until flat. Pull out and set aside to cool. Then put it on a stand and your ready for combat. Shrinky Dink Miniature recommendations: Make about 5 to 6 generic female and generic male figurines and number them. If something unexpected comes up in game (how did they find the VIPER nest so quickly?) you have emergency figurines to use. It also is good to number like figures so that you can track battle easier. We have about 12 circles with numbers on them we place on the combat grid from time to time. These can be useful for pointing out manhole covers, unconscious bodies, etc. I once places 5 on the map to represent the possible locations an invisible character might have been located. Having a Secret ID miniature is not necessary but is recommended. Find something to put under miniatures to mark them as flying. I have yet to find a good trick for this, but it helps to have something. A small pile of string is perfect for representing an entangle on a character. Matchbox cars are a bit too big to represent real cars on the grid map but Matchbox sells some sort of microcar toy for $2.50ish that comes with 5 to 6 cars. One or two of this set should cover your automotive needs. If someone has advice for doing walls, buildings, and obstacles in a battle, please share. My current thought is to by styrophome and cut/paint it for texture and depth. Our previous method of using dominos is nice for exterior walls but that is about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wormhole Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Never knew you could do that. Thanks, O Bushy Tailed One. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Squirrel Posted September 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes I got 1 of 12 VIPER agents done in less then 15 minutes. It takes no time to make them and they work like a charm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes That's pretty clever. I'd be mocked for bringing anything less than "real", fully-painted miniatures, but I might try this some time anyway. My players even make fun of people who bring resin minis. Snobs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aylwin13 Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes >SNIP< Find something to put under miniatures to mark them as flying. I have yet to find a good trick for this, but it helps to have something. >SNIP< That's what you use all your d12's for (you know, the one's from your AD&D days, that you kept but never use). Turn the d12 so that the number that the mini is standing on is the altitude in inches (up to 12" anyway). Turn them as the character flies up or down. They're stable, and if you're character is more than 12" up he's probably running away anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightray Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 This suggestion + the superhero art threads = Bonanza! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psm Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Great idea. I'm assuming you are using the frosted shrinky dink paper to hold the pencil grain better. Have you ever tried using ink instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acroyear Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes And we just use those little half inch cardboard counters... we're lame in comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Squirrel Posted September 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes No. Always the rough side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Back when we used to use he V&V style counters (A 1" square with a portrait and name), I made flight sticks. Take a 3/8 to 1/2" wooden dowel. Using a table saw, cut notches in the dowel at 1" increments. Cut the notches at a slight downward angle. Number the increments with a sharpie. Go to your hardware store and find big heavy machine washers that barely fit over the dowel. You may need to increase the diameter with tape or shave the diameter with a knife to ensure a better fit. Shaving is better. Make a stack of such washers to create a weighted base and glue the stack and the dowel together. You may be tempted to put felt on the bottm. Don't. It makes them wobbly. When a character is flying, place the flight stick on their position on the table. Slip the edge of the counter into the notch. The slight angle you put on t he notches will make sure the mini doesn't slip out. Presto. True 3-D! The great advantage of this is when determining range and line of sight. You can use a measuring tape, or better yet, an unused flight stick to determine both. If you are using miniature buildings (see below), you can finally tell if Flying Guy can hit Captain Hidesbehindwalls. For Quick-n-dirty skyscrapers: Keep a supply of shirt cardboard or heavy stock paper on hand. You may want to cut it into different sizes other than 8 1/2 x 11". When you need tall buildings, place the cardboard on the table where the building should be. Put a paperback book (you got a ton of those, right?) on top of the cardboard and place a second piece on top. Keeping stacking books and cardboard until you have a tower of the appropriate height. Each piece of board gives you a "story" of the buillding. The top one is your roof. You can make a whole downtown in five minutes. Keith "Then pull out the rubber godzilla" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Another idea on the same nature: do as above but use card paper (such as 3x5 cards or poster board), and shink them down before printing... Glue them to a penny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koshka Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes A friend of mine has had good luck with setting his printer to draft mode and printing the shrinky dink sheet in color. Color printing at normal setting tends to result in color bleed, but draft setting cuts the amount of ink enough to prevent that. And it's one less step, which is handy if I've talked him into producing character minis for a convention game for me at the last minute . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Squirrel Posted September 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes A friend of mine has had good luck with setting his printer to draft mode and printing the shrinky dink sheet in color. Color printing at normal setting tends to result in color bleed' date=' but draft setting cuts the amount of ink enough to prevent that. And it's one less step, which is handy if I've talked him into producing character minis for a convention game for me at the last minute .[/quote'] I'd be too fearful to even risk something like that. Of course, I'm also down to two full sheets of shrinky dink paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Find something to put under miniatures to mark them as flying. I have yet to find a good trick for this' date=' but it helps to have something.[/quote'] I use those little plastic "tables" that you get in pizza boxes (they keep the cardboard from collapsing and squishing your pizza). They're very stable and miniatures fit perfectly on them. I also have about a million of 'em (we eat a lot of pizza!). If someone has advice for doing walls' date=' buildings, and obstacles in a battle, please share. My current thought is to by styrophome and cut/paint it for texture and depth. Our previous method of using dominos is nice for exterior walls but that is about it.[/quote'] For water towers, silos, anything tall and round: Pringles cans. Spray paint them battleship gray (you'll probably need to use 2+ coats to get good coverage). For square/rectangular buildings: Collapsible paperboard boxes (the kind that the drycleaners pack foldable clothes in), turned upside down. You can get them in various sizes at Walmart or Target. Paint with a couple of layers of spraypaint (textured paint looks good). Cut the lid off so they lay flat on the table. Glue on little paper windows and doors for added realism. For just about anything: Legos. If you (like me) have billions of Legos, you can put together quick buildings, vehicles, dumpsters, just about anything (so long as your players are tolerant and don't mind red, white, blue, and yellow buildings!). I don't recommend styrofoam because spray paint dissolves it (and it produces some gawdawful vapors!), and brush-on paint tends to get sucked in (so you need 3-4+ coats to get good coverage). It also builds up static electricity, and some people really hate that "styrofoam squeek" it can make (like fingernails on a blackboard). Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes There exist special shrinky-dink sheets made for ink-jet printers. Super Color Shrink http://www.paper-paper.com/shrink.html Avery White Printable Shrink Sheets AVE3255 (I'm not sure if this is still available) I did make shrinky characters for all the players in my campaign about twenty years ago, worked like a champ! And once I gave into temptation and got a shrinky-dink kit for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. It came with a large carboard Castle Greyskull. My players never forgave me for that one. (Castle Greyskull!!??! Castle Freaking Greyskull!!?!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_CCHKK Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes It is no secret that my gaming group uses Shrinky Dinks for miniatures. There's some interesting info on building Shrinky Dinks minis on this page. I can't tell who created the page, it could well be your group, SS, but since it hadn't been mentioned before, I thought I'd toss it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Squirrel Posted September 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Don't waste your time with walmart. It is cheaper to order right from the Shrinky Dink website and the stands are better too. For example, last game, Beacon used telekinesis to pick a bad guy upside down. We just put the stand on his head. No glue needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Um.....what is "Shrinky Dink"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_CCHKK Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Um.....what is "Shrinky Dink"? Flimsy plastic sheets upon which one can draw (I think that the themed kits came with pictures you just colored in). After you color, you bake them in the oven and they shrink to approximately 1/4 the size and become thick and hard plastic. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Squirrel Posted September 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes To give you an idea of how easy it is to use. I scanned the VIPER Basic Uniform picture from the new VIPER book, scaled it to 4.5 inches printable and printed it. While I have been browsing the boards at work, I have been tracing a sheet full of viper agents. I cut them and am now coloring them in. I plan on having a small army before long to invade my local gaming group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Here's an example of how I do paper minis for my Savage Earth game. I scale the images of the NPCs to the appropriate size and place them in a template. I put the image on the paper twice, once rightside up, and the second time upside-down and flipped, as well as greyed out and de-ressed. The second image is the back of the mini. Instend of folding them like a standard tent mini, I include a strip across the top for the name (or number in the case of agents). They are also color coded, so you can tell the PCs from the allies from the enemies more quickly. I put dozens of these on a sheet of card stock and print and cut them, then fold and glue them. A small weight can be added to the bottom if wind is a problem. Here is an example along with a prop from a recent game. The foreground figure "Farralon" shows the back of a mini. Keith "Paper is my friend" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted September 9, 2004 Report Share Posted September 9, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Flimsy plastic sheets upon which one can draw (I think that the themed kits came with pictures you just colored in). After you color, you bake them in the oven and they shrink to approximately 1/4 the size and become thick and hard plastic. HTH Really? Hmm...what'll they think of next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted September 9, 2004 Report Share Posted September 9, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Really? Hmm...what'll they think of next? Plenty of things, apparently. They've been around for more than thirty years. Keith ":)" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_CCHKK Posted September 9, 2004 Report Share Posted September 9, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes I put dozens of these on a sheet of card stock and print and cut them' date=' then fold and glue them.[/quote'] Do you (or anyone else, for that matter) have a good source for cardstock? All I can ever find at the local Ofiice Depot / office supply store is perforated for business cards. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted September 9, 2004 Report Share Posted September 9, 2004 Re: Shrinky Dink Heroes Do you (or anyone else, for that matter) have a good source for cardstock? All I can ever find at the local Ofiice Depot / office supply store is perforated for business cards. TIA You could try asking one of the clerks. I've never had any problem finding it at an Office Depot/Staples/Membership-store-of-your-choice. Keith "Ou est le papier?" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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