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Miniature figurines, or minis, are often used in wargames like Mage Knight, Heroclix, Hordes, Spinespur, Warhammer and Warmachine.antique collectibles porcelain elizabeth arden adomizer In some cases, miniatures can be used to enact role-playing games, because they can assist in understanding the workings of combat, such as the orientation of characters, hand-to-hand combat pairings, verifying lines of sight, etc. Some of these miniatures are intricately crafted and might be considered collector's items in and of themselves.

The hobby of painting, collecting, and gaming with miniatures is descended from the toy soldier hobby. The difference between "toy soldiers" and miniatures is that toy soldiers are traditonally painted, while miniatures come "bare," i.e., unpainted, and must be painted by the purchaser. This distinction is blurring with the recent introduction of pre-painted plastic figures, such as those used in Clix games.

Materials: Miniatures are usually made from white metal, an alloy of tin and lead to which is added a small quantity of antimony, which enhances the alloy's ability to cast small details. Minis are sometimes referred to as lead figures because they have a high lead content.

In 1993, the New York legislature nearly passed a bill outlawing lead in miniatures, citing public health concerns. When miniature manufacturers realized that more states were likely to outlaw their products, many began making products without lead, but these new products were often more expensive than their predecessors.

After nearly a year of debate, including protests by miniature manufacturers and enthusiasts, Governor Mario Cuomo signed a bill which exempted miniatures from the state's Public Health Law. The manufacturers in the United States continue to use alloys without lead in them in spite of this.

Some manufacturers offer plastic, or polyethylene or hard polystyrene, minis; others offer resin, which is mostly polyurethane, minis.

Many war games require the use of what are called box miniatures, or cubes made of card stock. Artwork representing a concept of each side of the subject is featured on the outside.

Painting: In order to be able to tell characters or units used in role-playing and war games apart on a particular gaming surface such as a battle mat, an unadorned table top, or even on terrain, many gamers paint their miniature figures.

A hobby for some gamers is the painting of minis in a manner similar to that of hobbyists who enjoy making historical and military figures, though, most gamers are not that interested in the appearance of the minis. The skill of mini painting is hard, tedious, and takes a lot of time, but can have quite amazing results.

Miniatures and wargaming conventions will sometimes feature miniature painting competitions, such as Games Workshop's Golden Demon contest, and there are many painting competitions on the internet.

There are professional painting services available for hobbyists and corporations.

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