Smashed
Great-looking miniatures, ready for war.
Smashed is our entry painting level, but there’s nothing basic about it. This is for players who want an army that looks sharp, cohesive and impressive on the tabletop without spending showcase-level money on every model. Miniatures receive clean, solid colour placement, shading, highlights and carefully picked-out details, giving them plenty of contrast and definition at gaming distance. Armour looks like armour, leather looks like leather, weapons stand out and faces have enough character to bring the miniature to life.
The emphasis here is on getting the biggest visual impact for the painting time involved. Skirmish is ideal for rank-and-file troops, large units, board-game miniatures and anyone looking to get a complete army onto the table at a consistently high standard. Bases are finished to complement the miniature and tie the force together. Put twenty Smashed models on the table and they’ll look like an army you’re proud to deploy.
Properly Smashed
More detail. More depth. More “where did you get those painted?”
Properly Smashed takes everything from Smashed and pushes it significantly further. Highlights become sharper and more numerous, shadows gain additional depth, transitions become smoother and smaller details receive much more individual attention. Faces, weapons, armour panels, cloth, leather, lenses, gems and other materials are treated independently to give the model a richer, more convincing finish. Weathering, battle damage and other effects can also be introduced where they suit the miniature rather than simply being added for the sake of it.
This is the level for characters, elite units and armies where you want people to stop and take a closer look. Properly Smashed miniatures are designed to look great from across the table and reward inspection when you pick them up. Bases receive additional detail and composition work so the miniature feels like part of a scene rather than something standing on a decorated disc. For many collectors, Properly Smashed will be the sweet spot: distinctly premium painting without moving into full showcase territory.
Fully Smashed
For the miniature that isn’t just part of the army. It is the reason people look at it.
Fully Smashed is where we stop worrying about how long an individual stage takes and concentrate on making the miniature as good as it can reasonably be. Smooth blends, multiple highlight and shadow stages, precise edge work, detailed faces, controlled textures and carefully developed materials all become part of the process. Depending on the miniature, that can include advanced techniques such as non-metallic metal, object-source lighting, glazing, texture painting, complex weathering, freehand details and individually painted scratches, chips and reflections.
This level is intended for commanders, heroes, monsters, display pieces and the models that form the focal point of a collection. The base receives the same attention as the miniature, with additional textures, debris, vegetation, environmental storytelling or scenic elements used where appropriate. Every Fully Smashed commission is approached as an individual project rather than simply another model passing across the painting desk. It’s the level for when “that looks really good” isn’t quite enough.
