How to Remove Mold Lines and Flash from Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures

Quick answer

Use a sharp hobby knife and a fine abrasive tool to shave mold lines and flash away from the model, working from the top of each line downward with light, controlled strokes. Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures come primed and ready to paint, so you are cleaning surface imperfections, not stripping or re-priming. Check your work under a bright light and remove only the raised line, never the surrounding detail.

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures arrive primed and ready to paint, which saves you a big prep step. But that convenience does not mean the figures are perfectly clean. Most sprues and single figures still carry thin mold lines along the sides of arms, legs, and cloaks, plus small bits of flash where the mold halves met. If you paint over those lines, they will show through every layer of color and look like scars on an otherwise clean model.

This guide walks through the full cleanup process for Nolzur's, Pathfinder Deep Cuts, and Critical Role unpainted miniatures. You will need a few basic tools, good lighting, and patience. The goal is not to sand the model down to a smooth blob. It is to remove only the raised imperfections while preserving the deep cuts and surface detail that make these figures worth painting.

Tools that actually work for mold line removal

A hobby knife with a fresh No. 11 blade is the workhorse for mold line removal. The blade lets you shave a line away in short, controlled passes rather than carving into the model. A fine sanding stick or a small piece of 600- to 1000-grit sandpaper handles curved areas where a blade is risky. For tight recesses, a needle file or a stiff-bristled brush helps clear dust without gouging the surface.

Skip household scissors, nail clippers, and dull blades. They crush and tear the soft plastic instead of slicing it, which leaves a rougher edge than the mold line you started with. A cheap magnifying lamp or a headlamp also matters more than most people expect. You cannot remove what you cannot see, and mold lines disappear under normal room light.

• Replace your blade the moment it starts dragging instead of slicing.
• Keep a small cup of water nearby to rinse dust off the model as you work.

Step 1: Inspect the model under bright, angled light

Before you cut anything, hold the miniature under a bright light and tilt it slowly. Mold lines catch the light as thin raised ridges, often running along the seam where the two halves of the mold met. Flash looks like a thin web or fin, usually around the base, weapon, or cloak edges. Mark the worst offenders mentally and plan your order of attack.

Check the whole figure, including the underside of arms and the back of the cloak. These areas are easy to miss and just as visible once the model is on the table. If you are working on a multi-part figure, dry-fit the pieces first so you know which lines will be hidden by assembly and which will stay exposed.

• Common mistake: starting to cut before you have found every line, then discovering one after priming.
• Checkpoint: you should be able to point to each mold line before you pick up a tool.

Step 2: Scrape flash away with the back of the blade

Flash is the thin excess plastic that squeezes out between mold halves. It is usually soft and easy to remove. Turn your hobby knife so the back of the blade, not the sharp edge, faces the model, and scrape the flash away in one direction. The back of the blade is less likely to dig into the surface and leaves a cleaner edge than slicing with the tip.

Work slowly around thin parts like fingers, weapon hafts, and cloak tips. If the flash is thick, make several light passes instead of one heavy cut. For flash on the base rim, a fine file or sanding stick gives you more control than a blade. Once the flash is gone, brush the dust away so it does not clog your next tool.

• Common mistake: slicing with the sharp edge and cutting a notch into the model.
• Checkpoint: run a fingertip lightly over the area. It should feel smooth, not stepped.

Step 3: Shave mold lines with light, directional strokes

Hold the knife at a shallow angle, almost parallel to the surface, and draw the blade along the mold line in short strokes. Let the blade do the work. Do not press down hard or try to remove the whole line in one pass. On curved surfaces like arms and legs, follow the curve of the model so you do not flatten the shape.

For lines that run across a flat area, a sanding stick often works better than a blade because it keeps the surface level. For lines in deep recesses, use the tip of the blade or a needle file. After each pass, wipe the dust away and re-check under the light. You are done when the ridge is gone and the surrounding detail still looks sharp.

• Common mistake: pressing too hard and creating a flat spot that shows through paint.
• Checkpoint: the surface should feel even under your fingertip, with no ridge or dip.

Step 4: Smooth the area and clean up dust

After scraping, lightly sand the cleaned area with a fine abrasive to blend the surface. Use a gentle circular motion and very little pressure. On Nolzur's, Pathfinder Deep Cuts, and Critical Role unpainted miniatures, the plastic is soft enough that heavy sanding will erase fine detail like scales, folds, and texture. A few light passes are usually enough.

Rinse the model in lukewarm water or brush it with a soft toothbrush to remove plastic dust. Dust left on the surface can mix with paint and create a gritty finish. Let the model dry completely before you handle it again. If you removed a lot of material, check whether any deep cuts or detail lines need re-scribing with a sharp blade.

• Common mistake: sanding too aggressively and blurring the sculpted detail.
• Checkpoint: the cleaned area should look and feel like the rest of the model.

Step 5: Re-check and touch up before painting

Once the model is clean, look at it under the same bright, angled light you used at the start. Mold lines that were obvious before should be gone. If you spot a missed line, fix it now rather than after you have started painting. It is much easier to remove plastic than to strip paint and start over.

Because Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures come primed, you may have removed small patches of primer along with the mold line. In most cases the remaining primer covers the area well enough for painting. If you exposed bare plastic, brush a thin layer of primer over just that spot and let it dry before you begin. Then you are ready to paint.

• Common mistake: skipping the final check and finding a mold line after the first coat of paint.
• Checkpoint: no raised ridges remain, and any exposed plastic has been re-primed.

Mold line removal checklist

1. Inspect under bright, angled light: Tilt the miniature slowly and find every mold line and bit of flash, including the back, underside, and base. Checkpoint: you can point to each line before you pick up a tool.
2. Scrape flash with the back of the blade: Use the non-sharp edge in one direction to lift thin flash away without digging into the model. Checkpoint: the area feels smooth, not stepped.
3. Shave mold lines with light strokes: Hold the blade nearly parallel to the surface and make short passes, following curves instead of flattening them. Checkpoint: the ridge is gone and surrounding detail is still sharp.
4. Smooth and clean the area: Lightly sand with a fine abrasive, then rinse or brush away plastic dust and let the model dry. Checkpoint: no dust remains and the surface is even.
5. Re-check and touch up primer: Look at the model again under angled light and re-prime any bare plastic spots before painting. Checkpoint: no mold lines remain and the model is ready for paint.

Miniatures that benefit from this prep routine

• D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures: Warforged Barbarian: Dungeons & Dragons Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures come with highly-detailed figures, primed and ready to paint out of the box, with deep cuts for easier painting. The deep cuts and existing primer mean you should remove mold lines carefully so you do not erase the detail or strip the primer you paid for.
• D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Balor: Dungeons & Dragons Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures come with highly-detailed figures, primed and ready to paint out of the box, with deep cuts for easier painting. A large, winged figure like the Balor often has mold lines along wing edges and the base, so check those areas under angled light before you start cutting.
• Pathfinder Deep Cuts: Human Rogue Female: Pathfinder Battles Deep Cuts come with highly-detailed figures, primed and ready to paint out of the box, with little to no assembly required. With little to no assembly, most of your prep time goes into cleaning mold lines and flash rather than fitting parts together.

Cleaning mold lines and flash takes a few extra minutes per figure, but it is the difference between a paint job that looks muddy and one that looks crisp. Work under bright, angled light, use light strokes, and check your progress often. Once the surface is clean and any exposed plastic is re-primed, you can start painting with confidence.