Dungeons & Dragons Frameworks: Make Unique Miniatures, With Some Effort

WizKids is releasing some new miniatures this March called Dungeons & Dragons Frameworks. These are a departure from what WizKids has produced in the past, and D&D is diving into the world of customizable sprue kits. D&D Frameworks offers a different miniature experience for those who like to paint minis but want more customization.

WizKids sent us some Frameworks early to check out, and they range in price from $15 to $100. Considering that painting minis has become a hobby of mine since last November, the idea of customizing minis and putting them together yourself was an exciting prospect. Yes, sprue kits exist for other properties--it's huge in Warhammer--but we hadn't seen anything branded for D&D yet.

To dive into this world, I picked the Human Monk--because I thought it looked pretty cool and because one of the players in my weekly D&D game is a human monk and I could surprise him with this. Upon opening the box, there were multiple options to put this mini together from multiple arms, heads, and accessories. If you're familiar with Warhammer, this is familiar territory. If you're not, there's a learning curve that comes with its fair share of frustration.

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After you've selected your pieces you want for your mini, you get to glue it together using model glue. This is where I had the most trouble. I could not get the arms to stay on at first, even after trying different types of glue and cements. I had to leave it overnight, leaning on a notepad, to get it to work. Because of this sticky situation I found myself in, I couldn't use one of the arms and accessories on the monk I really wanted: a bo staff which has some bags on it. It just wouldn't stick. This may not be as big of an issue for people who have dealt with sprue miniatures before. To those, like myself, who are trying this for the first time, it was incredibly frustrating to the point I wanted to quit.

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The final Frameworks creation isn't exactly what I envisioned, but it was hard to deny that it looked really cool. There's a sense of pride you get after everything is actually glued together. The job isn't done for me, at this point, though.

These pieces aren't primed to be painted, so priming is a must before you dive right in. I noticed that the legs weren't very smooth. This could have been handled if I paid a bit more attention to those areas while priming and doing extra coats on the legs.

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After a quick paint job, we have a D&D Frameworks human monk figure. Yes, it was a frustrating construction for me, but the overall product looks pretty fantastic, even with a quick paint job on it.

Dungeons & Dragons Frameworks sprue miniatures will hit stores in March. At the time of this writing, the minis are not listed on the WizKids site for pre-order. You can purchase online or use the WizKids store locator to find a local game shop near you.