Finishes:
Raw or Painted

At Atelier Figurines, you can choose each piece with a finish that suits your collection: an unpainted resin figurine or a hand-painted figurine. This page helps you understand the differences between these two options, their advantages, their limitations, their turnaround times, and their impact on the final result.

Atelier Figurines is a division of the WEB FIGURINE brand, dedicated to collectible resin figurines, busts, large-scale models, display pieces, and custom-made creations. The goal is simple: to help you choose the finish that best suits your skill level, budget, intended use, and visual expectations.

An unpainted figurine is primarily intended for collectors who want to prepare, assemble, and paint their piece themselves. A painted figurine, on the other hand, is intended for people who want to receive a piece that has already been finished and is ready for display, with the painting done in the studio.

Understanding Atelier Figurines’ Finishes

The finish of a figurine determines the condition in which the piece is shipped to you. This choice is important because it affects the price, the production time, the amount of work completed before shipping, and the collector’s overall experience.

At Atelier Figurines, the two main finishes are unpainted and painted. These options may be available depending on the product, scale, and technical feasibility of each model.

The choice between unpainted and painted doesn’t simply mean “with or without color.” It represents two very different approaches to collectible figurines. The unpainted version offers great freedom in preparation and painting. The painted version provides a complete, consistent finish that’s ready for display.

Why This Page Is Important Before You Order

Before buying a resin figurine, it’s essential to know what you’ll be receiving. An unpainted figurine is not a finished figurine. It may require cleaning, trimming, gluing, priming, and painting. Conversely, a painted figurine takes longer to produce, as it undergoes a complete manual finishing process before shipping.

This distinction helps you avoid unpleasant surprises. It also allows you to choose the right option based on your profile: miniatures painter, collector, display piece enthusiast, gamer, sculpture enthusiast, customer looking for a gift, or buyer seeking a finished piece.

The Unfinished Model: A Resin Figure to Assemble and Paint

The “raw” finish refers to a resin figurine that is shipped unpainted. This is the ideal option if you enjoy painting your own pieces, customizing your collection, or refining every detail to match your personal style.

An unpainted figurine preserves all the sculpted details. It allows you to clearly see the volumes, textures, folds, armor, faces, accessories, bases, and fine details before any painting is done.

This option is particularly popular among miniature painters, model builders, creative collectors, role-playing gamers, wargame enthusiasts, and hobbyists who want to have full control over the final look.

What You Get With a Raw Figurine

An unpainted figure is shipped without paint. Depending on the model, it may consist of one or more pieces. Some figures may come with a base, separate arms, a separate head, a weapon, accessories, or decorative elements to be assembled.

The resin may have minor imperfections resulting from the manufacturing process, such as support points, very fine lines, slight preparation marks, minor surface irregularities, or necessary adjustments. These are normal on a resin part intended to be prepared and then painted.

A rough finish should therefore be viewed as a high-quality foundation for further work, rather than as a finished decorative object.

Recommended Preparatory Work Before Painting

Before painting an unpainted miniature, it is recommended that you check all the parts, clean them thoroughly, remove any small manufacturing marks, test-assemble the pieces, and then apply a suitable primer.

The primer is the first layer that provides adhesion. It helps the paint adhere better to the resin and makes the details more visible. It can be black, white, gray, or colored, depending on the desired effect.

For a durable finish, it is recommended to use paints suitable for the figurine, apply thin layers, and protect the finished piece with a matte, satin, or glossy varnish, depending on the desired style.

Advantages of a Raw Finish

A raw finish offers great artistic freedom. You can choose your colors, effects, atmosphere, painting style, and level of finish. It’s also the most interesting option if you enjoy improving your painting skills or adapting a room to a specific theme.

It is also more affordable than a painted figurine, since it does not include the time spent by the workshop on painting. For a collector who paints their own figurines, this often offers the best balance between detailed sculpting, creative freedom, and a manageable budget.

The unpainted version also lets you create a completely personalized piece: alternative colors, army scheme, dark atmosphere, realistic rendering, comic book style, metallic effect, fantasy skin, detailed base, or the addition of decorative elements.

Who is the raw finish intended for?

The unpainted finish is recommended if you enjoy painting, if you want to customize your figure, if you already have painting supplies, or if you’d like to have the piece painted by an artist of your choice.

It’s also ideal for collectors who want a resin sculpture base without having to spend time painting it. It’s a very appealing option for enthusiasts who prefer to build their final piece themselves, step by step.

The Painted Finish: A Figurine Ready for Display

The painted finish refers to a figurine that has been hand-painted before shipping. This option is intended for collectors who wish to receive a piece that is already finished, cohesive, expressive, and ready to be displayed in a showcase.

A painted figurine takes longer to complete than an unpainted one. The process involves several steps: preparation, cleaning, assembly according to the model, priming, painting, highlights, shading, lighting, detailing, touch-ups, protection, and final inspection.

Painting brings sculpture to life. It highlights the forms, expressions, textures, clothing, armor, weapons, hair, skin, materials, and the base. It transforms a rough-hewn piece into a finished collectible.

What’s Included with a Painted Figure

A painted figurine includes the coloring work done in the studio. Depending on the model, this may include surface preparation, assembly, priming, painting the main forms, shading, highlighting, facial details, clothing textures, metallic effects, leather effects, decorative elements, and a final protective coat.

The level of detail depends on the size of the piece, its scale, its complexity, and the type of finish chosen. A large 1/4-scale figurine will naturally take more time than a smaller piece, because the surfaces are larger, the transitions are more visible, and the details are more intricate.

Each painted figurine is handcrafted. As a result, there may be slight variations between the photo shown on the website and the final item you receive. These variations are normal and are part of the artisanal nature of the painting process.

Advantages of a painted finish

The pre-painted finish means you receive a fully finished figurine. You don’t need any painting supplies, primer, varnish, an airbrush, brushes, or technical expertise. The piece is ready to display upon receipt, once it has been carefully unpacked.

This option is ideal if you’re looking for a display figure, a gift, a standout piece for a collection, or a decorative item with immediate visual impact. The paint gives the sculpture a stronger visual presence, especially at larger scales such as 1/9, 1/6, or 1/4.

It also helps achieve overall coherence between the sculpture, the pose, the theme, the base, and the color scheme. A painted piece better conveys a scene: a heroic figure, a dark creature, a stylized pin-up, a historical warrior, a dark fantasy monster, a pet, a science fiction character, or a figurine inspired by a game universe.

Who is the painted finish intended for?

A painted finish is recommended if you want to receive a finished figure, if you don’t paint yourself, if you’re looking for a collectible that’s ready to display, or if you want to give a figure as a gift without the recipient having to prepare it.

It is also ideal for collectors who want a polished visual result without having to go through the technical steps of painting. It is the most convenient way to obtain a complete, decorative piece that is ready to display right away.

Unfinished or painted: How do you choose the right finish?

The choice depends mainly on how you plan to use it. If you enjoy painting, experimenting, and customizing, the unpainted finish is often the best option. If you want a figure that’s ready to display, the painted finish is more suitable.

You also need to consider the time you have available. An unpainted figurine requires patience, supplies, and a basic approach. A painted figurine takes longer to ship, but it saves you all the work of preparing and painting it.

Finally, budget comes into play. A painted figurine costs more because it involves manual labor. The price isn’t just for the material or the sculpting—it also includes preparation, painting, detailing, finishing touches, and quality control.

Choose an unpainted figurine if…

Choose an unpainted figure if you want to paint it yourself, experiment with colors, create a one-of-a-kind piece, adapt the figure to your own personal universe, reduce the purchase cost, or have it painted by a professional.

The unpainted version is also a good choice if you enjoy the creative process. Preparing, assembling, priming, and painting a figurine is part of the fun for many collectors.

Choose a painted figurine if…

Choose a pre-painted figure if you want a finished piece, if you don’t want to buy painting supplies, if you’re short on time, if you want to give the figure as a gift, or if you’re looking for a display-ready piece.

The painted version is also best suited for large decorative pieces, busts, dioramas, and figurines intended to serve as the focal point of a collection.

Impact of Scale on the Finish

The chosen scale has a significant impact on how the finish is perceived. The larger a figurine is, the more visible the details become. A 1/4-scale piece better highlights paint transitions, textures, facial contours, skin details, material effects, and nuances of light.

A 1/9-scale figure is more compact, easier to display, and often more affordable. A 1/6-scale figure offers a good balance between visual impact, detail, and size. A 1/4-scale figure is a large collector’s item—more spectacular, but also more demanding in terms of preparation, painting, and display space.

For an unpainted miniature, a larger scale makes painting easier because the surfaces are easier to see. For a painted miniature, a larger scale requires more work because flaws, transitions, and contrasts are much more visible.

Rough finish in 1/9, 1/6, or 1/4

In its unpainted state, the 1/9 scale is well-suited for painters who want a detailed model that’s still a reasonable size. The 1/6 scale offers more surface area for working on subtle shades. The 1/4 scale is ideal for painters who want a large display piece with a strong visual impact.

The larger the scale, the more careful the preparation must be. Seams, textures, and surface transitions become more noticeable after painting.

Painted finish in 1/9, 1/6, or 1/4 scale

In a painted finish, the 1/9 scale offers a complete model that’s relatively easy to incorporate into a collection. The 1/6 scale provides a very detailed rendering and makes a striking display piece. The 1/4 scale produces a more imposing result, intended for collectors seeking a striking and highly visible piece.

The time required to paint increases with scale. A large piece requires more work on shadows, highlights, details, textural effects, and overall harmony.

Production lead times based on the finish

Production times vary depending on the finish you choose. An unpainted figurine generally takes less time than a painted one, since it does not go through all the steps involved in painting.

A painted figurine takes longer to complete. The time required depends on the model, the scale, the complexity of the sculpting, the number of colors, the textures, the special effects, the base, and the workshop’s workload at the time the order is placed.

Atelier Figurines operates primarily on a made-to-order basis. This means that the lead time listed on a product page should be considered a reliable estimate, but not as an indication of immediate production. Each piece takes time to create, especially when it is prepared or painted by hand.

Price: Why Does a Painted Figure Cost More?

A painted figurine costs more than an unpainted one because it involves a significant amount of manual labor. The price isn’t just for the resin, the printing, or the sculpting. It also includes preparation time, priming, painting, shading, highlighting, detailing, touch-ups, varnishing, and final inspection.

Painting a miniature is a slow and precise process. Faces, eyes, skin textures, fabrics, armor, metals, leather, furs, magical effects, bases, and accessories each require a different approach.

The price of a painted finish therefore reflects the workshop time required to transform a raw piece into a finished figurine. This is especially true for large scales, where every detail becomes visible.

Handcrafted quality and natural variations

A resin figurine, whether unpainted or painted, is a collectible item produced through a handcrafted or semi-handcrafted process. Each piece may exhibit slight variations. These variations are not necessarily defects; they are part of the very nature of made-to-order production.

For unpainted figures, small marks left from the preparation process may be visible and may sometimes need to be touched up before painting. For painted figures, slight differences in color or contrast may appear compared to the photos on the website.

Atelier Figurines conducts a pre-shipment inspection to ensure that the item matches the requested finish and is in good condition for shipment.

Care Instructions Based on Finish

An unpainted figurine should be stored in a dry place, away from excessive heat and impacts. Before painting, it is recommended that you handle the parts with care, especially delicate elements such as weapons, fingers, hair, horns, wings, or accessories.

A painted figurine must be handled with even greater care. Even when protected, the paint can be damaged by being dropped, rubbed, prolonged exposure to sunlight, or excessive moisture.

To remove dust, use a soft brush, a blower, or a very soft cloth. Avoid household cleaners, excessive water, solvents, and repeated rubbing.

Summary: Which finish should you choose?

An unpainted figure is the best choice if you want to paint it yourself, customize it, stay within your budget, or sculpt it according to your own vision.

A painted figurine is the best choice if you want a finished piece that’s ready to display, with hand-painted coloring designed to highlight the sculpture.

In both cases, Atelier Figurines offers resin figurines designed for collectors, with a special focus on proportions, details, scale, and the overall customer experience.