Working on Acererak

April 13, 2021

Dear Readers, I bring you today my newest project, having finished almost all of my “minis of shame:” Acererak the dread lich of the Tomb of Horrors and Tomb of Annihilation. Acererak, one of the most feared creatures to haunt D&D.


You remember this, right?

D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments Undead Paint Set. Box includes paint bottles and an undead miniature.

Well, here he is on the back of the box:

Acererak miniature, dark purple robes, holding a staff, on a product display with paint colors.
Plastic model sprue with various miniature monster components on a wooden surface.

So…some assembly is required.


And that’s my new project for all of you! Let’s build and paint Acererak!


Setting Him Free

First things first, we have to get him out of the plastic mold.


This requires snippers of some kind. I used the Citadel brand because they were handy and the first ones I pulled from my box. They work very well and have a comfortable grip. I don’t currently own an Army Painter brand one, but if I ever get one, I’ll definitely do a product review of them!


That said, having seen the plastic cutters that Army Painter has, I wish I owned a pair as they apparently have additional safety features, which I love, having a toddler in my home.


If you end up with a set, let me know how they work for you in the comment section below!

Speaking of modeling…what do you do while you are snipping, gluing, assembling, and painting your miniatures?


Me? I listen to Audiobooks. They are great ways to pass the time. Right now, Amazon’s Audible is having a sale with their Audible Plus subscription, giving you access to thousands upon thousands of audio books you can listen to any time, while doing minis, in the car, or wherever! I love my subscription and have really enjoyed listening to the D&D books like the one about the Tomb of Horrors!


Try it out and let me know how YOU like it!


Back to our model:


We need to snip these bits out. As a technique, I use the flat end towards the model to get the cleanest cut and enable me to have to do the least amount of sanding later!

Sprue with miniature parts next to black-handled wire cutters on white paper.

Next, I proceed to get a small container and fill it with lukewarm water and a small amount of a mild detergent.


I use a particularly mild dish soap.

Glass bowl with soapy water and a green toothbrush.

Using a soft bristle toothbrush, I gently wash each piece, cleaning it of oils and other stuff. It should be noted that you should wash your hands before this process, but that’s just so I don’t re-dirty anything I’ve just washed.



Next, I lay out each piece on a clean surface and rinse the container out, putting in cool and clean water, putting the pieces back in to rinse them well.

A glass dish with miniature figurines soaking in liquid, a toothbrush, and green cloth on a wooden surface.

Lastly, I lay them out on a towel, one by one (remember counting? this is why…make sure you have ALL the pieces!) on a clean towel to air dry. This is a super important step to ensure that everything is sufficiently dry to begin the gluing process later.


Well, seeing as I have to let them dry, and I generally do so for at least a day, we’ll leave things here! Next week, we’ll go about sanding and assembling Acererak, as well as hitting him with his primer coat!


It’s sure to be a treat, so if you want to see more, hit that subscribe and subscribe to The Blog! If you would like to get even more content, subscribe for our Premium Content to get access to the podcast, exclusive giveaways, and other projects! If you enjoyed this, hit the like button below, and let us know how we are doing in the comment section below!


Until next time, Dear Readers…

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