Cleaning a miniature is removing excess metal, plastic, or resin before assembly. There is no real right way or wrong way to accomplish cleaning a miniature. However, what works best is based on what the miniatures purpose will be once completed. For example a mini used as a generic filler minion during a game session will likely not require the detail or care as competitive painting model.
Metal, Plastic, and Resin miniatures follow a similar cleaning process and below are some picture examples.
Mold Lines
To remove a mold line we suggest taking a small file and push forward firmly along the surface of the miniature. Check the miniature after each stroke until you get the desired result. You should be sure to use ample pressure but not too much as to remove the details of the miniature. This process will take some getting used to when you get started but is a quick step in dealing with the most common miniature preparation problem.
For this miniature we used a round file.
2 easy repeatable steps to get a better looking miniature!
The left over fine scratches go away during the painting process.
Excess Metal
Flash
When you have a miniature with flash, utilizing both the Excess and Mold Line removal guidance will result in a clean miniature. Do your best to clip off the flash as close to the miniature as you can to minimize the time needed filling and the possibility of ruining details.