Mold line

A mold line is a small seam of extra plastic or resin that forms along the edges of a miniature wherever the mold used to cast it was split into pieces. It typically runs down limbs, along weapon edges and around the torso, following the parting line of the mold rather than any feature of the sculpt itself.

Removing mold lines before priming matters because primer and paint make any surface flaw more visible, not less, a line that is barely noticeable on bare plastic becomes an obvious pale ridge once everything around it is painted. Skipping this step is one of the most common reasons a finished miniature looks slightly rough even when the paint job itself is careful.

A sharp hobby knife, fine files, or dedicated mold line scrapers can all remove them, working in light passes rather than one heavy cut to avoid gouging the plastic. A common mistake is only checking the most visible angles and missing lines on the inside of arms or between fingers, spots that are easy to skip but still catch light once primed.