How to Add Cloaks and Capes to 32mm Miniatures
A cloak is the fastest way to change a miniature's silhouette. Glue a cape across the shoulders and the model reads as a character from three feet away, before a single drop of paint goes on. It costs one part, takes about ten minutes, and works on almost any 32 mm infantry body.
This guide covers where the cloak actually attaches, how to make a resin cape sit flat against a backpack, and which of the four cloak styles suits the model you have in front of you.
Where a cloak attaches, and why it usually doesn't fit at first
Most 32 mm cloaks are sculpted to sit in one of three places, and the mismatch between them is the single most common reason a cape refuses to sit flat:
- Over the shoulders — the cloak drapes across the top of both pauldrons and hangs down the back. It needs the backpack removed or trimmed.
- Behind the backpack — the cape hangs from a collar that sits on top of the pack. This is the easiest fit: no trimming, just alignment.
- From one shoulder — a half-cape pinned at a single pauldron. The most dynamic option, and the only one that works on a model already carrying a banner or a heavy weapon on its back.
Check which of the three you have before you reach for the glue. Hold the part against the model dry: if there is a gap of more than a millimetre at the collar, the cloak was sculpted for a different attachment point and you will be filling that gap later.
Making it fit: the ten-minute method
- Dry-fit first, always. Hold the cloak in place and look at the model from the side. The cape should follow the line of the back, not stand off it.
- Trim the backpack, not the cloak. The backpack is flat plastic and forgiving; the cloak carries the detail you paid for. A few passes with a sharp blade across the top edge of the pack usually buys the millimetre you need.
- Warm the resin to adjust the drape. Thirty seconds in hot water makes a resin cape flexible enough to reshape by hand. Hold the new position under cold water for ten seconds and it sets. This is how you get a cape to wrap around an arm instead of hanging straight.
- Glue with cyanoacrylate. Plastic cement does nothing on resin — it needs superglue. A thin layer at the collar, a few seconds of pressure.
- Pin anything heavy. A full-length cloak is a lever: every knock on the table lands on that one glue joint. A short length of brass rod through the collar turns a joint that breaks into one that doesn't.
Four cloak styles, and when each one works
Torn and battle-damaged
Ragged hems, tears, frayed edges. These read as veterans and survivors, and they are the most forgiving to fit — a torn edge hides a gap that a clean hem would expose. If you are converting a squad leader out of a standard body, this is the style that does the most work for the least effort.
See the Battle-Damaged Cloaks resin set of 5 or the pre-supported STL version if you print at home.
Plain and unadorned
A smooth cape with no iconography. Underrated: it is the only style that suits any faction, and a plain surface is a canvas — freehand a heraldic device on it and the model becomes yours rather than a kit's.
Simple Cloaks, 5 plain capes in resin · STL version
Ornamented — chains, ropes, seals
Chains across the chest, rope ties, hanging seals. These carry a lot of detail per part, which means a lot of painting time and a strong result. Best used sparingly: one ornamented cloak in a unit marks the leader; five of them flatten the hierarchy.
Ornamented Cloaks with chains & ropes
Fur and hide
Pelts and fur mantles, for warband and tribal themes. Fur is textured all over, so it takes a drybrush beautifully and forgives a slightly rough join.
Viking Wolf Cloaks, fur-covered capes
Cloak or loincloth?
They are not interchangeable, and picking the wrong one is a common mistake on heavier models. A cloak changes the silhouette from behind and above — it is what you want on a commander meant to be seen across the table. A loincloth or tabard changes the front, breaking up the flat plate of the hips and legs, and it fits on models where a full cape would clash with a backpack or jump pack.
On heavy-armour infantry, the loincloth is usually the better call: the armour already has a strong silhouette, and a cape tends to disappear behind the bulk.
Dragon-skull loincloths, set of 5 (STL) · Beast-warrior loincloths in resin
Resin or STL?
Same sculpt, two ways to get it.
Resin arrives printed, washed, UV-cured and ready for primer. You pay per set and wait for the post. Choose it when you need three capes for one squad and you do not own a printer.
STL downloads the moment you pay — no shipping, no wait, and you print as many as you like. Every file ships pre-supported, so it goes straight onto the plate. Choose it when you own a resin printer and you are converting a whole army rather than a single model. Ten cloaks cost the same as one.
Browse the full STL catalogue or the universal resin bits.
Common questions
Will a 32 mm cloak fit a larger model?
Rarely without work. A cape sculpted for 32 mm infantry sits short on heavier-armour or walker-scale models — it reads as a collar rather than a cloak. Look for parts sculpted for that size class instead.
Do I need to wash the resin before priming?
Our parts are washed and UV-cured before they ship, so they are ready for primer. A quick rinse in warm soapy water is never wasted on resin, but it is not required.
Why won't plastic cement hold my cloak?
Plastic cement works by melting polystyrene. Resin does not melt, so there is nothing for it to weld. Use cyanoacrylate — ordinary superglue.
Can I reshape a resin cape?
Yes. Thirty seconds in hot water, reshape by hand, then hold it under cold water to set. Do not use boiling water and do not force a cold part — cured resin is brittle and snaps rather than bends.
How do I stop a heavy cloak from snapping off?
Pin it. Drill a shallow hole through the collar and into the model's back, and glue a short length of brass rod into both. The joint then survives transport and games.
Ready to pick one? Every cloak on the site is sculpted true-scale for 32 mm heroic kits, printed in Ultra-HD 14K resin in our Grenoble workshop, and dispatched within 3–7 working days — or downloaded instantly if you take the STL.