A solid pose is essential in creating a successful figure. It's what makes that little lump of putty come to life (Please just leave that one alone...). There are essentially three styles of poses for figures.
Rank and File
Figures that have to be put together in units don't leave much wiggle room for your muse to work with. Space is limited, so poses are generally stiff and uninspired (see Historicals). The less said about them, the better. Moving on...
Dynamic Poses
Dynamic poses are intended to convey the illusion of movement. Unless they are assembled very poorly, the figures will not actually move. It's very difficult to paint moving figures anyway, so it's probably not a trend that will catch on anytime soon. That leaves it up to the sculptor to get that point across. There are some key concepts to keep in mind
The most important point is to stick to the extreme ends of the range of motion. That's an order son. You don't want a figure that looks like he's trying to knock in a three-foot putt for par (unless of course, you're working on Bloodlinks, the new miniature game of fantasy golf). That's not interesting. What's the point of reality avoidance if we can't have superheroes? In order to convey that superheroic...ness of the figures, we need super heroic movements. Some will even say exaggeration, although personally, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. But in case the term "miniature" didn't set off any alarms, these figures are small. Very small. Add in the 2mm thick paint job and the failing eyesight of Joe Gamer and there isn't too much room left for subtlety. Mr. Putter will be a boring figure. He will be a man bending over, holding a stick. We don't want Mr. Putter. We want Mr. "I just herniated three discs hitting the ball three miles down the fairway." So how do we convey the power and speed of violent, high amplitude movements, whether it's hitting a golf ball, swinging a 400 lb. sword, or charging the front lines? It's simple really. Choose a pose that is only possible with such a movement. Where can we find such a pose? At the extreme ends of the range of motion.
The closer to the mid-point of an action, the less effective the pose is. In real life, much less 28mm, a golfer hitting a golf ball in the middle of a dinky putt or a powerful drive is not going to look much different. A sprinter in mid-stride doesn't look much different than a jogger in mid-stride. The key to this is balance. Balance conveys no action because it can be maintained indefinitely. We can all stand with a foot directly beneath us, raise the other knee and pose as if running. But can we lean forward at a forty-five degree angle while standing on one foot? Not statically. In order to achieve that unbalanced position, that position must be preceded and/or followed by a high amplitude movement, in this case, taking a long, powerful stride. We are, of course, assuming that you are trying not to fall. "Warrior Leaning Over and Falling in Order to Disprove a Theory" does not a compelling figure make.
Another element to keep in mind is the position of the shoulders in relation to the hips. At the extreme ranges of motion, the difference between the directions of the hips and the planes of the shoulders is greatest, and may approach ninety degrees. This will further emphasize the movement. I refer to the breaking up of this plane as a Torso Twist, mainly because I like alliteration. Torso twists can be effective in many poses, whether dynamic or not. To further emphasize the movement of a figure, clothing, cords, hair, and other objects that aren't tied down should swirl, trail, flow, or flap behind in a direction and manner that is consistent with the movement.
Static Poses
With a dynamically posed figure, the movement dominates. Besides the face itself, there is generally little room to instill any sort of mood or emotion to a figure outside of the movement itself. A less action-oriented figure does provide this opportunity though. I prefer the term dramatic rather than static. Just because a figure is standing still does not mean it should be uninteresting. The keys to an interesting static figure lie in posture and visual balance.
Posture and body language are everything with a static pose. It comes down to creating interest. "Mundane Dude with Axe" can easily become "Interesting Dude with Axe" with something as simple as a turn of the shoulders and a tilt of the head. Analyze postures and determine the message they convey. Some are obvious. A figure with its feet wide apart communicates power and stability. On the other hand, narrowly placed, pigeon toed feet convey meekness. A raised front leg firmly planted invokes images of a conquering hero. An outstretched sword arm can give the look of a leader signaling the charge. Some postures are more subtle. A forward pelvis can add sensuality to the figure. An exaggerated weight shift on one hip will emphasize femininity. A lowered head expresses determination. All of these postures are contextually sensitive of course. That same lowered head on a powerful warrior may convey determination, while on a more sultry female model, it may give a seductive appearance. Most of us have an innate understanding of body language and it is simply a matter of analyzing and applying what we already know into our work.
The primary thing you want to avoid is unnatural and stiff poses. A figure posed looking straight ahead, shoulders squared, weight evenly distributed, arms out to the side is fine for a dolly, but boring for a finished figure.
It's understood that a balanced pose is what differentiates a static figure from a dynamic figure. Visual balance is something different and simply refers to counterbalancing any part of the figure that sticks out from the main body in an effort to maintain the appearance of stability. An example would be a figure sticking its arm out; perhaps to point you to the primer since it's been sitting on your desk unpainted since the Reagan administration. The simplest way to counterbalance the extended arm is to have clothing flowing in that same direction. Cloaks, coats, or loincloths will do equally well. Limbs also work. Moving the right leg out slightly can help offset a right arm that is sticking out, or vice versa. Below are some examples.
With the wolf guard model, the outstretched left arm is counterbalanced by not only left leg, but also the cloak. The figure is still able to maintain a presence of stability and power. If the cloak had been blowing back, the figure would look like he was more likely to fall over, i.e. less stable and weaker.
With the farseer model, from the front view, the most obviously imbalanced area of the figure is again, the weapon arm. In this case it is the sword itself in the left arm. This was easily remedied by having the loincloth, cloak, and topknot all flow in the same direction (to the figure's left) to balance that. The figure is not flat however.
From the side, the right arm and energy bolts shooting from the finger tips pose the largest obstacles (no pun intended). In this case, the upper body is tilted back to compensate. This combined with extremely wide foot placement gives the illusion that the figure is bracing himself against the powerful spell effect. And the good ol' torso twist was thrown in, just to remind you that, yes, the sword is heavy.
Keep in mind these are only guidelines. The only hard and fast rule is that there are no hard and fast rules. And of course, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Study figures that strike you as particularly interesting and try to determine what it is about those figures that appeals to you. Break them down, body part by body part. Where are the feet positioned? How is the weight distributed? How do the shoulders compare to the hips? How is the head angled? What are the arms doing Etc, etc. Be willing to learn from others. There is no point in trying to reinvent the wheel. Also be willing to experiment with the unusual. You never know what you'll stumble across. Poser.