36 replies to this topic

[iceman15]

Good morning all!
Hope everyone's having a great holiday! Just wanted to share some of my recent dabbles into the painting of my introductory box sets minis. While I have been a huge fan of all that is 31st century combat ever since my Dad first started up Mechwarrior 2(and I first heard those awe-inspiring words, "We are Clan Wolf. Children of Kerensky."), I'm fairly new to the mechanics of actual tabletop game play. A recent project I completed last semester inspired me to start painting some of these little guys’ in house colors, circa 3039. In retrospect, I probably should have started with traditional camos vs. parade schemes, as I could have used them for more scenarios, but I couldn't resist the iconic look of davion green vs. kurita red. HoHoHo!

Bear in mind, these are the first minis I have EVER painted, so I'm looking for healthy criticism on refinement.

My first attempt: hbk-4g in the service of the 2nd Sword of Light.

For having been simply painted chaos black and drybrushed red I was surprised at how well this one came out. I really liked the glossy look of the whole thing; the only problem is, being that this first mech isn't primed, (even with dullcote) it’s very a fragile paintjob. I realize I can continue down this road, but I want something that I'll be comfortable letting friends use. The next three mechs have all been primed with krylon sandable primer.

AFFS 3rd Crucis Lancers (Enter A-Team music)


Not only were these the first newly primed mechs, they were also the first to receive a foundation and a wash. With the camo green being so stained from the liberal amount of wash, the mech looked tarnish and neglected; in other words, beautiful. I decided that I wanted the majority of my mechs to exhibit the scars a 200+year old machine would accrue. Highlights wouldn’t be as big a factor. Unfortunately, the flat green really shows off the “prestige” molding of the introductory box set minis, coupled with the fact that my dry brushing got a little heavy.

Back those evil Kuritans.

I have mixed feelings about this one. Half of its problem is that I began painting it right before finals, so it hardly got my undivided attention. The other half would have to be the introduction of GW’s purtiy seal. Having never used the stuff I was too heavy on the nozzle. My main problem with the seal is that, in spite of how it looks in the picture, it leaves the final colors very faded. This mech could have really benefited from some those extra highlights had I intentionally left out. Live and learn...

Group Shot.

Having wrestled with which technique I like better, I’ve decided each mech is just going to have to be different test of materials. Most of my mechs have already been primed with sandable primer so I’m going to keep them looking drab and porous. On the other hand, I’d really like my command lance to resemble the pop of the hunchback; but bare paint is just too brittle. I wonder if I could achieve the same results using a gloss primer. Sorry for the length, but I wanted to show the different techniques and products I’ve used, thus far.

[Mainland]

I think you're doing great for a first attempt! However it would be easier to give tips if you showed the steps you took from raw minature to a completed one. It seems you'd do well not being afraid of black and also use more nuances of the colors you apply going from darker to lighter shades and a dry brush finish as that will give depth to your miniature.

It's kind of hard to explain it all in text but check this out and you'll understand what I'm aiming at: http://neomodel.free.fr/index02.html

[Grotonomus]

Those look pretty good to me too. For my 1st try back in the day they looked like baby puke dipped plastic army men

[Xhaleon]

...thin your paints. Thin your paints. Thin your paints. Thin your paints. Paints your thin. Thin your paints.

Good except the Catapult, which looks a little sad.

[Hayden]

Xhaleon, on 24 December 2011 - 09:31 AM, said:

...thin your paints. Thin your paints. Thin your paints. Thin your paints. Paints your thin. Thin your paints.

Good except the Catapult, which looks a little sad.

Yeah, but if these are from the Box Set from a few years ago, it could be a consequence of a poorly-molded plastic mini.

[Cyttorak]

Agreed, CPLT is the worst of the lot. For the first attempt though, the others are very nice!
It's interesting to compare the 2 Sword of Light minis: the DRG is noticeably duller...now, depending on whether you want a faded look or "cherry red", it's up to you. But the fact that the only difference was heavy Dull-cote-like sealer is interesting to me. I've thought my colors were too bright for a while now, and it may just be that I need to hit my minis with more sealer.
Thanks!

[Atlas3060]

Sweet Hunchback!
I've been toying with the idea of a Crucis scheme but I just can't get "that" green for me but now I might have an idea because of your pic.
I'll also echo the Catapult from the boxed set isn't all that wild. I've got one (getting another boxed set so there's going to be two in my collection) which I just might paint in Liao colors and have them suffer.
Now the metal ones from IWM aren't too bad.

[iceman15]

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

@Xhaleon: I'd have to agree, the cplt left a lot to be desired. While I'm confident I could have done more in prepping, the model itself wasn't very impressive. I mean, for a 90 ton mech, it's the same size as my 50 ton hbk. Plus, The LRM 15's have no definition to their missle ports. I've since acquired a reliable pin vice with an array of different bits, but at the time I just did the best I could. Once I've finished painting all the plastics, I'm deffinatley going to have to try my hand at a metal version.

[Raeven]

Wait, those are plastic? They look amazing in that case.

About the only thing I would change right now is your primer. Sounds like you are already using good paints. Krylon is a great paint, but it sprays on too thick for miniatures unless you are really careful. See if you can get a good quality miniature primer, especially one meant for plastic mini's. That will improve the quality of the paint dramatically.

When you put your drybrush on, how thick is the paint on your brush? You really only want a bit of residue on the brush. Dip it in the paint, then wipe both sides of the brush on a papertowl a couple of tims before you drybrush. I always used the Apple Barrel or FolkArt paints from WalMart and got great results. Never thinned my paints at all, just wiped the excess off on a paper towel. Now I've got the starter set from Citadel that I need to break out and use.

Having said that, quality paints makes a huge difference in the quality of the job too. Like I said, I usually used cheap walmart acrylics, but at one point I got a particular shade of blue from my local hobby shop that was meant for miniature painting. I can't for the life of me remember the brand now, but that paint was like working with gold after having worked with lead for years. It was smooth, didn't streak, and there was no transparency to the pigment at all.

[Shepherd]

The best advice I can give you is to head on over to http://www.reapermin...ndex.php?/index Scroll down to the Craft Corner section and post your pictures in the Show Off forum. You'll find dozens of highly talented painters there who will be more than willing to feed you excellent painting advice. I'm sure that by posting pictures of battlemechs you'll attract the attention of Amalor Myrnix, who has painted some of the best looking battlemech minis I have ever laid my eyes upon.

Edited by Shepherd, 24 December 2011 - 11:50 AM.

[Punisher 1]

The paint looks good the minis lack detail, nothing you can fix about that but nice job!

[Arnie1808]

LS1Zig, on 24 December 2011 - 03:34 AM, said:

Good morning all!
Hope everyone's having a great holiday! Just wanted to share some of my recent dabbles into the painting of my introductory box sets minis. While I have been a huge fan of all that is 31st century combat ever since my Dad first started up Mechwarrior 2(and I first heard those awe-inspiring words, "We are Clan Wolf. Children of Kerensky."), I'm fairly new to the mechanics of actual tabletop game play. A recent project I completed last semester inspired me to start painting some of these little guys’ in house colors, circa 3039. In retrospect, I probably should have started with traditional camos vs. parade schemes, as I could have used them for more scenarios, but I couldn't resist the iconic look of davion green vs. kurita red. HoHoHo!

Bear in mind, these are the first minis I have EVER painted, so I'm looking for healthy criticism on refinement.

My first attempt: hbk-4g in the service of the 2nd Sword of Light.

For having been simply painted chaos black and drybrushed red I was surprised at how well this one came out. I really liked the glossy look of the whole thing; the only problem is, being that this first mech isn't primed, (even with dullcote) it’s very a fragile paintjob. I realize I can continue down this road, but I want something that I'll be comfortable letting friends use. The next three mechs have all been primed with krylon sandable primer.

AFFS 3rd Crucis Lancers (Enter A-Team music)


Not only were these the first newly primed mechs, they were also the first to receive a foundation and a wash. With the camo green being so stained from the liberal amount of wash, the mech looked tarnish and neglected; in other words, beautiful. I decided that I wanted the majority of my mechs to exhibit the scars a 200+year old machine would accrue. Highlights wouldn’t be as big a factor. Unfortunately, the flat green really shows off the “prestige” molding of the introductory box set minis, coupled with the fact that my dry brushing got a little heavy.

Back those evil Kuritans.

I have mixed feelings about this one. Half of its problem is that I began painting it right before finals, so it hardly got my undivided attention. The other half would have to be the introduction of GW’s purtiy seal. Having never used the stuff I was too heavy on the nozzle. My main problem with the seal is that, in spite of how it looks in the picture, it leaves the final colors very faded. This mech could have really benefited from some those extra highlights had I intentionally left out. Live and learn...

Group Shot.

Having wrestled with which technique I like better, I’ve decided each mech is just going to have to be different test of materials. Most of my mechs have already been primed with sandable primer so I’m going to keep them looking drab and porous. On the other hand, I’d really like my command lance to resemble the pop of the hunchback; but bare paint is just too brittle. I wonder if I could achieve the same results using a gloss primer. Sorry for the length, but I wanted to show the different techniques and products I’ve used, thus far.

I don't wanna come across as an arse but why do the Mechwarrior/Battletech models look so (for lack of a better word) crap compared to the models of Warhammer 40k?

[Arctic Fox]

Arnie1808, on 24 December 2011 - 12:19 PM, said:

I don't wanna come across as an arse but why do the Mechwarrior/Battletech models look so (for lack of a better word) crap compared to the models of Warhammer 40k?

Probably because they're significantly less expensive. Also, have you seen the bonus plastic Thor and Loki minis from the latest box set? Those look absolutely awesome.

[Shepherd]

Also the scale is very much different for those 40k models. The mech minis stand around 1" tall, the 40k model you pictured stands 2.5" tall I'd guess (been a while since I've held one in my hand). And the 1" tall mech mini represents something standing around 30 feet tall, and the 40k model represents something that is probably 10-15" tall. So it stands to reason that the relative detail level is going to be very different because the scale is very different.

Also, 40k employs some really incredible sculptors. Mechs are typically pretty old sculpts, and sculpting miniatures has come a very long way since the 80's.

[Demi-Precentor Konev]

You've got a very bright future if these are your first models. As for advice? I don't think you really need any. But I'll got with my two standards:

-Always prime in white. If you're worried about shading, a nice wash will take care of that for you - maybe even blacklining with a micropen.
-Always thin your paints. A few drops of water, shake that bottle like a British nanny, and paint.

But the most important thing you can do? KEEP PAINTING (and posting the pictures here )! Experience + learning from veterans is how you get better.

Edited by lahyenne, 24 December 2011 - 01:28 PM.

[Atlas3060]

LS1Zig, on 24 December 2011 - 11:38 AM, said:

I mean, for a 90 ton mech, it's the same size as my 50 ton hbk.

Catapults are 65 tons.

[iceman15]

Thank you everyone for the excellent advice. Great points, all around.

@raeven: my first instinct on the primer was to go with GW black, but after reading a couple of questionable reviews I didn't want to risk it. While I was pretty light on the primer, I must say it did help spraying multiple units at once, as it doesn't give my heavy trigger finger a chance to focus on just one unit. To answer your question about drybrushing: i'm still learning not to rush the process. Plus I use coffee filters. Sometimes its hard to tell until I've brushed the unit if my brush is still damp or not.

@lahyenne: it's funny you should mention that, I've actually been looking at different white primers. I think it would really help brighten up the green on my davion units. I apply a heavy foundation, but a different primer may be the way to go.

@atlas3060: your right! Wow, I don't know why I thought it was 90. I was reading a bunch of literature on the cyclops, and think I got the tonnage mixed up. Doh!

[Miles Tails Prower]

Wow those actually look pretty solid. The only meaningful improvement I could see is that the paint on the catapult looks like it could be smoother. But those look fine.

Well for the 40k models, Games Workshop's primary income is from selling their models, magazines and hobby tools/supplies. So naturally since the focus of their cash flow is from the table top game they will have impressive figurines.

If you need tips to get better at painting miniatures, no lie, you should visit a Warhammer Games Workshop hobby store. The same tactics that paint warhammer miniatures will undoubtably work on BT miniatures. Plus Games Workshop has all the tools and supplies for the trade.

Edited by Miles Tails Prower, 24 December 2011 - 09:49 PM.

[RangerRob]

for a first time...those are great. The Cat mini from the starter box is a tough canvas to work with.
I even see a little Jeweling on the Dragon cockpit...that's is not a beginner technique...well done!!

[Riffan Pryde]

First rule is always remember, you can alway's strip it and start over. Nothing is set in stone. But priming is VERY important and learning when to shade, when to wash and when to dry brush. not all steps are required. It's best to start with a basic idea, and then work forward before you even touch the mech.