36 replies to this topic

[Shadoe Ryder]

pretty much everything has already been said but I will toss my two cents in the pile.

I agree with white primer - easier to darken than it is to lighten a mini - but there are MANY MANY excellent painters who prime black or grey as well.
Clear coat at the end. I always end up doing two or three thin clear coats after I am done to protect the paint job. Clear coat then flock the base.
You can use either a very fine file or very fine grain sandpaper CAREFULLY to remove the mold lines before painting. Takes a little practice.

And you already know that your drybrush gets a little heavy in places.

Simple green is good for stripping paint of plastics after a good soak soak then use a very soft bristled toothbrush to get in the cracks.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

Nice work. I only have metal miniatures for Battletech but for those and other plastic ones I used to use a curve bladed scalpel to scrape the mould lines off. To practice I bought a cheap set of kids toy soldiers. They're smaller than mechs so if you can do a good job there it's easier when you come to the mechs. Scalpel or craft knives can be handy for improving the definition between armour plates etc. For the bases I found that you can get materials from model railway shops to simulate grass etc. Italso is great if you want to mach dioramas to pose your mech's in.

[Dagger6T6]

I prefer priming with black or dark grey, I think it lends itself to more detail than trying to use washes.

It really depends on your style and skill, so it's best to experiment with what works best for you. You can always strip the paint off and start over if you don't like it.

In fact I just stripped down an Atlas that really had so many repaints that it was losing details. It's only been over 15 years since I painted a mini so I'm going to give it a whirl and see how things turn out. haha

[Mchawkeye]

Dagger6T6, on 06 January 2012 - 01:55 PM, said:

I prefer priming with black or dark grey, I think it lends itself to more detail than trying to use washes.

It really depends on your style and skill, so it's best to experiment with what works best for you. You can always strip the paint off and start over if you don't like it.

In fact I just stripped down an Atlas that really had so many repaints that it was losing details. It's only been over 15 years since I painted a mini so I'm going to give it a whirl and see how things turn out. haha

show us when you're done?

there was a good five years between me not painting and me painting again; it's quite surprising how little you forget and how much you learn coming back to it fresh on top of your previous skills; it's like a jump start.

[AmazingBilldo]

Dagger6T6, on 06 January 2012 - 01:55 PM, said:

I prefer priming with black or dark grey, I think it lends itself to more detail than trying to use washes.

It really depends on your style and skill, so it's best to experiment with what works best for you. You can always strip the paint off and start over if you don't like it.

In fact I just stripped down an Atlas that really had so many repaints that it was losing details. It's only been over 15 years since I painted a mini so I'm going to give it a whirl and see how things turn out. haha

my experience in painting (not limited to minis) has taught me that the final color you want dictates the primer color you use. example: lighter finishes get white, neutral colors get gray, and darker colors get black or dark gray. reds are an exception, i will prime in bright yellow if i want the red to pop out.

the exception to this rule for me is when dealing with detail. on my mechs, the hands and joints are done in black primer, and just dry brushed, similar to dagger's method.

last thing i want to say: stripping a figure- would NOT mess around with it on the plastic minis, as anything that will remove decent paint will not be good for most plastics. i personally use MEK to remove oil paints, and acetone to remove acrylics. avoid methylene chloride, it is INCREDIBLY bad for you.

[Mason Grimm]

I use Acetone sometimes but mostly Simple Green to remove acrylics

That Simple Green is magic stuff in a bottle and reusable and doesn't dry my hands out.

[Mchawkeye]

What is simple green?

over here, we use Dettol. takes a while, but it works great.

[RangerRob]

+1 for Simple Green. (Enviro friendly cleaning product here in the States)

I used to swear by Pine Sol as that works pretty well too. But Simple Green beats it hands down.

[Grayson Pryde]

I have to agree with the "thin your colors". I see you use GW colours so another advice would be use "washes". Its easy and looks great on the models. But for a first attempt they are realy good. So keep up teh good work. We looking forward to see your new stuff

[Waylandx]

Great Job!

[AmazingBilldo]

RangerRob, on 09 January 2012 - 08:28 AM, said:

+1 for Simple Green. (Enviro friendly cleaning product here in the States)

I used to swear by Pine Sol as that works pretty well too. But Simple Green beats it hands down.

Mason Grimm, on 08 January 2012 - 01:53 PM, said:

I use Acetone sometimes but mostly Simple Green to remove acrylics

That Simple Green is magic stuff in a bottle and reusable and doesn't dry my hands out.

seems my earlier reply didnt get posted......... I have a couple gallons of simple green concentrate sitting around, i will definitely be trying this.

[Fiachdubh]

That Atlas in particular looks stunning, would not of thought it was a first attempt. Thanks for posting this, lots of great advice, waiting for the new run of box sets to ship so can start thinking about giving painting a try.

[SMDMadCow]

LS1Zig, on 24 December 2011 - 02:13 PM, said:

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.

I've found that Testors flat black and white make excellent primers and their dull cote works well too.
Can you explain about the coffee filters, i think this is the first time I've heard of someone using them.

As for striping, try using Wesley's Bleche White - it's a tire cleaner you can get at Walmart. Just put the mini in an overnight bath and the paint comes right off.

[Neovenator]

Great pics of your minis, I am just getting into painting as well and had primed a couple of mechs (a Mercury and Wolfhound from Ironwind metals) yesterday along with a couple plastic space marines I picked up to test my painting techniques on (these will be my first painted minis).

I am planning on trying the basic technique of prime, paint single color, apply wash, dry brush and then some detailing.

I liked the thread and thanks to all who supplied some pointers and tips it should be helpful.

I will try to get some pics of the mechs up on this thread when they are done (hopefully next weekend) as well as what did and didn't work for me.

[Kael Tropheus]

Wow, for a first timer you are already ahead of 90% of the people painting out there. Maybe some house symbols is all I have. Refining your already considerable skill and maybe some weathering would help, just do not overdo it.

[Jakebob]

don't skimp on your brushes. buy the expensive camelhair ones (and take care of them).. it's worth it.

[SiriusBeef]

Obviously these are not the first minis you have painted... Good job none the less...

See some of my minis here: http://www.hqtc.org/...ery=6&Itemid=27

It's some older stuff but 09 was a pretty productive painting year....