painting Warhammer 40k models

[Marrik]

anybody with experience painting Warhammer 40k miniatures, i was wondering, should i fully assemble the bodies before i paint them, or paint them 1 piece at a time and then glue them together, or what?


also, what color should i use for skin?

[Rossco]

Also, what colour should I use for skin?

Skin colour.

[StrawberryClock]

I'm semi-interested in starting this game, and from what I seen so far on the websites, they usually painted it after the model was complete.

They also applied different coats for effects and etc.

[88Chaz88]

I'm semi-interested in starting this game, and from what I seen so far on the websites, they usually painted it after the model was complete.

They also applied different coats for effects and etc.

This.

I'd check out the Games Workshop site for tips on how to paint and model. But for skin use a dark base skin colour, then drybrush over it with a lighter colour.

[Reckun]

yea I've always wanted to try this but haven't gotten around to it. also strawberry if you wanna try it you should check out a demo at a games workshop store or another hobby shop.

[Marrik]

man getting into warhammer is expensive as fuck :P



what exactly is the machete-type weapon the Space Marines have btw, i cant find its name anywhere :P

[Layedballer]

Well here's how it goes, I played the LotR version and Warhammer 40k version
Each person you ask will have a different answer to your question, however I preferred to do the pieces all together if I was priming them first if not then individually.
As far as flesh goes if it's human I liked to mix it up a bit to give a more realistic feel. Base though was flesh color plus a little light brown to give it a more realistic pigment since flesh only(or whatever it is) is way to light.
And yes the game is amazingly expensive
Also, the flesh color was for Space Marines

[Marrik]

the only human looking skin color i can find on their site is "elf flesh"

[Nevron]

I just started painting my first ones this week and so far I've done it with the parts separate. I'm mainly doing that until I get the hang of what I'm doing. After that I plan to put certain pieces together before painting so long as they don't make painting more difficult.

[nick larking]

If you paint before putting them on make sure that you dont paint the parts wich get glued on eachother.
If you paint those it has a larger chance to let go after a while. The advantage of painting them before assembling is that you can get some small details on it better or paint parts wich you normaly cant reach.

Just do wich one you prefer the most, just paint one fully and assemble it later and then paint a new one wich you assembled before painted then check wich one you though was easier to paint or looks better.

[Brannoc]

For little plastic guys I usually just group glue them together in batches without putting on any parts that would occlude painting things like arms, face, etc. After that I try to paint them all in a batch as well; do the undercoats on all, then the flesh and so on, nice timesaver.

For the metal pieces or large areas of plastic it's often easier to paint them prior to assembly, especially if you're trying to make them look real fantastic style.

[Gaal]

Holy shit you guys are nerds<3

[Brannoc]

Holy shit you guys are nerds<3

This is a videogame forum... ;)

[-Jotun]

Holy shit you guys are nerds<3

if you think thats nerdy wait till you see my pokemon plush doll collection <>< :)

[Marrik]

For little plastic guys I usually just group glue them together in batches without putting on any parts that would occlude painting things like arms, face, etc. After that I try to paint them all in a batch as well; do the undercoats on all, then the flesh and so on, nice timesaver.

For the metal pieces or large areas of plastic it's often easier to paint them prior to assembly, especially if you're trying to make them look real fantastic style.

im curious, what color(s) do YOU use for human bare flesh?

[CownoseCat]

if you think thats nerdy wait till you see my pokemon plush doll collection <>< :)

OMG I'm jealous!


One tip is to spraypaint them with an undercoat before painting. Can give an interesting toutch.

I've also wanted to experiment with inks but I never got around to it.

Painting Warhammer is as much fun as playing it!

I love my Lizardmen army. :)

[Nevron]

im curious, what color(s) do YOU use for human bare flesh?

Check out the dakkadakka.com forums. Seems to be a lot of good information and tutorials there.

[Brannoc]

im curious, what color(s) do YOU use for human bare flesh?

Usually dwarf flesh with an ink wash over the top for darker pink hued skin types, works best for the majority of fleshy tones.

[Crazy Hermit]

Depends what faction your models are. My friend has tyrannids, and he painted them purple and tan. It actually looks pretty good.

[StaticBlack]

I don't know if they still do it as I haven't been to a Games Workshop store in 10 years, but you can always go there and they'll do a hands on tutorial of the basic stuff with you if you take your own model.

[CuriousGeorge]

Whenever I enter one of these warhammer shops the guys that work there surround me and start pressuring me to get into warhammer. Its like some sort of crazy cult they want me to join.

[Apex Vertigo]

Wow, I've seriously misjudged this forum. This is a sad realization for me.

[Wonderboy2402]

You really don't want to paint them before gluing them together, things can get messy if the glue runs over the paint.

Besides, by gluing the different limbs together to the model first, the glue will fill in the gaps between the two parts. Then when you paint it will more seamless, and there won't be any ugly gaps.

...

If you are just starting the hobby, you should go read some basic tutorials, GW website does indeed have some nice tutorials to get you started so head there.

But if you want a quick guide...

Go ahead and snap out the pieces and clean any rough edges with a razor/sand paper.

Might also try basing the models with flock / sand / grit...

Good luck.

Use a good glue designed for plastics, like a poly cement, not the cheap model glue at hobby stores (the tube kind is bad).

I usually assemble all my figures first, then go back and start painting. Read some tutorials and painting tips first, but you will want to base paint them with either black dullcoat spray or a white dull coat.

Edit: Painting skin tones? That depends on the army... But yea, read about inks for that stuff as Brannoc suggests. It is a little bit of a different method then normal painting.

[Nevron]

You really don't want to paint them before gluing them together, things can get messy if the glue runs over the paint.

If you have the precision to paint a miniature, you have the precision to not make a mess with glue. In my opinion that's a non-issue.

[Machinistlol]

spent alot when i was younger and just ruined most i put together or painted, but it was a learning curve as is most things, i brought a box of thousand sons 2 years ago and have only touched them like 3-4 times only 1 model is fully painted. looks pretty good, i like there colour scheme, i enjoy painting and drawing so... but the game its self is way too nerdy for me.

ontopic i think non painting them assembling them is better, because if you paint it with a coat of white or black as adviced you cant see fine details and because you painted them black or white you need to paint them over there same bit again anyway, because the white and black is visable.

when u assemble them just think what parts are going to be hard to paint and prepaint it like bits with tight spaces such as chests/belts due to guns and underarms.

apply small amounts of glue, hold it and make sure a arm doesnt fall or something due to weight theres no reason you should be painting over glue, you would of have to seriously fucked up.

Whenever I enter one of these warhammer shops the guys that work there surround me and start pressuring me to get into warhammer. Its like some sort of crazy cult they want me to join.

haha ye when i walk in and there all these serious nerds in there they are like threatened or shocked by a normal person going in there and the guys who work there lick my ass so much, when i tell them i just like painting them they grin as if im lying about being gay or something.

[Wonderboy2402]

If you have the precision to paint a miniature, you have the precision to not make a mess with glue. In my opinion that's a non-issue.

Yea, but this guy is starting out. When you base coat and paint say, an arm, you want a good plastic to plastic contact for the glue to bind together. Mix some paint in there and the bond may not be as good as you hope.

Just offering my opinion and experience. :)

[Milo Hobgoblin]

here is a little secret I found a while back..

once your finished painting to add realistic looking depth and shadowing.. use black ink. put it on a paper toweland wrap it around the figurine. It will soak into all the little cracks and crevices.

Play around with it and you'll figure it out. Took me a while to get the technique down but after I did.. it looked fucking awesome.

You can use different color inks to highlight and shadow the different models.

If I remember correctly I got the inks at hobby shops. Its real messy though. Goota use that shit sparingly.

[Nevron]

Yea, but this guy is starting out. When you base coat and paint say, an arm, you want a good plastic to plastic contact for the glue to bind together. Mix some paint in there and the bond may not be as good as you hope.

Just offering my opinion and experience. :)

Nothing wrong with that. I'm just starting out too, and I've been painting them before gluing. In the end it's whatever you're the most comfortable with. I just don't paint over the surface area where it's glued.

[Wonderboy2402]

Nothing wrong with that. I'm just starting out too, and I've been painting them before gluing. In the end it's whatever you're the most comfortable with. I just don't paint over the surface area where it's glued.

I gave up the hobby years ago (to expensive) but I have always enjoyed and miss the hobby portion of it.

I have a Ultramarine dreadnought and terminator sitting on my desktop as I type this. =]

[Sathyro]

I used to do this when I was a small kid, for lulz...

Protip:
What I did, was to paint all the parts with a ground paint before assembling (mostly white, as I did those marines)... Then I assembled them, without attaching them to the base, and finished painting the body with the main colors (armor + skin). Then I put them on the base, and finished all the details...