Repainting my entire army.

[Camael]

Hi Everyone! I suddenly have a whole bunch of time on my hands and need something time consuming and relatively inexpensive to keep myself from going crazy. So, I decided to strip and repaint all my models! My basic color scheme is the attached. I originally chose it because it would allow me to paint a large number of models that would look decent quickly. Unfortunately, I have begun to develop a sense of shame on with my slopily painted and assembled army.

To put this undertaking in perspective, I have an entire drop-pod mounted battle company along with Chaplains, Librarians, 35 Terminators, 2 Stormtalons, a Storm Raven, a Razorback, 15 scouts of various ilks, 3 Predators, and a Thunderfire Cannon. I think I got it all.

So, my big question is what do people think I should do to make my life as easy as possible. I am thinking about painting each piece separately so I can make sure I don't have random plastic grey spots coming through. Is it ok to spray paint these things? A lot of the guys I game with use the $1 cans of Wal-Mart spray paint as a base coat. As I use a lot of white, I am thinking I can just spray all the body parts white and leave it at that. Would this be a method I could use and still have it turn out well? I know I need new brushes, but I have all the paints I need. Is there anything else people can think of that I might need?

I am sure I will keep posting here and asking questions but if all y'alls have any tidbits of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[defiantworkshop]

IMO, in regards to paint, you get what you pay for. Some people may get more mileage out of cheaper paint, but I always find you get better coverage with more expensive paints. Using $1 craft paints usually obscure detail, but are cost effective, especially for those looking to just churn out something.

To me, best base coat out there is Tamiya's fine surface primer. Get a can of that in white, spray it over a few at a time, and it evens out fantstically. Alternatively, Vallejo surface primer through an airbrush gives pretty much the exact same effect. I'd do either of those as a starting point.

[DarkLink]

As long as you're not drowning the model in paint, unless you're a golden daemon painter or something the dollar cans at walmart will do perfectly fine. And even then, I've seen so many high quality models primed with walmart paint to consider fancy brand name stuff worth it.

[MajorMcNicol]

I am definitely not a Golden Daemon level painter myself, and I used to always use the $1 walmart cans as primer. However, when I decided to give the $4 cans of spray primer a go I have had much better results, so much so I couldn't believe it.

[Camael]

I put a test squad into their Nurgley bath this morning, tomorrow they come out and I see how they are doing. I will be posting on here often, annoying you and asking for advice.

[The_Gonk]

I put a test squad into their Nurgley bath this morning, tomorrow they come out and I see how they are doing. I will be posting on here often, annoying you and asking for advice.

Looking forward to it!

[Camael]

So, I just finished my scrub down of the test squad after they were in for 24ish hours and have some questions:

1) I got most of my paint off but the previous owner's paint seems pretty well stuck. Part of the reason I am using this squad in the first place is that they are kinda beat up, making them good crash test dummies. Is it safe to put them back into the Bubble Bath of Nurgle for another 12-24 hours in an effort to get the rest of the paint off, or am I going to risk damaging the models?

2) I am currently using a 20:1 water to simple green mixture to strip them (the mixing bottle says 10:1). should I increase the strength of the solution I am using to get a better effect? If so, how strong should it be?

3) Should I use something other than a toothbrush to scrub? I read that some people use wire brushes, but that sounds like it would damage the plastic for sure.

4) Should I wash the models with soap and water to get all the Green off or is just rinsing them enough?

5) Can I reuse the Bubble Bath of Nurgle (or Khorne, its pretty red now), or should I dump it and start with a fresh bath?

Thanks in advance everyone?

[Culial]

Hi! Looking forward to following this thread!




I've no experience with Simple Green (it's not for sale in the UK) but I can chime in with a little help from my experiences:




1) if at first you don't succeed, sock 'em for another day!




3) toothbrushes work ok, but tend to be a bit soft so as not to destroy your gums, I've had better luck with nail brushes - better grip and firmer bristles, also tend to be cheaper than toothbrushes.




5) if your Simple Green is now red, then you could probably do with refreshing it (just don't break the bank, remember I don't know how much it costs!)




hope that helps, can't wait to see your progress

[Camael]

Hi! Looking forward to following this thread!

1) if at first you don't succeed, sock 'em for another day!


3) toothbrushes work ok, but tend to be a bit soft so as not to destroy your gums, I've had better luck with nail brushes - better grip and firmer bristles, also tend to be cheaper than toothbrushes.


5) if your Simple Green is now red, then you could probably do with refreshing it (just don't break the bank, remember I don't know how much it costs!)


hope that helps, can't wait to see your progress

Thanks for this! Simple Green is pretty cheap. Like $11 for a gallon (7 ish pounds). I will throw them back in later today unless someone speaks against it.

[40kGamer]

Thanks for this! Simple Green is pretty cheap. Like $11 for a gallon (7 ish pounds). I will throw them back in later today unless someone speaks against it.

I've dunked particularly stubborn models in the bath many times so I don't believe you should run into trouble there. I would not use a wire brush on plastic under any circumstances! A firm toothbrush and some wooden toothpicks for cleaning deep recesses are the only tools I have experience with.