I've embarked on a weird little project. Normally I will paint a few salvage pieces in order to see if I like a particular color scheme. I can't remember if I have ever updated and entire army. I just don't rebase, repaint, or upgrade armies. I pack them in a box and I move on. I think I am going to bulk update my old blood angels force. For some reason I have the desire to start playing the game more regularly. I thin my BA fit the bill.
So with that said, there are some challenges. The first is that I am being a little sloppy model preparation. There is none! The models come complete off my shelf. My construction skills have improved a lot since the time these models were glued together, so there are a lot of sloppy areas. On the other hand, by re-painting directly on top of an existing paint job, I can skip a lot of the detail work and just focus on the eye catching bits. Plus, it means I have a lot of tanks to weather and paint chip. I think that is a win.
On the basing side of things, I was thinking about doing muddy trampled earth with dead leaves and grass. This is my first attempt at mud after watching the how-to video over on Secret Weapon Miniatures. I like how it turned out.
It feels a bit strange updating models this way, but on the other hand, they are ready to play almost instantaneously.
Hey John,
ReplyDeleteI just reached the same cross roads. Been working on that ork list. I have a lot of orks, but because orks were my first army (start of 5th edition), the skill level of both model prep, and model paint is drastically different depending on the year the model was painted.
I think repainting models works great if you have a similar level of model prep across them, or you just want to give them a new lick of paint (or weathering) to tie them into the new acquisitions.
If though...the prep and model quality is massively different between the various kits, it's probably better to just start over from scratch. I personally am also horrifically bad at striping models. I always seem to do damage to them somehow.
The mud base is looking really nice. Can you get some angled shots of it as well?
I've done a few pieces here and there. Updated some old tanks with new camo, Repainted a Chimera from my Cadian scheme to my Vostroyan scheme, etc. My son has redone his space marines twice -- Ultras, Guardians of the Covenant (DA spin-off), back to Ultras.
ReplyDeleteIf you are a gamer that is the way to go for sure. Not just for the moneys you save but also like you said the quick turnaround and flexibility to try new schemes. I clear out the old on ebay and use that to buy new, but for me the joy is int he building and painting. The having is pointless to me since i don't play. Great stuff as always!
ReplyDeleteI am not even bothering to strip these! I am using whatever the original scheme was as the base coat and just highlighting up from there. It is a pretty crazy way to paint I admit.
ReplyDeleteI've re-painted a few of my Tau this way, but I could never keep up the momentum to completely update the whole army. By the way, that Blood Angels rhino looks really cool. I love the paint-chipping. Can't say I'm a fan of the top hatch though, while it looks cool and is well-executed, I just can't get over what angle the light would need to hitting it to get that effect. Not saying you should change it, just an observation really. Also congrats on the charity moneys! That must feel so awesome. That money is really needed to get Ebola under control in Western Africa.
DeleteThe hatch is bothering me as well. It will probably lend up with a razorback turret, so things will be ok.
DeleteI have no idea why I went so extreme on the hatch, but it draws focus from the front. Hatch has t go.
I repainted a Land Raider last night in order to see if I was committed to this activity. I think I am. I need at least one army I can toss in a box and play at the springfield store. At some point I might give allies a try.
John,
DeleteDo you play at the springfield GW?
Could you show a photo of the vehicle prior to your repaints? (always curious to see the befores!)
It doesn't seem crazy to me! I have repainted my Auqumarines (Ultra successor) many times. I started them in 1ed and have repaintied them 4-5 times--Both simply touched them up and entirely repainted them.
DeleteI've stripped an repainted about a third of the Diseased Sons, touching up another third. I barely have time to paint or play so I just keep using the same army, trying to make it work as the editions change. I have an even older Ork army which I never get around to using or updating because my Chaos army is big and my life is unsettled.
ReplyDeletehttp://nurgle.muschamp.ca
Cheers,