Tutorial – Priming Models

Lots of White Primer

Lots of White Primer

Why should you use a surface primer?
So, you’re going to paint a model?  Have you ever tried painting a plastic/resin/metal model without priming it first?  I don’t recommend this futile act.  Most plastic, resin and metal surfaces are loathe to take paint without applying a primer first.  Reapers says that you can paint their Bones line of models without priming.  I’ve tried, and unless you’re globbing the paint onto  the model with a spoon it doesn’t really work all that well.  Models need primer, because primer provides your subsequent layers of paint a texture onto which it will grip.  Generally speaking, paint adheres to a model through a mechanical bond (think super glue, not plastic cement – that’s another article).  In other words, paint catches in the micro-recesses on the model’s surface and clings to these imperfections.  The shinier/smoother the model, the worse paint will stick.  So, we want to prime a model to make the surface textured?  Yes, but you don’t want to add a lot of texture, just enough to let the paint grip.

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Painting the Magic Flames of Tzeentch

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I’ve been sitting on a Heldrake since not long after the Chaos Space Marine codex was released earlier this year.  Regardless of the model’s rules I find it to be a very cool model.  However, the slightly overpowered nature of the rules kept me from painting it as I hate to be seen as a band-wagon jumper.  I’d rather be a post-hipster playing models that used to be cool but are not any longer…  😉

The various parts for this model sat in pieces staring at me for a few months before I decided to get to it.  Based upon my painting goals I decided to prime black and work up from there.  I was inspired by a tutorial on YouTube by BuyPainted.  I basically copied his technique, but changed out the colors.

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Forge World Squiggoth

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I purchased this Ork Squiggoth back in 2007 at Gamesday Chicago.  I got it out as soon as I got back home to start modeling and playing with it for the casual games with friends.  I even picked up the imperial armour update that it was included in at something like $25 for a book for the rules for a single model.  Needless to say I was in love with the model, or at least the idea of owning a painted ork squiggoth.  Then reality set in and I realized what a beast of a time I was going to have getting the sucker painted up for playing with, so back in the box she went; for six and a half long years.

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What’s on Pete’s workbench in October 2013?

I’m ashamed of the state of my work bench and my office, so there will be no picture this month.  Hopefully I can clean things up a bit and shoot a picture of my setup next month.

I started using KanBanFlow to track my hobby, but since my Kan Ban board is in a pretty sorry state, I’ll just list my various projects here:

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Ork Nobz

Nobz

With the Warhammer 40,000 escalation league starting up, I’ve been working on getting some of my existing minis ready for the league that I anticipate using.  The most recent batch you see here are the ork nobz that I assembed some years ago but otherwise have been shelved collecting dust.  But the league has given me some motivation to get some orks painted since that will be my primary army for the league, with some imperial guard allies (since they are mostly painted already).  I’m going with a deff skull paint theme, which you can see with all the blue cloth.  I’m not big on the blue face paint and tattoos since a big part of these models is the green skin, I don’t want to cover it up since that’s what makes an ork.  I also like the metal bits to look used and old, which is why I start with a base of warplock bronze followed by a thin layer of ironbreaker, then a wash of the agrax earthshade.  The skin I’m still working with establishing a good way to quickly and cleanly get the effect I want, and I’m still resorting to drybrushing on the last layer which I don’t like doing but will stick with for now until I can get a better method that doesn’t involve blending, since I’ve got tons of these boys to get painted for the footslogging army I want.

Space Marines on Parade

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Over the weekend the League of Painters attended a local Warhammer 40K team tournament.  The event also had a painting competition hosted by the game store running the 40k event.  In coordination with the launch of the new Space Marines codex, Olde World Gaming challenged its customers to paint a Space Marine.  Any chapter, loyalist or traitor, on foot, mounted, in terminator armor or in power armor.  Stephen and I both decided to paint librarians.  In fact, this event has spawned a three-part challenge between us (more on that later).
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Stripping and Strippers

Stripping paint from your models…wait, what did you think I was going to be talking about?  Anyway, sometimes you get a deal on a painted model that you want to strip the paint from because either it’s poorly painted, the paint scheme doesn’t match your army, or any of a hundred different reasons.  This leaves you with a dilemma, how do you get the paint off your model without damaging the model and details?

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Snow Basing

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I just finished a model for a local painting competition this weekend. A face-off of grand design, or least of models in power armor. While there will be plenty of other good entiries, I’m sure, Stephen and I have a side bet running between his Dark Angels Librarian and my Space Wolves Rune Priest. Finishing touches on the model for me included adding snow on the basing.

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