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Well I made my first foray into actually playing 40k with the purchase of some Chaos Space Marines, Although my painting skills are fifteen levels of fail at this moment, it's quite relaxing. I think I will build a small army of Khorne Devotees and i've started along that line by attempting to paint my space marines in the colors of the World Eaters.

Is there anything I should know as I take my first baby steps into this game?

Start good painting and modelling practices early on.

Both are going to suck as you first start (believe me I know), but you'll regret it later down the line if you get into bad habits. Make sure you're priming your figures before you start painting with a spray coat, white works for most things.

Game-wise, I'm not sure what to tell you. I haven't upgraded to 5th Edition yet, so I'm a little out of the loop. The Chaos codex is fairly recent though, so I don't think there's any harm picking it up.

I have some black primer, but it isn't a spray. I spent eight bucks on the three pack of marines and I'm bumming the paint I have off of my brothers (beggars can't be choosers you know, heh).

Are there any good tools for getting the little details? Or am I just going to have to find a lucky T shirt that gives me +5 to DEX?

For modelling, you'll want clippers and a file at the very least. Between those two you can clean off most of the gunk, bad edges, and make minor alterations.

For painting, you'll want a fine brush for details, a larger brush for most of your work, and either an old beat-up brush or an ox-hair brush if you want to drybrush.

Speaking of which, drybrushing is probably my number one favorite technique for making a model look more detailed than it actually is. It's great for achieving layered/shadowed looks, metallic effects such as worn paint or rust, or just generally faking depth and color. It's particularly easy with Marines: once you've finished your paint-job, just select a color for the underlying armor (for a Chaos Marine you might want a rusty or bronze-like color), apply a small amount to said old or ox brush, then wipe the paint back off so that the brush is "dry". It still has some trace amounts of paint on it, though, so you then take it to the model and firmly smear the bristles all over the area you want affected. The paint will stick to raised areas, which gives you a great effect if used properly. This will ruin a brush in no time flat though, hence why you want a shitty old brush or a tougher ox-hair brush to do it.

When you want to cover an area, thin your paints with water, just a tiny bit, but just enough to let you work 'em. They should run on smoothly and spread out to form a thin, but visible and non-runny film of fluid over your minis that holds together on its own and doesn't bead up or run off. That's when you've hit the 'sweet spot' of viscosity. If your paint beads up and runs off, it's too watery. If it obscures the detail or forms lumps and doesn't spread smoothly, or you can see the brushstrokes, it's too thick and you need more water. Ink washes are different. Use them to do the exact opposite of drybrushing. The ink flows into the low areas of the models and dries there, making them darker.

I use natural Russian Hog's Hair brushes to paint with, and I use old brushes or cheap synthetic brushes for drybrushing. There is no 'magic trick' to painting, 1% of it's co-ordination, the rest of it is patience; let the paint dry before you apply a second coat, and it's way better to apply many thin coats over time (usually by drybrushing) to build up the paint evenly than slather it on and have it gunk up the details of your stuff.

Also, greenstuff your models! Buy a packet of epoxy putty, and especially with metal minis, sometimes you'll find tiny gaps or areas that are too thin. Use greenstuff to help there. To prevent fingerprints, or to get a smooth finish, dip your finger in water and run it over the greenstuff while it's still drying, that'll smooth it out a bit.

If you need to strip the paint from your minis, buy a can of brake fluid (be careful. The stuff is toxic) and leave them in the brake fluid for three days, then brush them off with water and an old toothbrush.

Lastly - don't forget to clean the models! They're usually full of mould release fluid when you get them. Get some water and a bit of soap and degreaser to clean them off first, but make sure they're rinsed well, otherwise the soap will flow into the cracks and make the paint flake off. That happened to me the first time I tried painting pewter minis.

And don't forget to spray them to prevent the paint from chipping off. Good luck!

Darthfan Boy are you in the US by chance?

Azazal wrote:Darthfan Boy are you in the US by chance?

But of course


I've painted two of my three marines using what few tools I have been able to scrounge, it's nothing too fancy but i'm at least pleased with the improvements i've made from figure #1 to figure #2, have to keep practicing on the cheap space marines before saving up and plunking down for a Kharn and some Berzerkers

1: duplicolor sandable automotive primer is your friend. big can, goes on smooth, doesn't hide detail and sticks even if you're working with unwashed resin.

2: paint for your main color coats should be about the thickness of lowfat milk. You'll know it's right when putting it on the mini leaves a smooth, slightly transparent layer that doesn't pool into the low spots.

3: a good detail brush is your friend. I use an 8-0 spotter for most work, and it'll take care of you for most needs if you take care of it. There's plenty of articles out there on proper brush care.


full size

Darth Fanboy wrote:

Azazal wrote:Darthfan Boy are you in the US by chance?

But of course


I've painted two of my three marines using what few tools I have been able to scrounge, it's nothing too fancy but i'm at least pleased with the improvements i've made from figure #1 to figure #2, have to keep practicing on the cheap space marines before saving up and plunking down for a Kharn and some Berzerkers

Cool, if you want to save yourseklf a ton of mony, find the nearist Micheal's Craft Store, the DeltaCeram Coats paints work just fine, you need to thin them down a bit, but a single bottle will run you 99 cents to $2.00, metalics cost a touch more. But you'll get over twice the amount at a GW pot, and since you need to thin them down, you'll wind up getting 4 times as mush use out of a bottle, for about 1/2 the price

hehhe, cool another soul for the spear of Khaine and the caress of the laughing god to destroy.

don't worry I'll find you at some point, your fate is sealed by my high speed shooty death.....

oh and you can't see me, harlies and BBQ loving dragons....

Azazal wrote:

Darth Fanboy wrote:

Azazal wrote:Darthfan Boy are you in the US by chance?

But of course


I've painted two of my three marines using what few tools I have been able to scrounge, it's nothing too fancy but i'm at least pleased with the improvements i've made from figure #1 to figure #2, have to keep practicing on the cheap space marines before saving up and plunking down for a Kharn and some Berzerkers

Cool, if you want to save yourseklf a ton of mony, find the nearist Micheal's Craft Store, the DeltaCeram Coats paints work just fine, you need to thin them down a bit, but a single bottle will run you 99 cents to $2.00, metalics cost a touch more. But you'll get over twice the amount at a GW pot, and since you need to thin them down, you'll wind up getting 4 times as mush use out of a bottle, for about 1/2 the price

theres one five minutes away, thanks!

what water/paint ratio do you use?

Darth Fanboy wrote:

Azazal wrote:

Darth Fanboy wrote: But of course


I've painted two of my three marines using what few tools I have been able to scrounge, it's nothing too fancy but i'm at least pleased with the improvements i've made from figure #1 to figure #2, have to keep practicing on the cheap space marines before saving up and plunking down for a Kharn and some Berzerkers

Cool, if you want to save yourseklf a ton of mony, find the nearist Micheal's Craft Store, the DeltaCeram Coats paints work just fine, you need to thin them down a bit, but a single bottle will run you 99 cents to $2.00, metalics cost a touch more. But you'll get over twice the amount at a GW pot, and since you need to thin them down, you'll wind up getting 4 times as mush use out of a bottle, for about 1/2 the price

theres one five minutes away, thanks!

what water/paint ratio do you use?

I don't really use a ratio, I thin it down till it looks right, but to the point of milk in consistency is pretty close, then use several thin coats to cover, gives a much better look to the figure. Also I find that by doing that over a white base coat of primer, your highlights are 1/2 done for you, the pigment settles into the depths while the white shows through the thin coats of paint.


Started out with a white base coat, then several thin layers, started with a rust brown and built up to a blood red, I think I had 10 or so layers all said and done. I find it a very easy and quick way to do rank and file troops.

damned, those are nice. methinks i need to practice more before i paint my new terminator.

If you're near a GW store (or any other gaming store), you could always see if they will give lessons or tips on painting. If nothing else, you might be able to cage a use of their tools to assemble and clean up the minis.

Ah excellent, a new 40k thread. I was just about to start one anyway.

I've been getting back into it again since I've started making regular trips to Glasgow. I'll post a few pictures tomorrow, including the Grey Knights I converted from plastic for Coaan.

Azazal wrote: <image snipped>

Started out with a white base coat, then several thin layers, started with a rust brown and built up to a blood red, I think I had 10 or so layers all said and done. I find it a very easy and quick way to do rank and file troops.

Is it just me, or do those look a hell of a lot like Cylons?

Crayz9000 wrote: Is it just me, or do those look a hell of a lot like Cylons?

Nahh, these are the cylons, old school style, work in progress

While we're on the subject of Cylons (old school), how do you guys think they would fare in WH40K? If I'm hijacking this, I can just start a new thread, but I'm just more curious than anything.

Crayz9000 wrote:While we're on the subject of Cylons (old school), how do you guys think they would fare in WH40K? If I'm hijacking this, I can just start a new thread, but I'm just more curious than anything.

Considering their obscenely slow movement, and apparent lack of any armored assets, i'd say poorly.

On the topic of other sci-fi species, every once in a while, I consider a 37000 year advanced Covenant as a WH40k race, directed by their Sacred Oracles to return to the galaxy of their origins.

Part of the reason they do this is to return to humanity the body of the Master Chief, as well as a complete record of his exploits. There may also be a John-117 clone-baby that they give to the Ultramarines. Who promply get rid of it because they are incapable of handling BABIES.

moving from painting to army building, is there anyone else here that plays as chaos? i'm looking for tips on army building, maximizing effectiveness with my tiny budget.

Darth Fanboy wrote:moving from painting to army building, is there anyone else here that plays as chaos? i'm looking for tips on army building, maximizing effectiveness with my tiny budget.

Yeah played Chaos at some 40k tournies, let me dig up the codex and dust off my brain. Any particular thoughts you had in mind?

I've been (very) slowly picking up a few Emperor's Children, so I'm familiar with the basics... or at least was. They keep changing fucking codexes on me.

Azazal wrote:
Yeah played Chaos at some 40k tournies, let me dig up the codex and dust off my brain. Any particular thoughts you had in mind?

well i'm leaning towards a force of khorne devotees to start with and i'm wondering what i could add to my army without spending too much cash. i'm also wondering if nurgle'sforces are more effective overall, i can et either berzerkers or plague marines at a good price.

Darth Fanboy wrote:well i'm leaning towards a force of khorne devotees to start with and i'm wondering what i could add to my army without spending too much cash. i'm also wondering if nurgle'sforces are more effective overall, i can et either berzerkers or plague marines at a good price.

OK let me did out the codex and crunch some numbers. Sadly I fond the latest codex to less the stellar compared to the previous one, but we can come up with some thing for you. I have standing ~1800 point berserker and plague marine armies, I can post the listings if you want.

Also, in case you haven't been there, check out http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/ for some painting and army ideas