When is a model painted enough to be played with?

[quietus]

:crazy:

God talk about :driver: in circles ....

Kinda obvious that assembly and painting go hand in hand here ...

Does that mean someone is a terrorist if they don't paint :nod: of course not ...

I didn't read one single person say they are against someone to that extreme. Geez are all these threads this silly? :blowup::blowup:

[MagnustheJust]

A mini is painted enough when you are happy with the results.

Opinions and critiques are all well and good, but the one who painted the mini in question is the one who decides when it is "painted".

Granted most people gp by the GW standard :

minimum 3 colours

no primer showing, barring deeply recessed areas used for shadows

I personally go by what the mini tells me to paint... I look at the primed model, and let my imagination combine with the shape of the sculpt. Then I lot those ideas down so I won't forget them. Those of you who know me, know my mind is a cracked seive ...

After having assembled and primed my Som'er Teeth box, ideas began flooding into my warped & addled little mind almost immediately. I won't share my ideas now, but I will post them once the paint is dull coated...

[v22TTC]

@LDP: I didn't mean you specifically, but more the extremely literal-minded, inflexible tourney organizers (and some gamers), it has been my displeasure to know.

Their rules mean more than experimentation, conversions and sweet creativity... I'm sure you know the type I mean.

But we've all got our standards - I suppose the only one that bothers me is proxying, using another company's minis: I care about the minis companies I support (pretty much just Wyrd and CB now), and to use minis from other companies seems a bit disrespectful to me.

[Warlord Imp]

I have an obsessive need to have my minis painted before I think of playing a game. It just doesn't sit right if I have to play with minis not painted. I have even played with a tank that wasn't even glued. It was held together with lots of rubber bands. After that game, I really didn't feel like playing anymore. That is the plus with Malifaux, a small number of models mean they get painted faster and played sooner.

[MagnustheJust]

I have two major problems with painting my minis...

1) I am grotesquely addicted to plastic & pewter minis!! Malifaux makes game #6!!! (Counting WM & hordes as individual games, that is )

2) I have a 'Brush-for-Hire' business that is really starting to take off. This leaves me with not enough time to paint my figs, eat, slepp, and do all the other sucky reality-related crud that comes up.

But when I do get time, at the risk of sounding more full of it than I truly am, I usually get a compliment or two on the finished product... But after 10 years of miniature painting, one would hope to have some kind of ability and/or aptitude for the brush... Yes/no?

[shink1m]

Over here, we follow a 3-Foot Rule. If you set the model down on the table, take a few steps back and look at your model. If it looks good, then it's passable as a gaming piece for me. And by looking good, I mean you can discern significant details on the model from a passerby POV (and we know how much drawing power playing with painted models does for a wargame hobby ). Discerning a belt buckle is maybe too much but a discernible sword hilt, some gloves or belt pouches in a different color would be fine.

Putting an extra effort to learn highlighting and shading will be a great plus. But it will take you forever to get to play with a fully-painted Crew/army/force if you're taking a masterclass level to it.

[Thoughttrauma]

play when you are ready, not painted

[Thoughttrauma]

any pictures, I would like to see how the wash worked for you.

[thetang22]

I'm a painter first, gamer second. I like the board to look visually appealing when I game. I'm very critical of my own miniatures, but I'm relatively tolerant of others.

If you've got a small enough crew like Malifaux sized games - its not hard to get a little bit of paint on them. I only ask that you don't half-ass it so much that it looks like my 2-year old niece painted it. I don't care how bad some people think they are at painting....its not that hard to make a piece look better than the skill level of a 2-year old.

[Guest Stagecoach]

Like playing at Carnigie Hall, it takes practice, practice, pratice. Do what you think is good...you can always get more figs to practice with.

[LAZtheinfamous]

Well, I guess I'm a bit different. I usually buy a bunch of stuff all at once, and build/convert/whatever first. So I will play with models that are fully painted and some that are just assembled with no paint. I try to get them all up to snuff before a game, but I'm not going to worry too much about it. Most of the people I play with are hardcore dudes when it comes to the game. Most have never touched a paintbrush at all. I lose, and lose big, but my finished models are prettier.

[moparjim]

The group I game with has a 3 color minimum rule, primer not counting lol. We also don't allow much proxy action - it has to be some sort of reasonable representation and a miniature at least. Conversion and substitution are ok, particularly with malifaux since official models aren't made for everything, but no salt shakers for example lol. To us the whole point of a miniatures game versus say a boardgame is the visual appeal. Not much point if the table is full of primed white models and salt shakers...

[Talishko]

Interesting topic.

I suppose I belong to the liberal side of the argument. My old 40k Tau army was speed painted; black primer, scab red armour-panels, brown clothing, little highlighting and the must have red visors of course and that's it. No more then 30-40 minutes / model. I made extra effort on the squad leaders, hq and some vehicles. No one ever complained.

My Confrontation army however is still only primed apart from a few experimental models. I simply couldn't paint them up to a level that I'd be happy with, and yes, they do look better blank white then messed up.

Having said this I find aesthetics very important too and I would prefer to play with fully painted minis on a beautiful table with all official counters and markers and whatnot, but many people (including me) cannot afford spending money/time/energy in all this.

With Malifaux it's much easier of course, there's less minis involved and somehow this range found the happy place between 'dull' and 'unpaintably detailed' so I look forward to having an entire range painted.

[AntiZombie]

i love the painted models but my mindset is as long as you make some gradual progress on your army, no matter how small or long it takes you thats good enough. We dont all have alot of time and most of us have other things we do so just show progress and thats good enough

[Flikfutch87]

I feel this is probably the best thread to ask this: What's a good resource for someone whose previous attempts at painting have been subpar at best? I tried it a couple of years ago, and was so disappointed with my results I haven't tried again for fear of ruining future models.

[darkendlight]

I guess since our group is some what small as of right now we are a little bit more forgiving on the lack of paint. Personally I like to have the models at least started before I field them. Now all of this is for just general play and not tourneys. For tournaments I feel that your models should be painted in at least 3 colors not counting primer or base. And all the models should have something on the base (just sand works). That said I am a OK painter at best. I just don't have the time or talent to be better.

[Iron Man]

we always played with painted minis. Its a waste of making making a veru nice scenic battlefield to play with unpainted minis. Having a full painted game adds buckets to the atmosphere. I havent played malifaux yet, but recent man'o'war and 28mm weird war 2 games, all fully painted, on appropriate tables, really immerse you in the setting.

that being said the quality isnt too important as actually having colour. usually base coats and washes will suffice, although its considered bad luck to not put a bit extra effort into you general, and of course very bad luck to feild only primed miniatures.

Ive always wondered at those who buy very expensive miniatures not to paint them. surely it would be just as easy for those who want to play the games for the game and not as a fully fleshed out 3d miniatures game, to make card stand ups of all the characters.

Like i say me and my friends never use unpainted models. The main reason other than looking good is that it does give you a reason for painting them, as i know i am rare in that i enjoy the painting side of the hobby and buy miniatures just to paint. I wouldnt refuse a game against unpainted miniatures, but i would offer to help painting them.

[Etna's Vassal]

As far as I'm concerned, if the model isn't painted it looks weird on a fully painted and flocked table. To me, if a model isn't painted, it isn't done. Especially in a small skirmish game like this, Song of Blades and Heroes, or Anima: Tactics, there's no reason I shouldn't have my 6-8 minis fully painted.

Now, I'm not going to say that anybody HAS to paint their minis, I just prefer to have everything resplendent in their full colors, marching across a fully decked out- modeled and painted wooden board (I have this thing against mats). Don't get me wrong, do as you will with your toy soldiers. I won't tell you to do otherwise. When it comes to my minis, however, if it ain't painted, it ain't taking the field.

This is part of why I tend toward 15mm "army" games with lower model counts (DBA, HotT),as it's so much easier to finish an army in a weekend or so (Magic Dip rocks, no matter what any body says).

I also don't proxy (as I only tend to buy minis I want to paint), but that's another discussion.

+++Elitist Grognard Out+++