With the rise of prepainted plastic minis, cutouts, pogs, etc. it seems like good old-fashioned putting paint on lead has gone out of style.
We never had much use for miniatures to show positioning but I still like to have a painted miniature of my character at the table for The representation of marching order, and the rare positioning diagram.
Back in the day it seemed like a standard part of the hobby but now I rarely encounter role-playing gamers who also paint their own miniatures. It's almost solely the domain of wargamers at the moment.
Anyone else still painting minis?
Of course I am.
However, what I'm seeing more of is people using pre-painted Reaper minis, or the minis from the Heroscape game rather than paint metal ones themselves. I am guessing with Bones, and the cost being reduced dramatically, we'll see more of it?
*raises hand*
I never did. Just a sea of silver at my table if i use them.
No, though some of my players do.
I just don't have time. And between Precis Intermedia's Disposable Heroes and Arion Games' paper minis lines, I can get paper miniatures printed on cardstock for far cheaper that still look quite nice (and allow me to print out an army when I need one). Mixed with this is a few old pewter minis, some plastic D&D minis, and a couple of plastic "army men" types.
I do, but only for well-proven PCs. Plastic for all else.
I went through a mini painting phase. I created spin off skirmish game based on Mutant Bikers of the Atomic Wasterland which we played to death and during that period I went nuts collecting and painting post-apocalyptic minis.
Britain is good for minis with companies like Copplestone and Hasslefree producing some really expressive and detailed sculptures. My painting skills were never fantastic but even so I ended up with a pretty amazing collection.
Then one day we just stopped playing and as I don't normally use mins with roleplaying games that was that. I still have a bunch of primed figures what have I touched in years. It's a little sad.
I have for specific campaigns over the years, but where I'm living now isn't very conducive to painting/primering.
The last batch of minis I painted up were for Traveller - 15mm, minis from RAFM, Critical Mass, Khurasan.
Very much so.
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zOAS_3cmif4/T4Y1asD3EHI/AAAAAAAABhQ/R0EM6l2WP0o/s320/dwarve03.jpg)
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GNoJGOKBl8Q/T4Y1Z2FMyFI/AAAAAAAABhI/5uNlgXqMsKU/s320/Dwarve08.jpg)
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xmzw68ryKCU/T4Y1KUlMenI/AAAAAAAABhA/cGPdDQvK9oI/s320/Dwarve06.jpg)
I am working through my unpainted miniatures methodically some of which been unpainted for 30+ years. Did all my orcs, all my dwarves, all my gnomes, and now working on some halflings. Along with select Reapers to get a feel on how to paint them.
I have a great many "RPG" minis, about as many as I have "wargame" minis.
Like estar I have a ton of minis to work thru and paint. Likewise I have tons of plastic prepaints to use. Monsters, etc., I don't really care about but really memorable villians and NPCs and characters I like to have a nice mini I've painted up.
I used to up till about four years ago. At that time I got more into making paper minis for all the bad guys, and then for all the good guys as well. It is just easier to get something out quick that works.
(http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa330/Chugosh/3freydises.jpg)
I'm more of a miniatures gamer, so for RPGs I go through my trays of painted figures and pick a suitable one.
On the other hand, I'm sick of 25/30mm figures. They're too large, take up too much space, and take too long to paint. About a year and a half ago, I switched back to 15mm scale. In that time, I duplicated and exceeded what I had painted in larger scales, plus built terrain, etc. At a tiny fraction of the cost.
They're much more detailed than they were, say, in the 1980's.
(http://duchesscamillashorse.servegame.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/4xLAV25_Low-500x375.jpg)
Been doing so for 25 years.
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I've been collecting and painting miniatures longer than I've been playing games. We used lots of metal figures in our High School games but nowadays mine only see use in wargames.
Our Saturday group use a mix of D&D prepaints and the old SJG Cardboard Heroes... but I won't trust my fragile figures around those thugs.
Quote from: Exploderwizard;678592Been doing so for 25 years.
It shows, that's really fine work, and there's great stuff in the thread so far. The highlights on the ape are especially nice. I wish I had the time to buy and paint minis, but I don't even use a system which supports them really so it would be pointless.
Sorry about the focus, but these are some of my favorites
(http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g141/rajzwaibel/HPIM1032_zps6f79a585.jpg)
I forgot I have a good photo showing all my miniatures at once.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lwKVgxVE-Cc/UXnCbGkUD6I/AAAAAAAAIL4/mDNw-4PFJ8k/s320/Session_02.jpg) (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lwKVgxVE-Cc/UXnCbGkUD6I/AAAAAAAAIL4/mDNw-4PFJ8k/s1600/Session_02.jpg)
That me bending over the table in the blue shirt and white beard.
And lord help me I dabble in Hirst Arts now (http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2012/07/making-my-own-stuff-with-hirst.html).
Never used minis with RPGs; just don't like the bird's eye view during a game, and generally speaking my groups tend to play spread across couches and chairs in the den/ basement/living room rather than at a kitchen table. But I do play wargames, I just consider that a separate but related hobby.
I used to order the Ral Partha catalogues religiously though, even of it ended up being little more than Imagination Porn.
Quote from: Sacrosanct;678599Sorry about the focus, but these are some of my favorites
(http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g141/rajzwaibel/HPIM1032_zps6f79a585.jpg)
Very nice!
I do, actually one of my grand unfinished projects is a range of 1/32 fantasy figures I'm sculpting. Yes, I want to sculpt figures of the characters. Why 1/32? Well, I like it I guess. =][=nquisitor got me hooked and GURPS has always run at 1/35 for the ground scale. It always struck we as weird that they'd expand the ground scale rather than compressing it.
I got into it years ago and actually became half decent. Not great by any stretch, but good enough that my minis looked pretty on the table. The problem was that looks and practicality didn't work well together. If I wanted a display piece, I'd go for a painted mini but for a piece that I use at the table? Plastic all the way.
I have about 1,000 plastic minis and use them in almost every game I participate in.
I'll also note I hate the pre-painted plastic minis/ Heroclix/ etc, they just look cheap and awful to me. I appreciate that some people don't have the time, money, or talent to paint themselves, and I don't begrudge anyone that choice in the least, but painted minis just have so much more... Substance.
I never had any painting skill so I love pre-painted plastics (aka MageKnight) and printed cardstock. But painted minis are usually quite affordable on eBay. I can get good painted minis for the price of an unpainted mini from the store. Great paintjobs of course cost more.
Quote from: TristramEvans;678643I'll also note I hate the pre-painted plastic minis/ Heroclix/ etc, they just look cheap and awful to me.
I prefer substance over style.
Quote from: TristramEvans;678643I'll also note I hate the pre-painted plastic minis/ Heroclix/ etc, they just look cheap and awful to me. I appreciate that some people don't have the time, money, or talent to paint themselves, and I don't begrudge anyone that choice in the least, but painted minis just have so much more... Substance.
You can make them look much better with very little effort by applying a mixture of Future floor polish, sepia ink and water to them. It will give shading to the questionable paint job and enhance a lot of the detail, so they won't look nearly so awful.
If you google for "Magic Wash" and "the dip" or "dipping miniatures", you'll come across quite a few tutorials.
You can also use a stain called Minwax (which is "the dip") to achieve largely the same effect.
Finishing off a base also adds a lot to a questionably painted miniature. Some rocks and static grass take away from the dubious nature of a prepaint.
I was too poor as a kid, so had to decide between books, dice, or minis. Books typically won.
Recently I have been getting good use out of Paizo's pawns. They're cardstock minis with a standardized format. I really liked ordering their booster box for RotRL when I ran it. I grabbed their NPC codex recently as well.
The one thing I wish I had was a way to roll my own. Working on that still...
Quote from: Kashirigi;678876You can make them look much better with very little effort by applying a mixture of Future floor polish, sepia ink and water to them. It will give shading to the questionable paint job and enhance a lot of the detail, so they won't look nearly so awful.
If you google for "Magic Wash" and "the dip" or "dipping miniatures", you'll come across quite a few tutorials.
You can also use a stain called Minwax (which is "the dip") to achieve largely the same effect.
Just buy the Games Workshop washes, they do the same thing straight out of the pot. A GW wash over a light base coat rarely fails to look great IME.
When I GMed AD&D 2e last time, I painted a bunch of miniatures - rats, ogres, goblins, wizards, skeletons, and a zombie - for the adventure.
I use Army Painter Quickshades, which are the same as the GW washes but half the price. More importantly though, GW discontinued their most useful wash, Devlan Mud, the best replacement for which I've found is AP's 'Strong Tone'
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Uqi5m2IjLkA/T8JT8nz5NoI/AAAAAAAAR5A/IHRAaZ5tw9g/s800/gw%2520wash%2520and%2520army%2520painter%2520ink%2520comparison.jpg)
Of course, once I paint mini myself, even if it's just a cleanup, I'd no longer really consider it a pre- painted mini.
I really like Citadel washes/shades. Seraphim Sepia (browns and flesh) and Nuln Oil (blacks, blues, and greens) are two of my favorites.
I used to paint minis. I'm good at it. Painting armies means I've come to despise it and I haven't painted one for years.
Now I make card stand ups for roleplaying, assuming I want to use minis. For most of our AD&D combats we don't use minis.
My SO and I love painting minis and used to have mini-painting parties with a few friends, but we've kinda gotten out of the habit since we moved farther away a couple of years ago. Our stuff's still in boxes. :-(
We're house-hunting again, though, and one of the goals is to find a house with a place where we can set up the RPG geek equivalent of a model trains room.
@estar, I bought some of those Hirst Arts molds back when I was still regularly painting but never got around to building them. It looks like a helluva lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to making some buildings and ruins.
GW anything is way overpriced and their containers are designed to dry up quickly. :mad:
For washes/shades I go the economy route.
1) I get a tube of professional grade artists acrylic paint.
2) A container of matte medium.
3) A jug of distilled water.
4) Some storage jars.
My favorite go-to colors for shades are burnt umber for a rich brown color and paynes grey for a dark cool color.
Mix a solution of about 75/25 water and matte medium. Add a few glops of paint from the tube and stir in. Shake well to mix.
You can expand to get other colors but just those two will go a long way. I use the paynes grey to shade blues, greys, cool greens, and steel metallic armor. The burnt umber is great for tans, browns, reds, and warm greens, and gold/bronze metallics.
For a lighter touch just add more water for a particular application.
I have Reaper paints that are years old. I have some older GW paints in the snap-cap jars that are in good shape - these specifically:
Our cheapie water-based paints from Michaels have lasted pretty well. I've particularly enjoyed using some of their metallics.
It's been so long since we've painted that we may have to finally replace some of them, which will mean a trip to the craft store. Oh noes! ;-)
Quote from: thedungeondelver;679002I have Reaper paints that are years old. I have some older GW paints in the snap-cap jars that are in good shape - these specifically:
I have some of those same paints. Actually, the majority of my points were the official AD&D pots (https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYQyJxBovhKSBp6cd0PqU0vJs2MecnOhVGFkuSIaoslMxmBX8q) that I've had for almost 20 years. Just add a bit of water every now and then and they keep up.
I will say I do not like the Citadel paint pots though. The flip lids are horrible because they either a) don't stay open, or b) constantly want to drop paint off the lip, which wastes it
Quote from: thedungeondelver;679002I have Reaper paints that are years old. I have some older GW paints in the snap-cap jars that are in good shape - these specifically:
Bah! What you have there are CITADEL paint pots. Those things last forever.
Coat d Armes still sells those paints in those kind of pots.
Quote from: Exploderwizard;679017Bah! What you have there are CITADEL paint pots. Those things last forever.
Coat d Armes still sells those paints in those kind of pots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cDGn8SxoJk
Good video right there telling the history. I can't believe these pots I have (from Citadel) date back to the 90s and are still good. The colors are nice too, so coupled with a color matching chart (specifically this one : http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint_Range_Compatibility_Chart ), if you prefer the Coat d'Armes you're GTG I reckon.
Quote from: estar;678606I forgot I have a good photo showing all my miniatures at once.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lwKVgxVE-Cc/UXnCbGkUD6I/AAAAAAAAIL4/mDNw-4PFJ8k/s320/Session_02.jpg) (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lwKVgxVE-Cc/UXnCbGkUD6I/AAAAAAAAIL4/mDNw-4PFJ8k/s1600/Session_02.jpg)
That me bending over the table in the blue shirt and white beard.
And lord help me I dabble in Hirst Arts now (http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2012/07/making-my-own-stuff-with-hirst.html).
One of these days I'm really going to break and make my own stuff with Hirst Arts, I expect. May God have mercy on my soul. ;)
Speaking for myself, I can't do HA. I've tried, I really have. But I just don't have the time patience or energy...
Quote from: Benoist;679054One of these days I'm really going to break and make my own stuff with Hirst Arts, I expect. May God have mercy on my soul. ;)
OMG how did I know not about this site (http://www.hirstarts.com/) before!
Benoist, you have just made me spend more money dammit! :)
I *love* the Hirst Arts stuff. I just need a place to actually display the buildings once I construct them. I'd hate to hide something that cool in a closet or storage box.
Quote from: Exploderwizard;678995GW anything is way overpriced and their containers are designed to dry up quickly. :mad:
For washes/shades I go the economy route.
1) I get a tube of professional grade artists acrylic paint.
2) A container of matte medium.
3) A jug of distilled water.
4) Some storage jars.
My favorite go-to colors for shades are burnt umber for a rich brown color and paynes grey for a dark cool color.
Mix a solution of about 75/25 water and matte medium. Add a few glops of paint from the tube and stir in. Shake well to mix.
You can expand to get other colors but just those two will go a long way. I use the paynes grey to shade blues, greys, cool greens, and steel metallic armor. The burnt umber is great for tans, browns, reds, and warm greens, and gold/bronze metallics.
For a lighter touch just add more water for a particular application.
You need to add the Future floor polish in there because it acts as a wetting agent and so eliminates the tide marks from drying. As a bonus, it's an acrylic medium, so you don't need matte medium.
Instead of paints, I find acrylic inks are good for washes.
For actual painting, though, you can't beat artist's acrylics. If you know how to mix your own colours (and it's not hard to learn) model paints get tossed in the dustbin like they so richly deserve.
Note: artist's acrylics <> cheapass craft paints.
My fantasy figs have all been painted for the most part, got a couple bones figs when I piggybacked on a friend. I dislike the quality of the plastic, way, way to flimsy for my tastes.
But we were supposed to be playing some FFG Deathwatch or whatever the marine one is called. So I painted up this fella
(http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_2822/gallery_25045_2822_159759.jpg)
And staying true to form(of that group) they planned and planned and delayed finally to switched over to PF Kingmaker
Quote from: Kashirigi;679227You need to add the Future floor polish in there because it acts as a wetting agent and so eliminates the tide marks from drying. As a bonus, it's an acrylic medium, so you don't need matte medium.
Instead of paints, I find acrylic inks are good for washes.
For actual painting, though, you can't beat artist's acrylics. If you know how to mix your own colours (and it's not hard to learn) model paints get tossed in the dustbin like they so richly deserve.
Note: artist's acrylics <> cheapass craft paints.
I used the floor polish for a while. I have had better results with W&N flow improver.
I love inks for certain applications but have moved away from them for general washing. They tend to dry to shiny for more matte applications.
Quote from: Exploderwizard;679296I used the floor polish for a while. I have had better results with W&N flow improver.
I love inks for certain applications but have moved away from them for general washing. They tend to dry to shiny for more matte applications.
Use Reaper sealer; it's semi-gloss so will tone down ink glossyness but leave pure metallics shiny.
Quote from: Sommerjon;679270But we were supposed to be playing some FFG Deathwatch or whatever the marine one is called. So I painted up this fella
Nicely done!
Here is a building I constructed as a Christmas gift for my sister.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iUcVeVJS68E/UM-96UoU3SI/AAAAAAAAEKU/PHtMgww1WBw/s320/RSC+003.JPG)
A Link to the blog post with other pictures. (http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2012/12/making-christmas-gifts-out-of-hirst.html)
My friend Dwayne go into it a little more than me (http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2013/05/some-excellent-memorial-day-gaming-at.html).
His stuff was pretty amazing.
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0BOiM7ZM6SE/UaQMVeEa_AI/AAAAAAAAIYM/xxJxUr0LziQ/s320/RSC+046.JPG)
Speaking of minis and so forth here's a weird-but-fun fact. The original Battledroids Sci-Fi game that preceded Battletech had little brackets formed into the mini's casting so when you lost weapon, arm, or leg you took it off the model and continued on...!
All the time, RPGs, Wargames and just for the heck of it
Quote from: Sacrosanct;679127OMG how did I know not about this site (http://www.hirstarts.com/) before!
Benoist, you have just made me spend more money dammit! :)
its easy to do... I have these so far... 40, 45, 54, 55, 56, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 80, 84, 85, 201, 203, 205, 235, 250, 260, 281, 282 (I may be missing one or two)
I have a big set of Dwarven Forge (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dwarvenforge/dwarven-forges-game-tiles-revolutionary-miniature) terrain in my future, along with a bunch of HS accessories from Itar's Workshop (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/554948184/itars-workshop-dungeon-terrain).
I've never painted terrain of any kind, and it's been decades since I painted any minis (and I was never good at it). Anyone have pointers for painting this terrain?
Quote from: NYTFLYR;679505its easy to do... I have these so far... 40, 45, 54, 55, 56, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 80, 84, 85, 201, 203, 205, 235, 250, 260, 281, 282 (I may be missing one or two)
*envious*
The fieldstone molds look particularly interesting. In our last F2F game, the friend who was GMing had dungeon tiles, doors, and walls made from some of those pieces.
Yep, first I need to move to a different house, and second we need to set up an area for terrain. I could construct and paint stuff here, but there'd be no place to actually display it.
Do you have pics of any of your projects?
Yeah, I have a garage with a bunch of tools, so I have no idea why I've been paying for all this stuff when it's super easy to make my own mini bases, and stuff like the castle molds.
Time to get started...
I love making terrain.
(https://sphotos-b-pao.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/420100_10151030714042746_719202124_n.jpg)
Yes. But I really need to finish up the Roman armies so I can start on the Pirates.
Yesterday's action though featured a homebrew Halo Wars tabletop mashup game. The boy had trouble with building the Warthog, so I gave him a hand with that, and then we setup a battleground on the living room coffee table.
[cue static and radio noise squelch]
UNSC Command
"Spartan Team One, Report!"
Masterchief
"We have encountered a Covenant Scouting Team that will locate our colony. We are engaging!"
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t90/awi1777/HALOWARSI_zps12a32f0f.jpg) (http://s158.photobucket.com/user/awi1777/media/HALOWARSI_zps12a32f0f.jpg.html)
I have a small fortune in minis. I haven't really painted them since I moved to Tennessee from Iowa (4 years ago). Partly it was because of small children (I have a 2 year old and a six year old) so even though I have plenty of space now, I'd still have to get everything set up. Oh, and time. What I really ought to do is paint during my weekly game.
Especially since I have a Vampire Bones kickstarter with a couple hundred in add-ons.... I have a lot of painting I'd like to do.
I don't, and never have.
Like I said, its a whole other hobby within the hobby; sometimes really impressive, but not my thing.