How to Paint Robotech Tactics
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 12:55 pm
Congratulations if your reading this your actually thinking about painting your miniatures. This makes you part of a very select group if you didn't know it. Statistically most gamers never even try to paint their armies. Whats worse many more never even finish. But your not going to be one of them are you? No! Not you, so lets get to painting.
Before we dive into an overly long conversation about products and techniques lets take a step back and look at the big picture for a moment. Right now your imagination is running wild. How do I know this? Because your wanting to play a non-video game. A.K.A a game that is not pre-packaged Imagination. So I know you have one, and if your like me you have visions of perfectly painted legions marching across the table towards your whimpering opponent.
Well hold that dream close because we need to face reality. And reality is that painting any miniature to the vision you see in your head is a tremendous amount of work. And if were being honest with ourselves we know we just don't have that much free time or interest. So what level of detail can we achieve and still finish the army? Let me offer you four levels of completion.
Level 1: Clean Base Coat and Liner
Level 2: Level 1 + highlighting and shadowing + decals
Level 3: Level 2 + 2 additional layers of shading and highlighting + Decals
Level 4: Perfection
The most important thing about miniature painting for a uniformed force is keeping it uniform! If you decide that level 2 is the best you can do for 40+ models then you need to stick to level 2 across all the miniatures. You use the same colors the same style and so forth until the entire project is done. Ideally these miniatures should all be painted around the same time to keep the project as consistent as possible. Make sense?
Being a Painting Factory
But I have so much stuff!! Well break it down into manageable lots. Lets start with 12 Regult Battle Pods. There all going to be identical in color if not poses. Line them up on your table and pick your first color. Paint that color on all of them on the same places. Be consistent, be uniform. Pick your next color, do the same with it. Then your next, your next, your next. congratulations you have finished 12 Battle pods. This is how your going to paint large numbers of units.
Don't be Heroic!
Ah your looking at that officer unit aren't you? He's got to be special right? Sure he's got the same mecha but you and I know he needs to look more important. STOP!! Don't do it! Lay down the paint brush, and set that miniature aside in a special place. You see you were about to make a huge mistake. You were about to spend three times the effort you put into your regular pieces on just one miniature. But that would have been a mistake. Why? because when you got done you would be worn out that's why. Putting that much effort into a single miniature when you have an entire force still to paint is very discouraging. I know I have been there many times. So save yourself some grief and do it last. Then when all the rank and file are done you can pour all your creative fervor into that one guy and elevate him to painting perfection. Then exhausted from your labor you can proudly set him at the heard of a force you can be proud of!
That's it.
Wasn't that simple? You picked a level to paint at. then you lined up all the units that were going to be painted the same. Last you worked on your unique, special units that you decided to go wild on. Man this painting thing is easy! Whats wrong? Why do you look so confused?? WHAT!?! You want MORE details? What do you mean whats a basecoat?!?! *sighs*
Ok, I guess were going to have to go into some more depth and a good deal more information. Well keep everything I have said so far in mind. Don't forget any of it. Always keep the big picture clearly in your mind while working on a long project like this. Yes I said long. This is going to take time, but you CAN DO THIS. And you will. But here is the pay off. Your going to have a lovely army. A uniformed force that even if the individual units don't look like the vision in your head over all on the table its going to be fantastic!
Before we dive into an overly long conversation about products and techniques lets take a step back and look at the big picture for a moment. Right now your imagination is running wild. How do I know this? Because your wanting to play a non-video game. A.K.A a game that is not pre-packaged Imagination. So I know you have one, and if your like me you have visions of perfectly painted legions marching across the table towards your whimpering opponent.
Well hold that dream close because we need to face reality. And reality is that painting any miniature to the vision you see in your head is a tremendous amount of work. And if were being honest with ourselves we know we just don't have that much free time or interest. So what level of detail can we achieve and still finish the army? Let me offer you four levels of completion.
Level 1: Clean Base Coat and Liner
Level 2: Level 1 + highlighting and shadowing + decals
Level 3: Level 2 + 2 additional layers of shading and highlighting + Decals
Level 4: Perfection
The most important thing about miniature painting for a uniformed force is keeping it uniform! If you decide that level 2 is the best you can do for 40+ models then you need to stick to level 2 across all the miniatures. You use the same colors the same style and so forth until the entire project is done. Ideally these miniatures should all be painted around the same time to keep the project as consistent as possible. Make sense?
Being a Painting Factory
But I have so much stuff!! Well break it down into manageable lots. Lets start with 12 Regult Battle Pods. There all going to be identical in color if not poses. Line them up on your table and pick your first color. Paint that color on all of them on the same places. Be consistent, be uniform. Pick your next color, do the same with it. Then your next, your next, your next. congratulations you have finished 12 Battle pods. This is how your going to paint large numbers of units.
Don't be Heroic!
Ah your looking at that officer unit aren't you? He's got to be special right? Sure he's got the same mecha but you and I know he needs to look more important. STOP!! Don't do it! Lay down the paint brush, and set that miniature aside in a special place. You see you were about to make a huge mistake. You were about to spend three times the effort you put into your regular pieces on just one miniature. But that would have been a mistake. Why? because when you got done you would be worn out that's why. Putting that much effort into a single miniature when you have an entire force still to paint is very discouraging. I know I have been there many times. So save yourself some grief and do it last. Then when all the rank and file are done you can pour all your creative fervor into that one guy and elevate him to painting perfection. Then exhausted from your labor you can proudly set him at the heard of a force you can be proud of!
That's it.
Wasn't that simple? You picked a level to paint at. then you lined up all the units that were going to be painted the same. Last you worked on your unique, special units that you decided to go wild on. Man this painting thing is easy! Whats wrong? Why do you look so confused?? WHAT!?! You want MORE details? What do you mean whats a basecoat?!?! *sighs*
Ok, I guess were going to have to go into some more depth and a good deal more information. Well keep everything I have said so far in mind. Don't forget any of it. Always keep the big picture clearly in your mind while working on a long project like this. Yes I said long. This is going to take time, but you CAN DO THIS. And you will. But here is the pay off. Your going to have a lovely army. A uniformed force that even if the individual units don't look like the vision in your head over all on the table its going to be fantastic!