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Just wondering how most people do this, which is easier to do?, which is quicker?, which is smarter?

Buying all at one time is a bad idea unless you're really good at organising your painting. Better to buy a few at a time as you finish painting, makes it easier to work on the models you already have.

Unless you get a really, really good deal on a large number of models then I would buy a small core army, five hundred points or so, and add a unit or two as each of those is completed and played. That way you can get a feel what is missing from the army and give yourself a chance to paint them to a good standard.

Kronus VI wrote:Just wondering how most people do this, which is easier to do?, which is quicker?, which is smarter?

Easier is to buy a little at a time. Smarter (financially) is the big bulk purchase or
something online. I hardly ever finish armies that I've bought this way.

I typically buy a ton of stuff all at once, getting as much of a discount as I can. I then assemble everything, and then work through painting it.

Having it all assembled makes it easy to decide what to paint next, because each week you can say, I want to use this unit next game, and then work on that unit during the week.

And, of course, no army is every really finished, so I'll buy more stuff as it comes out, or as it seems like a good idea, or, really, just because.

I have tried buy as I go along and buy all at once. Buy all at once never ends well.

I personally buy bulk. Just because. I don't really have time to do a lot of painting (1 gaunt last night). If I bought 1 unit and waited until it was painted it would take me well over a year to amass a 2k army. So I have a mass of stuff (over 200 models) and 7 painted.

When I see a good deal (eg exchange rate to another country just gets insanely good), I buy up lots of stuff at once (perhaps 1000 points worth). I find I have these glued and painted before I see anything else to buy, so this tends to work well for me. I generally pick things up for half (or better!) the cost I would pay if I bought individual items locally, so I would never consider doing it any other way.

I buy armies all at once so I know I have everything there. I also assemble all at once, and then later down the road paint it all.

I tend to wait, buy all at once, and then play games with it. Firstly, this is because I like gaming more than painting. Secondly, nothing gets me painting faster than looking at all that embarassing bare plastic on the table. Then again, I never really make impulse buys. I tend to scour forums of whatever army I am looking to make purchases for and see what the scuttlebutt is on the models that I like, see what kinds of lists people are making at the competitive and casual level, then buy in and get going.

I finished my entire 2500 marine army in 2 weeks, then haven't painted anything since then. It's just how I work.

Redbeard wrote:I typically buy a ton of stuff all at once, getting as much of a discount as I can. I then assemble everything, and then work through painting it.

Having it all assembled makes it easy to decide what to paint next, because each week you can say, I want to use this unit next game, and then work on that unit during the week.

And, of course, no army is every really finished, so I'll buy more stuff as it comes out, or as it seems like a good idea, or, really, just because.

I'm with stupid.

Well, as a guy currently trying to reduce the size of my 'To Paint' Box and someone who plays a horde army to boot, I've gone through it a bit.

Take my advice and go with a model or a box at a time and go from there. Once you've painted a box or unit, then get another. Otherwise, you wind up with a bunch of models sitting in a box, doing nothing.

I (normally) work out a tournament army and start buying it several months out and either assemble and then paint the lot in 1 go (if I have holidays) or buy, assemble, paint individual units as I go.

The advantage of the second is that if you decide to modify your army part way through you would likely not have bought the full unit yet.

FWIW: I'm going to work in a small town for 3 weeks and am taking:
116 Night Goblins
Skarsnik
6 orks
6 fanatics
3 goblin spider riders
5 tactical marines
5 assault marines
5 nurgle daemons.
I'm aiming to have the lot painted in the 3 weeks.

MrGiggles wrote:Well, as a guy currently trying to reduce the size of my 'To Paint' Box and someone who plays a horde army to boot, I've gone through it a bit.

Take my advice and go with a model or a box at a time and go from there. Once you've painted a box or unit, then get another. Otherwise, you wind up with a bunch of models sitting in a box, doing nothing.

This is so true for me,in general I will buy "everything" I belive I will need for a particular army (plus a few extra " I'll probly need some bitz from here." kitz).
After all my purchases are made I will literly go on a mad kit bashing/modeling frenzy,assembling every concieviable unit I want,plus variations (ie: 3 Warboss alternitives),then,procrastinate about painting them...I have more semi painted minis then I even care to think about,in fact I should probly be painting even as I type this.
In retrospect I would do much better with buy/paint single units/minis..but alas I don't know if I can sway my compulsions.

When I first started I would impulse buy units as they were availible to me. This has not been benificial to my tau however I am just 4 models away from finishing them after 4 years...still have 3 units to paint.

My 2nd army was DA, its a small list I started as I was getting tired of Tau and wanted something else to paint. Army still isn't painted or even a full list, just a few squads now...

My current progect is my ork army. I have a premade list that I have proxied a few times so I know it works (for now). I have randomly got models for the army I don't need (like grots) because well I wanted them.

As to your orginal question I find that buying a core army (HQ, Troops, about 500-1000 points worth) is what I will do to start an army (if there is no discount). Then from there as I finish painting things I get more of my units. Just works better for me; but to each his own (I have a friend who got his entire eldar army in 1 spending spree, all 2000+ points of it, he's been slowly painting it since).

Hi there! I buy units mostly as I paint them, 'cause I can't afford to buy them faster, lol! But with the coming price increase maybe you will want to buy a good chunk of your army now? It kind of depends if you will want a lot of surplus models to swap into different army lists or take to an Apocalypse. If you do, get them all at one time. If you just want a minimal strike force, buy them as you paint and game? Just my two cents worth

Frankie

I go for a specific "look", so I prefer buying all at once, before building. And similarly, build before painting.

Then I can do mass conversion, unit-specific bitz, bulk customization, etc. So things go faster during assembly.

I don't like doing retrofits afterwards - that's a royal PITA after the fact.

The unit-by-unit thing happens once I settle on an army to work on.

Ive found buying in bulk can leave you with lots of black troops for a long time, with my ultramar pdf im going to do theyl be bought in squads, painted and then more bought.

I buy all the models in a go (I tend to lean towards theme armies rather than dead hard litsts) then paint them instead of studying for exams... It hurts my marks but its more enjoyable then cleaning my room!

I buy mine in batches, it means the amount i have to paint slowly rises as i'm not completing everything before getting the next lot but i like the options of painting normal marines, or a tank etc, and hopping from one to another.

Because i tend to buy 2nd hand whenever i can, i usually paint when i get new units- tides me over til another deal comes up

How does unit by unit work? Its hard to find a game to play till you have the minimum amount of points required isnt it?

Easy, fast, and smart seems to be a "pick any two" situation.

Smartest answer is buy what you want - since it has to match your play style, and it allows you to paint as you go.
Fastest is to buy an army in a single large purchase with all the geegaws and doodads.
Easiest is to get someone Else's army. Regrettably you then have to accept all the choices made and either fill out what you don't have (and possibly paint a lot) or suck up the weaknesses and learn to work around them. I don't know a gamer who can resist buying new stuff.

As for Unit by Unit, the army boxes that seem to be everywhere start out with enough to play - even AoBR is enough to play. You just might have to play less than 1k points.

LunaHound wrote:
How does unit by unit work? Its hard to find a game to play till you have the minimum amount of points required isnt it?

Some of us don't play very often.

That, and we play games like Warmachine where it's easy to field a force.

Also, once I get to a certain point in my armies, it gets a lot easier.

I buy in whatever the most cost effective method is. For my tryanids it was easier to buy 6 battleforces than to buy it all individually.

Robineng wrote:Buying all at one time is a bad idea unless you're really good at organising your painting. Better to buy a few at a time as you finish painting, makes it easier to work on the models you already have.

Bah! You can paint Orks and Tyranids in batches of 100

i tended to buy around 1000pts of playable figs initially. i'd assemble them and play smaller games (or team games) until i was done painting them. then i'd add a unit or two and repeat...

I'll buy job lots from ebay and form them into individual squads afterwards...

I think it depends on how you operate. I have done all of the above, and for me buying more as I finish painting is the best way to go, it motivates me to get things done. Although I will say there is something about looking out at a fully assembled, base coated force that you have to paint that is both exciting and daunting.

Also, if you paint squads before you buy more, your final army will vary more in appearance, unit to unit, that if you buy them all at once and paint them, because you tend to spend more time finishing them (time on the calendar not time invested into the models).