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When you get a new and shiny army, how do you put it together? Just slap them together with super glue? Or pain stakingly show days of attention to each mini?

Here is what I do (quick step-to-step guide):
1. wash the sprues
2. remove parts from sprues with xacto knife
3. remove flashing with xacto knife and/or file
4. gather each troops parts together so I know there pose
5. carefully assemble each one at a time
6. prime the mini from several directions so no plastic is showing
7. matte seal the primed mini so the primer isn't scratched off
8. paint the mini with several colors & inks (this step has a dozen more steps involved)
9. multiple flock (dirt & grass & debris) the bases (because a single flock of just palin old grass wont do)
10. matte seal the mini

What else do you do to it?
Add names to bases?
Add magnets to make multiple weapons choices?
Convert extensively?

Pretty similar:

1. Wash (if it is resin or the plastic is noticeably greasy)
2. Remove from sprues
3. Trim mould lines and flash, sculpt and filling or fixes that need doing with greenstuff
4. Stick each model together trying to make each pose slightly different if using a poseable unit
5. if resin, give a light dusting of matt varnish
6. add sand (or pumice) to the base and do a wash of PVA+water to seal it
7. prime the models with spray (black or white)
8. airbrush the models with the majority colour if there is one
9. paint the models (inks, paints, whatever). Paint the base at the most convenient point during the painting process, normally after feet get their base coat but before feet get their highlight.
10. apply decals if applicable
11. add a bit of paint on top of decals to blend them in and make them look dirtier
12. put in display cabinet

I usually croon and swoon over the sprues first, taking it all in and imagining what can be done with them. After that, pretty much the same route.

Well ... since the majority of my armies are given to me , i usually didnt have their codices

So aside from the obvious scrubbing , the next biggest issue for me is figuring out what on earth am i gluing .

So i often end up with bits attached on random places that dont belong there , even though they look esthetically pleasing / correct.

i put the new stuff under my pillow and sleep with it , hope that a good paint and conversion idea soaks through.

I don't bother washing plastic sprues.
I do conversion as convenient.
I wash the assembled models before priming.
I put putty, sand and grit on the bases before priming.
I generally prime grey.
Spray with most important colour.
Paint as normal.
Decals.
If decalled, light acrylic varnish over them, also over any non-acrylic metallic paints used.
Spray gloss varnish.
Finish with matt or satin.
If required, pick out jewels, eyes etc with gloss.

1. Check the sprues and bitz.
2. Gripe about how much they cost.
3. Realize that the inherent prettiness and killiness of the stuff is worth it, at least to me since I get to make it killy.
4. Desprue the bitz I need.
5. Prep the bitz (remove mold lines, tabs, drill out gun barrels and do any conversion work.
6. Start painting. I've actually had good luck using Citadel Foundations essentially as primer on everything except resin.
7. Base coat.
8. Dry brush as needed.
9. Touch up the parts that have caught dry brush overages.
10. Highlight and shade obvious areas.
11. Detail most of the small stuff.
12. Ink or wash as required.
13. Assemble.
14. Touch up the glued spots.
15. Final highlight and detail.
16. Do up the base.
17. Photo.
18. Add to my gallery.
19. Seal
20. Marvel at my own magnificence.

Then there's usually the 'take a look at the stuff on here and realize that I'm nowhere near as good as a lot of the painters on these boards' followed by looking at some of the first stuff I painted and realizing that I've gotten much better than I used to be.

I find some cool fluff (or make my own) to get me exsited and then i thinki of conversion other than that i follow your process.

It has been a loooong time since I assembled and painted a full, new army. However, in theory, this is how I would do it:

1. Desprue, prep, and assemble.
2. Metal minis get washed, plastic minis get brushed to remove dust.
3. Base.
4. Prime.
5. Paint base.
6. Paint mini.
7. Finish basing with static grass and paint edge of base.
8. Spay with Testors Dull Cote.
9. Admire my work.

1. Find what looks cool
2. Implement what is cool
3. Assemble
4. Paint
5. Play

cool

1."desprue" as it has been elegantly put
2.Seperate bits into piles i.e: Arms, heads
3.Assemble for maximum coolness
4.Before painting each model (sometimes months after assembly, orks are time consuming) I look at the bits and such that I have and try to find ways to make them more unique. This sometimes involves cutting previously glued bits.
5.After modifications, basecoat, undercoat skin, Detail
6.Get destroyed by my brothers identical B/W Nids.

(Once my whole army is painted I'm going to go back and do some washes where appropriate)

Mine is quite long winded:
1) Decide which army I want to play next (can take months)
2) Buy model that I think is coolest.
3) Choose funkiest way of assembling said models
4) Switch to completely different army and buy codex and start-up army.
5) Assemble one unit, paint models individually. (can take months)
6) keep painting models even when I have long ago reached the "This isn't fun" stage.
7) Give up warhammer for 1-3 months.
8) Restart warhammer immediately after birthday or other large influx of money.
9) Repeat.

it depends on which army im doing. i have 2 main 40k armies, orks and deathguard. i have a few different steps i take depedning on the models:

easily built models that wont piss me off:

1. clip
2. clean lines
3. assemble
3.5. convert on the way
4. prime
5. paint

models that i have no urge to build but i want in my army:

same as above, but replace number one with : pay a local shop worker to build them for me.

my second deathguard force will be a showcase army, so i will prolly wash the FW parts, ive nevr had a problem with plastic parts as far as mold release or anything.

1. Wash
2. Remove mold lines
3. remove pieces for however many models I am building/painting at this time
4. Basecoat with foundations paint
5. Paint model one color at a time (including highlights)
6. Assemble model
7. Touch-up model
8. Paint detail/freehand work
9. Wash
10. Attach to base
11. Add sand and grass and paint base
12. Shove model under the nose of every friend who appreciates Warhammer

Right now, I'm working on converting and painting a soulgrinder so there are many extra steps, mostly involving copious amounts of green stuff.

This is an AWESOME topic.

Plastic Models:
1. Snip sprues
2. Group together pieces
3. clean off excess plasitc from sprues
4. Glue
5. Prime
6. Paint
7. Base (I have yet to base a plastic model actually)

Metal models
1. Snip sprues (or whatever you call it for metal pieces held together by more metal)
2. Group together pieces
3. Rinse off pieces and let dry for like a day.
4. Glue
5. Prime
6. Paint
7. Base

For the metal models, I have some pinning and green stuff filling that I do around the 'glue' part. For both metal and plastic models I should probably consider some kind of seal.

How i've started my SoB army:

1. Buy codex, make up an army list.
2. Apply to bank for overdraught in order to afford an all-metal army.
3. Wash miniatures overnight.
4. Assemble everything.
5. Buy three packs of GS in order to fill in the gaps on the Exorcists.
6. Drill out gun barrels and perform minor conversions
7. Spray prime everything.
8. Paint one model from each unit to get a feel for how each will be distinct, yet keep within the armies theme.
9. Paint and base in 500pt blocks to be able to get a game asap.
10. Admire large arm muscles developed by toting 50lbs of dense metal alloy into town every other day.

I usually rip the packaging off and take a good look. Then I put in in a box with lots of other unbuilt kits and mostly forget about it.

Noticed something curious on most posters, you guys wash sprues before cleaning mouldlines and converting... I do the oposite... first take of mouldlines and conver then wash. that's because my fingers, knife etc do release dirt that will affect the painting.

Plan
1. make a basic army list
2. decide on any scratchbuilds / conversions
3. buy enough models & bitz

Make
4. sort bitz & build "matching" squads
5. clean mold lines, drill barrels & fill gaps

Paint
6. prime & paint
7. base & weight

First I make a list of steps to complete the project.

Then I make a list of steps I need to take to avoid completing said project.

Then I procrastinate on both lists and start another army.

Nah, I'm pretty good about working on my current projects.

Well...what I usually do

1.) Glue everything together
2.) Play with the units in a couple games
3.) Prime the models
4.) Play with the units in several more games
5.) Basecoat the models
6.) Play with the units in many many more games
7.) Paint and base
8.) Decide I no longer want to play with those models anymore

krazynadechukr2 wrote:
7. matte seal the primed mini so the primer isn't scratched off

This step surprised me - wouldn't putting a matte seal over the primer destory the key, thus defeating the purpose of priming?

Anyhow, here's my proces.:

1. Cut the bits off sprues that I'm using with sidecutters, sort through bits boxes, perhaps blue-tac up poses. (I don't bother washing anything anymore, too much hassle).
2. Remove mold lines with file or scalpel.
3. Glue all the models together production line style
4. Glue sand or whatever basing material to the base with PVA glue. Wait to dry, then paint thinned down PVA over the top to make sure it holds.
5. I spray a light coat of white primer, not worrying about how much plastic/metal is left showing
6. Paint the models and bases.
7. I spray a coat of gloss varnish, wait to dry. (For metal models sometimes I do a second coat).
8. I spray a light coat of matte varnish.
9. I magnetise the bases of the minis with rare earth magnets so I can carry them in metal toolboxes.

I put together the models as quickly and simply as possible to get in a few battles, performing conversions as necessary to buff models that have such options available and would benefit from such. What's with all the washing? I've never had a model fall apart or had the paint fly off because of alleged ' mold release', and I don't even treat my toy soldiers particularly well.

Im exactly the same as BrookM. I look the sprues over to take it all in and get ideas of the COOL PARTS. Then yea, same order pretty much.

I just picked up a new demon army.

1)assembly box plastics or metal
2)scrape off mold lines putty any gaps
3)prime
4) paint
5) paint resin base
6) add paint model to resin base
7)start next box.
I may two or three of these paths going at once

1) De-sprue legs, bodies, arms heads
2) Remove mold lines
3) Texture base
4) Stick model together from the ground up: Legs, Body, Arms, head.
5) Desprue any accessories they need, remove mold lines, attach
6) Prime
7) Paint in lots of 4 minis at a time
8) Put in cabinet.

9) I have never used varnish yet but i managed to get hold of a can of Testor's Dullcote (!! amazing find in australia) so i'll experiment with that.

It feels weird saying 'step 7: paint'. It takes soo long it can't be summed up in one step.