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Nope. First batch of models I painted included some Guardians with grass growing up their legs from where I based them terribly, some Banshees I painted after deciding my infinite wisdom made priming and basecoating irrelevant and I should just slap Bleached Bone straight on and call it a day, and some Macragge Space Marines that got repainted in my indecisiveness so often they didn't have eyeholes left.

I still have some Dark Reapers from back then left, but I'm going to get around to fixing them eventually.

This should be some laughs for you! I don't actually throw miniatures away, so I pretty much have everything I have ever owned - as I am taking some photos of my minis today I dug out 2 of my very first minis from the loft to take a photo of too...



Here we go! Painted by 10 year old Bottle - my hobby began with the 2nd Edition Starter Box.

As you can see, I was a real pioneer of the "gritty, weathered" look that is now common place. Note the realistic blood splatters across the Ork and the oil splotches on the Gretchin.

For comparison here they are by some of my latest minis. There's hope for us all!

Sadly, no.

I accidentally (srsly!) stored him in a glas where some residue of aceton was still inside. Don't ask me why. He met a most... nurglish end.

BUT I found an old picture and immediately compared it to my current work at the time..... I was impressed what I learned in 2 years.

Terminator with A Cannon metal

When these were the "New Terminators" that came out - so end of 2nd ed~. Started building/painting during the green base red everything 3rd ed phase but didn't have a "proper" game until 4th ed.

I painfully changed his base at one point to the legal 4th ed one when the new terminators came out, now he's primed black in a friends chaos army as an obliterator conversion

The first models I owned were my Heroquest and Space Crusade guys but the first I ever made a serious attempt at painting would probably be either the old plastic space marine beakies, or Thrugg Bullneck's Ork Raiders. I also painted a little Zaphod Beeblebrox round the same time.

I'm not certain where any of them are but I still have them all. Strangely the Zaphod Beeblebrox model is the one that turns up most often, usually when I'm looking for something else.

My first miniature ever is a space marine, one of the very old MkVI with integral backback and slim legs. Never painted it, though.

Not my very first, but still quite old. I would belive my first minis were Brettonia, they were paired with lizardmen in an old edition of warhammer fantasy if I remember correctly.

I still have my first model, the multipart Space Marine Commander.

Naturally, I assembled him like the box art, which was to say the very inefficient chainsword/storm bolter.

I don't think I've ever repainted him, although I have swapped the arm out for some conversion opportunities. Of course, he never sees the battlefield, unlike the AOBR models he was bought alongside, but they've been repainted at least.

1st and 2nd minis, purchased circa 1990 (which makes them ~25 years old, thanks for making me feel old, btw). Glad to say that even w/ a 20 year hiatus, I think I've improved somewhat on the painting front. Funny thing is, it was space orks what got me interested in this hobby, and that's really all I have interest in painting still.

Picked up my first space marine set when I was 8 and was actively involved up until about 24, left the hobby for some years thereafter and found it again a couple of years ago. I don't have my first space marine from when I was 8 unfortunately, but I think everyone may appreciate this a bit more:

To the left is the first space marine I ever painted when I returned to the hobby 2 years ago after nearly 9 years. It's one of those 2-piece blister marines you get with the painting starter kit from GW. After painting it I posted my work on Dakka. With the valuable information from the outstanding community here on Dakka and some practice of the techniques and advice on everything from products, best practices and painting techniques, I made my way to marine #2 (center) several weeks later. After posting my WIP and my final results to Dakka, with the constructive critiques and the advice on this board I got to #3 (right) within just 2 months from marine #1 (left).



I sincerely doubt that kind of progress could have ever happened without Dakka, so from the bottom of a humble painter's heart, thank you!

My first 40K miniature was a single Space Wolf autocannon Terminator I bought at a convention in the mid-90s. I was a heavy Battetech player at the time but saw a game of Space Hulk being played and thought Terminators were the coolest thing ever. I picked up a single blister to put together and paint.

I sold him off with a partial SW army a few years ago. Hope he want to a good home where he got played because he never actually saw action while I had him.