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Made in us
Imperial Recruit in Training



New York City

Hi there, I've been interested in 40k for a while and have decided to start an Imperial Guard army, and thanks to the wonderful folks on ebay and my brother I think I've got a pretty decent start.
I was just looking for some tips and whatnot for a complete noob to even assembling my models. I've searched through a few articles but still would like some help.

I got alot of this stuff from my brother and I have a crap load of other tools lying around the house, but these are the ones that seemed the most useful for assembly.
Any other tools I should look to grab? Any tips/links to articles that discuss the best way to use these tools? Specifically how do I use the plastic cement, with the brush that comes with the bottle or with one of the other brushes?
Should I assemble my guardsmen completely then prime then paint or partially assemble then prime then paint then finish assembly?

Also, the text on the pictures isn't cause I think you guys are stupid or blind or anything like that, just trying to be as clear and concise as possible!
Thanks for the help!
   
Made in ca
Plastictrees





Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Looks like you've made a good start there, more than a good start really.

I'd pick up an x-acto knife and a bunch of blades. You'll find it a lot more suitable to the sort of fiddly cutting and scraping that you're going to be doing than the leatherman. Honestly I'm not sure what you'd use the leatherman for here.

Testors plastic cement is a great choice. I would never use super glue on GW plastic-to-plastic assembly. Cement bonds so much better. It doesn't dry that quickly though. So make sure you don't over assemble a model in one go or it will start slowly falling apart from the weight before each join has had a chance to dry. Those three bottles will last a while.
The brush in the jar is fine, just be aware of how much you're bringing up each time. Washing a model in cement won't ruin it but it will make a bit of a mess and might make fine detail a little blobby. Using any other brush would trash the brush.

I generally prefer to scrape away mold lines rather than file them. It's especially easy on plastics and with the aforementioned x-acto knife. I can't recommend removing mold lines enough. It's the single biggest thing you can do starting out to make your paint jobs look better. It's a little time consuming but just throw on some podcasts and get scraping.

The metal file will get clogged up quite easily if you use it on metal models. You might be better off with emery boards. Again though, I don't file that much.

For basing, the static grass should be something you add to your basing routine, not the only thing you use. Something easy that I'd recommend is cement/concrete patch. You should be able to find it in little tubs at Home Depot, it's grainy rather than smooth like you might think. Smear it on your bases and let it dry and you have instant self adhering texture. You can add the static grass in patches _after_ painting.

I'd suggest picking up a cutting board/mat. You could get one of those slightly pricey green/grey cutting mats from an office-supply/art store or go with a cheap plastic cutting board.

Unfortunately you're going to have to work out exactly how you like painting your models before you really know what level of assembly to start painting at.
Personally, I prefer to assemble everything except the gun/gun arm. So nothing is obscuring any significant part of the model. I also prefer to base the model at this stage, prior to undercoating (if I'm doing a straightforward textured base on the model, if it's something fancy I'll paint the model on a stand in plain base and transfer him once he and the base are all done).
Bear in mind, if you go the partial assembly route and want to stick with cement for gluing the finished model together then you will have to carefully scrape away the contact areas to reveal bare plastic, and be very careful not to get cement all over your paint job. On the plus side if you use cement you won't get that foggy mess that superglue can leave on your paint job.

If you have any ideas about the specific colour scheme you're going for people can probably give more detailed advice.
   
Made in us
Imperial Recruit in Training



New York City

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely grab an x-acto blade next chance I can.

I was kinda thinking about a dark blue armor with either plain gray or camouflage black white and gray fatigues, this is just a quick mock-up in paint I made.
   
Made in us
Nigel Stillman





Seattle WA

With my BT marines I leave the back packs off until after I have primed and painted the model.

for a model with a CCW and bolt pistol (or equivilant) I glue the arms on prime and paint them.

But if the model is going to hold a rifle or simular weapon that covers the chest I leave the weapon and arms off (though I do glue the weapon to the trigger arm) until after I prime and paint the model. It makes painting the chest easier for me.

To prevent getting paint on the part of the arm where you put the cement I usually place a dab of hot glue (peels right off no trouble) to protect it.

CAUTION: Do not use your ex-acto blade to cut vehicle bits off the sprue, you will almost certainly break the blade (violently like little/big bits flying off all over the place)

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2010/07/19 03:20:56



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Made in us
Sinewy Scourge






I use 3 brushes, plastic glue, and an exacto for regular models. Youll be more than fine with what youve got. Green stuff is expensive, so I would definitely suggest not using it to build metal models, unless you need a touch of it here and there. I use my greenstuff strictly for conversions.

Although I don't know much about guard, Id say youre off to a decent start. Try to formulate at the beginning though what type of army youll be using, this way youll know to buy the right guys. Also, as long as you arent hoping to field unpainted models and/ or dont have time to paint, assemble your models after painting. Itll be easier to paint into the little nooks and cranys of the models. two things to keep in mind: lasguns suck. Don't rely on them for too much
Second, Imperials have great tanks. Make sure to keep your army stocked with them.

"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons."
 
   
 
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