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So once or twice now I have been confronted about the paint job quality of my models. The critiques were not favorable. So my question is, is it acceptable to have unpainted models for 40k tabletop gaming? I'm thinking about re-priming my models just to cover my shame and I'm even more leaning towards just priming my new miniatures and not painting them at all. I've been trying my hand at this for 2-3 years and I have not seen any real improvement other than finding a color scheme that I prefer.

Painted, even poorly, is better than unpainted, imo.

 pretre wrote:
Painted, even poorly, is better than unpainted, imo.

Pretty much just as he said. Any paint job is better than nothing.

Now I try to have mine all painted, but I won't play any of my models that isn't at least primed.

Depends on the local meta if they accept "table legal" standards. One store I go to is more strict on this, the other one cares less.

"Confronted" sounds like an extremely brutal word as opposed to making an off-handed comment. Are there jerks telling you you shouldn't even be playing because you can't paint like someone from 'Eavy Metal?

Dodes wrote:
So once or twice now I have been confronted about the paint job quality of my models.

Man. That sounds rude.

Even if they looked like a blind, epileptic monkey painted them with it's feet while high on crack, I don't think I'd ever criticize someone's paint job.

I might give a pointer or two to help them improve, like how Alndrate's models could all use a wash.

Post some pictures. Maybe you just need a few pointers. OR, alternatively, you might be playing with jerks.

^ pretty much all of the above. Point one is prolly that if people just stomp on your work (you`re phrasing it like the comments are not exactly constructive), they are basically being jerky. I`m not a great painter, but I wouldn`t accept people criticizing them as being "too poorly done to play with us". At the local store the most common combatants don`t have everything painted either, but I can tell you a battle between fully pained CSM and half-painted SW is better than watching one with guard of whom half aren`t even primered (ohh white-metal stormtroopers). Not everyone may be able to paint masterfully, but everyone is able to paint.

If you keep being bummed out about it, just rotate units so you can repaint one at a time. This will bring both the drive to get your paintwork done as well as mix up your list. Could very well be a nice meta-breaker for the whiners

Prime in your army's colour, dip it in a quickshade.

If you really hate painting or just can't do it, this actually produces results that, while showing that you clearly haven't painted them, still gives a decent look to the table. Problem is, once you do this, you pretty much can't go back. Quickshade puts a hell of a coat on your models and makes it brutal to try and strip the paint.

A paint job, even a poor one, shows a modicum of effort. I'd rather see splotchy painted models at the other end of the battlefield than a horde of grey or primer-colored dudes. Even then, you can use the number of resources available (such as tutorials here on Dakka, on Youtube, or any number of wargaming blogs you'll find with a cursory Google search) to become a better painter.

I should also mention that quick shade has a way of making poor paintjobs look decent. So just dipping the stuff you have already painted is gonna liven up your army some.

But if it's just "man, those aren't good enough" I'd just throw some of my metal Grey Knights at them. They won't break, and with them being dipped the paint won't flake either!

There's a reason Devlan Mud (now Agrax Earthshade) is known as "talent in a bottle"

In your situation you can do 2 things:

Either ignore them and continue having fun.

Find a way for your current paintwork to improve by trying out a new wash or something simple ( ask the employees at a GW, they might know ) I personally think that with a little bit of time and love you can improve painted models a little without investing too much.

 Purifier wrote:
I should also mention that quick shade has a way of making poor paintjobs look decent. So just dipping the stuff you have already painted is gonna liven up your army some.

But if it's just "man, those aren't good enough" I'd just throw some of my metal Grey Knights at them. They won't break, and with them being dipped the paint won't flake either!

This is a good tip as well. My entire tyranid force is primed one color, with shells and claws painted and then dipped. Easily table quality paint job and super quick.

'Eavy Metal or go home.





I kid. I honestly don't care if your models have paint at all. Being able to play is the most important part to me. Painting is back burner.

Honestly MOST 40k players are like children. Cruel and rude. I say screw them and just play the game you have already poored a ton of money into.

No, All models must be painted to a golden deamon style painting or i will refuse to play you, you dirty peasant.
Nah, just give them the "I dont paint well because of all the times my wife is grinding me"

It is increasingly common to have models fielded with not all the parts on.

I would welcome "poorly painted" models any day: not "grey legion" not primed, "poorly painted". I applaud that the effort of painting was done. You are better than most, do not worry. Only paint more if you feel motivated, not the other way around.

Anyone fielding rude comments of that nature, look at the models they have to gauge their motivation for these unhelpful comments:

If way better than you: they just want a recent work of yours so they can say they are still better than you OR they are commission works done for them and are trying to get their money's worth out of it.

If the models are worse than you: they are not expecting you to paint and are happy there is someone out there worse than them and are trying to point that out.

All in all, I just ignore and do not care and save my attention for people a little more positive. Added bonus is people full of themselves hate it when they are ignored.

Actually my minimum requirement is that its finished glued, and that aint hard ^^;;

I never would have painted my models if it wasn't for all those Roman movies I watched one after the other. All I could do was Base my models, maybe Layer some parts, and that was it. I never did the faces, just painted the skin color on and left it at that because when I try to paint eyes it looks like they mutated or they look frightened beyond belief.

I consider it a accomplishment to Prime and Base your models to begin with, anything more then that make you a legend.

Unpainted is fine, the only people who really get uppity about it should just be ignored.

Dracoknight wrote:
Actually my minimum requirement is that its finished glued, and that aint hard ^^;;

^ This pretty much. Tough i appricate people atleast prim them,better than plastic gray for some odd reason

When I first started I was terrible at painting. People at my old local game stores openly mocked my paint jobs. To be honest, I have seen worse, but it was pretty bad. I went back and stripped and repainted over 40 marines and 2 tanks (which sucks hard by the way, do your tanks good the first time!).

Of all things, going to a few of the painting workshops at a local GW helped me improve my painting skills. They aren't great, but they are good enough for me, and people don't point them out as bad.

When they made the switch to the new paints at GW, I started using army painter. Their colour primers are pretty good. I do recommend that you test each can on a single model the first time you use it. I haven't personally had any bad cans, but my friends have, and I've heard about it online. You could get 10 great cans, then one bad one, but it will be easier to remove the one bad spray from just one model. Other than that they do a great job and they save a lot of time and effort. The other great thing about them is army painter sells colour matched paints for their primers. So if you are like me, and make mistakes, you can touch them up without a colour difference.

After the primer, just do some minimum paint on other details such as eyes, guns and such. Touch up anything you get on the base colour you don't want there. Then just dip it in their quick shade and you're done. Will they be great? No. Will they be quick and good enough, yep. And this approach is very forgiving to new and just untalented painters such as myself.

I do tend to try and put a bit more detail with each kit I paint, but it's great for just churning out masses of marine armor. That and the army painter paint is cheaper than the GW paint (in my area at least).

Not the best advice, but my advice from one untalented to anyone else who struggles with getting a result they are satisfied with. Sure you could do all these fancy tricks, and get an airbrush, and try the hundreds of painting tutorials online, but if that isn't what you're after, this may do it for you. YMMV.

With how much time we put into this game, and how difficult and frustrating painting can be, I don't see any reasons to ever insult someones painting ability.

Some people like the game more than the hobby, and you've just gotta respect that.

 Brother SRM wrote:
There's a reason Devlan Mud (now Agrax Earthshade) is known as "talent in a bottle"

Washes are definitely a mediocre painter's best friend, they make everything look so much better. (Post 3000 btw!)

What a dick. Just don't play with that guy, and let other people about him. The level of painting doesn't determine the level of playing, nor the sportsmanship.

 pwntallica wrote:
When I first started I was terrible at painting. People at my old local game stores openly mocked my paint jobs. To be honest, I have seen worse, but it was pretty bad. I went back and stripped and repainted over 40 marines and 2 tanks (which sucks hard by the way, do your tanks good the first time!).

Of all things, going to a few of the painting workshops at a local GW helped me improve my painting skills. They aren't great, but they are good enough for me, and people don't point them out as bad.

People like that aren't worth wasting your time playing. There's absolutely no reason at all to ridicule someones painting - it's insulting in what should be a hobby. If someones painting is bad, at most offer advice on how they can improve, and even then I'd only suggest it if they ask. People should be grateful they're playing a painted army at all.

Your models, your choice. I've gotten more complaints from people about how my models don't meet their standard of painting than from not painting them.

We all want to play with our new stuff as soon as possible so my only minimum standard is you army must be assembled.

"OKay this pair of legs has a melta, the guy with no arms is the sarge and they will all be in this rhino held together blu tack and hope."

That gets tiring after a while.

We had a friend who used to get around that by putting the plasma gun/sergeant arms/etc loosly on the base of the armless model. Basically his stuff would break and he was too lazy to fix any of it. It didn't help that occasionally a plasma gun would wander between squads mysteriously.

After a while, we came up with the house rule of 'at least assembled'. He turned up, we gave him a tube of super glue, and didn't play until he'd fixed them.

sounds like jerks... paint how you paint and if somebody has a problem with that don't play them. i personally will play pretty much anything. scotch tape pieces of paper to pennies that say meta gunner, 7x tac marines, sergent, and flamer and i'd still play against it. still putting together your new vehicle but have the basic hull or flying base... good enough lets do this.

that said a nice paint job on an army looks great and seeing my orks all gussied up against another well painted army makes my happy and makes things look more epic

So seeing threads like this fills me with rage. Not at the poster, no ive been there too bud it sucks. But you gta just shug d-bags off like that. From what ive experienced theres going to be that guy everywhere. Painting is not everybody's thing however iwill agree the washes will become your new best friend. But anyways people are just stupid listen to this. At my flgs theres this dude who runs the club and pretty much thinks hes the cats pajamas because he goes to the games day events,plays grey knights, and can paint well. I was playing him with my ultra marines and i drop podded some stern on him. Well he flat out told me that he was not going to continue playing with me because i cheat by not using the specific kit gw sells for veterans. He said if he is going to bring his elitly painted army tothe table that he bought all the units for he would not be insulted by my rag tag models. Ill include a pic and you tell me if you think its a big deal. But i guess whatim trying to say is dnt let them bring you down its your hobby enjoy it how you see fit.

As somebody new to the hobby, it seems that it is a very small niche of players. I'm currently building my first army, and I won't field them until they are completely painted and based. I'm content with how they are looking so far, but they are a far cry from some of the astounding work I've seen from others. That being said, if you can't be bothered to at least make the attempt to paint your miniatures, why not just play risk or axis and allies?

Imagine playing magic with cards with no art and just text. It could be done, but it definitely loses most of its appeal.