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I know there are lots and lots of vids on youtube about this but Im having some trouble with AP QS.

My scenario is basically a Nid army painted white as their main color with a red carapace (50% of the army below)



I have 150+ of them to do ranging from old 2nd ed metal Tyrants to plastic Tyrannofexes (which obviously cant be dipped in the pot size).
The dipping vids I've seen seem fairly time intensive, you dip, let it run off, shake and then dry? Also Im unsure of the consistency?

Im not a great painter being honest and simply dont have a huge amount of time to dedicate to a perfect finish (sample of painting)



So I brushed this guy earlier as an experiment. I deliberately chose an old (Old!) model as their detail is tough to pick out and maintain.



Its ok.

However what would you guys recommend me doing with the Nid army overall? The white is simply too flat not to wash but I really need a decent, newb-friendly and quick(ish) way of completing them?

thanks

Generally speaking, Tyranids are prime candidates for dipping.

Looking at the test model, I think your 'Nids might benefit from a heavier application or a slightly darker color. As it stands, the whole model has been tinted more or less evenly, with little change to the visibility of surface texture. You don't want blobs and drips, but you need a sufficient amount of the dip to pool in recesses to create contrast - the stuff is meant to act as a combination wash+varnish, not a subtle filter.

Also, dipping IS the decent, newb-friendly, and quick(ish) way to finish off models. Yes, there's a relatively long dry time and you still need to do each model, individually, but compared to applying washes by hand, letting that dry, applying layers of gloss varnish, more drying, and potentially finishing them off with a matte varnish (and more drying!), the "AP method" of prime>basecoat>dip>flick>dry(>matte spray and dry, if you don't want them glossy, although 'Nids can pull of the "wet and slimy" quite well) is nothing. A couple of hours of assembly line-style work and an overnight rest to potentially take an army from basecoated to finished (except for the basing)? Sounds incredibly fast, to me.

Another method of dipping which predates Army Painter by a good bit (and which is where they ganked the idea from) is to hit your local hardware store and look for stains.

Regular Minwax (or other brand on hand) stains - not the poly-acrylic varnishes) can be used to "dip" figures into. The stain will stick pretty well into the crevices and dingy up colors (and whites) a good bit. The nice thing with them is that a little goes a very, very long way - it is much cheaper - dries in minutes - you have a hundred or so colors to choose from - doesn't add excessive gloss...

Once the stain has dried, if it is a light coating, it will generally stay put, but tradition was to still apply a clear varnish like Dullcote afterwards.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?181239-My-attempt-at-the-dipping-technique (Keep in mind - pictures in that thread are stain only not stain + varnish)

If you are set on Army Painter - consider a poly-acrylic varnish. Again, dozens more colors to choose from, cheaper, dries faster...

http://gfbrobot.com/2010/12/03/andrews-guide-to-dipping-minis/ (This is a side by side comparison between Quickshade and Polyshades)

Army painter dark tone is good, just use sparingly

Used too thick, semi shiny gun metal can look like dull slightly dirty iron.