Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

How would you go about spray painting mass models at once?

I have about 150 marines that are un-primered, plus tanks, plus the models in my other armies.... Lets just say I have a LOT of models that need to be done.

What is the most efficient way to undercoat miniatures in large amounts?

I'd say you are about ready for an airbrush. Read up on them.

Cardboard and bluetack. If the models are on a base just cut some strips of cardboard and use the bluetack to attach a selection of models to the board. Then just setup your spraying area and spray them one after the other. Ensuring that you keep the models covered before and after spraying or keep them away from the spray area (to reduce the chance of any splatter).

Then just make sure that its well ventilated and get going.

I just sit them on bits of wood or card, as many as fits in my spray booth. Blast with spray can, let them dry, turn them to face a different direction and go again

Get a rattlecan primer, and a roll of cheap sticky doublesided tape.
Find a tree and break of a branch or any other rod/sqare tubing/etc.

Then simply place the tape on the branch/rod and place the models on the tape. just remember to give them enugh space inbetween them so you can spray all over the model.

i prime 10 models in 1 min this way as you rotate the branch/rod as you spray and you allso rotate the actual model.

Grab a paint stick or yard stick.

get some painters tape and staple or tape it down sticky side up to it.

place marines with about an inch inbetween each base all facing the same directly.

Spray them spray paint or air brush however you want, from 45 degrees bottom then 90 then 45 top on both sides

let them dry while doing another one.

then remove them from the tape and turn them all in the same direction 90 degrees and repeat.

just do light coats.

 FrozenDwarf wrote:
Get a rattlecan primer, and a roll of cheap sticky doublesided tape.
Find a tree and break of a branch or any other rod/sqare tubing/etc.

Then simply place the tape on the branch/rod and place the models on the tape. just remember to give them enugh space inbetween them so you can spray all over the model.

i prime 10 models in 1 min this way as you rotate the branch/rod as you spray and you allso rotate the actual model.

does Norway have some strange flat and square tree branches?

I spray on an empty beer box broken down flat. You can turn the card around to get all four sides and if you have a few boxes you can take your wet models out on their card and do another batch while they dry.

I agree. Large cardboard box, slowly turn, let dry while doing seperate box. Repeat. You can fit about 8 models on a box, takes a few minutes per box, 150 should take you about two hours and two cans. Job done!

I would not recommend priming large amounts (more than 20 models at once.

If you are asking for advice on priming, then I assume your new to it.

Going hundreds of models at once risks making a little mistake into a huge one.

TEST TEST TEST!

If you have blue-tac available, consider buying several large paint stirrers - they're the right width to stick models on, and you can twist and maneuver them far easier to make sure you're priming the undersides and odd angles.

 womprat49 wrote:
I would not recommend priming large amounts (more than 20 models at once.

If you are asking for advice on priming, then I assume your new to it.

Going hundreds of models at once risks making a little mistake into a huge one.

TEST TEST TEST!

Not new, just wondering if anyone had any strategies for mass-spraying. Seems to be just grab a few and do them in batches.

 Xenomancers wrote:
I'd say you are about ready for an airbrush. Read up on them.

Airbrushes aren't the most efficient way to prime, rattle cans are.

I usually prime models in batches of 5 to 10, though I have primed 20 Zombies in one go and they turned out fine. I use the sprue the models came on (or spare ones lying about), blutack the models down to it then spray them. Using a sprue is good because it lets you spray from below the models to get good coverage. The number of models you can spray in 1 hit basically comes down to how big your sprue frame is and how bulky the models are. I managed to fit 20 Zombies on 1 sprue so I could spray 20 at once.

Just be methodical about which angles you spray from, do short bursts from different angles, I try and do 4 angles from above (90 degrees apart) and 2 or 3 angles from below. That way you can get all the nooks and crannies without having to inspect each model individually.

For my Savage Orcs, which have really tiny attachment feet and I didn't want to glue them to their bases before priming, I actually superglued them to the sprue. I then painted them on the sprue and removed them after I finished painting so they could be glued to their bases. An alternative to blutacking them is that's not going to be a good option.