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Hello painting community.

So I've been looking into getting some Imperial Guardsmen as allies for my Blood Angels. I love the way the Armageddon Steel Legion looks, very awesome in my opinion. But when I looked into getting some models, I see GW only sells them as metal models.

Are metal models harder to paint than plastic? I'm pretty hesitant about getting those models because of it lol. And are the GW metal figures single pose, or can you customize their poses or bitz?

Any advice will help, thanks!

Metal models aren't really any different, in fact I prefer painting metal as the heavier weight makes them easier to control for those of us who do most of their painting while holding the model (no vice grips).

The one thing that i always find myself doing that is a problem is actually kinda dropping the model while painting it and letting paint chip off of the edges. While plastic models and resin don't have this problem, the weight of the metal model causes quite a thud, and you'll lose your work. I have a metal Sanguinor and the nose was always getting chipped as I painted the backpack because I would let the model rest on its nose.

Make sure you use a good quality primer too, paint doesn't adhere to metal as well in my experience so you want something that's a real primer that will chemically bond with the model as much as possible.

BrotherVord wrote:
Make sure you use a good quality primer too, paint doesn't adhere to metal as well in my experience so you want something that's a real primer that will chemically bond with the model as much as possible.

Solid advice, that. On the painting end, that's all you really need to worry about - once the model is primed (and allowed to cure a bit), you're just laying paint on paint, same as with any other model.

Model prep may or may not be any more difficult, depending on the sculpt and your available tools. White metal is soft enough that you can cut thin parts with a knife, but scraping mold lines is less effective than on plastic (you aren't usually removing material, you're burnishing... with a tool ill suited to the task, no less). Files and emery boards will do a much better job, here. I like to take some fine steel wool to metal models, too, if they're looking a bit rough or oxidized, to get a nice, smooth surface (where appropriate). Not sure how many pieces the Mordians come in, but if they're multi-part, you may want to pin some of the joints, which adds to the construction time. Looking at GW's website image, though, I would guess that most, if not all, are one-piece affairs. As for customization potential, metal can take some limited bending and reposing just by hand pressure. Beyond that, it's pretty much the same as plastic, except it requires a bit more elbow grease when cutting and drilling. The number of pieces per model has more to do with a kit's potential flexibility than the material.

I've found that there are issues with paint sticking to edges or where there are many creases. These places somehow become the attention of more wear and tear, so the paint will chip more. You will more likely than not have to use a varnish to protect the model when finished if you aren't already in the habit of doing so.

Oadie hit the nail on the head. Metal models definitely take more prep-work than your run-of-the-mill plastic models, so be prepared.

Here is a pretty good (if in depth) article on the subject: http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.com/2009/11/tutorial-how-to-prepare-metal-miniature.html