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I was wondering if anyone else has a "problem" with 2nd hand models in that they arent very comfortable buying them since they are used and could have been literally anywhere with the previous owner (chewed on my the pet dog or sucked on my the kid, dropped onto the grimey floor or covered in godknows what etc).

I know, it sounds really bizarre as a sort of OCD but just wanted to see am I completely alone in this.

Yes I acknowledge its silly and yes I could save a frigging fortune but I only buy 2nd hand boxed kits.

Am I nuts?

I only buy NiB models, but that's more because I like to look at my army and say I did all of that

Also I have a slight obsession with ripping open selofane.

Any saliva or drool should be locked in under the varnish

Not helping Ifurita

He has a point.

There's this crazy new invention called soap bro. If the minis are sealed you can wash them and they'll be fine.

Your a little nuts. Think about your cell phone, the handle at a water fountain, you loved one lips. I promise you that these are all much worse than the models.

Your immune system is fantastically powerful. If it wasnt, your last cold would have taken care of you. Trust that your body is prepared to deal with whatever microbes are on your models and keep going.

Now sitting in a poorly ventalted room, stinking of paint remover, super glue, super glue accelerant, and most likely methane after your chipotle burrito... Theres a problem you can really work on. Keep those brain cells alive! They never regenerate.

 Twoshoesvans wrote:
Your a little nuts. Think about your cell phone, the handle at a water fountain, you loved one lips. I promise you that these are all much worse than the models.

Your immune system is fantastically powerful. If it wasnt, your last cold would have taken care of you. Trust that your body is prepared to deal with whatever microbes are on your models and keep going.

Now sitting in a poorly ventalted room, stinking of paint remover, super glue, super glue accelerant, and most likely methane after your chipotle burrito... Theres a problem you can really work on. Keep those brain cells alive! They never regenerate.

And boom! There goes his OCD!

*runs screaming from the thread*

But seriously its not really the germ angle that bothers me, its more I dunno, the "aura" that goes with 2nd hand models.
This is hard to explain =/

I'd never play with a model that another man painted.

I would strip the paint from said model in Simple Green and then repaint it.

Could be worse, still cringing about a thread painting with real blood.

There are great tutorials on how to strip the paint off well for metal or plastic.

Once you hit them with a good hard degreaser type cleaner it will be better than the sprues you get from the factory.

I would say the "aura" is when you see assemblies that look like an underage on a bender with a caffeine tick had a go at it.

I would say, cut it apart in key areas and "make it better".

This need for brand new from the factory is only feeding disposable consumerism. Reuse, repurpose, recycle. I take all my sprues and put them thru a hand crank meat grinder for rubble.

At the very least it can be used for terrain features so it is meant to look gimped.

I can understand the second hand thing, I feel that way about cloths. Thats more understandable to me because someone else stood in the Arizona heat and the sweat soaked into the fabric. Models are typically precious to us nerds. Handled well, and protected from prying hands. They are cleaner than most things.

Besides you need to strip the paint (paint stripper is basic if i remember correctly) meaning it is literally denaturing any proteins the previous owner. And you should wash your models before painting anyways to make sure your paint sticks as much as possible, making them as clean as your hands post wash.

 Ratius wrote:
*runs screaming from the thread*

But seriously its not really the germ angle that bothers me, its more I dunno, the "aura" that goes with 2nd hand models.
This is hard to explain =/

So you're not a Germaphobe, you're a model snob.

 kronk wrote:
I'd never play with a model that another man painted.
I would strip the paint from said model in Simple Green and then repaint it.

I would also never rub another man's rhubarb.. oops, wrong joker.
But I never gave it much thought, but every used model I have stripped down to bare material.
So I guess I am of the same camp.

The question is how long do the germs live? I'd say handle the package with sterile gloves when it arrives - then hide it in the attack for two weeks. That should be long enough for everything to die. If you run a dehumidifier in the attick it should help even more since bacteria need moisture.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/how-long-do-bacteria-and-viruses-live-outside-the-body.aspx

So right, bottom line, you're gonna run into germs. But you know, take some precautions and you'll be fine.

Or else just hit everything with a disinfectant spray before use. You know, the kind that kills 99.99% of germs and viruses. Worth the extra $$ and you will still be ahead on price.

Especially since NIB models (from the store or anywhere) are also handled by people before they get to you, right?

Sounds like you need a priest.

 Ratius wrote:
I was wondering if anyone else has a "problem" with 2nd hand models in that they arent very comfortable buying them since they are used and could have been literally anywhere with the previous owner (chewed on my the pet dog or sucked on my the kid, dropped onto the grimey floor or covered in godknows what etc).

I know, it sounds really bizarre as a sort of OCD but just wanted to see am I completely alone in this.

Yes I acknowledge its silly and yes I could save a frigging fortune but I only buy 2nd hand boxed kits.

Am I nuts?

i prefer new too. but i dont give two feths about the box or cellophane.

some used models i bought were covered in plastic glue by some dumbass kid most likely. it made me not want to bother chancing that again.

There's only been a handful of occasions when I've sprung for new kits for 40k. There are plenty of affordable used marines and marine accessories out there. As a result the only new stuff that comes in are bits and the occasional forgeworld purchase.

Warmachine on the other hand doesn't seem to have as much on the used market so I had to break down and buy most of my army for that new.

 Talizvar wrote:
Could be worse, still cringing about a thread painting with real blood.

Link, or it didnt happen!

OP, i have never had a problem with 2nd hand models. But i guess each to their own.
Try dunking them in bleach if your worried, that will certainly kill all.

 Ratius wrote:
*runs screaming from the thread*

But seriously its not really the germ angle that bothers me, its more I dunno, the "aura" that goes with 2nd hand models.
This is hard to explain =/

Biggest problem is that they could jinx your whole army as they may have been used to losing...

I am pretty germaphobic and occasionally I have pondered the potential for grossness that is buying other people's used minis. However, I throw any painted items in a simple green solution, and even bare metal or plastic items go in a white vinegar or soap and water bath before assembly, so those steps calm my ridiculously paranoid mind.

Now, the commissioned paint work that I get can't go through those same "cleansing" steps as used miniatures, but in those instances I just try not to think of the painters using saliva while painting and move along. I don't want to become a Howard Hughes type when it comes to handling minis, even though people are disgusting fluid bags that should be kept at arms length.

I take it you dont go thrift shopping often?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I take it you dont go thrift shopping often?

 master of ordinance wrote:

 Talizvar wrote:
Could be worse, still cringing about a thread painting with real blood.

Link, or it didnt happen!

Ummm... no.
It did happen and really do not care producing evidence.
Why do I feel that statement was rude?

Plus, do you REALLY think people have not done this?

If it is important enough to you please feel free to look it up rather than make me do it...

 Talizvar wrote:

 master of ordinance wrote:

 Talizvar wrote:
Could be worse, still cringing about a thread painting with real blood.

Link, or it didnt happen!

Ummm... no.
It did happen and really do not care producing evidence.
Why do I feel that statement was rude?

Plus, do you REALLY think people have not done this?

If it is important enough to you please feel free to look it up rather than make me do it...

Quick link to one artist who explores this medium

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/painting-with-real-blood

I don't buy second hand either but for different reasons. Building is half the fun and painting is the other half. Its like buying tickets to Disneyland and telling somebody else to go have fun for me.

 Ratius wrote:
I was wondering if anyone else has a "problem" with 2nd hand models in that they arent very comfortable buying them since they are used and could have been literally anywhere with the previous owner (chewed on my the pet dog or sucked on my the kid, dropped onto the grimey floor or covered in godknows what etc).

I know, it sounds really bizarre as a sort of OCD but just wanted to see am I completely alone in this.

Yes I acknowledge its silly and yes I could save a frigging fortune but I only buy 2nd hand boxed kits.

Am I nuts?

Never thought about it - but don't really care - I have bought hundreds of well painted models from ebay and friends at below retail - maybe twice out of baout 250 transactions I have been dispointed.....

You could always steralise them ?

I don't care where I get the stuff from.

If it's 2nd hand, it's going into paint stripper anyway. Generally because it looks like a 3 year old painted it with a trowel.

It gets cut up (or just reassembled if it was only assembled with superglue because the glue generally doesn't survive the paintstripping).

There are worse living on your own skin or on your cellphone.

Washing with soap and water takes care of most of them. Hell, salt will kill a lot of them too (sucks the moisture right out of bacteria). All those disinfectant washes do is encourage the survival of the resistant strains. Which is how we got MRSA in the first place.

I used to be concerned about second hand models, namely for the fact that they are prebuilt. But now I'm enjoying the challenge of customizing and re-kitbashing models to make them fit my army better. Stuff is expensive and prebuilt secondhand tends to be a lot cheaper that NOS, at least in my experience….

Every model that I sell on ebay gets a loving pass over my junk before I send them.

For extra special customers I sometimes hold the part in my bum for a day or two, pulp fiction style.

They always get thrown in the Simple Green for a few days/weeks/months if they have paint on them, and that's an all purpose cleaner. I don't really have any reason to believe they've been shoved in any unwanted crevices, and if so any lingering grossness has been washed off by said Simple Green.