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.

Hey friends, I'm just finishing up my current unit and am looking towards the next one.

Talking 40k here. So far I've made a few Necron units, a unit of Space Marines, a SM transport tank in the Blood Angel theme, a BA marine unit, and a BA death squad unit. I'm fairly new to 40k and don't play, just enjoy collecting and painting the models.

My question is this: How would you, the modern wargamer, rank the armies of 40k in terms of painting difficulty?

I'd like to get some new units besides Necrons and Space Marines/BA...what say you?

It really depends on what you mean by "easy". What are you trying to accomplish visually? One could make a very compelling case that necrons and space marines are both the easiest, and, potentially, the most challenging models in the range, depending on your desired effect, due to the blank-slate nature of the models.

so, i guess the first question is what your own methods and techniqes are?

Dronze wrote:
It really depends on what you mean by "easy". What are you trying to accomplish visually? One could make a very compelling case that necrons and space marines are both the easiest, and, potentially, the most challenging models in the range, depending on your desired effect, due to the blank-slate nature of the models.

so, i guess the first question is what your own methods and techniqes are?

Easy = less time and effort.

As far as technique...I have idea. I'm still kind of a novice here, so I prime the models, then paint them each individually. With brushes.

Having never painted Necrons, I'd say they're the easiest. Silver, wash, drybrush more silver. If there's a three color minimum, that's a bit more difficult but minimalist TTS, Necrons take it.

Tyranids are second place. Base coat skin, base coat chitin, wash it all and you're done. Hive Fleet Kraken can literally be a light tan skin, the old Bleached Bone, a red chitin and the Agrax Earthshade wash and it looks good enough. My own are a black base, gray skin, drybrush red on the chitin and then a Nuln Oil wash. Did a Broodlord, which is a model I actually want to look good, start to finish in twenty minutes including drying between stages but not including final drying time.

But I'm surprised in general how easy it is to paint. Even base coating color by hand over spray primer is easy enough for a TTS. I'm knocking out a couple Astral Claws and Red Corsairs each day.

This is supposed to be a picture of a Necron tank I did... is it working?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here is a pic of the SM unit... pic before bases done, little rough in the pic.



Bases are better now.

Tyranids are pretty easy to get to a passable standard, but can really come to life if you put in the time and effort, ditto for Orks, but unless you're getting into freehanding, or larger models, or painting large swaths of pure white or a bright, clean yellow, none of GW's models are all that difficult to paint, barring volume painting, or painting for visual interest.

personally, i find the space hulk stuff the most difficult, due mainly to the casting artifacts in the models, themselves, making motivation to finish the project a bit lacking.

Christ that banner looks bad, LOL.

Necrons easiest. Imperial guard hardest.

no race is particularly hard to paint
until you start adding more detail
especially the necron model he used as an example

honestly I think, in the list of easiest to hardest -

1- necrons

2- tau empire

3- tyranids

4- chaos daemons

5- space marines (ultramarines)

6- space wolves

7- dark angels

8- blood angels

9- adepta soritas

10- cult mechanicus

11- skitarii

12- astra millitarum

13- chaos space marines

14- khorne daemonkin

15- eldar

16- imperial knights

17- inquisition

18- orks

19- dark eldar

20- harlequinns

probably forgot some, I just listed armies from my head, I have painted models from all of these armies, and this was the way that I ended up listing them.

happy wargaming,

-Mikey

Space Marines and Necrons are super easy to Paint.
Dark Eldar and Harlequis are the most difficult.

Easiest, the ones you practice. Hardest, the ones you dont

Sometimes it comes down to volume as well. Things like guards and orks on there own are not a difficult paint job, A couple of bits and pieces more than your typical necron or tyranid but you only really need 3 or 4 colours and a wash drbrush to make them good for the table.

But 1 standard troop selection is anywhere between 20 men and a command squad to 50 men, command squad, 50 conscripts (with a different paint job on the helmet) plus heavy weapons teams.

Orks can get into similar levels as well.

Necrons you can get away with 2 colours and the coloured rod for the Gaus guns. Prime them black, go straight for a drybrush on the silver and then another colour for the weapon.

It depends. Although Tyranids look good with 4 paints, 2 of these shades. I've seen people do 'Nids with 30 paints.

Anything without faces, those are way too difficult for me. Necrons seem like the best bet, mainly because space marine eyes are hard to get just right.

Id say easiest is Necrons daemons and any army that requires black primer spray. Necrons just dry brush it with silver like no tomorrow. daemons, prime white, and wash like no tomorrow.

Hardest is Imperial fist or any other yellow and or white armies.

Even with airbrushes its still a Pita.

If you want to go all-in, the hardest armies to paint are harlequins, with all the freehand.

Necrons are, IMO, the easiest to paint.

Edit: Agree with Desubot, the white and yellow armies are also hard to paint, mostly just because washes must be done very delicately (thin & precise) and carefully since they become highly visible, and covering misstrokes can be rough.