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Fair points, yukishiro and Overread. If anything that's just made me realise that I prefer assembling to painting because it's so much quicker.
You can also see the fruits of your labour a lot more readily whilst you're building - whereas with painting (and I'm sure I'm not alone here) the model looks a bit trash to my eyes almost until I'm nearly done with the last bit of highlighting and details, which is about 5% of the time I've taken on the model overall.

I enjoy assembling models - I find it generally more relaxing than painting. Assembling I can do at the kitchen table watching TV with my wife - painting has to be done in my hobby room. I found the 2013 era Space Marine kits a joy to assemble. I recall a very pleasant set of evenings around Christmas 2013 when an ice storm confined us to the house. I assembled Dark Angels Veterans and Deathwing Knights while binge-watching a TV series with my wife. No need for pinning and cutting but you could still build the models with some customization. Some models, though, are frustrating to build. Any of the metal Tyranids were table-chewing levels of frustration.

Assembly and more so Converting and kitbashing are my favorite aspect of the Hobby. List building is second. Playing is third. Lastly, painting.

AdmiralHalsey wrote:
This is why we can't have nice things, and monopose plastics are on there way back in.

I don't see the connection between monopose and hating building though.

For me the kits where you pick which body to build and then attach whatever you want ( with parts being compatible and thus creating easier kitbash possibilities), to be way more enjoyable than following an "a to b instruction" which ususally means monopose or easy to build.
I don't like building that way, cause then it's just a chore to get out of the way and has nothing to do with creativity.

Monopose has come back in because GW is doing far more dynamic poses as default for many models. This means that when they part it its much harder to achieve a natural look if they aren't putting big ball and socket joints on every leg and arm. Some model ranges can work with that - Tyranids look great with the big ball and socket linkages as it speaks of their partly insectoid appearance. However humanoids don't look as good when our internal ball and socket joint is on the outside

So in part if we want more dynamic and action filled poses we sacrifice optional posability. That said in my experience, many multi-pose models don't actually have all that many positions to pose them in anyway which look sensible.

 Overread wrote:
Monopose has come back in because GW is doing far more dynamic poses as default for many models. This means that when they part it its much harder to achieve a natural look if they aren't putting big ball and socket joints on every leg and arm. Some model ranges can work with that - Tyranids look great with the big ball and socket linkages as it speaks of their partly insectoid appearance. However humanoids don't look as good when our internal ball and socket joint is on the outside

So in part if we want more dynamic and action filled poses we sacrifice optional posability. That said in my experience, many multi-pose models don't actually have all that many positions to pose them in anyway which look sensible.

I think the way Necromunda or the Daemonettes do it is a nice middle ground.
You got bodies with varying dynamic to them, but the arms and heads are compatible between all of them.
I mean heads are generally easy to change, except if they have 1 half on the front of the torso and the other on the back.

 Nightlord1987 wrote:
Assembly and more so Converting and kitbashing are my favorite aspect of the Hobby. List building is second. Playing is third. Lastly, painting.

This, basically. I love the building stage, it's where I can customize units and make then my own.

So I used to. It was my favourite part of the hobby to be honest. Building up an army has always been more fun to me than actually playing the game. I'd always try to come up with some cool poses or little conversions to give my units a bit of flavour and uniqueness. That was years and years ago and last weekend I got the Admech start collecting box and hells bells that was not so fun. I wanted very much to customise things and do my own thing but I was so beleaguered by how finnickity the kit was for the Skitarii that I ended up following the instructions guide very, very carefully. Maybe with the next set I'll be able to go at it again and actually do some conversions..

I really enjoy the assembly but one thing I've learned from this thread is that I spend far longer doing it compared to others. I'd spend 45-60 min per model getting the mould lines off nicely and getting them positioned as I like (even the monopose stuff has a little leeway). Someone up thread said about putting together a 2000 point army in a handful of hours, I can't imagine what sort of mess I'd make at those speeds!

For me, my hobby is playing> building > speaking about > reading >>>>>>>>>>>> painting.


I love putting a ton of stuff, mixing kits, converting, giving personality to my individual scrubs, even lowly ork boyz , etc...

Grimlineman wrote:
I’m sure there must be plenty who love it but why? I love painting first and playing games second but assembling models just seem like a weird puzzle with instructions. I don’t enjoy this. Plus I’m not a delicate person and always break something from applying to much pressure unintentionally. I would prefer models come mostly assembled with extra bits to customize. What satisfaction is there In gluing sprue piece 3 to sprue piece 28 per instructions?

Yes, I love it. My other hobbies include ceramics and woodworking; I love making things with my hands. My grandfather was a jeweler and sculptor by trade, and got me into modelmaking; he also did 1/72 modeling as a hobby. There is a lot of satisfaction to be had in planning a project and then physically making the thing you planned, seeing it come to fruition. Gluing piece 3 to piece 28 is only the basic instructions for assembly; there is an infinite amount of modification and detail that can be added, which also implies the exercise of a certain degree of creativity. Being "delicate", precise or careful is a thing you can learn, not an innate trait.

Your question seems to be a rhetorical "I don't like it and therefore it's bad". As you can see from the thread responses, MANY people take a great deal of satisfaction from making things, models or otherwise.

 Oryza Sativa wrote:


Your question seems to be a rhetorical "I don't like it and therefore it's bad". As you can see from the thread responses, MANY people take a great deal of satisfaction from making things, models or otherwise.

Not at all I was genuinely interested to see why other people enjoy It. I get the customization part of building models but there is way to many just put this piece onto this piece for my enjoyment. Unlike painting Where I’m free to do how ever I want. And I can see why you enjoy woodworking and sculpturing. Starting with a clean slate and you’re building something that’s your own. Where as when you putting together a GW model your building it the same way millions of others have before you plus the few extra bits you wanted to add or twist.

Anyways I think it was a fun discussion and was not in no way to say it’s bad just because I don’t like it. If others love it more power to them I myself will suffer through it so I can get to the painting/playing. Just wanted to see how many loved it or hated it that’s all. This is a discussion forum after all.

Have a good one!

Absolute favorite part of the hobby if I'm being honest with myself.

Building models is my favorite part of the hobby, above playing the game. Maybe if GW were to stick to one ruleset and improve it over time instead of trying to reinvent the wheel every 3 years I'd enjoy the game more. Painting can be a slog for me, but I do admiring the finished product once done.

Grimlineman wrote:

 Oryza Sativa wrote:


Your question seems to be a rhetorical "I don't like it and therefore it's bad". As you can see from the thread responses, MANY people take a great deal of satisfaction from making things, models or otherwise.

Not at all I was genuinely interested to see why other people enjoy It. I get the customization part of building models but there is way to many just put this piece onto this piece for my enjoyment. Unlike painting Where I’m free to do how ever I want.

Huh. I actually feel far more constrained with painting, needing to do what's correct, looks good, or (and this is the part I have trouble with) using colors that look good together and don't give people fits.
The number of times I've absent-mindedly used purple and green together (on models, webpages, whatever) and gotten horrified reactions is not zero.
So I'm fairly self-conscious about straying too far from established schemes. (Though some of those look horrible to me).

Grimlineman wrote:

Where as when you putting together a GW model your building it the same way millions of others have before you plus the few extra bits you wanted to add or twist.

This is demonstrably false. If you think for a second builders and converters are going to be anything more than mildly inconvenienced by the sculpts that come in a box, I've got some things to sell you. Starting with a particular bridge.

Sterling191 wrote:

Grimlineman wrote:

Where as when you putting together a GW model your building it the same way millions of others have before you plus the few extra bits you wanted to add or twist.

This is demonstrably false. If you think for a second builders and converters are going to be anything more than mildly inconvenienced by the sculpts that come in a box, I've got some things to sell you. Starting with a particular bridge.

For me, that's just all the more motivation to get the knives out. Especially with monopose models it's an absolute joy to make sure mine are not like the million others.

It's plastic, thus easy to work with. Sky's the limit.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
I love putting the models together! Especially when I get the chance to kitbash something and be truly creative.

Exactly this is what often brings me to my hobby table...

I prefer to customize and personalize most of my models.

My Alpha Legion rocks the Forge World helmets, and I glue extra grenades, pouches, knives, and other little gubbins onto them to make them 'tactical heretics'.

My Deathwatch has a lot of unique and interesting models that are my own creations- my goal is for the entire army to have every model 'special' in some way.

Even though painting is very fun for me, I agree that assembling is most definitely the step in the process I dread most. Still, I can see assembly being fun if you're kitbashing, because of the creative element of mixing and matching models. Normally, though? Not fun.

Most fun I ever had in over 20 years of this hobby was kit bashing the 30k plastic tactical (mk III and IV) and tartaros and Cataphractii terminator kits with 40k space wolf kits to make my VI legion army.

Alas no one played 30k in my group so ended up selling them!

I think it is the funniest thing of the hobby. Just don't build mono build kits (easier to say than to do these times). Then let your creativity speak !
And in no time you will have your men from your mind materialized in the real world

Building the models is absolutely best part. Not just following the instructions of course, but customising and converting models. I try to personalise each model at least a little bit (and often quite a lot more than 'a little bit'.)

Oh, and I can easily see which posters actually haven't assembled any primaris kits, the full kits are absolutely amazing to work with and you can easily kitbash them with each other and many parts of the old marine kits.

 CommanderWalrus wrote:
Even though painting is very fun for me, I agree that assembling is most definitely the step in the process I dread most. Still, I can see assembly being fun if you're kitbashing, because of the creative element of mixing and matching models. Normally, though? Not fun.

Being honest- I'd be fine if less interesting models like Dreadnaughts, Rhinos, and even land raiders came "mostly assembled". I hate putting together vehicles.

 Sherrypie wrote:

For me, that's just all the more motivation to get the knives out. Especially with monopose models it's an absolute joy to make sure mine are not like the million others.

It's plastic, thus easy to work with. Sky's the limit.

Indeed. Some clippers, the knife, the bits box, some greenstuff and maybe some 3d printed parts. Bring it on.

Voss wrote:

Grimlineman wrote:

 Oryza Sativa wrote:


Your question seems to be a rhetorical "I don't like it and therefore it's bad". As you can see from the thread responses, MANY people take a great deal of satisfaction from making things, models or otherwise.

Not at all I was genuinely interested to see why other people enjoy It. I get the customization part of building models but there is way to many just put this piece onto this piece for my enjoyment. Unlike painting Where I’m free to do how ever I want.

Huh. I actually feel far more constrained with painting, needing to do what's correct, looks good, or (and this is the part I have trouble with) using colors that look good together and don't give people fits.
The number of times I've absent-mindedly used purple and green together (on models, webpages, whatever) and gotten horrified reactions is not zero.
So I'm fairly self-conscious about straying too far from established schemes. (Though some of those look horrible to me).

What people think of your paint jobs is their problem, not yours. So if using greens & purples together is what YOU like? So be it.

Even GW uses green and purple together on their DG paint jobs. But I hate GWs official paint jobs on anything Nurgle, they never do the models justice.

Sterling191 wrote:

 Sherrypie wrote:

For me, that's just all the more motivation to get the knives out. Especially with monopose models it's an absolute joy to make sure mine are not like the million others.

It's plastic, thus easy to work with. Sky's the limit.

Indeed. Some clippers, the knife, the bits box, some greenstuff and maybe some 3d printed parts. Bring it on.

I mean I'm slowly getting there, but til you get a good assortment of bits and without an access to a 3D printer, you have way less options when it comes to monopose kits, in terms of sky's the limit...more like sculpting skills your limit there XD

Statistx wrote:

Sterling191 wrote:

 Sherrypie wrote:

For me, that's just all the more motivation to get the knives out. Especially with monopose models it's an absolute joy to make sure mine are not like the million others.

It's plastic, thus easy to work with. Sky's the limit.

Indeed. Some clippers, the knife, the bits box, some greenstuff and maybe some 3d printed parts. Bring it on.

I mean I'm slowly getting there, but til you get a good assortment of bits and without an access to a 3D printer, you have way less options when it comes to monopose kits, in terms of sky's the limit...more like sculpting skills your limit there XD

Luckily such a limit can be pushed farther away by just doing it

I love putting models together, especially when you just dive into your bits box and go crazy with it. It's one of the things that sold me on Orks