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What do you consider the most challenging GW models to build and paint?

While I've never attempted it, the Triumph of Saint Katherine must be up there.

I haven’t done a lot of their models but I am trying to paint a squad of plague marines at the minute and there is so much small detail I’m having a nightmare

Some of the Nighthaunt are a bit of a nightmare to build with very tiny connections.

The old Monolith was fairly infamous to get lined up correctly without a ton of glue, elastic bands and filler.

The metal Thunderhawk was a bear to get to hold it's own weight.

The 2nd ed Marine Devastators were pretty famous for having their weapon arm fall off unless you spent ages pinning them.

The 3rd ed Land Speeder was very hard to align because it had a tendency to warp. The 2nd ed was awful because it weighed a ton and fell apart under it's own weight. Take your pick.

The metal Penitent Engine was famously hated.

The Forge World bio titans are bad I'd imagine.

To build - Exalted chariot of Slaanesh

To paint - Exalted chariot of Slaanesh
(I had to cut mine apart, paint it separately then glue back together... (I'll paint it in parts for the next one))


Contorted Epitome of Slaanesh -
same as above, VERY hard to get to all the cloth and fidly bits to paint once assembled

I'll plan better for the next ones!
C

So funnily enough, a lot of the bigger models (Katakros, Triumph, Glotos, etc) if you sub-assembly are really just a bunch of separate individual models coming together (although if you sub-assembly anything enough, sure).

Personally, Nagash was probably the hardest model to paint. His base size meant I couldn't use a painting handle. Even if I did, his size makes him awkward as all hell to hold and paint, especially when you're 6 or 7 hours into a paint session.

I subassemblied as much as I could, but the way his spirits assemble and the fact that I wanted to gap fill them before painting (and especially on his lower robes/cape thing meant most of his body was one piece. Lots of fiddly parts, awkward angles to try and stick a brush in, and unfortunately even fully built he's a bit of a wobbly boy.

Admittedly, he was still a lot of fun to paint, and given the opportunity, I would not hesitate to paint him again.

Close second would be Olynder, for all the reasons mentioned above, only she's much wobblier. Points in her favor are her size, and the fact that she can be mounted to a painting handle, making the pain and suffering you endure drastically less than with the Nag.

Any of the old all metal stuff building wise. It's not an issue now I'm an adult and own power tools, meaning I can easily drill out the metal and add heavy duty pins, but as a kid? No way.

I remember getting the balrog for Christmas back in 2001 when it was all metal. Damn. I had to mix up a super glue and PVA paste to stick the damn thing together and fill the gaps.

 The Phazer wrote:
The metal Penitent Engine was famously hated.

All metal, top heavy, shallow ball-joints for the arms, legs with holes larger than the pegs (and both on the same axis), and GW superglue.

Putting a Reaver together was a nightmare, more in the sense of getting the huge pieces lined up in a way that looked realistic, but also kept the model as stable as possible.

Dont own it but i imagine the ghost ark cant be fun in any ways.

Have an old FW dread chaplain that did not line up at all. Shame realy cus the model is no longer legal to use., atleast not in the ways i wanted to use it back in early 8th.

Tomb Blades a pain to build (specifically fitting the rider into the chassis).

Lady Olynder is a real paint to paint if you don't sub-assembly - everywhere is super bouncy plastic held on by super thin attachment points, and everything is underneath another layer of stuff. Like, there's vines INSIDE the body, then vines surrounding the body, and then the hair is between the veil and the body.

The most diffcult model was the elusive metal scrap launcher.

Then the metal skull catapult.

No where near as dificult drop pods are also infemus difficult.

Forgeworld Keeper of Secrets. All those tiny spikes...

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
I had to mix up a super glue and PVA paste to stick the damn thing together and fill the gaps.

For anyone playing along at home, this is not recommended. The vapour that results from this mix can apparently cause permanent damage to your eyes and respiratory system.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Any of the old all metal stuff building wise. It's not an issue now I'm an adult and own power tools, meaning I can easily drill out the metal and add heavy duty pins, but as a kid? No way.

I remember getting the balrog for Christmas back in 2001 when it was all metal. Damn. I had to mix up a super glue and PVA paste to stick the damn thing together and fill the gaps.

This. I remember the metal Dreads and they were impossible to deal with as a kid. As an adult I still don't want one haha!

-Guardsman- wrote:
What do you consider the most challenging GW models to build and paint?

While I've never attempted it, the Triumph of Saint Katherine must be up there.

Triumph is easy actually. It's just 6 sisters, couple cherubs and base with coffin thing. It's basically squad of sisters.

For me lumineth models are high on painting though. Sooooo many details. Week intesive painting for 5 cavalry is my record. 16 infantry "last details" 11 hours. Bleargh.

The old metal Tyranids up until the switch to finecast were universally pretty difficult to build. Sharp pieces everywhere, pins for every joint and half a bucket of filler would be the right move, but 13 year old me thought it would be better to slather everything in super glue and hope for the best.

These days, a lot of the models are so fine they're difficult to assemble without breaking pieces.

Painting-wise, I'm finding the wraithknight difficult to paint, even in sub assemblies. It's a large mini with not a lot of points for mounting to a stick or painting handle. I'll add that to the list of hard models to build too, especially if you cut off the mounting nubs on all of the joints like I did for a unique pose.

The metal Necron Wraiths were impossible to assemble without pinning. Their tails were split halfway down, with all the weight hanging forwards on them! They'd have been better on a flying base, with the body supported and the tail hanging!

I'll add my usual build contender - metal Thunderfire Cannon.

Not had the... "pleasure" myself, but have heard enough tales of woe.

 Freya wrote:

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Any of the old all metal stuff building wise. It's not an issue now I'm an adult and own power tools, meaning I can easily drill out the metal and add heavy duty pins, but as a kid? No way.

I remember getting the balrog for Christmas back in 2001 when it was all metal. Damn. I had to mix up a super glue and PVA paste to stick the damn thing together and fill the gaps.

This. I remember the metal Dreads and they were impossible to deal with as a kid. As an adult I still don't want one haha!

Aside from having the sarcophagus a bit warped sometimes, the metal dreads were actually one of the better multi-part metal kits, as most of the parts just slotted into place. There were other metal models that had irregular connection points that were frequently a poor fit, or just didn't fit together at all without some cutting and filling.

The original 30K Spartan -- the one with the non-molded-on track links -- was no treat. Completing one got you a merit badge in the 30K community back in the day.

 insaniak wrote:

 Freya wrote:

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Any of the old all metal stuff building wise. It's not an issue now I'm an adult and own power tools, meaning I can easily drill out the metal and add heavy duty pins, but as a kid? No way.

I remember getting the balrog for Christmas back in 2001 when it was all metal. Damn. I had to mix up a super glue and PVA paste to stick the damn thing together and fill the gaps.

This. I remember the metal Dreads and they were impossible to deal with as a kid. As an adult I still don't want one haha!

Aside from having the sarcophagus a bit warped sometimes, the metal dreads were actually one of the better multi-part metal kits, as most of the parts just slotted into place. There were other metal models that had irregular connection points that were frequently a poor fit, or just didn't fit together at all without some cutting and filling.

Yeah, I never had any trouble with the old metal Dreadnaughts, the pieces were so big the solid that the connections were pretty robust. All the metal Tyranid stuff around the same size were forever falling back apart. I remember the little whip on the Hive Tyrant being a right nightmare. Too small to pin effectively and too long for glue alone not to be levered off with the slightest breeze.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:


I remember getting the balrog for Christmas back in 2001 when it was all metal. Damn. I had to mix up a super glue and PVA paste to stick the damn thing together and fill the gaps.

That was really more a GW glue being crap problem though, which is something that transcends all eras. I had the same mini (with metal wings as well) and glued it together perfectly fine with zero pinning using this amazing glue I found at a random DIY shop.