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Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




To be blunt, I hate painting. I get no joy out of it, and in fact I am just miserable the entire time I do it. It also doesn't help that it doesn't add anything to gameplay other than the 10 points GW threw into 40K to sell paints. It is said 10 points that makes me ask this question. I am getting back in and need to paint my models so the pedantic tourney players at my lgs don't hit me with the "WeLl AcTuAlLy! I get 10 points you don't!"
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







Its a different skill set in terms of being able to get the paint flowing and covering effectively, so if you don't like painting it might not be the best solution. I find that airbrushes really help with base coating, and getting nice gradients and mottling effects on larger models. People with greater skill can get similar effects on infantry sized models, but I'm not there really.

Base coating with a brush depresses me and I find an airbrush helps me. However, you can get a similar benefit from using coloured rattle can spraypaint without all the expenditure and learning curve.

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in gb
Frenzied Berserker Terminator




Southampton, UK

There's definitely a skill to it that needs to be learned, it's not just painting on easy mode or anything. That said, if you want to get things like base coats done quickly it will definitely help with that. Depends what you're painting as well, some things will lend themselves to airbrushing better than others.

What are you working on, and what level of 'painted' are you aiming to achieve?
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




Right now, Space Marines, and basically just good enough to count as Battle ready. While I love looking at other peoples cool paint jobs, I just need them good enough to not lose 10 vp.
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







I would recommend a coloured spray can for the base coat/primer, some metallic silver for guns and a wash/drybrush combo to match the base coat. If youw ant to go old school, get Moot green and some green flock for the bases

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in gb
Frenzied Berserker Terminator




Southampton, UK

An airbrush will definitely help you get a battle-ready finish on space marines, yeah. Power armour works nicely with an airbrush.

Look into zenithal highlighting. Basically you start from a dark primer and then spray colour downwards from above the model, so that it goes on the upper surfaces and leaves the areas underneath dark.

That will give you a good effect on the armour panels quickly and easily. I'm not especially skilled with my airbrush, but I can do 2 layers on a squad of marines (well, Berzerkers) in under half an hour.

It's potentially a fair amount of money to spend on getting an airbrush setup though. The above rattle-can solution may be more cost-effective.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/06 10:24:59


 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut




I’d second the colour sprays/primers. Don’t get me wrong an airbrush is perfect for what you want to do, but they’re expensive and theres a big learning curve with them. If you want to rattle out quick three colour minis and not bothered how they look as long as they’re not grey I’d stick to sprays.
   
Made in it
Waaagh! Ork Warboss




Italy

Templarted wrote:
I’d second the colour sprays/primers. Don’t get me wrong an airbrush is perfect for what you want to do, but they’re expensive and theres a big learning curve with them. If you want to rattle out quick three colour minis and not bothered how they look as long as they’re not grey I’d stick to sprays.


Exactly. Using an air brush isn't easier than using brushes, it's simply faster once you've mastered it.

IMHO the best solution for the OP is to find someone that does commision work for reasonably cheap, which shouldn't be an impossible task since he wants to paint a full army at once and at a low-medium quality.

 
   
Made in gb
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Scotland, but nowhere near my rulebook

Yeah, if you don't like painting then buying expensive painting equipment to avoid it is not the way to go. Spray can, silver on the guns, wash is the way to go. If people are insisting on 3 colours pick something to put on the shoulderpads.
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







Eye lens colours are good for hitting the 3 colour approach as well

Although I would say that drybrushing a lighter shade of the base colour is technically a third colour

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/06 11:33:51


Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Do the people you play with hate painting, if so drop the 10 point rule.

But airbrushes are not for people that hate painting, they take a lot of care and use and it take time to clean it so you can use your next colour. Yes they are good for basing and priming but so are spray cans

Check out Marco Frisoni on YouTube. One of his videos shows how you can use 3-4 spray cans to get a really good, quick power armour paint job with shadows.

The other question is… doesn’t battle ready mean 3 colours, so you would need to a little bit of detail
   
Made in gb
Thane of Dol Guldur





Bodt

Depends. For me, it's actually more work using the airbrush. I have spent untold hours learning to do most things by hand, purely because I'm mostly too lazy to get my airbrush out or its at night and I don't want to wake the kids.

If you're army painting though, it will probably allow you to save quite a bit of time for various things.

Heresy World Eaters/Emperors Children

Instagram: nagrakali_love_songs 
   
Made in ca
Stormin' Stompa






Ottawa, ON

I don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but I find an airbrush helps with difficult colours. It puts on an even coat so you don't have to worry about brush marks. Very handy when I want to out down oranges, whites or yellows.

Ask yourself: have you rated a gallery image today? 
   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





Some armies are really well suited to airbrushing. Tyranids and Tzeentch are examples of armies that you can paint very quickly to a half decent standard with an airbrush and not much hair brush work needed afterwards.

But for the most part, if you're just trying to get an army painted quickly and don't care if it's average quality, you're better off using rattle cans to lay down quick colour, maybe a wash/drybrush, then pick out a few details with a regular hairy brush while favouring high opacity paint so you don't have to do multiple layers (for example, GW's "base" range).

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/10 08:05:12


 
   
Made in gb
Fresh-Faced New User





I agree that Space marines, with their nice smooth paneled armour, make great models to paint easily with an airbrush - or the combination of a couple of spray cans. With very limited/small and easy changes to how you spray the can or airbrush, you also get nice gradients on the armour - and no need for washes.

It's easy to brush paint black or metalics over a red/green (or other brighter colour) paint job to add in some extra detail (trim, gun etc).

I've got into airbrushing from spray cans and started using it basicaly as a spray can. Had trouble positioning the minis when holding them, so went back to having them tacked to a board for spray can treatment. Then with more practice and understanding of pressure & paint thinning, I worked up to closer control and holding them for more detailed work.

Chaose marines on the other hand are a pain. All that pointy trim is tedious and an invitation to mess up the nice airbrushing...

   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





Buy the airbrush and never look back. Switching colors is simple. I just stick the airbrush in some water and blast water through it for a while. Then blast a little alcohol through it. Very simple way of clearing it out. You do have to keep the airbrush clear of build up so buy a little cleaning kit for it. You will need it. Thin the paint a little bit too. Some air paints really need it. Like white.

It does help you get a lot of smooth painting done fast and saves so much time. Also amazing for pre shade or highlights. Just bite the bullet and do it. You won’t regret it
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Moustache-twirling Princeps





Gone-to-ground in the craters of Coventry

If nothing else, basecoating with an airbrush is much easier than with a hairbrush, and with more range and control than a spray can.
As said above, airbrushes bring their own workload. They need semi-regular cleaning, and changing paints is more work than just swilling the brush in the water-pot. But, the results are worth it.

I went with a cheap airbrush to start with, to get the hang of it, and to change later if I didn't like the type of airbrush. The compressor (with a tank) is still chugging away, and worked well with everything I have tried with it.

There are loads of threads here about what to buy.
Compressors are fairly noisy if you are in a small place, and dealing with the 'fumes'/dust needs thinking about. But, if you have an open area to paint, go for it.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2021/12/23 10:18:25


6000 pts - 4000 pts - Harlies: 1000 pts - 1000 ptsDS:70+S+G++MB+IPw40k86/f+D++A++/cWD64R+T(T)DM+
IG/AM force nearly-finished pieces: http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-38888-41159_Armies%20-%20Imperial%20Guard.html
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw (probably)
Clubs around Coventry, UK 
   
Made in us
Daemonic Dreadnought





Eye of Terror

Yeah, you gain a lot of efficiency with airbrushes once you know how to use them. If you really are just looking for 3 colors, you can do a few thousand points in a couple hours.

For example: I did a Cadian army for a friend just because I couldn't stand looking at a sea of grey when we played. About 200 models, hit everything with a grey primer then coated it with tan (green for the Valkyries.) Went back over the boots of troops with brown, the helmets with green and the tank tracks with dark grey.

Might have spent 3 hours, which included removing everything from his carrying cases. It wasn't pretty, but everything had 3 colors.

   
Made in pl
Longtime Dakkanaut




If you want quick and effective I'd rather go for Contrasts, not airbrushing. Maintenance and set up itself will make you not want to bother to even start. And an habit being easy to start and see some result quickly is very important for our motivation (reward system etc...)
   
Made in gb
[DCM]
Moustache-twirling Princeps





Gone-to-ground in the craters of Coventry

Contrast is indeed a game-changer.
But, Contrast works best on small uneven parts I find. Larger uniform parts take airbrushing very well.

6000 pts - 4000 pts - Harlies: 1000 pts - 1000 ptsDS:70+S+G++MB+IPw40k86/f+D++A++/cWD64R+T(T)DM+
IG/AM force nearly-finished pieces: http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-38888-41159_Armies%20-%20Imperial%20Guard.html
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw (probably)
Clubs around Coventry, UK 
   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





 Skinnereal wrote:
Contrast is indeed a game-changer.
But, Contrast works best on small uneven parts I find. Larger uniform parts take airbrushing very well.


I don't disagree, but the OP gave the impression that they don't like painting and are just trying to shortcut the painting requirement in games... so I still lean towards staying away from the airbrush and sticking to coloured rattle can sprays and conventional hair brush techniques as even after airbrushing a Space Marine, you'll likely want to go back and shade the crevices and highlight the edges, by then you're back at the point where the time investment per model will be large.

The only time I think an airbrush genuinely speeds things up is either when you're going for an "above-average" paint job, or for a handful of armies that can be mostly completed by airbrush without too much post work (Tyranids, Daemons - specifically Khorne and Tzeentch).
   
Made in us
Stealthy Space Wolves Scout





Folkvang

Fact is, airbrushing is faster than using a brush. Plain n simple.

However, it takes practice and has extra clean up steps too. Not to mention the costs involved with getting a compressor with a tank and a decent enough airbrush to not wanna huck it at wall a week in.

That said, you can get very similar effects with rattle cans. You just need good ones and a better understanding of how to use them. Street artists all know that you can buy heads for the cans that do different strokes. All of which can be bought at your local art store (for me it's dick blicks). Also warming them up in a bowl of warm water before using them is very helpful for even coats.

My suggestion, get two contrasting paint cans. One being your primary color. The other being its direct opposite on the color wheel. Spray your minis from below with the opposite color and then afterwards use the main can from above. Do a quick bit of brushing like shoulder pads or some third color, hit them with an oil wash (brown probably) wipe it off mostly and you're done. Army in a couple hours if you do it all at once.


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Made in us
Grumpy Longbeard






Simplycasualgaming wrote:
To be blunt, I hate painting. I get no joy out of it, and in fact I am just miserable the entire time I do it. It also doesn't help that it doesn't add anything to gameplay other than the 10 points GW threw into 40K to sell paints. It is said 10 points that makes me ask this question. I am getting back in and need to paint my models so the pedantic tourney players at my lgs don't hit me with the "WeLl AcTuAlLy! I get 10 points you don't!"


Enjoying the process is the key in anything, and if you hate the painting hobby process then that is a huge problem.
At first I was going to say, just buy pre-painted armies .
But. Something that might help reduce frustration during painting is to sticking miniature on to some sort of a holder and planting with your both hands (holding hand and painting hand) on table surface or table edge, planted, grounded!!! For me watching the paint go where I want it to go just because my hands are stable is a big deal! Otherwise the painting process becomes an exercise in patience, balancing both hands and trying to hold them steady while trying to paint something small.

If you do not particularly care what your army looks like, what you can do is spray them with rattlecan, paint shoulderpads different color from the rattlecan, and then dip them in wood stain. Done! Will take couple days for wood stain it to dry.
These I dipped in wood stain after basecoats, there will be a shiny finish on them though.
Spoiler:








Sidenote:
Paint adds quite a bit to gameplay. The whole point is to give player visual qs, so at a quick glance player can tell what unit is a grunt, commander, heavy, special weapon ets without picking up each guy and see what they are holding (just like in any computer game). Painting for war gaming is essentially a quality of life perk that makes playing the game much easier. Imagine same thing for any multiplayer computer game where models have no textures and how frustrating it would be to play that.
Then there is narrative element but that more of a personal preference.


For airbrush perhaps this?
https://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/airbrushing/1082-portable-airbrush-compressor.html
https://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/airbrushing/499-dual-action-gsw-airbrush-0-3mm.html
bout $120 with shipping. (standard shipping time will be more than a month)

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/12/24 04:06:15


 
   
Made in de
Nihilistic Necron Lord






Germany

There are ways for people who dont like painting to get their minis painted fast. Basecoat black with rattle can, or airbrush, drybrush silver, done. Add pva glue to the base, add sand, done.

More ways are shown here under concepts.

https://citadelcolour.com/
   
Made in ca
Librarian with Freaky Familiar






It's a whole different set of skills, however learning those skills you can do amazing things with it.
It is much faster, depending on the effect you want. When it comes to large models I do them almost exclusively in airbrushes because it's so much quicker and gets the effects I want. Doing that takes time and skill in order to learn how to do That.

However, there are many things you can do with an airbrush that don't really require much skill but can save lots of time, such as just basing them, or using a wash through and airbrush which will tint more then wash.

It all comes down to time saving and you have to determine if an airbrush will help with that

To many unpainted models to count. 
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut




Tbh, if you want quick, "tabletop acceptable" space marines, just spray them with a coloured primer, then drybrush them with a lighter shade of that colour, then pick out the metal details with a silver. That's pretty much done, if not, slather the whole thing in army painter zombie shader, or some other mid brown ink and it'll look pretty done, maybe have to pick out the outline on the shoulder pads in a different colour, but the whole thing wouldn't take very long, nor would it need you to take good care of cleaning your airbrush. (which considering you don't like painting, I imagine you really wouldn't enjoy cleaning up after painting!)
   
 
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