Greetings everyone. It’s your old pal LaRRy back for another helpful guide to 40k. This time around were going to go through how to actually get these little pieces of plastic to look like the bringers of death that they are. Keep in mind that there are plenty of great articles posted around Dakka on how to do just about anything. In addition, this little corner of the internet is home to some of the most talented and amazing artists I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with. This article is by no means a slight at them or the work they have put in. This is just a bare bones walk through of what you can expect and a little nudge forward to get your creative juices on the right track. As always, if you have a question, ask. We’re all here (with a few exceptions) to help each other and celebrate our hobby. Now with a fresh cup of coffee in hand we will start the show.

Workspace

Make sure you have a place set aside for what it is you’re doing. The kitchen table might work fine for right now, but you (or your mother, wife, kid, etc.) are going to be pissed when dinner rolls around and you have to move everything or worse yet, you spill a bottle of glue or paint on the tabletop. Make sure your space is away from distractions (TV is the enemy of war gaming) and unsupervised hands. A comfortable chair is a big plus as well.

Assembly

Ahh. The beginning step. Your first daring leap into what I hope becomes a long journey filled with spilled ink pots on freshly painted models (happened to me), clumsy elbows (this too), unsupervised games store kids (grr…) and movers bracing a dresser up with 3000 points of painted marines (… I don’t want to talk about it). Now whether you got the new Assault on Black Reach box set or you just grabbed a squad size box the steps here are about the same.

Tools You’ll Need

Modeling Knife – Yes, an actual model knife. A steak knife isn’t going to cut it (bad joke). Neither is a pocket knife or a pair of scissors. You need a sharp, fine blade to deal with the amount of detail you’re looking at on these models.

Model Glue – Commonly referred to as Super Glue, but this can be misleading. GW (that’s Games Workshop, the company who makes all this) makes both super glue and plastic glue. The plastic glue is many times stronger but (SURPRISE!) it only works on plastic. For now just get whatever is around for a decent price. Avoid the “super value” brands. Four tubes for $1 sounds like a bargain but who knows if the glue with just flake apart after you get them together.

Clippers – Wire cutters probably won’t work, but I have heard of some small enough. I used a pair of cuticle cutters for years (any pharmacy or retail store for about $6). Now I use a pair of clippers used for jewelry. WAY easier than trying to cut out of the sprue than with a model knife.

Emery Board – Since you’re out getting clippers, grab one of these useful little devices. The finer grit the better. Sometimes useful for models (at least until you get a decent set of files) but more so for the dried glue that will inevitably end up on your fingertips.

Step 1: Pre-assembly

Open the box by removing the plastic wrapping and pull out the models. Since you’ve probably already done this, let’s move on. (that was a joke kids) Grab the big frame with a bunch of models hanging on the inside. This is called a SPRUE. I’ve seen it called a few other things but for the sake of this article it called a sprue. Please don’t fight me on this one. First thing you have to do is wash the models. During the casting process, a light oil is used to separate the plastic from the mold. Most of the time you won’t even notice it’s there. Every once in a while though you will see or feel a light film of oil on the models. Now think back to fourth grade science. If the paint you are using is WATER based and you are trying to make it stick to plastic covered in OIL, what do you think will happen? The correct answer is nothing good. Now the easiest way of washing new models is to just leave them on the sprue and give them a quick rub over with water and a touch of dish soap. No need to scrub away and get every little crack and crevice. Just a quick job and let it dry after a good rinse. Take the time while it’s drying to write me a nice thank you letter for preventing horrible and preventable accidents in the future. Or bake me cookies. I like peanut butter.

Step 2: Planning, Clipping and Gluing

Now BEFORE you start clipping models you should have a plan of what you’re doing. Only build models that you are going to use. GW kits have a lot of options in them now. Several different weapons are included and can be fitted on different models. Some of the combinations are not legal by game standards. It might be confusing at first but take the time to read through the codex and figure out what you can have. Have a friend help you out if you can. The codex might look daunting at first but once you learn how to read the format it becomes worlds easier. If you are using the Black Reach box set this isn’t really a problem. GW has made it pretty dummy proof (no offense). One thing you should keep in mind though is none of the models you will be dealing with from here on out will be so easy. You’ll see what I’m talking about when you crack a squad box of orks or space marines. Pay attention right here. ONLY CLIP WHAT YOU ARE USING RIGHT NOW. Now read that line again. Look at how small an arm is. Now think about how easy it would be to lose that arm. Only do one at a time. There are far too many combinations of models for me to get into here. I’m just going to touch on some basics and everything else should fall into place. Start with a starting point. Usually it is a torso or a set of legs. Clip this piece and shave off the mold lines. If you look on the sides of the models you will see a fine line where both sides of the mold meet. HELPFUL TIP TIME! Use the BACK of your model knife to remove this. Yes, the dull side of the knife. The mold line is very fine and doesn’t require much to get it off. Your fingernail will work in most cases too. Using the sharp side will more than likely take off more than you planned. Removing mold lines is a tedious process and eventually you will get tired of it. You might even be tempted to skip this step. It’s only a tiny line right? No one will ever even notice it right? WRONG! Once you get paint on the model and there is a contrast in color and shadow that little line sticks out like Ted Nugent at a PETA meeting (more jokes). Now you have your mold lines removed and ready to start gluing. Go for it. Nothing much I can tell you about this step. Keep in mind that more glue doesn’t mean stronger bond. For some reason when you blob it on it doesn’t dry right. Ask a chemist if you want a reason. Aside from this, a big bubble of glue sticking out of your marines neck probably isn’t going to look all that great. Just take your time and go piece by piece. The final step is gluing it to the base. And WHAMMY! You have an assembled model. Congrats. How are my cookies coming?

Step 3: Priming

Now for the fun stuff. Just grab a model and start slapping paint on it right? WRONG! Paint will not stick to an unprimed model. “But LaRRy. How do I prime a model?” Easy. You spray it with a flat paint. Look at the word before paint. Read it aloud. Flat. GW offers a line of flat primers that match their color line. I, personally, don’t like paying $8 for a can of spray so I look elsewhere. Many top level painters have their own picks for this category. I like to keep it simple. Most of my models are primed in a cheap, grey, spray primer I usually get from walmart. The only real question you need to ask yourself is what type of color scheme you are going for. And yes, before you ask, the primer color does make a difference. There is a great article here on Dakka focused on priming. Check it out here.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Priming_vs_Undercoating

Step 4: Painting

Here’s the deal newbies. There are literally DOZENS of articles on painting along with books and websites on how to paint your models. Just surf around and learn learn learn. That’s about all I can do for you on that topic. I still want my cookies though.

As always. If you have questions feel free to PM me or just ask on one of the forums. Best of luck. -LaRRy