Before I begin, I just want to jump on the bandwagon and say: " this should have been posted on it's own painting subforum "

Second, I want to make absolutely clear that I have not painted anything in years due to that fact that I am a monumentally rubbish painter. So in light of my clear statement of ineptitude ( my big word for today ) at painting I wish to know:

How easy is it to do a bit of personal work on the models?

You're probably wanting to know what manner of repaint I'm referring to and on what. Well, I have named a YT-1300 and Firespray: http://knightsofboanerges.blogspot.co.uk/p/yt-1300-century-mallard-better-to-duck.html

For now, I've used Millennium Falcon and Slave 1 pictures for them but when I get the models I want them to be their own unique style. When people see a photograph of some random event in a random location I want them to instantly recognize their markings and say: " That's one of Tamati's ships " I'm not talking about a complete redo, just a few changes to make them mine. Firespray might have the grey places replaced with a deep red, except beneath the cockpit , and the reddish places replaced with a some sort of blue. My Falcon , being named after a species of duck, will have dark green on the part that runs from the quad lasers, top and bottom, to the front. Perhaps with gold between the front arms, where the stripe of green would drop.

Any tips would also be appreciated.

I've found that you don't need to strip off the old paint, it's so thin it makes no difference and you might damage the details on the miniature. You can base coat it, but also not necessary.

I have done a lot of repaints, and I find them easy to do. Once painted takenand mix some black andnat least double the water and give it a good wash to delineate the panel lines and detail features. Knowing you will be washing it, you also have to consider the color you want to paint it and not make it to dark asnp the wash will darken the overall look. If you can find Rodent Masterminds paint thread he has some beautiful work on there for inspiration, I have a couple threads as well, and there are many other talented painters on here that you can get some ideas from..

From someone who is an artisan miniature painter, if you think you can do a good job and can make them better than they already are, give it a go. They are so good out of the box that I personally won't be touching the paintjob. MAYBE I'll add a slight secondary colour to the my 2nd Firespray and I MAY cut up a shuttle to make it look like Jodo Kast's, but that's a big maybe. I tossed a dark red ink to the solar panels of my 2nd Tie Advanced so I can tell the difference, but I don't even consider that a repaint.

As posted above, if you do plan on it, you don't need to strip the paint. Just apply conservatively and then dump a dark wash on top of it to get the same effect they come with.

I literally hate painting. I've never really been any good at it, and never really wanted to sit down to force myself to learn how. In highschool I hated any art classes I took, because I was never happy with my stuff. My wife is an amazing artist, (paint, pastel, pencil, all of it) so that adds to the lack of any desire to learn, knowing that if I ever REALLY need something painted, she would do an amazing job.

I only say this because last night I went to a friend's house who loves painting miniatures, and tried it for the first time. Never painted miniatures or anything before, so I took a little Y-Wing Micro Micro Machine to test, and then my Firespray and YT-1300.

Millennium Falcon got a wash. Turned out kinda dark, but hey, it's an older ship, so I was really happy with it.

The Slave 1 was my favorite. Did a wash, and a little drybrushing. Nothing too complex, but made it stand out a lot more than a model straight out of the box.

I know there are a bazillion of guys here who can give you real pointers, tips, tricks, and ideas. But I wanted to encourage you to take the plunge. Coming from a guy who was terrified to paint his stuff because of his lack of painting skills... it's really pretty cool. I have never had as much fun painting as I have with these.

From someone who is an artisan miniature painter, if you think you can do a good job and can make them better than they already are, give it a go. They are so good out of the box that I personally won't be touching the paintjob. MAYBE I'll add a slight secondary colour to the my 2nd Firespray and I MAY cut up a shuttle to make it look like Jodo Kast's, but that's a big maybe. I tossed a dark red ink to the solar panels of my 2nd Tie Advanced so I can tell the difference, but I don't even consider that a repaint.

As posted above, if you do plan on it, you don't need to strip the paint. Just apply conservatively and then dump a dark wash on top of it to get the same effect they come with.

I'm not going to touch anything else, just the YT-1300 and Firespray. Not a complete redo, just make them unique to me as they are intended to be characters in their own right.

While the Empire and Rebels are just there to fight.

From someone who is an artisan miniature painter, if you think you can do a good job and can make them better than they already are, give it a go. They are so good out of the box that I personally won't be touching the paintjob. MAYBE I'll add a slight secondary colour to the my 2nd Firespray and I MAY cut up a shuttle to make it look like Jodo Kast's, but that's a big maybe. I tossed a dark red ink to the solar panels of my 2nd Tie Advanced so I can tell the difference, but I don't even consider that a repaint.

As posted above, if you do plan on it, you don't need to strip the paint. Just apply conservatively and then dump a dark wash on top of it to get the same effect they come with.

I sooooo want to do a Jodo Kast Lambda.. haha.. I just need to cast some extra X wing engines to add to it to make it authentic.. lol and some extra guns.

That's another thing, if you want to customize ships .. its not that hard, you just have to want it bad enough, hence why I'm doing a YT remod to create the Solar Flare. Simple tools, hobby saw, xacto knife, plasticard and super glue... and a plan... lol .. prime and paint to suit..

If I remember right you were going to try to make it to Games of War at Seaham? I know they have a few people who paint, if you want someone to do it and have the cash to spare, if I'm wrong ignore this =D

What I have found with crappy painters is they usually don't have the correct tools. The skill is not hard, and really only requires patience once you start screwing things up, which is very common with crappy paint and brushes.

Make sure you use acrylic paints, I prefer the vallejo game color line (actually model color paints nicer, but game color lasts on the models better) and buy decent brushes, like windsor newton series 7, pick up a size 1, maybe a 00 if you want to do some small stuff. And use washes, games workshop ones are ok right out of the bottle, but I prefer to mix my own (GW ones seem to leave a shiny coat).

You can paint right over the existing paint, and it should only take 2 coats or so.

You don't need expensive brushes. I won piles of golden demons using cheap taklon brushes from the arts and craft store. The important things to learn is to thin your paints, take your time, learn to paint within where you want to and keep a good point on the brushes. Patience and picturing what you want to do is my best advice. Don't drybrush with your detail brush if you want to keep it as a detail brush.

As for washes I previously would have recommended the old range of GW washes which were excellent but they switched manufacturs again. With current ranges I highly recomend the Army Painter washes range. If you want to add some easy shading to your ships get Strong and Dark Tone washes. Secret Weapon has a huge wash range as well.

I bought a 7 pack of brushes from Jo-Ann's fabrics for like 7.99, and some Citadel paints. I had never painted before but was able to pick it up pretty quickly. I have several videos on my youtube channel showing how I've done most of my repaints. You may find it helpful, maybe not. There are lots of other good tutorials as well.

As someone who also plans to take the plunge and repaint, I appreciate the posts in this thread.

I've heard you want to thin your paints, if you were using acrylic, what do you use to thin? Water? Paint thinner? That nuln oil I keep hearing about?

Very new to this so appreciate any advice. Some awesome repaints on this forum.

Thin acrylic paints with water... and clean your brushes with the same..

I'd like to paint a couple of first printing X-wings, since they look so noticeably inferior to those versions that came later. The existing paint tends to obscure the detail in the model though, so should I paint over or strip it. I have to cut off the guns and reapply them too since they point in all sorts of directions.

As someone who also plans to take the plunge and repaint, I appreciate the posts in this thread.

Very new to this so appreciate any advice. Some awesome repaints on this forum.

Agree!

The advice has been very helpful. Thank you all. Others should feel free to ask for tips on this post and I'll be sure to put up some pictures when I've got the Century Mallard and Liberation 4 painted.

From someone who is an artisan miniature painter, if you think you can do a good job and can make them better than they already are, give it a go. They are so good out of the box that I personally won't be touching the paintjob. MAYBE I'll add a slight secondary colour to the my 2nd Firespray and I MAY cut up a shuttle to make it look like Jodo Kast's, but that's a big maybe. I tossed a dark red ink to the solar panels of my 2nd Tie Advanced so I can tell the difference, but I don't even consider that a repaint.

As posted above, if you do plan on it, you don't need to strip the paint. Just apply conservatively and then dump a dark wash on top of it to get the same effect they come with.

I'm not going to touch anything else, just the YT-1300 and Firespray. Not a complete redo, just make them unique to me as they are intended to be characters in their own right.

While the Empire and Rebels are just there to fight.

Easier than you think. Especially when we are talking about a subtle bit of personalization!

I don't even strip them, I just add a thin layer of Citadel paints (some of the best out there!) and finish with some washes. Simples!

from my perspective as someone who just occasional goes into the (re)painting area, the x-wing series is perfect:

a) the original painting is well done, which allows you to try your luck on singular ships without to creating the need to paint the rest of your ships. (nothing is more annoying than half-painted armies)

b) the original paint works well as base coloring without the need to strip the old or add a new base coat. This is ideal for adding slight variations from the base theme, squad colors, additional details, rust and dirt washing etc, which are probably the easiest goals for beginners or out-of-practice amateurs.

from my perspective as someone who just occasional goes into the (re)painting area, the x-wing series is perfect:

a) the original painting is well done, which allows you to try your luck on singular ships without to creating the need to paint the rest of your ships. (nothing is more annoying than half-painted armies)

b) the original paint works well as base coloring without the need to strip the old or add a new base coat. This is ideal for adding slight variations from the base theme, squad colors, additional details, rust and dirt washing etc, which are probably the easiest goals for beginners or out-of-practice amateurs.

Just what I'm wanting to do. Two ships, with a little bit of paint here, a little bit of paint there and done.

From someone who is an artisan miniature painter, if you think you can do a good job and can make them better than they already are, give it a go. They are so good out of the box that I personally won't be touching the paintjob. MAYBE I'll add a slight secondary colour to the my 2nd Firespray and I MAY cut up a shuttle to make it look like Jodo Kast's , but that's a big maybe. I tossed a dark red ink to the solar panels of my 2nd Tie Advanced so I can tell the difference, but I don't even consider that a repaint.

As posted above, if you do plan on it, you don't need to strip the paint. Just apply conservatively and then dump a dark wash on top of it to get the same effect they come with.

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I sooooo want to do a Jodo Kast Lambda.. haha.. I just need to cast some extra X wing engines to add to it to make it authentic.. lol and some extra guns.

That's another thing, if you want to customize ships .. its not that hard, you just have to want it bad enough, hence why I'm doing a YT remod to create the Solar Flare. Simple tools, hobby saw, xacto knife, plasticard and super glue... and a plan... lol .. prime and paint to suit..

I think The Foxcatch would be sweet, dark grey with yellow accents and the red clan symbol.

you have pictures of this foxcatch???

you have pictures of this foxcatch???

P.S. The Kast clan emblem on that ship image is backwards.

P.P.S. stupid auto correct on my phone keeps changing Kast to Last....

In other threads, I also hear the term "dry brushing". Does that just mean you have a very tiny amount of paint on the brush, and go over it multiple times? I take it that allows you to do very thin layers which allows the model detail to show through

Thanks for the advice thus far.

Dry brushing is a technique, and I'm sure one of the more experienced painters can explain it better, but I'll give it a shot. You take your brush (typically a larger one than you would use to paint the area) get some paint on it, and then brush it on a papertowel until practically nothing comes off any more. Now that your brush is "dry" you "brush" over the area you want to paint/weather, and small pigments transfer. It works well on something like painting the TIEs from blue to gray because you can tape off the area around it, and dry brushing won't run under the tape, so you end up with a very neat lines. Plus it allows the blue to "shade" the gray, so it's not an uniform color. It's also good for weathering a mini, for example the YT exhaust would be a great use of dry brushing. You want to do that along the direction of the exhaust, as you'll get a few brush marks in it, imitating the exhaust flow. But it'll look like the hull is dirtied, instead of painted with racing stripes.

Oh man... I'm feeling like a noob, how could I forget it was called Foxcatch.. haha.. I have a picture of it, that same one from the comic.. I actually have that comic somewhere, probably in my storage.

And if the clan image is backwards then whoever set the photos for the page probably put it in backwards.. lol...

What Khyros said is pretty much dead on for the proper way to drybrush. The trick with drybrushing and to a point washes is to consider what they do.

A dry brush will leave a small amount of pigment on raised surfaces. The best effect is normally to use a lighter shade of paint then the base coat. This highlights the raised area.

A wash on the other hand is intended to pool in recessed areas and fill them in. The best effect here is a darker shade then the base coat, it adds shadows to those low areas. To do a wash you take what ever paint you're going to use and water it down. I can't say for sure just how much water to paint, when I do it I mix it till I feel it's right.

Applying a wash can work in two ways. One is kinda slop it over and then wipe off areas. This will darken the base coat but also give the shadowed effect. The other is to be more careful and only wash those low areas. This leaves the base coat alone.

Myself because I'm not the best at painting, I tend to base coat a slightly lighter shade then wash it all with a dark shade. Gets the base coat to what I want and gives the shadows I want. That's especially true of things like Flames of War stuff... 6 15mm miniatures per base and 9+ bases per platoon, well you learn the difference between show and tabletop painting.

Between the two, you end up with a base coat with lighter raised areas and darker low areas.

A few tips on washes:

When making your own wash add a drop of alcohol or windex to break the surface tension and increase flow.

For a truly amazing wash you can thin oil paints. It flows amazingly well and has a very deep, rich color compared to acrylics. But it's a bit of a pain to work with since you have to use paint thinner.

Consider dry brushing or painting after you wash to really increase the contrast of your recesses. When you wash an area it darkens everything, but darkens recesses more. If you go back and dry brush or paint the raised areas you get a much more dramatic and clean effect.