hello all, have some quick questions...

1/ for FULL repaints how do you feel about stripping? I want to spray undercoat them, do i HAVE to strip or am I ok on most ships to not bother?

2/ GW paints for TIE fighters - anyone want to save me the hassle and tell me a good colour match for imperial drab grey?

3/ battle damage - I plan to sponge weather the ships - is it fair to say that under the grey there is a metal hull? I can then sponge chip the paint work off and have gun metal showing underneath, right?

4/ spray stems and bases black or not? how do they look sprayed black? still tournament legal?

thanks in advance for the answers guys!

1/ for FULL repaints how do you feel about stripping? I want to spray undercoat them, do i HAVE to strip or am I ok on most ships to not bother?

I use the existing paintjob as a basecoat, works fine.

2/ GW paints for TIE fighters - anyone want to save me the hassle and tell me a good colour match for imperial drab grey?

Vallejo WWII Luftwaffe Uniform blue

Testors Flanker Blue

Vallejo French Mirage Blue for the blue-grey look

3/ battle damage - I plan to sponge weather the ships - is it fair to say that under the grey there is a metal hull? I can then sponge chip the paint work off and have gun metal showing underneath, right?

Easily, I also like to use black to signify deep impacts/blasts.

4/ spray stems and bases black or not? how do they look sprayed black? still tournament legal?

They look sweet and you haven't changed their size or shape so I'd say they're good to go. If you want to be 100% sure, send a picture and ask the TO beforehand.

well, ona number of models (especially older ones), you'll want to clean up mold lines, and they can often have details already filled with paint. Try soaking the models in purple power, rubbing alcohol (high concentration), or brake fluid. Each model I've had has been different; my E-Wing came clean in rubbing alcohol in less then an hour, while the vast majority of my ships have needed to be soaked in brake fluid. personally, I recommend stripping first so you can get the sharpest detail possible.

any(for UK) equivalent to brake fluid i can use?

1/ for FULL repaints how do you feel about stripping? I want to spray undercoat them, do i HAVE to strip or am I ok on most ships to not bother?

Now, I've done lots of repaints and only on my first three or four ships did I strip the paint only to discover that the factory paintjob is quite durable and works fine as a basic primer. It's not often that I strip the paint nowadays, I really only do it if there is something fundamentally wrong with the model. That said, stripping the paint has the added benefit that it removes a lot of small debris, hairs/dust, and other assorted pieces of scrap that you don't want on the model.

2/ GW paints for TIE fighters - anyone want to save me the hassle and tell me a good colour match for imperial drab grey?

For the bright grey TIEs like the TIE Fighter and advance, you would probably be best of using a mix of Codex Grey / Dawnstone (Old name/ new name) and Fortress Grey/ Administratum Grey. For the rest, Shadow Grey / The Fang would probably be more appropriate.

3/ battle damage - I plan to sponge weather the ships - is it fair to say that under the grey there is a metal hull? I can then sponge chip the paint work off and have gun metal showing underneath, right?

You can of course do so, but I personally don't think most metallic paints work at this scale. If you are willing to go the extra distance, try this instead https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/138255-tutorial-scratches-dents-and-blaster-hits/#entry1495925. It's a tutorial I wrote a few months back on battle damage.

4/ spray stems and bases black or not? how do they look sprayed black? still tournament legal?

It's most certainly tournament legal to repaint your bases and stems. I myself don't do it, because I'm afraid that the paint will sooner or later chip and then it will just look plain bad.

love your weathering dude! however, what would the "grey" of your chipping look like on a grey tie fighter.. what would you suggest?

I don't strip my minis, but I recommend washing them before painting to remove any dust and oil from being handled. I just put the mini into a bowl, add some warm (but not hot) water, and some dish soap, then once I think they're clean enough I'll dump the soapy water and rinse them for a bit, then let them dry.

love your weathering dude! however, what would the "grey" of your chipping look like on a grey tie fighter.. what would you suggest?

Yeah that could be a problem. On the blue grey TIEs it works better, but grey chips on a grey ship is indeed not the best combo. Of course, metallic paints might not work look better. You'll just have to experiment and see what you like better.