Also touched up a Lambda and added some horizontal bloodstripes to a pair of TIE Fighters-- I know technically the stripe is supposed to be vertical on a Fighter, but I wanted them to match the ones on Interceptors. These are more just adding onto the existing paint instead of a full-blown repaint, but still, I like the results.

Hi Cayse, welcome!

Those are some bold repaints for a first try, but I think you've pulled off the squad really well; neat concept and all the models work together without being too 'obvious' e.g. With suits on etc.

In terms of constructive criticism, I'd probably suggest you thin your paints a little less maybe; the red and yellow have a bit of trouble showing over the black and whilst it does make the ships look grimy the bad side is they don't 'pop' as much. Yellow and red are notoriously hard to paint well on minis so try a couple more thin coats maybe?

You look to have a steady hand for someone just starting out though!

Most recent repaint:

Finished the Rebels TIE!

YES! sabine would be so proud! : D

Hi, all! First-time poster here, and a newbie both to X-Wing and mini-gaming in general.

I've been collecting X-Wing ships for a little while now, and tried my hand at custom painting them. While I'm nowhere near the skill level of a lot of you guys, I still thought they might be worth sharing. Going for a poker-card color scheme, I'm building up my Rebel squadron as Cayse's Aces .

First up, the One-Eyed Jacks (B-Wings):

Next, the Suicide Kings (A-Wings):

Then, the Dead Man's Hand (X-Wings):

And the whole squadron on display:

I'll probably go over them again as I practice and improve, as well as add more ships to my collection. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome.

G'day guys I'm just curious as to how many of you paint these little jiggers with an airbrush rather than all with brushes?

I'm planning to start painting and don't know which way to go, wether they're too small to airbrush or not. Never painted models before!

G'day guys I'm just curious as to how many of you paint these little jiggers with an airbrush rather than all with brushes?

I'm planning to start painting and don't know which way to go, wether they're too small to airbrush or not. Never painted models before!

I use brushes. Airbrush might work, but mostly for large ships. I have seen some pretty amazing Lambdas that were airbrushed.

My version of Nathan's 2nd place world's squad, one of the few rebel lists I actually enjoy flying.

Pink squadron standing by!

Weathered and converted Eaden Vrill: Viewing dome. Aquatic area. Anti pursuit laser housing. Modified cannon.

My second repaint attempt, Captain Oicunn's Dauntless

I imagine that Oicunn's crews gave up on his ship repairs, he is too brutal with his vessel, constantly ramming into things and getting right into the thick of it. I wanted this decimator to look totally trashed and battered, but I might have gone a bit far with it. It took about three and a half hours to get a good solid white base coat of paint down, and then another 3 hours for the battle damage. Turns out white paint is really hard to work with.

I kind of went into this with the idea that perhaps decimators are more white in color like a lambda, somewhat inspired by what I saw of in in screencaps of star wars commander, but with all the damage you can't even tell it used to be white.

Hi Cayse, welcome!

Those are some bold repaints for a first try, but I think you've pulled off the squad really well; neat concept and all the models work together without being too 'obvious' e.g. With suits on etc.

In terms of constructive criticism, I'd probably suggest you thin your paints a little less maybe; the red and yellow have a bit of trouble showing over the black and whilst it does make the ships look grimy the bad side is they don't 'pop' as much. Yellow and red are notoriously hard to paint well on minis so try a couple more thin coats maybe?

You look to have a steady hand for someone just starting out though!

Welcome to the community! A good tip for your next run is to thin those paints a bit - it will give you smoother more even coverage.

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I didn't think to thin the paints, like you both suggested, but I'll definitely do that in the future. I'm going to add a couple more pieces to the collection, then go back to these ones and strip them down and re-do them later.

On the subject of stripping paint, I really don't want to use paint thinner because I'm pretty positive it'll destroy the models. I've been told that letting them soak in a Simple Green solution and then going at them with a toothbrush works well enough--would that be the best solution?

I wanted this decimator to look totally trashed and battered, but I might have gone a bit far with it.

Nope, it looks pretty much perfect imo. Sure you don't really see it is supposed to be white, but it is exactly what I would Oicunns ship imagine as.

I like the weathering on your Deicmator quite a lot!

Rest of post: Nevermind, pics not working properly.

Hi Cayse, welcome!

Those are some bold repaints for a first try, but I think you've pulled off the squad really well; neat concept and all the models work together without being too 'obvious' e.g. With suits on etc.

In terms of constructive criticism, I'd probably suggest you thin your paints a little less maybe; the red and yellow have a bit of trouble showing over the black and whilst it does make the ships look grimy the bad side is they don't 'pop' as much. Yellow and red are notoriously hard to paint well on minis so try a couple more thin coats maybe?

You look to have a steady hand for someone just starting out though!

Welcome to the community! A good tip for your next run is to thin those paints a bit - it will give you smoother more even coverage.

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I didn't think to thin the paints, like you both suggested, but I'll definitely do that in the future. I'm going to add a couple more pieces to the collection, then go back to these ones and strip them down and re-do them later.

On the subject of stripping paint, I really don't want to use paint thinner because I'm pretty positive it'll destroy the models. I've been told that letting them soak in a Simple Green solution and then going at them with a toothbrush works well enough--would that be the best solution?

X-Wing minis have some unusual qualities re: stripping that most other miniatures don't.

First off, I've always used brake fluid. However, Simple Green works. I suspect it does a less thorough job but has the benefit of being gentler on your models. If you don't have experience stripping stuff the Simple Green is a more conservative, less risky choice.

XW minis are often brittle and chipping/flaking pieces of plastic are a legitimate risk (particularly with toothbrush scrubbing).

The more recently manufactured an XW mini is the easier it is to strip. I don't know if this is a result of changes in the paint formula over the years, or just the fact that the paintjobs on newer models have had less time to set.

If you only want to strip your own work and not bother with the factory paint it should be fairly simple. If you used acrylics they should come off quite easily; the sooner you strip them the easier it will be (ie. the less time they have to set). I'm guessing you didn't use a primer (which is good if you're planning to strip them, because proper, high quality primer is brutal to remove).

X-Wing lasers are ridiculously vulnerable to damage when stripping. Be super careful! And achieve a Jedi-like peace with the fact that even if you're careful you still might snap or bend one.

Here is my "Infamous Flying Circus"

Love that blue shaded B-Wing!

Here is my "Infamous Flying Circus"

Murica!

That's purple... the picture does not show it well...

That's purple... the picture does not show it well...

also, like the green Bwing

I did a few basic repaints (and cut the gun off the E-wing) to match Poe's color scheme:

I did a few basic repaints (and cut the gun off the E-wing) to match Poe's color scheme:

Very sharp.

Hi Cayse, welcome!

Those are some bold repaints for a first try, but I think you've pulled off the squad really well; neat concept and all the models work together without being too 'obvious' e.g. With suits on etc.

In terms of constructive criticism, I'd probably suggest you thin your paints a little less maybe; the red and yellow have a bit of trouble showing over the black and whilst it does make the ships look grimy the bad side is they don't 'pop' as much. Yellow and red are notoriously hard to paint well on minis so try a couple more thin coats maybe?

You look to have a steady hand for someone just starting out though!

Welcome to the community! A good tip for your next run is to thin those paints a bit - it will give you smoother more even coverage.

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I didn't think to thin the paints, like you both suggested, but I'll definitely do that in the future. I'm going to add a couple more pieces to the collection, then go back to these ones and strip them down and re-do them later.

On the subject of stripping paint, I really don't want to use paint thinner because I'm pretty positive it'll destroy the models. I've been told that letting them soak in a Simple Green solution and then going at them with a toothbrush works well enough--would that be the best solution?

X-Wing minis have some unusual qualities re: stripping that most other miniatures don't.

First off, I've always used brake fluid. However, Simple Green works. I suspect it does a less thorough job but has the benefit of being gentler on your models. If you don't have experience stripping stuff the Simple Green is a more conservative, less risky choice.

XW minis are often brittle and chipping/flaking pieces of plastic are a legitimate risk (particularly with toothbrush scrubbing).

The more recently manufactured an XW mini is the easier it is to strip. I don't know if this is a result of changes in the paint formula over the years, or just the fact that the paintjobs on newer models have had less time to set.

If you only want to strip your own work and not bother with the factory paint it should be fairly simple. If you used acrylics they should come off quite easily; the sooner you strip them the easier it will be (ie. the less time they have to set). I'm guessing you didn't use a primer (which is good if you're planning to strip them, because proper, high quality primer is brutal to remove).

X-Wing lasers are ridiculously vulnerable to damage when stripping. Be super careful! And achieve a Jedi-like peace with the fact that even if you're careful you still might snap or bend one.

Brake-fluid is toxic, to different degrees, depending on the formula. So be careful.

Acetone free nail-polish remover works as well as stripping agent, but use small amounts and rinse fast. If it works too long it damages the plastic.

I've never had to deal with factory paint-jobs before - I don't suppose my traditional method of soaking miniatures in metho will work?

If not, which of the Simple Green products is used - just the all-purpose cleaner?

In the USA, there is a cleaning product named "Simple Green" (the basic all-purpose cleaner). It is safe, non-toxic and is very good at stripping things down to the base paint job (or beyond) without damaging the plastic model. I usually give it a 24 hour soak, then (gently) scrub with a soft toothbrush under running water.

Not the most exciting thing but this thread could always do with a bump, painted my Raider engines (the black void looks tragic!)