The collection is 2 cores, The archers, cavalry, and infantry expansions (4 expansions total).
I've posted several times on the matter of having to paint, almost passed on the game completely because of the requirement to paint miniatures. I've bought at least 1 of every expansion of x-wing (Yes, I have the C-Roc) not because I'm a big fan of Star wars, but of minis that I don't have to paint! I've skipped a lot of games because they required painting.
I'm not going to win any awards for technique or originality, but the armies are painted and ready for the table (pictures are display only, not a list).
As Thornoo1 said; "
I want to state up front, I am not a great painter. I don't have the patience to get my miniatures up to the kind of wow standard you'll see around the interwebs. My advice to you is don't compare yourself with those painters. They are talented and have practiced for years. They also deserve the kudos they receive.
Me? I just want painted figures you can push around the table to a standard that makes me feel alright about myself."
Well said, and this post is not for so much for those that can do what I find to be an amazing job..truly impressive, but for those that might also pass on this game because it requires painting. I did it - not great, certainly not "amazing" but playable and if I can do this - anyone can.
As I've said, I hate painting, it is probably hyperbole to say I hated EVERY second of it, more accurate to say just MOST of the seconds of it.
I looked at videos (the guy painting the golem went over it fourteen (14!!) times), read articles, read these posts. Basically used the ArmyPainter guide and paints.
Thoughts:
Armypainter suggests Several times that newbies (i.e. me) use too small of a brush, they painted the cavalry entirely with the regiment brush (middle thickness one). I am assuming they did this after they finished whatever neurosurgery they had for the day then went back home to paint. I used the regiment brush for the wide areas and had to use the "insane detail" brush for all trim.
I spent, all told, well over 50 hours just washing, gluing ( I glued my fingers together, my fingers to the mini, the pliers to the mini, the mini to the wrong part of the mini...I mean I made, I think most of the possible errors) , trying to straighten (some of my archers can shoot around corners), priming, painting, painting...painting ("Will I EVER be done? quoth the paintbrush...'Nevermore'..."), shading, clearing off pools of shading, clearing off pools of shading...again (tried dipping them - for me - not good), and then anti-shine matt.
I say that because it is there is an underlying message that "Its, ok...it'll go a lot quicker than you think!" from Army Painter. No, No it won't. It is work and it takes time.
I started in groups of 4, moved to groups of 8, then did one set of 16, which I won't do again...16 made me reconsider my entire decision making paradigm, like of..life. So it was a self-analyzing spiritual endeavor, so you get that too!
I tried to simplify, simplify, simplify - I tried to use a max of 5 colors on miniatures, and rarely succeeded mostly ended up with 6.
The Cavalry were, for me, the hardest to paint - a danger spot is when 3 (or more) colors come together at a single point those were the places I would simplify - just not use the 3rd color, which happens often with cavalry. But could not find a way to make them look ok doing that.
The Cavalry straps...I ended out giving up - I couldn't get them right, where the side of the strap meets the horse, I could not get a straight line. The number of attempts...well I went over that with multiple units more than the Golem painter in the video.
The Carrion Lancer (worm dude) was also...basically impossible, which meant I could get zen about them and paint them the way I wanted and they turned out ok, mostly. Which itself was another epiphany. "I can do it MY way!"
It felt (probably again hyperbole) like every time I touched a brush to mini, I messed up, "something else to clean up later". I tried applying all the colors (one at a time) to the set then going back and cleaning up. I would miss mistakes (a personality flaw, I WANTED to be done). I tried sort of cleaning up as I went for those places I wasn't going to paint over later and that dragged out the process horribly.
The Waiqar eyes...really...Just say NO. I tried and tried and tried, any new models I might try with just a touch of blue because...well, I have no instinct for self-preservation.
Cavalry I would not do more than 2 at a time, take breaks and wait for paint to dry - I did 4 at a time and cried most of that time.
Basing: I used the army painter glue (it's basically elmers) and their rocks, but the little rocks fall out, all over the place, all the time. I used grass from my train days (yes there was painting there too) and sand from train days. It looks ok but will be messy for...I expect, years. I was planning on bleak terrain under the Waiqar and grassy field under the Daqan, I tried using shade on the rocks to hold them better to the model (basically "varnishing" them) , I tried painting them - dry brushing them so maybe the paint would hold the rocks...and then, when getting the Daqan ready for grass, I painted them green - and that looked cool! I put grass on the the 4 trays of spearmen but when time came for the "Basing-Palooza" my wife (my wife will play the game, but not paint - she has a life) and I decided to leave the paint, tried that with desert yellow with some Waiqar archers but don't like that so may go back and revisit them one day.
Same as programming: "No mini is ever finished...merely abandoned".
But the entire collection is painted.
...and they announced the next 4 expansions yesterday, of course I died a little inside as I ordered them.
