"Looking for a painting service" Topic

Hello,

I have a large number of old glory and essex figures I need painted ( over 10,000). They are French, British, Russian, Prussian, and Austrian. I have a ton of civil war stuff to paint myself and honestly I am not good enough to tackle napolianic uniforms. So I have looked around and there are a ton of choices out there and so who is the best? I am looking for collector quality or better. I am not to concerned about price so please any help would be great!

Scale please ?

Perceived quality can be a subjective thing – can you provide some example photos of painted troops that are of acceptable standard, and some that are borderline acceptable, in the scale that you are looking at.

I know there are generally agreed upon levels of detail that dictate the difference between collector vs gaming 'standard', but there is still an infinite variety of style within those levels of detail. One man's butter is another man's cheese.

10,000 is a reasonably big number, you may end up splitting the load over several painters by tender, especially if time is an issue. That might not be a bad thing, as it reduces your risk as well.

Extremely keen to see how this project pans out for you.
Very interesting and ambitious !

I have used a fellow from the UK called David Young. His work is very reasonable and cleanly done. An example of his 28mm style is pictured in one of my blog posts link . He doesn't advertise or have a website, but if you PM me I can send you his email address.

I am also trying out Fernando Painting Enterprises from Sri Lanka with some 10mm. I haven't got the batch back yet (only two month turn around) but the dealings I have had with them a very professional so far. I saw examples of their work at CANCON and was very impressed. They are a larger scale operation with over 100 painting staff and deal with about 25,000 figs a month. They could handle the size of your project in a reasonable time. Their normal time is a two month turnaround. You will need to supply the uniform details. They do basing as well. They advertise here at TMP website is miniaturelovers.com .

Hope this helps

Ironlegs
10mmnapoleonics.blogspot.com

I have always liked DJD. Richard and his crew do a fabulous job!

My painting service, Reinforcements by Post, specialises in Napoleonics. We often deal with orders of this size. We paint for the Wargames Holiday Center (UK) and also for the old WHC (Scarborough) – who have 7,000 10mm figures with us now. You can see my painting on the Wargames Holiday Center site, and also on blogs like that of the Garage Gamer.

You can find reviews of my service on the painting services forum of this web site.

This is what we have done with Old Glory Bavarians:

I'm a wargamer. So I won't end up painting your muskets green :-)

Neil
reinforcememtsbypost.com

Neil,

You have your website spelt wrong, got an extra 'm' instead of a 'n' in there.

Thanks for noticing!

reinforcementsbypost.com

15mm figures you can look at wargames-den.co.uk

not cheap but look great

theemperorsown.blogspot.com

Scott's work is 2nd to none. His painting service is based in Thailand but he is a serious collector himself so he knows that uniform details are important and will get it done right. I have large AB Austrian, Polish and Bavarian armies that have all been done by his service. I think for the quality of work and the attention to detail that he gives it is a bargain. Check out his site and see for yourself.

We propose our painting service. If you want to visit our website and our galleries.

fogsoldiers.it

fogsoldiers.blogspot.com

Happy Wargaming to All.

Against my better judgment (since I want Neil to devote all his time to my 15mm`s alone and not be distracted by other work;) I will post a recommendation and thus share my opinion as a customer that has spent more than a little on painting services over the years.
I have used a series of painting services over the years with very mixed results.

Since mid-2010 RBP (Reinforcements by Post) have painted thousands of 15mm Napoleonic figures for me, ordered and delivered, in a steady stream every other month or so.
RBP is by a far cry the best professional large scale paintingservice I have ever dealt with!! and therefore is highly recommended by this collector. (that being said I have obviously not used all painting services and do not wish to offend anyone:)

To sum up my experience with RBP:
Fast turnaround time. Consistently very high quality paintjob. 100% professional business with outstanding customer service and communication. Loyalty and dedication to the project at hand. No BS, ever!! The price is right and more than anything else Neil is a wargamer and collector that knows his uniformology and the importance of details, and therefore also has the patience to deal with demanding customers like myself;)

Obviously I guess a lot boils down to how you feel about each painters/paintingservices style and finish, and I for my part happened to fall for the style of the figures RBP do which is why I commissioned figures initially from Neil. So in my opinion, lucky me:).

I will (when my entire Grande Armee` of 1812 is done! Soon, hopefully very soon!!) be photographing and uploading a series of pictures of the work Reinforcements by Post have done for me over the last 3 years and then let the work speak for itself.

Choosing a painting service for a large scale project is not easy, and the trouble as a customer really is to tell the difference between advertisement and consumer advice on TMP. Advertisement is fun and good, and was, I guess, the point of this thread.
This post is consumer advice, and in my humble opinion, good advice.

Good luck with your project and please share your experience as you go along!

Regards
Erik

I have previously endorsed RBP on this site and whilst I have, overall, been happy with the results I would like to share my experience.

I turned to RBP to paint 15mm Napoleonics after originally trying Dragon Painting Services in Hong Kong and being unhappy with the style of painting.

After sending a small trial order and being delighted with the results, I sent in orders over the next several years. I've probably had over 10,000 figures painted there.
I've had RBP paint French, Austrians and Russians and a series of minor powers. In addition I've had WW2 and some ancients painted for me.

I can't fault the painting of the Napoleonic figures. They do come up extremely well. If I had a criticism, it is the style they use to paint horses. They have improved them quite a bit in the last couple of years, and whilst more than acceptable, they are probably the only thing that lets them down. On a wargaming table with thousands of figures on it, you wouldn't even notice. This is just my opinion of course. The best course of action is to view the many photographs on their website and judge for yourself.

As far as ancients go, the job that was done for me was great, however (and Neil acknowledges this), anything irregular or that requires creative work, such as shield designs, is not handled well. If you give them something to copy then it will be done well.

WW2 figures. These were Ok, but I've turned to a different painter in recent years as I prefer a different style.

The main problem with any painting service is that you as the customer aren't there and despite detailed instructions or colour plates, problems eventually arise. It's inevitable. The issue here is how these are handled.

My experience with RBP has been overwhelmingly positive, however, there were a couple of occasions where requests for minor corrections to a handful of figures have caused issues. Some have been my fault and I've always agreed to pay for the corrections. Other issues have been less well handled by Neil, who I find tends to take any observations or requests for corrections as criticism and becomes quite defensive about it. This puts a strain on the relationship. As a customer, you should feel free to make requests or observations without having to tread on egg shells whilst doing it.

As a result, I can't endorse this comment made by another TMP member Dr Jekyll.

"Neil is a wargamer and collector that knows his uniformology and the importance of details, and therefore also has the patience to deal with demanding customers like myself;)"

After many years and thousands of dollars spent, during my last order to RBP I was told by Neil that

"I've decided not to paint anything more for you as your orders take up more time than orders for other customers".

There had never been any mention of this in over 4 years of orders and thousands of figures done. Before each order I prepare an instruction sheet and also include colour plates where appropriate especially where the unit is obscure or where RBP hasn't painted a particular unit before. I always send these to Neil prior to dispatch and get him to confirm whether anything further is required.

The result of this edict, is that I still have a considerable number of figures that I would have liked to have got done but won't be able to, not in the RBP style at least. I don't need them done, to be honest, as I have everything I set out to, but as a hobby I quite enjoyed researching the uniforms and then having them realised by RBP. This was quite a shame from my perspective.

I'm sure if you choose RBP, you will get some wonderfully painted figures, just be aware of some of the issues you might come across, not just with this, but any painting service. RBP has also indicated that they are closing their business so you might want to get some commitments from them that they will be able to complete your work.

The scale is 15mm. Te basing will be based off Age of Eagles. I have the units already broken down. I even have the flags from the flag dude. Thanks for the help.

"Reinforcements by Post" is in Bangladesh. We have one of the best work environments in the country. The painters love working here. They take pride in their work and enjoy the finished results. That isn't really possible in other industries, where conditions are miserable and there is no time "to smell the roses."

In the Export Processing Zone, where we have our studio, other industries lose about a third of their workforce "job hopping" after the Ramadan holidays each year. Painters have only left RBP to go off an get married, and a couple of them have come back to us after having children.

I run a happy ship by the simple expedient of giving in to all the painter's demands. The painters hate to repaint something they have finished nicely. Rich, as one of his friends once remarked on TMP, is very particular. He is always willing to pay for any changes. But the painters hate doing it. They didn't want to work on any more of Rich's projects. Rich is by no means a bad person, or a bad customer.

Our most difficult customer, who will remain John, sends us orders which are like a Chinese puzzle. I have to guess how figures are separated into regiments (sometimes it turns out extra shipments are needed to complete an order), how basing is supposed to work, and other details. He sends me bags of Front Rank 7YW British that he wants to be painted as WSS Russians, with no indication that they are to be painted that way. I ended up calling him, in the UK, trying to catch him in the morning before he goes to work, and trying to prise the essential details of his order out of him. Jobs like this are not commercial. John, if you are reading this, get me the instructions for those 7YW figures – and not hand written notes photographed in bad light I can't read them this time!

A man from Canada sends us orders with tiny units, typically 9 figures, and all sorts of variation in period. Asian painting services rely on repetition, and large numbers, to make money. So variation is a problem. But this man sends simple, clear, instructions, and is always happy with the choices we make in the absence of instructions. The painters love to work for him because they generally understand what he wants and he is happy with their work. His expectations fit our service like a hand fitting a glove.

For whatever reason, some customers and services don't match well. But there are a lot of alternative painting services.

People resell our painted Napoleonic figures on ebay for more than double the price we charge for them. Have a look at our web site and compare the figures to those services listed above. I think you will find our painting is better and cheaper. We are stopping most custom work at the end of the year. Prices will roughly double.

Next year we will still be selling ready painted figures. I have 20 boxes of figures, 150kg to 200kg, coming from Old Glory including the new 15mm Blue Moon Napoleonics. I will be placing large orders for 28mm Bicorne, Calpe, Elite, Front Rank, Perry and Warlord Napoleonics, also Warlord Ancients, Zulu Wars, WW2 and Modern. I have not yet announced the sale of 10mm 7YW, Zulu, Sudan figures which are already painted. I have a large stock of 15mm metal WW2 and Modern vehicles.

The best 8 people from the painting service will move to my house and continue to work for me. Packages which arrive during December can be painted after the studio shuts down and posted later. December is just the import deadline. I have a lease on the building until March 2013. So I can even extend that time if needed.

I can undertake to paint your large order. I have a staff of over100 and easily handle large orders.
If you want I can forward references from wargamers who used my service.
email; figures@sltnet.lk
miniaturelovers.com

Sanath

hi did you get the miniatures painted for you i have a website address now which is william-seath.co.uk i do not cost much can i help you i live in england telephone me if you like to talk about the miniatures you want done the number is 01946821517 or 07401951556

I've been globetrotting for while now, but when I was a 'stable' wargamer in Houston, all my outsourced work for 28MM Napoleonics went to Philgreg in Sri Lanka. When I return, he'll get all my work again. He's done a few thousand for me over the stretch of a few years, and I've always been happy. Great service.

Paulie

About 6 years ago, we had a large 15MM nappy army (about 8,000 figures) to paint (wargame quality). So we sent exactly 1/2 to Philgreg and 1/2 to Fernando. Both service received identical instructions and identical figures.

We got both orders returned within about 3 days of each other. In a side by side comparison, the only way to tell which figures were painted by which, was to look underneath the stands where we had labeled them.

Philgreg was about 10% less but Fernando packages better and sends sample photos of a particular units for approval before they paint the entire unit…

Neither made any errors nor was there any damage in shipping…

I would also add a recommendation for Reinforcements by Post. He is very friendly and offers a great service with very well painted miniatures. I've had a British force painted by him and am in the process of sending out another army to paint.

The fact that he has experience with napoleonic gaming and painting is a major benefit to someone like me who has little experience. For more experienced napoleonic gamers, this may not be a benefit, but its good to know you are sending things to someone who knows what they are doing.

I would like to say that RBP gets another positive vote from me. While my numbers are not extremely large (~ 1,200), I have used the service for about three years and Neil has always been professional and very helpful. Although, I thought RBP will be closing up shop near the end of the year (has a sad).

I placed an order with RBP a couple of years ago for a large amount of OLD GLORY and AB Miniatures 15 / 18mm figs to be painted.
Neil's team did a great job.
I'll be hopefully purchasing some BLUE MOON 18mm Prussians or Austrians in the not to distant future, (once the Minister for War and Finance clears the funds).