"Pay to paint lead pile?" Topic

How many miniatures enthusiasts unpainted lead pile has gotten so large that they are actually thinking about paying someone to paint some of it? I am curious as I find myself in this position, I have so many projects and periods going that if I actually want to game some of them I need help. It might seem like a fantasy but I want to use ALL of them at some point.

I always said I never would…now I often think maybe I should.

Only got one life – what do you want to spend it doing ? I like painting, but am painfully slow and I want big armies. So, maybe I should….

We have lots of customers in the same boat. they still paint the things they really want to paint but use us to move the process along quicker.

Hell yea. I'd send everything off to be painted if I could afford to.

I like painting and my pile isn't soooo large that I couldn't conceivably get it all done if I focused a bit.
Still, there are high-end painters out there who I would like to hire to paint a figure or two… just to own a sample of their work.

Not me. I have far too much fun painting my own.

To be honest – I would get someone else to paint a big army for me if I had the money, much as I enjoy doing it myself. My Borodino Russian army will have to wait until I win lotto.

Running out of time (smile), so I'm willing to pay someone when I can afford it.

Dan

It will take me a while to work through it, but I will work through it.

Actually, I'm thinking that my preference to paint my own is colored by my tastes for playing scifi and fantasy games (though I am increasingly drawn to historicals)… AND doing so with small skirmish rules.
Now, if I were doing large armies for historical games… where the aesthetic choices are more tied to real world research… then yeah, having someone at least assist in some of the painting would probably appeal to me a whole lot more. I might have a favorite force that I'd want to paint myself but needing some opposition that I'd farm out to capable hands.

No. I retired 31/12/2012 and am now slowly making my way through painting lead acquired in the last 40 years!

Remember that when the lead pile is no more you die!!!

I am such a slow and poor painter, and the mountain just gets larger, so I have had my figures painted for the last 20 years, at about 1,000 a year.

I buy, organise, and painstakingly remove all flash and mould lines on every figure before sending them to be painted. I invest much time in this so that my painter only has to paint, after all that is what he is paid to do.

Steve J

I did for a couple of projects. Mostly because I wanted to game with them more than I wanted to paint.

I'd hoped to have some figures painted, but the past two years haven't been particularly good from a financial standpoint. Also, my painting exceeded my acquisition last year, and it looking like it will again this year.

I do have a couple units I'd particularly like to send out for painting. I would continue to paint groups that were favorites.

Grelber

Sorry that this is off topic but, "OH MY WORD" how wrong can one be, KYOTE BLUE is sixty, I always immagined him to be late twenties/early thirties surfer type, long baggy shorts, vest, hanging out listening to Red Hot chilli Peppers and smoking dope dude, WOW! just WOW!…CH.

So who does a decent job at decent rates (28mm and 15mm)? I'm not looking for competition grade, I want figures for gaming.

At the big 60 Kyote has graduated to the ranks of Duderino. A toast to you good sir!

With a full-time job and a young family, I pay others to do 95% of my painting now. I still do my own basing, which takes long enough in itself, and only paint easy stuff like robots and bugs myself. Now I am even giving away lead I have decided I will never get around to painting.

So I buy far less stuff, but it is nearly all painted. Which in many ways is win/win.

Sergeant Paper that is the style I offer. I set my prices low to help others with their lead pile. But it has led to my lead pile growing larger than I ever thought it would get. I can paint for myself for a year or two.

Always

Lots of guys paint for you and you pay as you go-$50 here $30 USD there.

If I could afford to pay someone to paint my lead pile I would probably just spend the money on buying more lead.

I'm at that stage and I love it…will never turn back. I love actually seeing meaningful progress on a regular basis.

I do have to be thoughtful about budget and not have too many things going at once, but totally worth it.

I am a painter – and even I sent some Stalingrad mini's out to a longstanding TMP member to get a basic tabletop job that I could detail later when I had time, because I was too busy doing paint-for-hire myself.

Unfortunately, that longstanding TMP member (VERY well-known to all TMP vets with more than 3yrs membership) dropped off TMP, does not answer his emails and my minis are now years gone. Even offering to pay full shipping in advanced for them back in whatever condition got no reply.

So… I don't send minis out to anyone anymore.