"Easy to Paint: Scale, Material, Method?" Topic

Yes there are thousands of threads which have discussed this in the past, but I put it to you, here and now:

What is the "easiest" scale to paint? And why, to you?

The easiest material to paint?

The simplest acceptable method for getting figures on the table? Bare lead? "Army Men" color-coded plastic? Prime/base/wash?

A general question I suppose I never asked, when I jumped into 15mm SF, because of many other considerations.

Cross-posted instead of starting three separate threads.

I always post "material" threads to TotH, hope that's the closest place (T[&M]otH).

I guess I am just old school. I won't put a figure on the table unless its painted.

I have been homecasting 40mm figures from Prince August lately. What some people refer to as Not Quite the Seven Years War. Not too much detail, and I am painting them toy soldier style with a shiny finish. They go fast.

I can't paint 15mm figures any more, even with my optivisor. They are just too small for me.

I find 10mm quickest and easiest to paint and that with eyes well into their seventh decade; no Optivisor, just ordinary glasses. Pretty well given up on 28 mm, takes too long because I of all the detail. Still do some Dark Age 28s, as they are pretty simple, but napoleonic and Lace Wars are a no no.

I think 15mm figures are the easiest to paint. Especially those for WW2. I haven't painted Napoleonics in some time, but I'm considering jumping back in to that period. So my opinion may change…

10mm for me. Prime black, use blocks of color (dry brush fur), straight metal colors on metals, wash with a heavily diluted black or dark brown (using distilled water), done. Looks great. You can go for detailed work and highlighting if that's your level of skill, but you don't need it for a terrific looking little army!

Gaming with unpainted miniatures? Not my hobby.

I want a great game AND great visuals.

10mm is probably easiest. Really depends on what you are painting. Napoleonics/Samurai those are going to be harder than Zulus or Pathans.

Another vote for 10mm here, at least if you want any quantity of figures. I do like 28 when I have the time.

Like other here I will not put unpainted on table . 28 MM is my preferred scale . 15 does not have the visual impact . 54mm is for dispaly. Metal plastc or resin is OK . The new Bones resin is not that good .

Must be painted to a standard I am happy with.
I paint a variety of scales to suit the variety of periods I play so recently :- 15mm, 28mm and 40mm plus 1/600th ACW ships.
I vary the techniques according to the scale. So more time on the 28mms than the 15mms. However, I also vary the technique / time to suit the models so for example the 1/600th ACW ships had such great detail I spent a lot of time using washes and fine detailing to pick out the deck planking.
Metal figures. Ham-fisted with assembling things and that has put me off the great looking plastic sets. Found the resin ships fine though.

15mms with a spraycan of the appropriate colors.

You can then add details with a paintbrush, if desired, by washing, painting, drybrushing, etc.

15mm

Metal

Prime black
Drybrush white
Base colour leaving black primer as shadow/outline
1 highlight
Details.

I have no problem playing with unpainted plastics. I must have been conditioned long ago in my youth that this was acceptable.

Easiest figures to paint? Without a doubt, N-scale Historifigs for me. After many years of painting many figures I just do not enjoy painting all the details anymore. Right now I am more gamer than painter. I want to paint my figures to a little bit better than wargamers level and get them on the table and play. Maybe that will change as I get older.

Now if I someone would produce a well sculpted but less detailed 6mm line of Napoleonics I would be a very happy gamer.

6mm are the quickest and easiest for me.

Prime black then blob-on the colours. With jackets, for example, you put colour on the front, back and top surface of the sleeves. The nooks and crannies, like between the arm and the body, stay black and look like shadows. Instant shading!

The secret to making them look good on the table is to make the bases look good and use a LOT of figures………

Hi

Now if someone would produce a well sculpted but less detailed 6mm line of Napoleonics I would be a very happy gamer.

Heroics & Ros have less detail and are easy to paint – I can't understand why Bacuss do not do figures in campaign dress without all the fancy shako cords etc

It is hard to find a range of figures in almost any scale which have been nicely sculpted yet are not overloaded with detail – Warrior miniaturs make some nice 15mm Napoleonics which get close, but are let down by very weak bayonets and (some) poor animation.

Heroics and Ros are also proportioned like humans, not – fantasy – dwarves. There was a recent article in one of the mags about someone's attempt to collect the armies of Waterloo at 1:1, and he went with H & R for that very reason.

I'm with Cerdic. 6mm. Prime black. I use a dab and go approach. No they won't wow you 4" from your nose. On the other hand you can deploy battalions that look like this:

INFANTRY (288 figures)

CAVALRY (84 figures)

For preference I go with 6mm they have the benefit of looking good when speed painted and are inexpensive enough to use lots of.

15mm is my compromise.

28mm take too long and – if I'm doing a big game – I'd rather go bigger still (1/35th is nice).

6mm is a wee bit too small for me and I've not tried 10mm s there ren't any really in my chosen periods.

Spray coloured primer, paint details, dip in varieties of shading dips, matt varnish, hit the metalics and I'm done.

Metal, resin or plstic is of supreme indiference to me.

John T

Plastic Army Men, 40mm-60mm sizes, are ridiculously quick to paint to the GEtGW (Good Enough to Game With) standard: block paint only the bits that differ from the plastic's color (green, tan, whatever), in an assembly line fashion (organize the figures by pose, paint the same stroke, on the same part, until done; repeat on next part); apply The Dip, matte clear coat, and done. I have averaged less than two minutes of actual painting time, per figure. It takes a while to complete a block of figures, but when you finish, you have completed 20-50 figures at a time, and that is a great feeling.

I take the same approach with all my figure painting, so far as Assembly Line painting style and technique, block painting, The Dip, and matte clear coating (GEtGW is my default standard -- I only have one lifetime to finish painting, and enjoy gaming with my figures, and I want to finish them…). I mix poses, when possible, to give a more varied look (I mostly game fantasy, so it works), but for historicals (read, "Napoleonics"), static figures, all painted the same, are quite normal. YMMV. Cheers!

6mm are the easiest by far, and the speediest to paint.
28mm and above are the figures you want to spend time painting to show off your best skills and get great results and detail.
15mm is a compromise that fails on both ends of the scale to me…

I find figures (any scale) are easier to paint as long as they have crisp detail in the casting. 15mm old time minifigs were a nightmare…'is that a belt/cross strap?'
If it is clear to the eye while unpainted, it will jump out at you once painted.