"Least Favorite Activity?" Topic

What's your least favorite aspect of the pre-paint prep process? I know that not all people do all these steps – just brainstorming here.
In no particular order:

a) leveling the base
b) carving,filing, sanding off everything that isn't the figure (flash, spurs, webbing, seam lines)
c) washing the miniatures

d) assembling the miniatures: including gluing on arms, heads or armaments
REVISED:
d) EASY assembly – one attachment or maybe two max – like a back pack and a bayonet frog/scabbard. Rider to horse.
e) COMPLEX assembly – three or more joins – two arms, a weapon, a head, torso to legs, feet to bases, etc etc.

f) priming the miniatures
g) gluing to bases, either for the permanent single base or temporary ones to be adding to a larger base for multi-figure bases when finished
h) minor mods: head or weapon swaps and the like
i) major mods: things requiring the sculpting of new parts, helmet changes, uniform changes, additional equipment, etc.
j) unpacking and straightening out rifle barrels, swords, scabbards, etc
k) touching up spots of bare metal after priming
l) washing light primed minis to darken the shadowy parts or inversely …
m) lightening up high surfaces with a lighter color on a dark primed miniature – dry brushing or often what's called wet brushing, a slightly different technique
n) filling seams or unwanted crevasses
o) Ameliorating the step created by a figure base when glued down to a larger base. I use modeling paste to slope the step away.
p) gluing down ballast or dirt material and small stones so that they get included in the priming process.

What'd I miss?

b) definitely

d) I guess depends on the miniature – gluing on a back pack is easier than trying to get two arms to hold a musket properly. I'll fix.

m) because I stink at dry brushing – but for me, the worst thing is having to paint horses (which for someone with big SYW armies is not an insignificant problem)

I want to limit this to the pre-paint process. – Having not painted a lot of horses in my time, I don't have a strong opinion either way yet.

"B" for resin figures, "D" is a mixed bag for multi part plastic sets.

b) and n).

B

From the title I was going to say work. But I and J for the steps I hate doing.

B without question

Depends on what I've been doing lately. I've got Redbox in the painting queue, for instance, and before I even start on this batch I get twitchy about leveling the bases. Usually, it's trimming flash on soft plastics, or assembling hard plastics.

I would have said "a" but I do that after painting, so it doesn't count …..

None of that list is least pleasant. I enjoy doing all of it when it occurs. If it was unpleasant I would be playing cardboard games and not painting. The process is a pleasurable past time and all of it has its reward.

Q: having to go to work…

Major mods. I haven't even tried one in 20+ years. I'd prefer to shop for a figure that is what I want.

j

Except my activity is "lessening the kinks in …" 'coz I can never get them straight. Sometimes, I end up breaking them so I can replace them with a glued on straight part instead.

Most definitely B

B

d and e

E: I want to paint and play, not build models

Minor mods aren't too bad, even fun sometimes, if there are just one or two figures. However, if there are 50-60 figures, all of which need the same boring minor mods . . .

Grelber

d and e.

B

d) EASY
e) COMPLEX

In plastic I can deal with d maybe d+ but in metal I don't like gluing anything other than rider to horse and the necessary evil of wheels to gun carriage.

h,i,n,o,p I don't do

b)
I don't do plastics…

Actually, I don't particularly mind any of it in general. Even trimming figures fits in nicely when I'm not up to focusing on more detailed tasks. Was happily trimming some tonight while watching a vid.

Two limited particular items are irksome and tiresome however:

* Trimming the flash of wagon/chariot wheel spokes, arg.

* Trimming piles of separate kit for each figure (Warlord Bolt Action plastics, grrr).

B, N, and D in that order

Fighting bureaucracy.

Gamewise: cleaning figures,.

Mowing the lawn, time just wasted. Assembling plastics, simple or hard I don't care for it.

d & e. I love single piece castings, metal or plastic. I just want to paint them and play with them.

Also, d, d, e, h, and I are fun.

B, it's the biggest time sink on the way to painting.

b, and it's the major reason that I have switched to buying 28mm plastic figures whenever possible. I'd rather assemble minis than do b. on metal minis.

Also, I don't do k, l, m, o, p and probably don't do n as much as I should.

From: Aethelflaeda
None of that list is least pleasant. I enjoy doing all of it when it occurs. If it was unpleasant I would be playing cardboard games and not painting. The process is a pleasurable past time and all of it has its reward.

Gawd, I find this hard to believe but I'm actually agreeing with Aethelflaeda. (smile)
It's a hobby, it you find it unpleasant, maybe you need a different hobby.

b)

I don't seem to mind any of the prep. It's the painting its self, particularly the final details, that I dislike. link

x42

I like painting my toy soldiers … period …

It's the painting its self, particularly the final details, that I dislike

The fine details, for me anyway, is where the rubber meets the road. That where the time spent painting and touching comes to the fore. You get all the figures, detailed and touched up, just need to lacquer them, and VOILA!!! the Banal Grenzregiment 1 comes to life!!!!

Or am I being a bit overly dramatic?

Or am I being a bit overly dramatic?

I don't think so.

You're reason above is why I like painting the final details best. They're raw materials first, then abstract forms, then blobs of colour, then patterns, … and … then … POP! it's a warrior ready for the fight!

Thank you eto