Unboxing the Warmachine Battle Box + Painting Questions

Finally!

I’ve recorded this video about 5 times, never happy with the results but this one is the closest one to acceptable for me. I wanted to bring it to everyone’s attention who was debating checking out Warmachine. There’s a lot to wonder what’s inside this box when you’re dropping so much money on it. I wanted to do the models justice and make sure I had a nice enough camera to do so, which took me some time. Warmachine is a superbly fast and fun game, and I think this battle box is one of the best ways to get into it because you get a lot for your money and it is more cost effective than just purchasing a starter box for one army. Of course this means that you’re limited to Khador and Protectorate of Menoth for your initial foray into the game but still, I think it’s well worth it. I wish I would have taken the plunge a lot sooner than I have… about 3 Killa Kans, an Ork Trukk, and one Assault on Black Reach box later to be precise.

[Video link for those using alternate reading methods]

Painting Mini’s is Not Like Riding A Bike

[image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”right” alt=”Not sure how I feel about this warjack’s paintjob so far, I used the GW brush on primer instead of spray primer.” height=”300″ width=”225″]https://dreadgazebo.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/warjack_lg.jpg[/image_frame]Anyway, I’m learning (re-learning really) a lot about miniature painting right now. Things like thinning your paint, using the right primer, and a lot more are all brand new ventures for me as I used to just slap the paint on right out of the pot, straight onto the bare mini. I’m using a flat grey auto primer that was recommended on a lot of miniature painting forums (Rustoleum brand I think) and I’m also trying out Games Workshop’s new brush on primer.

I’m not sure how I feel about the brush on primer yet (click the image)…are formula P3 paints thinner than GW paints? I have lots of questions people! So if you’ve got answers for my painting noob-ness please feel free to put them in the comments. If you’ve got questions about the battle box, I’ll answer them in the comments! Thanks for checking this out!

[info_box]If you’re debating picking up the battle box and decide to do so, you can grab it for about 70$ on amazon w/ free shipping instead of paying retail.[/info_box]

7 Comments

  1. For you questions about p3 it is generally thinner. However, GW recently changed up their paint-line now they have foundation colors designed to be a little thicker and carry more pigment so they can be a strong basecoat and then the other colors are thinner. While both can be used to provide strong results you will likely find thinning any paints will be a good investment of your time for higher quality results.

    You might also want to check out the Reaper MSP line and the Valejo model color. (Game color has a formulation similar to the P3 but with a more limited range)

    You might want to check out this link http://www.paintingclinic.com/clinic/guestarticles/magicwash.htm for a reliable and inexpensive thinning medium (even works with craft store paints)

    Also Darksword has some very good Learn To Paint videos as well.
    http://www.darkswordminiatures.com/mainwebsite_html/gallery/DarkSwordDVD.html

      • No you can thin with water. But if you over thin, it can result in streaky coverage or ringlets of pigment. The Magic wash helps reduce the risk of those things. The clear formula of the finish in magic wash helps to distribute color and break up surface tension.

        • The GW brush on primer seems too thick, but I opted for it because currently I have no good space to spray prime my models. Any tips on priming?

          • Not really, unless you have some very specific question. I tend to use black or white Krylon ultra flat. (the base coat does affect the intensity of the color on the mini and the amount of work it takes to ensure coverage. Black is more forgiving but muddies color).

            For priming I do it outside. In the winter I have to wait for warm windless days then I go out, setup a small plastic box spray paint the mini in the box with a few short bursts. Then cover the box and take everything inside and hope it didn’t freeze or get too cold.

            I have used an old box-fan connected to a large storage box with holes cut into the back and primed into that. It was like have the crappiest chemical vent ever. It sort of worked but I always worried there was enough blowback to result in some paint settling in the room so when the rig fell apart I didn’t try to improve the design.

  2. I prefer the P3 paints to GW for almost every use. GW washes are fantastic, but P3 black label metallics blow away GW’s metallics.

    Always thin the paint a little bit.

    I’ve found P3 paints to need more thinning than GW and the liquid pigment seems to make a more consistent result than GW.

  3. For primer, I prefer black simply because it gets all my shadowy places at once. I stick with spray on simply because it’s faster and with a cheap respirator from a hardware store I can take of figures in the basement without fear of fumes. The brand in particular is called ColorPlace, and it’s only available at WalMart. At $1 a can it goes on smooth and thin, so you don’t have to worry about glopping into the details of the figure.

    If I miss small parts of the figure, I’ll dab on some Cel-Vinyl black. It’s one of the more expensive paints, but one bottle for this purpose will last you a long time.

    Paints are almost entirely Reaper MSP, along with some of their HD paints, and a few Citadel colors for any particular gap I might have. Washes are Citadel, and they’re some of the best I’ve ever used. I prefer Reaper not just for their quality, but also because they have a really great app on their website called the Power Palette. Give it a picture file or a URL to an image you want to use for a color reference. When click on any point in the pic once it’s loaded, you’ll get a number of recommendations as to which paint to use. Being red-green color blind, it’s an absolute boon.

    I prefer American Painter brand brushes, which you can get at a great price at Hofcraft’s web site: http://www.hofcraft.com/loew-cornell-4000-craft-brush-series.html

    Now for some cheapo tricks… 🙂

    I use bathroom tiles for palettes. Also, pick up some poster tack. It’s a putty you can use in lieu of thumb tacks to stick posters on your wall. You can use this stuff to anchor a figure’s base to a bottle cap or a paint stirrer (which you can get for free at most hardware stores) so you don’t have to handle the actual figure as you paint it. For big heavy items, I use cotton gloves that you can get in the first aid aisle at you’re local drug store.

    Oh, and if you have cats you might want to invest in canned air. 🙂

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