1d4chan's Assembling, Painting and Basing Guide

What, seriously? We have documented almost every aspect of /tg/ except this one of the most essentials of all? Anyway, let's see if we can give you some 101 tips and save you some minis and money.

Where to start

First, you need your miniatures. Rampant capitalism, aside from allowing these sorts of hobbies to flourish, has ensured that you can always find a wide array of miniatures for sale. However, your experience with this hobby will mostly be determined how much money, patience and luck you have.

Money:

This first one is obvious, seeing as this is not exactly a cheap hobby. But since you are already here, you are most likely committed, and have already placed your wallet on life support. Depending on which company you choose, your spending may range from a few dozen Euro coins to enough cash to hire a real private army. We suggest you start this hobby with something small, such as a character you like. Perhaps even a squad of your favourite meat shields, for a few guinea pigs. If you are short on money, you might consider second-hand minis. eBay offers a wide variety of options, particularly GW marines. If you live outside a specific region, however, this loses attractiveness, as the cost of shipment increases. But again, given that you've already come this far, you're probably willing to shell it out. Unless, of course, you can't afford to. In that case, we recommend you first try to increase your income. Seriously, don't sell your kidnies or lungs if you can't afford these toy army men. /tg/s favourite plastic crack should not be devouring 20 percent or more of your monthly budget.

Patience:

So, let's say you live in a place where this hobby is not exactly popular. Certain regions lack the historical tradition of elegan/tg/entlemen buying and building their own little toy armies, while grinding through tens of pages of rules and profiles. If your region was tragically deprived of this rich and magnificent culture, you will need to send for a delivery, which means shipping time. Also, keep in mind that these plastic models are not the same as children's toys. You yourself will need to accomplish what is usually done in a factory assembly line, and will pay double and triple the price for this privilege. Welcome to Warhammer. Furthermore, miniatures are often produced with a level of detail that would spook even a head surgeon. But that's okay. We accept the challenge. We are all craftsmen. It is our pride.

Luck:

Yes, luck. This is the biggest one. See, one day you might find an advertisement for an amazing miniature, and you just have to have it. You then discover that it's out of stock. In this case, you could decide that the time has come to rebel against the evil corporations, and flee to havens like eBay to purchase from the people, by the people and for the people. Or, you may even attempt to reject the system entirely, instead turning to China for cheaply-produced aid (just know that we strongly discourage this course of action, as it's pushing your luck even more. Also, we don't want to have the wiki killed).

Luck plays a key role in so many other aspects of a purchase, as well. You might buy second-hand miniatures to save some money, only to discover that they are in a worse state than what was shown in the picture. After all, photo manipulation, or even the perfect camera angle, can hide away the most glaring of flaws. Perhaps you want to remove the paint from a pre-owned mini, only to discover the previous owner used oils instead of easily-removable acrylics. Buying anything second-hand is always a bit of gamble, and this is especially true for miniatures. Even if you buy your stuff first-hand at an official shop, you could end with a damaged model. Things happen, and while you might recover your money or get a replacement, you have still lost valuable time.

You should also consider the weather in your region. Dry, cold, wet, all of these climates will influence your hobby experience. A good, simple rule is to practice your hobby in a place with a temperature and level of humidity that is comfortable for most human beings (and the occasional sci-fi or fantasy humanoid).

And on the matter of luck, remember. Shit happens. Brushes fray, miniatures fall and break, and Nuln Oil gets spilled (too often). The more skillful, experienced, and/or rich you are, the better you'll be able to deal with these events. Truth be told, they are going to be part of your life as a hobbyist, so be prepared.

Assembling

So, let's say you finally have your first box of miniatures. You feel a rush as you hastily peel away the plastic wrapping. You gaze in awe at the sprues, lined with the pieces that will eventually become your friends for life. You reach for a helmet, and-

Stop. Please, for the love of God, stop.

Before you rush into tearing the sprue apart to get at those juicy bits, ask yourself. Do you have cutting pliers? Do you actually know how to use them? Do you have the tools needed to remove the vents and flashes, or actually take out the pieces of the sprue without damaging them?

If your answer is no, and you actually care about the condition of your models, then you will first need some cutting pliers and needle files. These tools will ensure that your bits are correctly cut, and that the vent, flashes and mould lines are dealt with.

As a general rule, you shouldn't apply that much pressure when using any of these tools over the plastic. Also, watch what you're doing. It's very sad day when your cutting pliers end up slicing off a detail of your mini because you miscalculated the angle. Pro tip, test your tools on the sprues to get a grasp of the pressure you'll need to apply.

Okay, now you have your pliers and needle files, and you're itching to free your soldiers from their sprue prison. We're ready to go, right? Not quite. You should have a clear idea of what are you going to cut, and how are you going to paint it. If you happen to be working with just one miniature, then you can go ahead and remove each piece without much planning. However, if you have a big box with multiple miniatures, then you need to plan your course of action. We unfortunately can't give you a perfect answer for how to proceed, but we can tell you it's far easier to find pieces when they're still attached to a sprue, as opposed to rolling around inside the box. Unless you are kitbashing, it's best to only cut the parts of a single miniature or set of miniatures, and only after you're sure that all the bits will be used. Again, no point in cutting pieces out if you're not going to assemble them for the next few months.

Let's say that one way or another, you damaged your models while removing them from the sprue. Take a deep breath. It'll be okay. Green Stuff has come to your rescue. Green Stuff (which starts its life in a pot as technical material, or as a blue and yellow band inside a package) is an easily moldable substance, not unlike clay. However, once it dries, it becomes as hard as nails, making it ideal for repairing missing bits, or even adding new ones. We certainly hope you won't end up in a situation where Green Stuff is needed, but as we said before: shit happens. Even if you're certain that you won't mess up, it doesn't hurt to keep some handy.