Trenchmates – Have you ever absolutely hated painting a miniature?

We’ve all been there.  In this article, regular contributor Tim Chant talks about a common problem the hobby presents.

Have you ever absolutely hated painting a miniature? So much so that you’ll only ever get round to finishing it because you absolutely have to for a tournament, and you take the ‘just about tabletop ready’ will do approach?

I have.

I’ve mentioned Wild West Exodus a few times (you may have noticed), and how much I like both the game and the miniatures. I’ve just finished painting the Union Hired Hands (five long range and five close combat) troops I got in the launch Kickstarter, and they’re great models.

I hated painting the buggers, though, and I have no idea why.

They’re very detailed figures, with a profusion of straps and buckles to hold their armour in place, and well proportioned. Their weapons aren’t OTT in scale or steampunkiness. I think it was the detail that killed them for me – trying to do all of the individuals straps and associated buckles rather than just shrugging and painting over them, plus getting the skin tones and the facial hair right. I think I’ve got them to a reasonable standard to game with (at least when seen from afar) though I was a little disappointed that my attempt to make the tunics and trousers different shades of blue doesn’t seem to have come out. I started with the Vallejo Ultramarine Blue and then drybrushed layers, aiming for slightly lighter blue trousers. I didn’t even try to do the eyes, just shaded the eyesockets with a couple of coats of dark ink and hope no-one notices under the brims of their caps.

I was a bit stop start with the project, and only really got round to finishing them because I’m going to be showing off the game in the near future and will have a ton more stuff to do before then (a mass of scenery and at least one other faction, possibly one of the news ones I’m waiting on from the second Kickstarter).

The weird thing is, I’ve found the characters I’ve painted so far pretty (3 Union and one Outlaw) straightforward and an absolute pleasure to paint – I think I did a much better job with them as well. I’m sure a better painter would have handled the Line Troops more effectively than I did. But hey, they’re done and I can get on with other projects…

Thanks again to Tim, I feel my resistance to this game crumbling by the day 😉

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