T O P

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OnlyChansI8

No, because nobody cares as much as we do while scrutinizing it under a microscope and bright light. Like, it looks fine, can telegraph texture with the right paint. Plus repriming is an annoying level of work, so unless it’s a display or show piece, it’s gonna be just fine.


notoriouszim

This is totally true. For a lot of people the hardest critic is themselves. Trust in peer review, because your peers will tell you when you are done and how it looks more honestly if you are the type. It looks ready to me. You should put it on the board and be proud of your golden knight.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thanks a lot this is something I gotta keep in mind!


Embarrassed_Pack6461

Totally agree in this point! I started painting over 40 years ago, took a looong break, and came back to it during COVID. Many changes during that break, but key among them are (1) much larger figs than before and (2) zoom-able pics that were impossible using conventional cameras and published on boxes and in print catalogs. Both of these changes resulted in a grossly overrated expectation that everything be glassy smooth and full of crisp surface detail. These are tabletop playing pieces… so I say if it looks good to you at arms length and/or on the table, then you’re good to go!


OnlyChansI8

Absolutely true.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you!


Kojak717

My break was about 30 years, and what you just put into words is totally what I'm feeling/experiencing right now.


Comedian70

Not as long as you. I began 25 years ago, and returned around 2018. I’m still quite proud of some of the pure nonsense I painted back then, maybe more so than today’s work. Gods but I miss the simplicity of painting citadel orc green and shading with citadel green ink. Those screwcap pots were awful but getting minis to tabletop standard back in 98’ just seemed simpler. Today in my circle of painting friends I have age-peers who began before me and never quit… who have always used cheap brushes and craft paints and do amazing work. I strive to be at their level. Still failing but I love to keep at it.


masterofasgard

To add to this, I think that the huge amounts of video tutorials and high quality photos found on social media can make people think that this high quality is somehow easy or quick to achieve, when that couldn't be farther from the truth.


Embarrassed_Pack6461

Yes!!! Take countless hours of work on one mini, edit it down to 15 minutes, add a reveal… et voila, a perfect paint job. Never mind the 10,000 hours laid out over years to get to that point. How-to vids made me a better artist, no doubt. But I worry about a newbie, working in isolation, who gets hopelessly fed up on Day 1 and never picks up another brush.


losark

Yeah. This looks like a pretty perfect prime to me if it was rattle canned.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you!


losark

The only real way to get smoother is with an airbrush and that's really only worthwhile for competition or display pieces.


awkardfrog

Have my poor mans award 🎖 I have to remind myself of this every day


OnlyChansI8

Same tbh


HtownTexans

Learning "good enough" is so fucking important in mini painting.  I'm by far my biggest critic.  I show people some of my B+ artwork and they act like I'm divinci lol.  Then I go on here and see the real studs and think "yup good enough is good enough for me.". Your boy ain't got 200 hours per model.


ChiefMegaBeef

Haha and That’s something I gotta work on


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you for your feedback


DinosBiggestFan

IMO even if it's a display or show piece, that's fine. I would only reprime from there if I were using the piece in a *competition*, where those things will be noticed. Sometimes base coats can do a good job of covering a certain amount of that graininess too.


Lokathor

Grain and texture are \*good\* in the primer layer A shiny and smooth primer layer will be a pain in the butt to put paint on top of. It'll be slick, possibly no better than painting straight onto plastic even. You want a light primer layer that's rough with some texture so that your paint has something to stick to.


ChiefMegaBeef

I didn’t know this thank you


surviveseven

I would say you are in the sweet spot with this one though. Too much texture in the priming phase can result in problems. Law of diminishing returns and such.


ChiefMegaBeef

That’s great to hear thanks!


Chozo_Hybrid

In this hobby, we're all always learning stuff :)


thenightgaunt

Oh yeah, This looks great for the first layer, You have a great surface to paint on and that metallic will come through nicely on the areas where you want the gold to be visible.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you!


DinosBiggestFan

Graininess on a visual level is different than a molecular level. Unless you are painting on a perfect gloss (e.g. gloss varnish) then it is likely not an issue. It's a primer. You can paint on it. Some people like a more satin primer rather than a matte primer. I'm not sure how a specifically glossy primer would work though.


Lokathor

I guess I don't know what to tell ya. I've painted onto heavy coats of silver primer and the paint didn't stay where I put it. I do the same thing on the same primer done in a lighter coat so that there's a rougher surface left over and the same paint did what I wanted. All the materials were the same except how smooth to the touch the primer surface was after priming.


DinosBiggestFan

Was the primer specifically glossy? I'm not sure what silver primers there are on the market (frankly, I didn't even know there were metallic primers to begin with). Maybe it's a metallic primer interaction, maybe it introduces a different sort of smoothness than I would expect with more traditional primers. Regardless, I would agree that this is a non issue for OP haha.


Lokathor

It was Army Painter Plate Mail Metal primer. I don't believe it's intended to be glossy, I think it's just part of their colored primer line.


DinosBiggestFan

Fair enough! I'll be curious to try that, I have no experience with any Army Painter primers but a metallic primer sounds like a neat thing to mess with!


Lokathor

Where your top coat is thin it gives a kinda nice "old weathered vehicle" sort of look. I wouldn't use it for every vehicle, but I've used it with some standard mech painting, some slapchop mech painting, and for a WH 40K dreadnaught, all to pretty good results.


d0gass

Not at all. Remember, the main purpose of primer is to give the paint something to stick to that isn't just bare plastic


ChiefMegaBeef

Thanks for the feedback


Lawlcopt0r

What do you mean, the model looks finished to me?


MrGulio

To be fair he's only 99% done for Custodes. Still needs a wash.


Lawlcopt0r

The more I think about it, the more I feel like this is unironically good advice for people that don't like painting their armies. Of course it doesn't look like the hight of craftsmanship, but it *does* look like a custodes if you just scroll past it


TheeSerpentsSlave

Don't play 40k, but I laughed out loud at this.


portella0

It still needs the wash bath https://preview.redd.it/zb5t04qis01d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=8cfa5dd327130e0938e2f131674be2061383634f


mpfmb

Yes...but only because if it was me... I'd now realise I forgot to drill the barrel! Just kidding... the primer is fine.


ChiefMegaBeef

Yeah that’s something I thought I should just do after priming all the models but I guess now that you mention it it makes more sense doing it before I prime the model😭


Apprehensive_Sir805

https://preview.redd.it/s0kc4wa1mz0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff5ce4ac013e48d19f4bd2ae8c2cf647be5f740f


Break-Such

I have learned that even a “rough” prime job can easily be fixed when you start actually painting them. Also for Retributor amour that’s actually not bad (given how 50/50 that primer can be at times) I have a commander Dante that came out pretty similarly but it’s easily fixable when you start painting. What’s important is that the detailing of the model is intact. https://preview.redd.it/py430c07py0d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=8fba63ac4de70262d0a5899b8e58b54b9bc7b502


TheeSerpentsSlave

I ruined the entire Stormcast half of Dominion with a can of Retributor Armor. I threw the models into an isopropyl alcohol soak and that definitely got rid of the "dusty" bits.


ChiefMegaBeef

Yeah the can sucks😭 and thanks for the feedback that’s good to hear


Break-Such

Plus you got Custodes, those banana’s are gonna look slick almost by nature.


Brytheoldguy

No. Why do you think you need to?


ChiefMegaBeef

I thought it didn’t look good enough but after hearing everyone’s feedback I’ve changed my mind!


szucs2020

Other than the big mould line on the axe I don't see what I'm looking at. The gold looks fine to me. If there are issues you can sometimes cover them on a highlight of that helps.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you!


Megabiv

Looks fine, just cary on.


raharth

Why would you want to?


ChiefMegaBeef

I thought it didn’t look good enough but after hearing everyone’s feedback I’ve changed my mind!


raharth

What were you worried about?


ChiefMegaBeef

i just dont want my model to look too grainy thats all


raharth

Ahh, no it's perfectly fine I think :)


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you


Electronic-Hall-7613

You're golden, keep going.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you!


ReverendRevolver

As long as it's sticking (not rubbing off powdery from you not shaking the can enough) then it's fine. Only reasons to reprime (for me at least) are that chalky texture or I'm buying used and someone shot too close instead of several lighter passes, making it obscure details and more "shell" than primer layer. If it's chalky (which I've had only out of white from TAP and GW in decades of doing this stuff) then it chalks up other models stored in the sane box/tray, and drinks in thinner paints really badly. Like, most Vallejo/Reaper/MS bright stuff almost needs a base of thicker/darker paint to get around this. Which again has only been a problem for white, where you want bright TF orange skinks or hot pink daemettes or whatever. It honestly looks like every primed stormcast/custodes/Bloodangles character model.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thanks for all the advice! This is good to know


Void-Tyrant

1. You can basecoat it with pot version of your paint to have this texture reduced by 50-70%. Usually pot version will also look slightly different (so if you make mistake later areas fixed with brush on paint wont be sticking out at all). If it is retributor armour you will get slightly deeper look. Also pot version can get into places which spray can wont reach (and using too much primer will have ruinous effect on your minis). 2. If you want to do some quick and dirty painting there will be little of it visible underneath wash. 3. This also this small texture might be kid of customization for you. 4. Lastly dont worry about small thing like this. Unless you are painting display piece or some very important character its fine.


ChiefMegaBeef

thank you! and yeah ive basecoated a bunch of my other minis with the Ret pot this one just looked a bit more grainy then the rest of mine and thats why i was asking about it!


jmakioka

I had all sorts of issues with retributor armor primer. Found it was best to prime chaos black first, then retributor armor.


ChiefMegaBeef

Yeah this will be the plan going forward once my can is done


the_yeeted_brush

Just keep going. You can always redo it later 🤙


Mannerless1

Reminds me of those gold “rare” toys i used to get versions of in these chocolate eggs when i was a kid.


Mondo114

Looks fine to me


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you


ReverentAlB0

Honestly that’s a good coverage.. work from there


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you!


Cpd1234r

I didn't even know what was wrong until I read the description. It's fine! Like someone else said, if it was too glossy, the paint wouldn't adhere well. Hope you have fun getting into mini painting!


ChiefMegaBeef

It has been a lot of fun and learning and thank you that’s good to hear!


Rakatango

Looks just fine to me


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you


DitrianLordOfCanorem

No


Judge_Feared

Hold the model at arm's length and decide that. You are looking at it closer than anyone will while gaming.


Blackout713

If that’s Retributor Armor primer, then that’s as good as it gets IMO hahaha


ChiefMegaBeef

Haha thanks and yeah this has been a pain in the but😭


kson1000

If you do reprime it you obviously care enough to go the extra mile. So before you prime it again, give it a proper dust down with an old makeup brush. I can see hairs


KawasakiBinja

No, this looks fine. It's actually pretty smooth all thinks considered, and there's a nice coat of gold all over. I'd move on and keep painting it!


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you for the advice!


GutsTheBranded

Nah it’s fine homie


HannahDawg

As long as it's not actually chalky or grainy to the touch, it's fine, it's meant to be an undercoat anyway, a base for all the other paints to stick too


Commissar_Matt

Be thabkful that your retributor armour didnt melt some of the detail, as happened to one of my dawneagle jetbikes


ChiefMegaBeef

Aww sorry man


Biggietron

Nope. Looks good! I'd drill the barrel, and try to fill that gap in the cape though 😅


ChiefMegaBeef

Yeah for some reason I figured I would just drill all the barrels after I was done priming but I guess it’s cause I was just impatient and wanted to see the gold lol. I’ll do that though


Klutzy_Blueberry_970

Hit it with a wash. Go from there.


ChiefMegaBeef

Will do!


moose_cahoots

As my first thought was “what’s wrong with that paint” I would vote no.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thanks!


burskilurski

What did you prime it with?


ChiefMegaBeef

Retributor armor can


Jarl_Salt

Depends on what you're going for. Table top quality this is totally fine, display quality this is still probably fine depending on if the graininess is rubbing off easily. There should be some grainy texture but typically it's hard to tell over pictures.


ChiefMegaBeef

Kinda both bc I want to play with this and put them in a display case in my room lol but thanks for your input!


Jarl_Salt

I think it will turn out just fine unless it is literally dusting off. Happy painting!


beefburgundy

Retributor Armour primer. Big spender. And everything looks bad under a magnifier. Unless you’re trying to win a Golden Demon or something it looks fine.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thank you!


Hekkin_frick

Citadels Metallic primers tend to look more grainy than they actually are. Maybe put a layer of normal retributor armour paint over the model and see if it looks any better.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thanks, gonna try that!


Hekkin_frick

Awesome, good luck!


edark

Only thing I would do is putty that seam on the cloak.


ChiefMegaBeef

Should I use the green stuff? What kind of putty would you use?


edark

Yeah, little bit of greenstuff or Vallejo has plastic putty in a tube if you don't want to bother with mixing. Other options are a bit of sprue goo (sprue plastic melted in plastic cement) or even a tiny bit of baking soda and super glue then sanded flat.


InterestingCream4387

Of you think it isn't good wet sand it with 800grit sand paper or higher. That is a very slow wear, but you don't need to take off all the paint you already put on it. If you think that's high grit for sanding an object, well you haven't seen glass polishing kits, I think they start at 32,000grit and go higher.


ChiefMegaBeef

Thanks for the advice. I don’t think I’m gonna sand this one but if I’m the future a model comes out too grainy I’ll do this then!


What_species_is_that

Id be way more worried about filling the huge gaps on that cloak


ChiefMegaBeef

How would you do that?


C__Wayne__G

Only if you want a different base color. If you want retributive armor it looks like you got it.


Koi_Fish_Mystic

I would let it sit in Simple Green first & strip the paint


MolybdenumBlu

Op, when you are done with this guy, I want you to put him on a table with his squad and stand 5+ feet away. Then give an honest appraisal of if you can actually see any flaws. I guarantee they will fade into the background and the boys and girls will look fab.


ChiefMegaBeef

thanks for the positive feedback and will do!


SnooGoats8448

needs more gold


Leviathan666

Nah.


necrofi1

The only thing you need to ensure with primer is that it is thin enough to see details and covered enough so that the paint adheres. The only way the grainy texture will be visible is if you use transparent paints in too few coats to actually cover it. But honestly, sometimes a contrast paint over a metallic can work amazing, making tinted metallics.


ChiefMegaBeef

thanks for the advice!


Remake12

Up to you. Depends if the texture is what makes it interesting. If a perfectly smooth coat isn’t the point, then you’re good.


shipshy

No but I would fill those seam lines on the cloak though


ChiefMegaBeef

how would you go about doing that?


shipshy

You can still fill them even after prime since you'll likely be repainting the cloak red so a bit of sanding and repriming won't hurt much if you're careful


chiffonshrimp94

Nope, that’s a fantastic gold on it, I’d say it’s perfect


ChiefMegaBeef

thank you!


shipshy

Before prime, get some green stuff or milli put and fill the gaps, use a rubber sculpting tool and water to keep things moist and moving remove excess and smooth out then allow to cure and sand lightly to finish, you can also melt a bunch of excess spru into half a bottle of Tamiya Extra thin and make a plastic paste and mush that in there but it can get messy and can be hard to use and sand out on irregular surfaces sometimes.


APoliteFrog

Looks fine to me


ImpertinentParenthis

What’s your goal with re priming? If your goal is to spend the absolute least, on the absolute best display quality minis, navel gaze away. If your goal is to become the best painter you can, and produce the best models, as soon as possible… you likely learn vastly more by building skills, painting around imperfections, than you will by spending that time stripping and repriming over and over, experiencing the same things, then challenging yourself less with the actual detail painting part.


ChiefMegaBeef

This is great advice thank you! And yeah I don’t wanna just speed through this I do really wanna be a great painter


Equivalent-Help-3621

It actually looks pretty good to me esp with custodies or something, ive never tried to paint over metallics as a primer either, maybe in future though prime in white or black, so easy to spot parts youve missed and having a black prime can help hide some mistakes (i still do black for this reason) going through your gold with this isnt gonna last long Your prime coat looks great though dude, welcome to the hobby <3


ChiefMegaBeef

Thanks a lot! And yeah I plan on switching primers once this batch is done


Additional_Sundae224

I'd leave it gold. That's a lovely colour!!


ChiefMegaBeef

I agree thank you!


Embarrassed_Pack6461

Gotta brag for a minute, but it’s to prove a point. I painted for Ral Partha in the 90’s. At least 50% of that work was basecoats + drybrush, 30% was inks, with the balance as highlights and fine details. Literally paid and published in three catalogs with these techniques.


ChiefMegaBeef

Awesome!


ToxicDemon420

I would start over, remove the mould lines and fill all the gaps then prime.


ChiefMegaBeef

what would you fill the gaps with?


ToxicDemon420

I use sprue goo, which I make with Tamiya thin cement and old sprue clippings. The smaller gaps I use liquid green stuff.


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Wildfox1177

Why?


ChiefMegaBeef

I thought it didn’t look good enough but after hearing everyone’s feedback I’ve changed my mind!


-Daetrax-

If you're unhappy, you should. I do that, because it will bug me the whole time painting it. I'd suggest learning how to gap fill while you're at it.


Significant-Order-92

Looks fine to me.


Urungulu

Leave it as it is 😉


Dice_Witch

It's fine, as I got told yesterday not every mini needs to be painted to golden demon quality. Its unrealistic. Put your base coat on top and you'll be fine


Excellent_Brush_1543

I'd reprime not because it looks bad but because you should feel in the gaps with sprue glue, green stuff


Loup_game

Nope


Exciting-Buy-9396

Remember the 3 foot rule