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Post by paddy649 on Oct 24, 2017 20:18:05 GMT
I'm currently painting a whole load of Classical Indians (actually all Indian Armies II/1,2 & 3) and am finding that I can rip through the infantry at a rate of knots, however some of the shield work is time-consuming and then you have got the elephants, chariots, and cavalry which has slowed the painting time down quite a bit. However, this is nothing compared to the intricate, patterned designs that my Scythians required which took ages - even the Swiss were quicker because although colourful, each figure only actually had a relatively few colours on it. All of this has led me to wonder what is the fastest DBA 3.0 Army to paint?
OK you have got the 10+ Ps Armies which will be fast just because they have got so few figures - but some Ps figures need a lot of work plus when you've got one Ps heavy army do you need more? [Rhetorical - I'm well aware of n+1!] So I'm not asking about the armies with the fewest figures but the armies that you can speed paint and still have a good looking (and effective) army?
Generally I find that each colour on a figure adds to the length of time it takes to paint a figure, especially wher it is colour in colour, stripes or checks. So Gauls and anything with complex heraldry is right out! Faces also take time - so simply clad, cloaked and veiled troops or plate main and enclosed helmets would seem fast. Put these together and then a late medieval army might be fast...but flags and heraldry might slow things down. Dry brushing is a very quick technique - so are there any Arab armies, perhaps Berbers or Bedouins, where the figures are mostly a single colour with dry brushed highlights and simple green or plain flags? Or are the mostly naked troops of Polynesia or Book 1 the fastest to paint? Also each different troop type has its own demands and that adds a bit of extra time for the army - so possibly an army with limited troop types? Finally as far as I'm concerned shield transfers and printed flags are permissible - it is the finished product that counts!
So the question is:- What is the fastest army to paint? Any ideas please....with any photos of your suggested candidates being the icing on the cake!
Paddy
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Post by ammianus on Oct 25, 2017 1:37:45 GMT
For me the barbarian war band armies of the Late Roman, Early Dark Ages, paint up quickly. Early Vandal, Early Franks, Rugian, Early Frank, Bavarian etc etc. Armies who have few horses to paint! First I glue figures to bases, spray on cheap primer, given them all a dark wash. The I start with one color, using it once per base: a red shield, a red cloak, red pants, red scabbard. Using this assembly line technique it goes pretty fast and you quickly wind up with not a work of art but an army painted to wargaming standard. Here are my Franks: www.flickr.com/photos/76644443@N02/16836687222/in/dateposted-public/
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Post by martin on Oct 25, 2017 7:50:37 GMT
Early Libyans, using Magister Militum / Chariot Miniatures figures. They're basically naked, so just skin, flesh wash, hair and the occasional cloak, plus weaponry. No shields, no fancy stripy clothing, nowt....
Another quickie was Nubians- skin, loincloths, mud-stiffened hair and a lot of bows. Odd bit of jewellery/shells-on-strings. (Also Mag Mil).
Also, early Mycenaean/Minoan, using either Mag Mil or Museum Miniatures models. Specifically chose the naked warriors, so to paint eg the pikemen it's just flesh and fleshwash, shield, helmet, hair, and sword/baldric plus the pike itself. Very quick n easy. And the naked slinger Ps are super-simple, flash+wash, hair and the sling.
M
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Post by Simon on Oct 25, 2017 9:44:45 GMT
And the naked slinger Ps are super-simple, flash+wash, hair and the sling. M I assume that is a clever pun about naked slingers needing a flash and wash!!! Simon
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Post by martin on Oct 25, 2017 10:07:36 GMT
And the naked slinger Ps are super-simple, flash+wash, hair and the sling. M I assume that is a clever pun about naked slingers needing a flash and wash!!! Simon I wish, Simon......it waz jest moi abyzmul typung, I feer. 😳 M
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Post by felixs on Oct 25, 2017 11:19:45 GMT
First, from actual experience, Nubians and Melanesians/Polynesians/Maori were the quickest to paint to a reasonable standard for me. Not having to worry much about clothing and equipment helps. Uniformed armies are also relatively quick to paint. Roman legionaries, while boring, lend themselves very well to assembly line painting. Can be done quickly and you have a few other troop types for relief, so it is also fun. The same is true for most Chinese armies.
I would also think that armies with a high number of cataphracts and the like are easy and quick to paint. Thus Sarmatians and Parthians should be quick (Parthians I have tried, they were relatively quick if you do not get too involved with clothing ornaments). Sarmatians should be a piece of cake: Black paint, heavy dry-brushing in steel, a few spots of flesh and clothing and horse-gear, lances and that is it. Should also look good (It does look good on the single element of Sarmatian allies that I have painted as an option for the Dacians).
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Post by Haardrada on Oct 25, 2017 20:31:05 GMT
I can't remember the exact timescale but It didn't take me very long to paint my Late Hoplite Spartans(Little Big man studio shield transfers too)and I was rather pleased with how they turned out.On reflection I wish I'd done a portion of them as allies.
Generally, I take ages to paint armies as I either skip interest onto another army or opt to change out figures I'm not happy with.Portions of my Normans,Late Swiss and Timurids were finnished very quickly as my enthusiasm lasted long enough.😊
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Post by paddy649 on Oct 30, 2017 12:16:10 GMT
Since posing this question I have been on a couple of business trips and so have been able to hit the purple book and ponder it more. So here is what I think:
The fastest army to paint is a combination of the smallest army and the quickest figures to paint.
When it comes to the quickest figures to paint I reckon that the top 3 are: III/75 Berber – most of these figures are clad entirely in black with only hands and occasionally faces exposed. So spray black, dry brush highlights before weapons and shields. Essex miniatures do nice figures for these. III/70 Tuareg - again figures are clad head to foot in blue with camels being sand dry brushed bone. The only reasons these came second to the Berbers is the larger more difficult shields. Peter Pig do a fantastic range of Tuareg. I/10 Pre-Vedic Indian or I/3 Nubian – in 3rd equal were the loincloth wearing Indians or Nubians which I could not separate. The I/7 Early Libyans only got bumped down this list because of their headresses. Honourable mentions go to I/8 Numidians, II/5e Aitolians, II/30a Galatian, II/11 Gallic, II/6a Axumite and III/19 a or b Welsh and IV/9Eastern Forest American.
When it comes to the smallest army it is just a case of counting up the figures (pieces) in a typical army (1 for foot, 2 for mounted, 3 for chariot or Elephant etc.) On this metric I reckon that the smallest armies are: I/3 Nubian – 32 pieces I/7 Early Libyan and IV/9 Eastern Forest American – 33 pieces II/5e Aitolian – 34 pieces Honourable mentions go to IV/41 Early Swiss – 35 pieces (using the 3Bd option), I/10 Pre-Vedic Indian – 36 pieces and the III/1 a or B Welsh - 37 pieces.
So combining small and quick we find that the following Armies are the fastest to paint: In the “All Mounted” category - the winner is III/70 Tuareg In the “with an Elephant” category – the winner is II/6a Axumite In the “fast but varied” category – the winner is III/75 Berber In the “fast and colourful” category – the winner is III/75 Berber In the book IV category – the winner is IV/9 Eastern Forest American In the Book III category – the winner is III/19 a or b Welsh In the Book II Category – the winner is II/5e Aitolians In the Book I category – the winner is I/3 Nubian
So finally the overall top 3 fastest armies to paint are: 3rd - I/7 Early Libyans 2nd - I/10 Pre-Vedic Indian 1st - I/3 Nubian
So what have I learned? Well I’ll definitely be investing in the following armies II/5e Aitolian, III/75 Berber, III/70 Tuareg and III/19 a or b Welsh. I already own IV/41 Early Swiss, I/10 Pre-Vedic Indian and II/40 Numidians than I can use for Nubians. I’ll also definitely look at a II/6a Axumite army.
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Post by wjhupp on Oct 30, 2017 21:05:11 GMT
Mongol Conquest can be as small as 24 figures (12x2LH.) And they have a lot of muted colors with some highlights.
Bill
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Post by paddy649 on Oct 30, 2017 21:22:35 GMT
Mongol Conquest were in the mix but have a Cav Gen so are 1 Cav & 11 LH at the lightest which is 25 Cavalrymen = 50 pieces - which is high when compared to some of the smaller armies. That said I'd only ever play them with the slightly heavier 3 Cav option or perhaps 4 to 6 Cav option - but that's just me!
When it comes to painting them it wasn't the mix of browns but the silks and furs that drove the difficulty up...those highlights aren't much but that's another 4-5 bottles of paint opened. Then it may just be the Essex figures I have but the General comes with a Camel Standard bearer and Camel kettle drummer....which again made them more difficult.
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Post by AndreasJ on Dec 27, 2017 11:40:52 GMT
Early Emishi can be just 25 pieces (3Bw general + 11 Ps) - but if the examples I've seen painted are accurate they can't be particularly quick to paint per piece.
Chichimecs or Pueblo People can be just 27 figures, and mostly naked skin if you buy the Khurasan range at least. Should be seriously quick.
Of course, in either case you might be well advised to replace some of the Ps with 3Bw.
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Post by paulhannah on Jun 5, 2020 12:49:18 GMT
Seems to me the Hellenistic Greek, II/31j Aitolians would qualify too. Optionally, the army could be just 2xLH & 10xPs. 24 figures.
I could envision... One day to prep & prime, another day to paint, and a third day to base & flock. Voila!
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battledamage
Beneficiarii
is currently hitting his Papal Italian 3Kn(Gen) with a hammer.
Posts: 78
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Post by battledamage on Jun 6, 2020 23:55:20 GMT
I paint like a glacier. But by painting up 12 elements of II/4(e) ancient Chinese as terracotta warriors using a bunch of washes and drybrushing, they went from bare metal to getting wiped off the table at CANCON this year in less than two days
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