Volunteer Painter Detail

Here is a very detailed outline of the process:

Step 1:  You send us an email showing you are interested in participating.  If you have photos of your painted work, or a link to photos, please include in the email.  Our email is RalParthaLegacy@Gmail.com

Step 2:  We send you a response email.  Using the photos you sent, we look over what needs to be painted and try to find minis that best fit your style (some are better at painting armor, some cloth, some fur, etc.).  We will most likely provide you with several options to choose from. 

Step 3:  You pick a unit to paint, and we mail a set of either 12 infantry miniatures or 6 cavalry miniatures.

Step 4:  You receive the miniatures in the mail.  If you have questions or problems at any point along the way, please email, text, or call us. 

Step 5:  Please email us to let us know that the miniatures have been received.  We will then discuss colors and/or technique.  Ultimately these decisions are up to you, but some people prefer more conference than others do.  On some units you will get color suggestions, sometimes “paint it however you would like”.  On classic units like Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, we may provide you links to see the other units in the studio armies, so that your unit will look compatible with the other units in that army.  But again, as the painter, you get final call.

Step 6:  You will want to wash the miniatures in a simple solution of soap and warm water.  Allow to dry.  This will remove any excess mold release, oils, etc. that may have stuck to the miniatures.

Step 7:  You will need to prepare the miniatures before painting:  remove any mold lines, flashing, vent lines, etc.  This is best done with a small file or knife.  We will try to send you miniatures as clean as reasonably possible, but doe to the complexity of some sculpts, and the spare time we have available, sometimes things slip past us.  Note, the presence of the little vent lines on the figure is a good sign that every cavity of the miniature has filled in well.  However, they still need to be filed off.

Step 8:  You will need to assemble the miniatures.  This is best done with superglue.  Assembly may include opening the hands up a bit to fit around weapon handles if the weapons are separately cast.  Some miniatures will require the arms, wings, etc. to be bent into shape. 

The miniatures should come with a set of plastic bases to attach them to.  This allows the unit to be formed up neatly without scratching the paint off one another.  As you assemble the miniatures, please keep in mind that they need to be able to rank up without colliding with one another. 

Some of the larger or heavier parts may need to be pinned together.  If you are experienced with this, you may do so yourself.  We may pin some parts together before sending to you.

Step 9:  You will need to use a primer before painting.  We strongly recommend using a black primer.  However, if you are very experienced at painting with a white primer that is acceptable if it is part of your process.  If you are indifferent to primer color, we suggest black, as it tends to photograph easier, for the process we use.

Step 10:  When using a black primer:  After the primer dries, we strongly recommend brushing the entirety of the miniatures with a thin coat of watered down black paint.  It seems redundant, but has proven time and again to help prevent the paint from chipping or rubbing off in the long run.  You don’t want to see the miniatures you’ve put time and effort into suffering chips and scrapes.  Trust us.   

Step 11:  You paint the miniatures.  Take your time.  We are in no rush, but we are excited to see what you come up with.  Along the way, please feel free to share WIP photos on our Facebook page, on other websites, blogs, etc.  We want to grow this community, and you sharing your experience will help with that.

Step 12:  Finishing Bases:  We have a very specific process we use for finishing the basing on miniatures, so that all of the miniatures look as if they are standing on the same battlefield.  Unless you are given other instructions, please just paint the base black.  When the miniatures are returned, we will then add pumice, four layers of paint, and static grass to the bases.  It really works wonders to help multiple different painting styles look compatible on the tabletop.

Step 13:  When you are done painting, if you are comfortable applying a sealant, we ask that you spray “Testors Spray Lacquer: Dullcote” sealant on the finished miniature.  If you do not have this product, or have no experience with applying it, simply let us know when you return the miniatures to us, and we will apply the sealant here.  If you do have the experience and product, it will help protect the miniatures during shipping.  If you do not have this product, please do not use a similar product.  We would rather apply it, that have some figures appear with a different glossiness than the rest of the minis (and each company seems to have different definitions of dull cote, matte, glossy, etc.).

Step 14:  Pack up the minis very securely:  We suggest a strong cardboard box, with a layer of padding at the bottom and around all the sides.  We will try to ship your minis to you in a box large enough to ship the painted minis back to us in.  Please wrap each piece separately with several layers of toilet paper (it does seem to work best), and try to include some layers of padding between layers of miniatures.  Please note:  a lot of delicate weapons and elongated pieces are easily damaged by wrapping the minis too tightly when packing them up, or piling them on top of each other.  The process of laying the individually wrapped miniatures out in the box, adding a cushion layer of padding, and then another layer of miniatures, seems to work best to limit damage in the mail.

Step 15:  You mail the miniatures to us.

Step 16:  We unpack the miniatures, and admire your work.  We let you know they have arrived.  If the experience has been good for both parties, we discuss you painting something else.  Maybe a dragon, or additional units of that type if you are inclined to, or something completely different.  There is no pressure to paint more.  It is simply an options for those who wish to.

Step 17:  We ship you a new copy of the miniatures to keep for yourself.  If you wanted to paint another miniature or miniatures for us, we will include them in this shipment.

Step 18:  Finalizing the miniatures: Any damage that has occurred in the mail is repaired by us.  We will do our very best to match your style and color choices.  We apply all the pumice, paint, and static grass to the miniatures.  We apply a protective coating if you have not.  The miniatures are photographed, and added to our webstore, website, uploaded to Facebook, etc.  The miniatures are placed in the display cases in our gaming room where they will be used in demo games, photo sets ups, etc.  Once conventions start going on again, many of the units will travel around with us as we demonstrate Chaos Wars at conventions, hobby stores, and in people’s basements.

Note:  Along the way, as games are played, some damage does occur over the years.  As this happens, we will do our best to match your style and color choices as we repair the damaged paint.