I just finished painting the Wraithguard but wasn’t able to take proper showcase pictures of them yet, so I thought I’m gonna share my next project instead. It’s a kind of an in-between project, as I’ve picked an older squad of tactical marines that I painted years ago, and just as with my Sternguard, I’m gonna bring the models up to date. That means improving the highlights, removing or reworking any wonky freehands, adding all the missing insignia and also adding some brown static grass. There are a lot more Ultramarine models in my collection that need to be updated, so every now and then I’m gonna pick one model or unit until my whole collection feels cohesive again. A labour of love, but I think it’ll be worth it in the end. Above you can see the first five models of the squad.
Do you also improve older models every now and then, or can’t you be bothered with old paint jobs? Tell me in the comments!
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I would like to see a before/after comparison… i bet they looked awesome before :D.
Just started something similar with some of my old Space Marines on my blog (http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/in-need-of-repair-part-one.html). Unfortunately I was unable to 'touch up' anything over the coat of PVA glue I used to give my models, so my next update will be the fact I've had to strip the figure and start again… does that count as retouching 🙂
I like looking at my old paint jobs that are not up to par with my current level. This helps me see where i have improved and creates a nice motivator when i can tell ive gotten better or am more happy with my painting. It also shows me where i am consistently lacking. i like looking at the evolution of my painting skills in.
I still have my first model ever painted! looks horrid but it is my main display on my painting desk. Reminds me of the good old days!
For an army i would agree that it would bug me if it was not consistent. However, I do not have large collections of single armies. I dont play so most of my time spent is painting single miniatures or units that interest me. If i had a large collection like yourself i would probably update them as time went on as well!
Keep up the amazing work!
I recently started a new trend in repainting or "leveling up" the paint job on models that do particularly well on the tabletop. This gives me an incentive to spruce them up, and makes them stand out. It's a fun way to attack the idea of old paint jobs.
This of course only works if the paint job has not drastically changed over the year. If I have to strip a model to repaint it, I usually sell it instead and start from scratch…mainly because both painting and modeling skills increase over time. It's a bit hard to redo a model that you failed to clean mold lines on, or didn't glue/cut together properly.
Your dedication to perfection and consistency is admirable.
Alas, I can't say the same. As my painting gets better or goes in a different direction older models get left behind. Take for instance my Dark Eldar, only 3 years old, but already the paint job seems below par. Rather than repaint or improve the models, I will just sell them and carry on with current projects.
Annoyingly my large collections of Ultramarines and Tyranids feature models of varying skill. This is really noticeable in my Tyranids were I change colour scheme and develop my painting techniques. I was never bothered by it before but in the past year or two of doing painting tutorials for this blog my consistency is improving because I have a paint recipe to refer to.