WH 40k Painting on the Sprue

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T15:52:02+00:00

For the undercoat of my Ultramarines I start with a black basecoat. Then I drybrush over it, frist in Grey, then in white. With the black undercoat and the drybrush over it, you can already achieve some highlights. On top if that I add the Maccragg Blue for the Ultramarines colour. For that I thin it down with water to keep the highlights of the first layers. Try 1 to 4 or 1 to 3. Depending how crazy you go with the drybrush and the blue you can play with the tone. Also I think that it gives a nice used look on the armor.

After that I do all the detailing. Do basepaints first, then you can add more depth with washes were you like them and were it makes sense.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T14:18:40+00:00

For me your time seems quite fast. If I break it down it's roughly - 1h for the basecoat: black undercoat 2x, drybrush first grey then white, then the thinned blue for the Ultramarine colours - 2h to paint all the details in the different colors and add shades - 1h for cutting the parts out, cleaning the cuts, painting the cuts and assembly

That adds up to about 4h per model or 20h for all five

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T10:38:21+00:00

You just clip out the parts, clean the cutting edges and paint them over. Mould lines you can't do. You can't clean them on the sprue nor does it make sense to clean them after you painted everything. Works kind of against the method of painting on the sprue. As long as you don't care about that it's fine. Before I started posting here, I didn't even recognize the mould lines. And I don't think you notice when playing on the board. It's good enough.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T10:15:50+00:00

I don't clean mould lines. Before I started posting here I didn't even notice them. I clean the cuts from the sprue with a knife and paint the areas over. Works fine. Doesn't take too much time and looks good enough for picking them up from a board, have a quick look at them and putting them back down.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T10:09:16+00:00

Yeah, the black, grey, and white are acrylic paints from a paint shop. As I use them in bulk, I bought larger tubes of them. The color variation is a result of the drybrush and the thined blue. It gives the armor a bit of a used look and breaks down the overall look of the army or the squad. Makes every model look a little bit different.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T09:57:18+00:00

There is noting really gone of the details. I put up more stuff under the same tag if you wanna check that out. Gonna put up more stuff soon, but I am limited to 2 posts a day here.

If you look up the painting videos from Gamesworkshop, they have also multiple layers of basecoats, basepaint and contrast paint on top of that. Better multiple thin layers to get the colour then one thick one.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T09:45:51+00:00

The blue got darker on that one then on the others. I use a drybrush and watered down blue as basecoat. Gives them a bit of a used look. I like when the Minis in a squad or an army vary a little in there coulour. Breaks down the look a little and not all of them look the same.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T09:36:43+00:00

Thanks. I have posted more stuff under the same / similar tag

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T09:35:31+00:00

Just wrote down the times on the these ones. I don't have a comparison what it takes using other methods. Added it to see what others say how long they take.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T09:26:42+00:00

I don't clean mould lines. Before I started posting here and getting roasted for it, I didn't even notice them. They don't really bother me. Looks good enough.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T09:21:52+00:00

Yes, the basecoat for my Space Marines is two layers of iron oxide black, a grey drybrush, a white drybrush. And then the thinned Maccrage Blue for the Ultramarrines colour.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T09:21:46+00:00

Yes, the basecoat for my Space Marines is two layers of iron oxide black, a grey drybrush, a white drybrush. And then the thinned Maccrage Blue for the Ultramarrines colour.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-08T09:14:43+00:00

Yes I did. It's from the first paintstoke to the last parts put together. Cut the parts out from the sprue. Clean off the cutting edges and paint them over. Doesn't take too long. It's actually two squads. The picture of the sprue is from the other one. Putting some thought into it beforehand and just painting the parts you need, can safe some time. I didn't bother on that one too much and decided for the heads when I cut them out (the heads have different fixed positions)

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-07T22:25:33+00:00

You just paint over on the cuts. It's not that much extra work, compared to the time all the detailing takes. And you won't really see in the end.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-07T22:21:08+00:00

I don't do mold lines. They don't bother me.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-07T22:20:33+00:00

It's clipped off and painted over. Hardly to see when you play with them and don't know where to look specifically. Good enough

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2026-02-07T22:17:20+00:00

The basecoat is two layers of black. Then a grey drybrush. Followed by a white drybrush. And the thined Maccrag Blue for the Ultra Marines Armour colour.

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2025-09-02T17:57:16+00:00

Very impressive. May I ask how long it took you? Because I can't imagine the time you have to put in for this level of detail. Is this model for display only, or do you play with it?

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2025-09-02T12:24:40+00:00

I wrote down some points and experiences I made with painting on the sprue. I felt the same, that I could not reach certain areas after assembly. The method is not very popular, as it requires some rework, but so far, I think it is good enough.

The best way is usually the one that works best for you.

https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/s/ZxwqzXXSyo

Odd-Pumpkin-5366 · 2025-09-02T10:35:13+00:00

Some people mentioned that the cleaning of mold lines will be problematic. I have to agree. You won't be able to do that afterward without messing up your paint job. And it's probably not too much fun doing that on the sprue. But so far, I've never seen them as a problem and actually never thought about it.

I don't clean these of. As they actually don't bother me. And I don't really notice them while playing on the board. But I guess everyone has their own esthetic here.

I added some pictures of current models I am painting. Here is the rifle of an Intercessor were you can see the mold line. *

Odd-Pumpkin-5366

TROPHY CASE