UM or IF, which are easier to paint and assemble?

[Helias_Tancred]

Which are easier to paint and assemble, the Ultramarines or the Imperial Fists?

 

I've read the books and played the WH40K video games for a while now but I'm just getting into the tabletop miniature wargame of WH40k. Years ago I painted a bunch of fantasy minis for advanced dungeons and dragons and I became good at it (I know the techniques), but I never sat down and took on a small army of plastic minis.

 

I want to play space marines, and the two chapters I'm interested in playing are the Ultramarines and the Imperial Fists. So which one would a newbie to th hobby have an easier time painting and assembling?

 

 

Thanks in advance :)

 

 

[Kriegsmacht]

Blue is easier to paint than yellow. Blue you can get away from painting over black or white primer. I never tried it I think someone has on here for their IFs but an easier approach for yellow would be to use Army Painter Demonic Yellow. Would cut down on all the layering you'd have to go through.

[Flint13]

Blue is certainly a little more forgiving when it comes to painting. If you're looking for the "easier" route so you can crank out a painted army fast, I'd second Ultramarines.

[Firepower]

Blue is one of the most cooperative (or 'easiest') colors to paint.  Yellow is just another word for masochism.

 

That said, Fists are so much cooler ;)

 

In terms of assembly, there's really no difference between the two.  They're more or less identical in terms of plastic, unless you deliberately look for some special trend or theme to customize your army with.

[AJB2K3]

UM's

Prime in AP blue, Use a deep blue FW Acrylic ink (or asurman Blue) pick out eye lens, shoulder trim and other small details, clear coat and done.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f352/AJB2K3/tbw.jpg

[Grotsmasha]

As stated above, Blue is easier and more forgiving. Yellow can be achieved without too much difficulty, but is less forgiving if you over-paint with other colours.

I'm on my phone, I'll add a very simple yellow pics when I get home

 

Cheers,

Jono

[appiah4]

If you want Fists and an easier color scheme, you can always go for Crimson Fists.

 

http://www.jonsullivanart.com/images/Rynns-world_03.jpg

 

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120416204533/warhammer40k/images/e/e0/RT-Crimson_Fists_Chapter_Last_Stand.jpg

[Slips]

Or do a Heresy Era, mainly black or grey scheme!

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140411233413/warhammer40k/images/5/57/IF_VII_Legion_Vet.jpg

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Images/Product/AlternativeFW/xlarge/HH3-spreads-35.jpg

[Firepower]

Proto-Templars :D

[Slips]

I mean...Sigismund and his boys were Templars (in the IF Legion)...That's pretty self-explanatory :p

[Firepower]

I mean...Sigismund and his boys were the Templars (in the IF Legion)...That's pretty self-explanatory

Fixed that

They just didn't have time to officially nail down the color scheme til after the Heresy

Although the OP has said that he wants to play the Fists or Ultramarines, so proper Black Templars are out anyway.

[Helias_Tancred]

I gotta look into the Crimson Fists. Also someone in another thread mentioned that Raven Guard are very easy to churn out. .... So when painting IFs you can't just use one layer of yellow right? You need a lighter to drybrush/highlight, and a darker watered down yellow to wash?

[feuer_faust]

In general, you'll have to work harder for a decent yellow. You can get decent results by washing a white basecoat with orange, then blocking in yellow, then highlighting with a yellow/white mix. Blocking in, of course, will require a couple coats at least... yellow paint is always kind of watery and sparse due to the compound(s?) they use to achieve yellow pigments. The original line of GW basecoats solved this for the most part with its Iyanden Darksun (a decent if slightly dark yellow). In the end, a well-done yellow is awesome.

[Grotsmasha]

There is a very simple method where you prime white, then using Seraphim Sepia, carefully paint it into the recess'. Touch up with Ceramite White, then wash two or three times with the Yellow Wash/Shade depending on desired colour. 

 

Again, I'll put up some pics of this method as soon as I have a spare moment.

 

Cheers,

Jono

[Grotsmasha]

Quoting an older post of mine,

 

 

Here's one I whipped up in about 1hr, including waiting time,

 

I already had the model primed, so I started with Seraphim Sepia (Shade), using my detail brush I very carefully painted the wash into the recess' only,

 

http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y464/Grotsmasha/IMAG0457_zpsp1oua0cv.jpg

 

Once the Sepia was dry (I waited 30-45 mins) I then touched up any over-painting with Ceramite White, then gave the whole model a generous wash with Lamenter Yellow (Glaze). After 15 mins I gave the whole model a second generous wash with Lamenter Yellow,

 

http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y464/Grotsmasha/IMAG0461_zps7hdadwdk.jpg

 

 

At this stage I'd call the armour done and start adding in details such as the eye lenses and soft armour ribbing.

 

Cheers,

Jono

 

[Psy-Crow]

Seconded what Firepower and Grotsmasha said. 

 

Also, Army Painter make a good yellow spray paint so Imperial Fists aren't quite as scary as they used to be. Go into a GW store WITH NO WALLET, some salesmen are hypnotic, and pose the same question. They should have a spare plastic marine around they can show you some techniques on and let you practice with in store so you can get an idea of what you feel comfortable painting. 

[NovemberIX]

Maybe it's due to familiarity but yellow isn't as hard as a lot of people fear it to be. Much like any paint job it's as hard or as easy as you want it to be. I have a fairly simple (if somewhat convoluted) way of painting bright schoolbus yellow quickly.

 

All that said, here are the mad techniques of the November Warriors ;)

 

Prime white

(I first use a good white primer, something with a bit of bite, dries thinner, and sucks in the paint. My brand preference is DupliColor white sandable primer. It's about 6 bucks a can, and one can should get you a few squads and a tank or two primed nicely. The bright or dullness of your yellow will depend on how opaque the white is. Eg, pure white = bright yellow)

 

Make sure you have a good milky mix of yellow on your pallet prepared

( depending on my mood, I've used Lamenters yellow to thin out Flash Gitz, Lahmian Medium works well too. Nowadays I've found using Flow-Aid gives me a result I really like with a great amount of speed since it allows me to be a little sloppier with application since the flow-aid evaporates off and usually distributes paint evenly, but a cup of water and some patience work well too, the trick is thin layers that build up to your choice of yellow density)

 

Do any block colors and details

(darker metallics look fairly sharp, but lighter silvers also look pretty good, I personally don't to to much with gold or brass colors because it sorta just smudges in)

 

Shade the crevices, the detail bits, and where ever you need definition

(in this case less is definitely more, you only really need to hint at the shading to get a good effect, I use a 0/3 brush loaded with nuln oil usually to get right into the edges of where I want shade, but the key to a good looking yellow model is shading)

 

Sit back and enjoy

(You've just painted one of the Emperor's finest, bask in the glory :D)

[Firepower]

Grot- It's almost comical how well that worked :lol:

[Kaedes Nex]

The only way you're ever going to successfully paint IF is either with a yellow spray primer, an airbrush, or yellow glazes.

 

Anyone who does it with yellow paint and a paintbrush is a Buddha or something.

[Firepower]

Fists have become a lot more common since those possibilities opened up, no doubt.  There were some magical painters that did it by brush and yellow paint, though.  Dark sorcery, I say!

[Brother Callius]

I say go with the Fists, but I may be a little biased

Don't let the fuss about painting yellow throw you off, it's not that hard once you had a couple of attempts...

This mini was painted up in a afternoon and I used nothing but GW brushes and paint (no glazes!):

All you need to do is make sure you get a nice undercoat (I use grey), thin the yellow down and give the mini a couple of layers, the rest is easy enough.

But as stated earlier blue is a more forgiving colour and is easier to work with on large surfaces such as Rhinos or Land Raiders.

Although the Crimson Fists are a good idea, that way you get the best of both worlds.

[Helias_Tancred]

What about painting Blood Angels? More difficult?

[Grotsmasha]

Comparable to painting Ultramarines. Realistically, there's a quick'n easy table-top quality method for most marine colour schemes. Usually it is a Base Colour followed by a Glaze/Shade then a Dry Brush or Highlighting. At this stage, my recommendation is to read the fluff for the Chapters you're interested in and choose them, as that is what will help to keep you motivated. 

 

Cheers,

Jono

[Ovidius Incertus]

What about painting Blood Angels? More difficult?

 

Red's not too bad, although there are a number of tones Blood Angels players can choose for their reds.  I'd suggest looking for Blood Angels on Coolminiornot and see what red suits your fancy better.  (BA also allows you to experiment with painting black on Death Company.)

 

That said, just bear in mind that Blood Angels are an entirely different codex than any of the other chapters you mentioned (UM, IF and even RG) and merit a different play style.  Further, the BA codex is likely being updated soon-ish, so if you're wanting to play sooner rather than later, a Codex:SM is going to be a smaller monetary investment than buying a current (read "old") BA codex, only to find it obsoleted in a few months and need to buy another.

 

FWIW.