HOW TO= Getting cheap models Part two: Collecting Your Spoils!!!

OK welcome to Part 2 of Getting cheap models. In this part Im discussing What to do with your Cheap models and how to make them into an Army....

Topic One: What Did I get

OK well you saw your listing and won the auction. Now that it arrived in the mail you need to find out EXACTLY what your dealing with. Lets face facts sometimes People are not 100% with descriptions and even when they are Sometimes things happen in shipping. I will be sharing pictures from a recent purchase of my own with you to show you whats going on.

Inventory

OK well lets look at what we got. Make sure EVERYTHING is there and resembles the description. Leave feedback as appropriate and start looking at what to do with your new models. Lets have a look:

This is a bunch of Ogres I got for converting to plastic Ogryns. I had 50 Ogres in various disrepair with some bits and NOS models and I think I paid $125-150  plus shipping. This is pretty much how they arrived, and Lets face facts again Its not ideal for keeping models intact. SO here is a sample of what I REALLY got.

As you can see I have painted, Primered, Broken weapons, Missing heads, and other little Bits N Bobs gone. No worries as I got them at about 1/4 MSRP and expected lots of work on them. Also since Lots of Green Stuff was going into them I was about more bang for my buck and less Quality of models. When buying used models always expect about 10% waste from damage and crap conversions!!!! 

Now with these Sometimes you get a fresh idea for your own Army. I saw these guys and I liked the "armor" for them. It gave me some ideas for my own and what to do with the gut plates once I cut the buckles off (for the belts) These were pleasant surprises.... But this is what you should ALSO expect.....

As we can see here some had their faces carved off ( come to find out it was to accommodate a shoulder pad/drum head mask thing....)and the Soles of the boots were left off one. Again not a problem for this project but something to look for. Also look for extras in your packing. these guys came with some Bous models!!

Topic two: What am I going to do with them

OK now that we Have inventory NOW we need to get these guys ready to do what we bought them for. These have paint and such so First we need to strip them. I soak them in Simple Green for a week or so and use a brush to scrub them. I will do a TUT later on that but For now lets dunk them and get that paint off. 

OK well now that they are stripping Im using some other models to complete this post. I will use the Catachans I found from a few days ago. After stripping you will have something like this

Sometimes Arms come unglued and sometimes you break things.....it happens. KEEP ALL BITS AND BROKEN PARTS!!! You may need them in the future and can save you money in the long run when you need something. Keep the "10%" waste for other projects. I dont know HOW many times I have saved myself time from sculpting a hand by having one I can just glue on instead. But anyway, Now its time for you to put it all together and actually spend time doing the modeling. What you saved in cash will now be paid in SWEAT EQUITY!!! This is where you go and fix other mistakes, pose the models in poses you want them and make them YOUR ARMY. This is no easy task BUT you can easily save yourself some money if your willing to sacrifice time. Nothing in this hobby is really cheap, but if your willing to spend time looking for what you need and making things work for you you CAN do it on a budget. This is how I do it, and you can too.

Till next time Happy Modeling and Serve the Emperor well

Munkey Joe

HOW TO= Getting cheap models Part one: Planning

OK Well as many of you know I have a VERY LARGE Imperial force and I am constantly asked how I have amassed such a tremendous amount of models. The answer is Ebay, organization and patience. By using those 3 things you get what you want, for the price you want. Im going to break down some of my steps to "success" for some of you who are wanting to field large armies OR just looking to get some models on the cheap.

Step ONE: Patience

This is one of the MOST IMPORTANT things IMHO. You must be willing to have the patience to wait for your unicorn Army to come in. Here is how I do it.

• Set aside money every month for your model budget and let it set in an account (I use a separate bank account or Paypal to stockpile Funds for purchases) for that once in a lifetime army for sale on Ebay. That way when it shows up You have the cash to get it. Also this is a good practice ANYWAY to have a reserve of money for unexpected things, just make sure you dont put yourself in a predicament....
• Also You have to be watching the Listings..... Ebay has a Cool feature that allows you to "subscribe" to a search. When someone posts a auction matching your search you get a email.... This Helps. Also I search weekly or so for common misspellings of the Auctions. if Its misspelled it will get less hits and watches. 
• Dont get attached to a auction. An Ebay bidding war WILL NOT save you money. If its something Rare be prepared to dump money on it, but if its only hard to find let it pass.....I have fallen Prey to this several times because I was attached to the Auction ($100 for the Khorne liber chaotica Book Say what??) Set a price on what your willing to pay and stick to your guns. I find Sometimes its hard but if your REALLY wanting to save this is a must.
• Look for lots. OK when people are too lazy to break up large you win 9 times out of 10. People are more than willing to buy a squad of assembled guardsmen for $20. The platoons of 40-60 guys usually go for $50 or so. But when your buying 3 platoons of 60 men, 9 Russ tanks, 20 Ogryns, 6 sentinels, and 3 valkyries......for $400 OBO... THATS a deal. And most people are not willing or able to dump $400-$500 bucks at a time. 
• Talk to buddies and your FLG/FLGC. Alot of time people DONT set aside money for real world issues and Sell of Armies for quick cash. We all know them and if your prepared, you can help them AND you out.

Step Two: Organization

 You will need to be somewhat organized to be successful. Without a solid plan you will be spinning your wheels. I bought without a plan for a while And I cannot tell you how many duplicate models I have because I was not organized.

• First, commit to an Army. I committed to guard and marines as they were what got me in the game So many years ago. Not only that BUT I have flexibility of changing to another model type WITHOUT changing my Army. Catachans, Cadians,  Valhallan, And Vostroyans can ALL USE THE SAME THINGS. If you get burn-out on one planet move to another planet. But the basics are all the same.....Codex, tanks, Specials, All that changes is the clothes of the Infantry....Paint your tanks in a neutral scheme (urban, jungle or whatever) and Base your infantry all the same and you can reuse the same to tanks for every occasion. Not to mention if you use Resin bases Every Army will match your theme...See??? PLANNING saves money!!!
• I make a list in Army builder of what I want my Army to look like. I then do a model count to estimate what I will need. I then Start my searching KNOWING what I have and what I need. I can concentrate my searches for what I need instead of just bumbleing around not knowing and wasting money on crap I dont need. 
• Set your prices. I NEVER PASS on a good deal if I can help it. I set my prices and if something matches my prices I pick it up. I spend $1 on infantry plastics, $15 on tanks, and 50% MSRP on most everything else. no higher.  These are pretty firm prices and if the price goes out of these parameters I pass. 
• NOW I am organized. I know What Im doing, I have have a budget and cash set aside, and I know EXACTLY what Im looking for to complete my Army and how much Im willing to pay for it.

Step Three: Where to look

You have to know where to look for the deals. I mentioned some earlier but I will outline places that I normally look here.

• Ebay. Ebay is a WONDERFUL place to look, but you have to be careful. Ebay has Alot to offer as sellers from all over the world are there, but sometimes you get knock offs, and misrepresented products. Pay CLOSE attention to what your bidding on and how much your spending. EBAY
• Bartertown. Most know of Bartertown and its one of the best places to trade and buy. Its special because its a "barter" place where you can dump models you dont want or use (see BUY IN LOTS from earlier post!!) for stuff you DO need. Also there is sales there for folks just getting rid of old models and you can get stuff on the cheap all the time. Drawback is that there is only what people are wanting to get rid of so if your looking for that ONE particular hard to find item you MIGHT not find it there if your in a hurry. I swear by Bartertown though as a go to staple of my modeling needs. Plus Linrandir (owner) is a great guy and kicks my butt in Warmachine when I can play him. BARTERTOWN site
• Local Game store. Your local game store or Game clubs are also Great places to find deals. You know the people and can interact with them and haggle on prices. Many stores offer Deals and discounts on overstock product if your a regular. And your buddies who need money to pay rent are there too so you can help them out and save yourself some major bucks in the process.

OK well this is the PLANNING stages and will set you up for success when you find your models. Stay tuned for PART TWO of the series Claiming my find!

New Masterclass Book

OK with all the hype of New Imperial Armour Book rule book coming out and the new models like the CHAOS DECIMATOR and the Deimos Predator Executioner Im going to focus on another side of the coin, modeling. Forge World sent out their news letter today in in it was something that made me do the Happy Pants Dance.....

Its the Model Masterclass Volume 2.... For those of you not familiar with MM:V1 it was one of the BEST books on painting at the advanced level I have seen. I can wait to see MM:V2 BUT anyway here is the FW email description....

Imperial Armour Model Masterclass Volume 2

Available to purchase for the first time in limited numbers at the Forge World Open Day, Imperial Armour Model Masterclass Volume 2 costs £26.

Whether you’re building and painting a centrepiece model for your army or a detailed diorama for display, Imperial Armour Model Masterclass Volume 2 is packed with innovative techniques to help you create stunning models.

Among others, you’ll find construction and painting articles on models such as the Imperial and Chaos Reaver Titans, the Great Brass Scorpion and the Crassus Armoured Assault Transport as well as in-depth construction guides focussed on our display tables such as ‘Encounter at the Balmaeus Ice Mines’, built alongside Imperial Armour Volume 11: The Doom of Mymeara (which you’ll be able to see in all its splendour at the Open Day).

The book also contains detailed galleries of some of our iconic models, including the Vulture Gunship and Keith Robertson’s fantastic Saim-Hann Phantom Titan bust.

This 144-page, full colour hardback book contains a plethora of informative articles, stage-by-stage guides, lavish galleries and inspirational models from the talented painters and modellers of our design studio, making this book a feast for the eye and the imagination as well as a practical resource as well.

It is the second Forge World book dedicated to the methods, materials and techniques required to achieve the highest possible results in terms of quality and realism when building and painting Warhammer 40,000 models.

 And Another thing ON Amazing models is the "Chapelain Skeletor" model by Kaha Minis.....

Perfect for you Fine painters or someone wanting a Unique chaplain/librarian/Sorcerer for their armies. It can be seen in its original post HERE

Pleasant surprises....

Well I was Getting my bucket of Simple Green out of storage this week end (my weekends are Mon and Tues BTW!!) and I noticed one of my buckets "rattled". No Surprise I had something in there and had forgotten them.....

So when I came home I opened the Over flow bucket (the bucket with less SG in it, Stay tuned for the Stripping TUT) and I found THIS......

Roughly 75-100 Catachan Fighters and a Sentinel in there (some are still in the SG in the pic). Well SCORE!!! This is being stripped as we speak and is now being added to the 666th Catachan force bringing the infantry count to approx 500 troops not including Ogryns or anything else, only Catachan fighters. This will give me the opportunity to show you how I painted them and allow me to post up Yet another Tut for you players out there.  SO look for a tut on   Ebay purchases for saving money, Quick painting many models using the dip method, and using resin bases. Till then Happy Hunting and Serve the Emperor Well.
Munkey Joe

First Post For FTW and STUFF!!

OK well I am Spinning off another blog to Submit my application to the FTW blog roll group and HOPE to be included into their Blogroll.....

info HERE

NOW On to Me... Im a HUGE guard collector and player and have Well over a MILLION points in 40K (not joking) with about a million alone in guard and 250K million in Marines. I will not elaborate now as Im Getting ready for work in the next 20 Minutes BUT I will soon start posting Some of my 40K and new projects....


Welcome to the Munkey's 41st Millenium ...... I hope you enjoy your ride!

Picture From NACHOMON on Deviant Art.com And found on a google search. used without knowledge NOR permission but credit given to Artist.