Update, THE MOST EFFECTIVE way to strip paint.

So last March, I posed about how I was stripping paint of some old models for a new paint job. Well i've discovered something VASTLY more effective than both Simple Green AND Pine-Sol.

"Burn ya eyes right out ya head,

skin gon slide off like a wet sock."

Glove up for this shit, because we're making models new again. Previously, I had a batch of space marines I had scrubbed like mad after soaking in pine-sol for nearly a week. It got most of it, but the most stubborn green paint in the recessed regions would not get off with all the elbow grease in the world. However, after being exposed to this stuff for 24 hours, simply melted away. Incredible! I highly recommend this if you are looking to get rid of the most stubborn acrylic!

My First army, The Ultramarines

Waaay back when I started collecting, I didn't know anything about this hobby. All I knew was, I liked Space Marines. To me, a Space Marine was a dude in blue power armor mowing down Orks, because that's what you did in the game "Space Marine."

Luckily for me the starter box for 40k had all of these things. So I decided to learn to play with my buddy Paul.

I never got the Orks painted.

My first few games consisted of my friend and I guessing at what stuff did since neither of us really understood the rules. He played Eldar, and sometimes Tyranids, (I learned Tyranids are somewhat of an arch enemy of the Ultramarines) and I played my small force of Ultramarines. Since the size of the games we played were mostly limited by how small my army was, I set out to expand my force.

My first addition

Of course I had to get more of the BIG guns! I couldn't wait to get home and start working on more marines.

I've repainted 98% of these guys lol

Naturally my excitement had me talking about the hobby with some friends from school. And soon after I managed to acquire some second hand models from my friend Ben who use to play when he was younger.

We mech'd up now boi

Pretty soon afterward Paul was digging up his brother's old Space Marine army and I was adding it to my collection one piece at a time.

That sand table got sand ALL over my room.

By now I knew I had a duty to restore and paint every model that found it's way to me, and use them to defend the realm of man from xeno and heretic alike!

The bulwark

Today, I have nearly the entire Ultramarines 2nd company, and with the addition of a few more marines and maybe a couple of predators, my Ultramarines collection will be complete. Can't wait.

Breaking into the hobby & reworking old models

Today i'd like to talk about how to break into the Warhammer hobby on the cheap cheap.

It's time to get NASTY

First off, you might think the hobby is expensive if you are to buy new, straight from Games Workshop. While this is true, almost no one does this when they start collecting. Recruit a friend and try to go in 50/50 on a starter box to offset that cost. But if you already have some friends in the hobby, try to bum some old shitty models. Everyone who's been playing for any significant amount of time has those models that they could live without.

Interrogator Chaplain on a Bike

Out of all the old models I was able to collect through various sources for free, i've managed to put this guy together. So always keep an eye out for a bargain.

Now that you have some models, it's time to paint em'. While many a doofus will try to convince you "Simple Green" is the best way to strip a bad paint job, don't listen. The only reliable way i've found to strip that shit off is Pine Sol. Try to get the lemon kind since the smell isn't as strong. And NO it won't melt the plastic. This is a common misconception.

Okay now that you've let your dudes soak for a few hours, scrub that shit off with an old toothbrush till it looks something like this.

The tattered forgotten soldiers of the 41st millenia

Now it's time to paint! You're first paint job is going to suck. It's just a fact of life, but, since you got your models cheap it's okay. It's a great way to learn, and if you hate it later, you can always strip it and try again when you are better at painting. 

So you want to know how to paint huh? Well, I could tell you. But it's way easier to let someone who is an expert show you! So I highly recommend THIS guy if you are just starting out. SDub is one of the best painters i've found on youtube. He is a wealth of knowledge that will definitely cut down on your learning curve. I wish he was making videos when I started!

Remember, keep at it. Your painting will improve with practice. 

Okay that does it for now, more to come.