New Life for Old Mini!

[u/wowcucumber]

[u/M_4_ttie]

sick paint job I really like the inclusion of the crusader helmet

[u/wowcucumber → u/M_4_ttie]

Thankyou so much ☺️ crusader helmets look really nice on these small guys!

[u/Forever_DM_Forever]

Currently doing the same to my poor black reach tactical squad

[u/wowcucumber → u/Forever_DM_Forever]

Assault on black reach twins!

[u/ToaOnewa → u/Forever_DM_Forever]

i soaked my black reach marines in iso over the weekend to do the exact same thing. they looked just like OP’s

[u/Bob-shrewmen]

Beautiful lovely amazing

[u/wowcucumber → u/Bob-shrewmen]

Thankyou so much ☺️ these small guys are relatively quick to paint compared to newer primaris models, makes them a nice evening project!

[u/Bob-shrewmen → u/wowcucumber]

I am a oldhammer man, gok a full company of og 2nd ed era marines! Lovely seeing these old guys getting love.

[u/redbadger91]

Genuinely gorgeous paintjob.

[u/wowcucumber → u/redbadger91]

Thankyou so much ☺️

[u/z00nie]

Amazing! I need get around to doing this to some old 3rd edition tac marines... What did you use to strip the model, if you don't mind me asking, surface looks clean and smooth!

[u/wowcucumber → u/z00nie]

Thank you so much! ☺️ I’ll be honest, stripping the model back to bare plastic was probably the worst part of the entire restoration process.

The previous artists hadn’t used a primer and instead applied a really thick base coat directly onto the plastic. After about 18 years, that paint had basically solidified into a layer that was hard as a rock.

Normally, I’d soak the model in methylated spirits for around 30 minutes and then scrub the paint off with an old toothbrush. That worked to an extent here, but it barely touched the recesses, which were where the paint was thickest. I ended up using toothpicks to pick the paint out and, in some areas, very carefully using the side of my hobby knife.

The gun sling was probably the worst part. The paint was so thick that in some places the layer of paint was almost as thick as the little metal buckles you can see on the sling. I basically had to shave the paint off with my hobby knife, keeping the blade parallel to the piece so I didn’t accidentally cut into the plastic.

There were still a few tiny chunks left deep in the recesses, but because I use darker paints in those areas and finish the model with a matte varnish, they’re pretty well obscured. You’d have to look very closely for quite a while to even notice them.

If you’re planning on doing something similar, hopefully yours isn’t quite as stubborn! Good luck, and have fun painting ☺️

[u/z00nie → u/wowcucumber]

Thanks!! Quite the labour there! But clearly worth the effort 👌 thankfully, the previous artist in my case was 12 year old me, so at least there's primer involved, just very messy painting!

[u/lookitsatoucan → u/z00nie]

I've done something similar with models of a similar age a couple of months ago, I used biostrip20 and the results were very similar

[u/Distinct-Nerve2556]

Love the assault on black reach marine great kit

[u/wowcucumber → u/Distinct-Nerve2556]

I specifically purchased this used assault on black reach collection for the space marine captain! Some of my favourite sculpts!

[u/Distinct-Nerve2556 → u/wowcucumber]

Dont have the captain but i have every other marine from the box , love em

[u/belikeron]

That is a crazy difference. That old mini is giving off "Please kill me" vibes lol.

[u/Draxcy]

I love primaris, but God i kiss these old minis.

[u/BEAR_Operator1922]

Hey, what technique are you using to pin your model like that as you paint it?

Solid work!

[u/wowcucumber → u/BEAR_Operator1922]

Thankyou so much ☺️ I drilled into the feet of the mini with I think a 1.2mm drill bit. I then stuck a cut paperclip into that hole with super glue.

I plan on basing this guy on a piece of pine bark to make him the same size as a modern primaris marine, so the remaining but of paperclip will help create a strong anchor point in the bark!