How do I paint 36 figures in 3 hours?

[Last Hussar]

Hello!

Following a question from a friend, I just looked at some painting services costs.

They all quote around £1 a 10mm foot figure. Let's use that - make the arithmetic easy!

I am sure they are faster, but to make £12/hour (minimum wage) they therefore would need to paint one of my ECW units of 16 pike, 10 loading, 10 firing in 3 hours.

How do I do that!?  Going to time myself tomorrow, to see if I can knock off a unit in 3 hours.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Badly methinks....

[Big Insect]

It's about technique, process and dedication, me-thinks.
Also - depends how they do it. White undercoat with washes or black undercoat with layers of drybrush.
It also depends upon what the figures are. e.g. semi naked celts or C18th highlanders in tartan! Or if they are irregulars or all in uniform.

But £1 per figure sounds reasonable to me. Well worth getting a sample done.IMHO

[Orcs]

I think you will find that figure painters do not achieve minimum wage. Certainly not at £1 a figure for 10mm.

They are technically self employed so the minimum wage rules do not apply. Many will be doing it as a side line so the earnings are an extra.

I had some 10mm supposedly painted by Turbil miniatures, a professional company several years back for around £1 per figure.
Here is a selection of the issues;-

Only half the jacket painted
Random blobs of colour on figures - eg Green on a horses tail,
Large patches of bare metal on Horses belly
Sand stuck to the figures (They were not based so should not have been anywhere near sand)
Bare metal shoeing on Jackets
All Manes and tails were painted black - even on white horses.
Leather straps on horse furniture were 3-5mm wide

In short it took me about three  full evenings to put right mistakes on each regiment of 12 figures - probably longer than it would have taken me to paint them.

Another time figures from somewhere else I ended up binning them.

Since then I have not bothered to get stuff painted, although I am repeatedly tempted by Fernando Enterprises

[Last Hussar]

figure painters do not achieve minimum wage

I did doubt that;

Many will be doing it as a side line so the earnings are an extra.

Makes sense.

[kipt]

I did Fernado quite some time ago.  Sent many Adler Austrians and I had specified which regiments to get the colors correct.  None were correct and the yellow stripe on the early helmet was missing.  Rudimentary painting on the muskets - just brown overall. I had some work to do once I received them back.  Essentially became a good base for finishing them.  Didn't send more.

[Last Hussar]

I've been knocking off a FK&P battalia - numbers as mentioned above - off in a day-ish. It's been basic painting, jacket, trousers (though often left grey undercoat), hat, face, hair, belt, musket, pike point/bayonet, barrel, and figure base. Base/flock later/next day. Its definitely 'arm length viewing' and relying on the fact that 11-16 figures on a 30mm square base.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Technically,  yes, I could,but they would be awful