The Value of a Test Model, and Remembering to Relax

I've often wondered at how hobbyists ever have the time to paint test models. I seem to spend the entirety of my hobby endeavours jumping between one large project to the next, so I've never approached painting one-off miniatures just to test out a scheme or paint something for the fun of it. 

This year, I decided that I'd join in and test out some schemes I've been planning for a while, or just paint some models I've always wanted to. I wanted to jot down some thoughts after having completed my first test minis, so in this post, I'll go through picking my first minis and the benefits of taking the time to try out ideas. 

With the arrival of 2021, I've laid myself out a hobby calendar if you will, and so by scheduling my projects, I hope to get through things a bit faster this year. What that has done is left me with a spare chunk of time at the end of January, so I figured I'd try just painting a model for the hell of it. My sights settled on the new Necron range, as the recent update they've received has added such an amazing new set of models to the line-up. The Recruit edition offered the perfect start, containing a Necron Warriors unit and the amazing Royal Warden model. 

With my first model chosen, it was time to pick a scheme. This one was easy. Warhammer Community released an article around the Indomitus box release that displayed alternate colour schemes for the models contained within. The Space Marines were the usual dull affair but the Necron schemes, particularly the Tsarakura dynasty, really caught my eye.

What I particularly liked about this model was the real emphasis that it places on the space horror of the Necrons. Gone are the more traditional silvers and spot colours, and in its place is an imposing black silhouette that emphasises the Necrons' inhuman visuals. The scheme really helps bring out the gauss weaponry's eerie glow and draws the eye to the impassive death mask. Overall, I think it really compliments the updated Necron aesthetic and decided to give it a try! 

I'll spare you all the WIP pictures (they're going into a how-to paint article!) so here is the first test miniature that I've ever painted. 

By a stroke of serendipity, this model happens to be the same as in the example image, so acts as a good comparison to see how well I matched the scheme. Overall, I'm pretty darn happy with what I managed. In fact, I was so pleased that I painted another immediately!

After painting up these two, I was left with two realisations. The first was man, do I want to paint some more Necrons! These models are so good, and I can't wait to paint the rest of the unit as well as a few character models I've got. The second was the value that painting these models provided me. Before now, I'd never painted a model simply because I wanted to. There was always a bigger project I was working towards, such as a complete army or a tournament attendance. This was the first time that I'd sat down and just painted, ultimately, because I really wanted to. 

Now don't get me wrong, I love painting, no matter the form. Whether it be for large army projects like my Eldar or Custodes, or something smaller like Necromunda gang, I've always taken great joy in having a project come together and testing my ability to get that crisp, clean 'Eavy Metal look. But this is the first time I've not had that hanging over me. I was painting these Necrons because I wanted to. There was nothing more to it, and it really helped me just enjoy the process and relax. That in itself was of immense value to me. The fact I have two miniatures that I'm really proud of is just an added bonus.

Enjoying the process has left me feeling more energised to paint my next bigger project. As I mentioned, I'm definitely looking to paint some more Necrons in the future, and these testers are a huge part of why. I came in with a scheme I liked and a model range I'm excited for, and this confirmed that yes, this is something I want to paint. There's nothing worse than being excited by the concept of a project and committing to it wholesale, only to find that you don't enjoy playing the army or painting the scheme you've devised. In my case, this happened with my Nighthaunt. The models are gorgeous, but I never quite clicked with the paint scheme I made for them, so by the end of the project I was feeling burned out and really didn't want anything more to do with them. The fact that they didn't play at all the way I wanted to was just another unfortunate nail in the proverbial coffin for the Nighthaunt.

Using these Warriors to test if I can paint the scheme I wanted/liked and how easy it is to do helped me get a solid grasp on whether or not it's something I'd like to move forward with. As the answer to these questions is an emphatic yes, I will be painting more Necrons, I'm now confident in picking up a few more kits and increasing my collection. It's acted as a safety net almost.

There's also the further benefit that tester minis can act as a palette cleanser after working on a larger project for a while. I like to ensure that my schemes are sufficiently distinct from each other, either using colours I've not before or combining them in different styles. I imagine if I'd have done one or two test models after painting my Custodes, as opposed to leaping straight into my next big project, I wouldn't have run face-first into the burnout wall that left me not painting anything significant for a month or two. Having a model to just relax and paint can really help keep you cracking through a project or chipping away at a backlog. Who knows, you may even find yourself wanting to collect a new army after painting a tester, though I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing!

So that's a few thoughts I had after recently painting up my first Necrons. It was a gratifying process and helped remind me that not everything you paint has to go towards something bigger. Sometimes, buying and painting that model you really like is worth it simply because it excites you. I'll definitely be looking to do more small projects and testers between bigger hobby commitments in the future. I want to get all of my Necromunda and Ossiarch Bonereapers backlog cleared out this year, and that'll take me a fair few months to achieve. Having these one-off models to come back to will certainly help keep me going and chipping away at that mountain of unpainted sprue. Whether it be some more Necrons or sets like the Underworlds warbands that contain 4 or so models, they'll be the perfect hobby palette cleansers and fingers crossed, won't see me falling into yet another army project. At least, not right away.

Until next time,

James