Army Project

A pile of grey plastic is not an army. It's a source of guilt that stares at you from the shelf. The difference between a finished army and a pile of boxes is project management, and that's exactly what this template gives you.

You'll plan an entire army (1,000-2,000+ points) from inventory through fully painted and based, broken into playable milestones so you can actually use the models while you're still painting the rest. No more "I'll play when it's all done." You play as you go.

Inventory and Goal Setting

Lay out every kit you own for this army. Every box, every sprue, every loose model in a bag. Count them. Write them down. This is the honest reckoning. I've started army projects thinking I had "about 40 models" and counted 73. You need to know the real number.

Set your army goal: a specific point value and list. 2,000 points of Aeldari for matched play. 1,500 points of Stormcast for local league. A concrete target prevents scope creep, which is the number one army project killer.

The Test Model

Never batch paint 50 models in a scheme you haven't tested. Paint one trooper to completion (base, shade, highlight, based, varnished) and live with it for a day. Look at it under different lighting. Show it to someone. This is the model that locks your recipe.

Write down every single paint and step. "Armor: Vallejo Model Color German Grey base, Nuln Oil recess shade, Vallejo Neutral Grey edge highlight." Record thinning ratios and brush sizes if you can. Changing your recipe on model 30 means repainting models 1-29 or accepting a mismatched army.

Batch Sequencing

Break your army into batches of 5-10 models. Each batch should be a playable addition: a Troops choice, a squad of elites, a character. This way you hit the table with a legal list as early as batch two or three.

Sequence your batches from most to least essential. Core troops first (you need them to play), then support units, then characters, then the centerpiece. Save the big exciting model for later because it's the carrot that pulls you through the infantry grind.

The Infantry Grind

Batch painting 30-50 infantry is where army projects live or die. Set a sustainable pace and stick to it. Three models a night beats 20 in one weekend followed by a month of burnout.

Use every speed technique: zenithal priming, contrast paints, drybrushing, slapchop. Rank-and-file troops are viewed from 3 feet away. Tabletop standard is the goal. Assembly-line each color across the batch. A 10-model batch with 5 colors takes about 2 evenings of painting.

Characters and Centerpieces

Once troops are done, switch gears. Characters and centerpieces get 4-8 hours compared to 1-2 per trooper. This is where you break out the wet blending, tight edge highlighting, painted eyes, and freehand symbols. These models are your army's personality.

Basing and Varnish

Base the entire army in one marathon session. Same technique, same materials, same colors on every single base. Matching bases unify your army visually, even if your painting improved between batch one and batch five (and it will).

Varnish in batches with matte spray. Do this outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, in low humidity. High humidity causes frosting on matte varnish, which looks like you dipped your models in milk. If that happens, a coat of gloss varnish fixes it, then hit it with matte again.

Storage

Don't paint an army and then toss it in a shoebox. Magnetize bases (small neodymium magnets from Amazon, about $8 for 100) and use a metal-lined case or a cheap toolbox from Harbor Freight with a steel insert. KR Multicase and Feldherr make foam trays sized for specific model ranges if you prefer pluck foam.

Common Mistakes

• No test model. Changing your scheme mid-army means repainting everything or accepting visible inconsistency. One test model saves you dozens of hours.
• Starting with the centerpiece. It's the most exciting model, but painting it first means your best paintjob is done before your skills have sharpened on 30 troops. Save it for last.
• No playable milestones. If you can't field the army until it's all done, you'll burn out. Structure batches so you can play after every 2-3 batches.
• Going too fast. Painting 6 hours every night for a week, then not touching your models for a month. Steady pacing beats sprint-and-crash every time.
• Not labeling paint recipes. "I think it was some kind of brown" when you're on batch four is a disaster. Write everything down.

An army is a long-haul project. The goal isn't to paint it all at once. The goal is to never stop making progress.