Unit / Squad

Painting one model is satisfying. Painting ten models the same way without losing your mind requires a system. Batch painting is that system, and once you learn it, you'll wonder how you ever painted models one at a time.

You'll take a full unit (5-10 models) from boxes to battlefield-ready using an assembly line approach. Every model gets the same treatment at each stage before you move to the next color. The result is a visually cohesive squad that looks like it belongs together on the table.

Planning Your Scheme

Before you touch a brush, write down your color recipe. Not "blue armor" but "Kantor Blue base, Nuln Oil wash, Caledor Sky layer, Lothern Blue edge highlight." Specific paints, specific steps. You'll thank yourself on model number seven when you can't remember what you did on model number one.

Decide on your squad markings too. Matching shoulder trim, identical base rims, consistent eye lens color. These small unifying details make a squad read as a unit from three feet away at the gaming table.

Assembly Line Setup

Clean and assemble all models before painting any. It's tempting to start the first model while others sit on sprues. Don't. You'll end up with one nice model and a pile of grey shame.

Mount everything on painting handles (cork on a stick, Citadel handle, or blue tac on old paint pots). Batch painting means handling every model multiple times, and finger oils ruin primer adhesion.

Batch Priming and Basecoating

Prime all models at once. Line them up and hit them with two light passes of spray primer. For speed painting, a colored primer matching your dominant armor color saves an entire basecoat step. Painting Ultramarines? Prime with Macragge Blue spray instead of black.

Now paint every model with color A before touching color B. All armor, then cloth, then leather, then metallics. You're not washing brushes between colors or opening and closing pots, and you build muscle memory. A squad of 10 that would take 30+ hours individually takes 15-20 hours batch painted.

Batch Shading

Once all basecoats are done across the squad, shade everything at the same time. Agrax Earthshade over warm colors, Nuln Oil over metallics and dark tones, Reikland Fleshshade on skin. If you're using Citadel Contrast or Army Painter Speedpaint over a zenithal prime, this step replaces both basecoat and shade.

The key to batch washes: don't overload the brush and don't let pools form on flat surfaces. Work model to model quickly. By the time you finish the tenth model, the first is dry enough for the next step.

Individual Details

After the batch work is done, spend 10-15 minutes per model on individual touches. Sergeant stripes, unique weapon loadouts, squad number decals, and face details. This is where each model gets its identity within the squad.

For decals (transfers), use Micro Set and Micro Sol. Micro Set goes on before the decal to help it adhere. Micro Sol goes on after and softens the decal film so it conforms to curved surfaces. Without these, your decals will look like stickers. With them, they look painted on.

Basing the Squad

Batch your bases too. Same texture paste on all bases, same drybrush colors, same tuft placement pattern (but not identical). Matching bases are the single biggest factor in making a squad look cohesive. I use Vallejo Dark Earth texture paste, drybrush with Zandri Dust then Screaming Skull, then add Army Painter Highland Tufts. Takes about 2 minutes per base.

Seal everything with a matte varnish spray once the bases are done. Line them up, photograph the squad together, and feel the dopamine hit of a finished unit.

Common Mistakes

• Painting one model fully before starting the others. You'll never match the scheme exactly. Batch paint so every model goes through each stage together.
• Not writing down recipes. "I think it was that blue" is not a recipe. Write the exact paint names for every area. Costumary saves these per project for exactly this reason.
• Spending display-level time on rank and file. Tabletop standard means they look good from arm's length. Save your best blending for characters and centerpiece models. These guys just need clean basecoats, a wash, and one highlight.
• Inconsistent basing. Mismatched bases make a squad look like a collection of singles. Same texture, same colors, same rim color on every base.
• Skipping decals. Transfers add so much visual interest for almost no effort. A squad number or chapter symbol on a shoulder pad takes two minutes and reads clearly from across the table.

Batch painting is a skill that compounds. Your second squad will be faster. Your fifth will be twice as fast as your first. Build the habit now.