Solar Cross’s Miniature Painting Service

Who I Am

I am Solar Cross, see my About page here for a brief bio and social media points of contact. In the context of my wargame miniature painting service I am the one who will be doing the work and handling all the customer service. I am based in Herefordshire, UK. In the future I may operate as a company or with other contractors but for now it is just me, myself and I.

What I Do

The kind of jobs I am taking on for my miniature painting service are squad, regiment or box sets painted to my superior tabletop standard. “Squad / regiment” assumes 28mm scale. I may also consider epic scale jobs (6mm to 10mm) in which case I will do companies or equivalent rather than only squads or regiments. If required I will also clean and assemble at an extra charge.

Superior Tabletop Standard

My superior tabletop standard comprises: priming, block colours as required, highlights and shading. I will do some detail work as required. You should be aware that detail work can be particularly time consuming. Finally I will give the miniatures a double coat of varnish for their protection on the tabletop.

See the gallery above for an idea what my superior tabletop standard looks like.

Basing

Generally my superior tabletop standard will include a simple go anywhere mud base. I make my mud bases by applying a simple texture to any supplied plastic bases then painting over in a dark chocolate brown. Simple and effective for almost any table.

If you require something else for basing or no basing at all then I will probably be able to accommodate that too.

What I Will Not Do (For Now)

At this time my miniature painting service will not be available for single figures or for entire armies. The former jobs are too small and the latter too large. Nor will I do basic three colours and a wash paint jobs or labour intensive display standards. The former jobs are too boring and the latter beyond my ability at present in all honesty.

Pricing

I price by the hour of labour. This will be at the bargain rate of £10 per hour for a limited time only while I am in the start up phase. In addition I will have a £10 surcharge for paint and brushes per job. A “job” being a squad or regiment. A box set may count as a double job if it has two teams.

I will tend to over quote to ensure I do not short myself but then refund the difference where I am able.

The quote will include the cost of posting the minis to you.

I will accept paypal or bitcoin for payment methods.

Save on Postage

It may be that I have the minis you want me to paint in stock in my shop. In addition to dealing in warhammer and wargaming books I also deal in new and used wargame miniatures.

If you like you could buy the minis for painting from me if I have them. This will save you two postage charges and a fair amount of delivery time because the minis to be painted will already be on site. I may also have to some suitable pre-painted minis ready to ship immediately.

Click here for my shop stock.

Any postage charge taken at the shop for minis to be painted will be deducted from the final invoice.

International Shipping

I am based in the UK but I am able to ship internationally. Be aware though that international shipping will impact postage charges and delivery times.

The Order Process

How it works is this: You can use the contact form below to enquire for a quote for the job you want me to do. See section “Get a Quote” below for what to put in the enquiry. I will reply back by email with a quote for the job if it is a job I can and will do.

If the quote is acceptable to you then reply back by email to signal your acceptance. Then I will confirm my acceptance and give you the address to send the minis. I will confirm receipt of the minis when I have them and then assemble and paint them as required. I will not be liable for any minis lost in the post so send them by registered post if that concerns you.

When the work is complete I will send to you photos of it with an invoice. If the work is acceptable to you then you will make the agreed upon payment using paypal or bitcoin as agreed. Once payment is cleared I will send the minis to you by registered post.

If you decline to pay for whatever reason then I will claim the minis as a non-refundable deposit. This is because I can not recover the time or materials spent on them any other way.

If you are buying the minis to be painted from me do ask for a quote before buying them. I may not be willing or able to take that particular job so it is best to seek agreement beforehand to avoid disappointment.

Get a Quote

In addition to name and email your enquiry should detail the following:

Final Shipping Destination

Detail the location the painted minis will be sent to so that an appropriate shipping charge can be included in the quote.

Kit Details

Please detail which kit you require me to paint. A link to sales art may suffice. Also indicate the degree of preparedness of the kit. Will it come cleaned and assembled? Or will that be part of the job required of me?

Also indicate any magnetising or basing requirements.

Art Direction

Indicate as clearly as you can the style and colour schemes you want for the minis. Again a link to sales art for reference may be helpful if what you want is something similar to that depicted.

It is important to realise that an exact cloning of another’s paint style is not what I am willing or able to offer.

Do not assume I have lore knowledge of the minis to be painted. This is especially true for off mainstream brands of wargames. I am reasonably familiar with the 40k and Old World Warhammer lore but even then a link or description of the required paint scheme is required. It is not enough to say paint them like “Salamanders” for example. You should also link to art or describe in detail colours and schemes. Alternatively images may be sent with follow up emails as attachments at a later time.

Time Frame

Indicate any time preferences, in particular any hard deadlines. By default I work on a first come first served basis. However if you have a pressing deadline I may be able to fast track your project for a suitable premium.

Country name or standard abbreviation eg: UK for United Kingdom
Introduce yourself and give a brief summary of the required work.
Describe or link to the kit to be painted. Detail any special basing or assembly requirements. Eg. magnetising.
Describe the colour scheme or style desired. Or link to images showing what you want.
Indicate any hard deadlines or soft preferences on time frames.