Anyone know where I could purchase pre-painted mini's?
I would like to use painted mini's for my characters, I have pre-painted plactic one for enemies, but I want the metal ones for my characters.
Thanks in advance for any help.
CoolMiniOrNot.com has a lot of nice-but-probably-expensive painted minis on sale.
Or check out TheMiniaturesPage.com ... they have an entire category on their website for painting services. Ah, here's the direct link: http://theminiaturespage.com/paintserv/ ... that'll let you find people/places that paint minis.
And there's always the option of finding someone who can paint and inviting them to the game. If one player paints, you can give them an extra XP award for contributing to the campaign (just as you could for a good campaign journal or bringing snacks every week).
LGS' are a great route to investigate. I know of 3 in my area (well, within an hour, I tend to be a fairly far ranging person when it comes to hobbies) that offer painting services for fair prices.
I would also recomend giving painting a shot yourself. Time is an issue with that, but lack of skill can easily be overcome with good equipment and technique. Check out the detail and insane detail brush sizes offered by the army painter, you can order those right here from paizo. Valejo paints are excellent for novices, as well, as the require minimal thinning and take FOREVER to dry out. Mini painting can be daunting, but it is definately a rewarding endevour when you see the final results on the game table.
True, you really should give painting your own a shot. Even if you think you're really bad, it's easy to do a decent job. Even if you're just spraypainting them a light base color and using a wash of colored paint, you can end up with results like this, which are nothing to be ashamed of.
And, to keep myself humble, here are two of first the minis I painted as a teen.