Battle Ready, tabletop or display?

The names are a starting point

Warhammer’s Battle Ready guidance describes a fully painted miniature with a detailed or textured base. That is useful context for gaming, but it does not define every studio’s commercial package. ‘Tabletop’, ‘tabletop plus’, ‘parade’ and numbered levels can mean different amounts of work to different artists.

Ask for a photograph of the same kind of model at the proposed tier, including the back and base. A competition centerpiece is poor evidence for how a basic squad package will look. The studio’s own named finish should stay attached to your agreement.

Describe where you want the detail

• At gaming distance: clear colour separation, a coherent squad and bases that tie it together.
• In close photographs: the face, lenses, shoulder markings, trim and weapon details you care about.
• On a centerpiece: the specific freehand, weathering, lighting or display base being commissioned.
• Across an army: which colours, finishes and basing elements must remain consistent.

You can mix levels without losing cohesion

An army can use a simpler troop finish with more attention on leaders, vehicles or monsters. Put those groups on separate lines rather than describing the entire army as ‘high quality’. A shared colour recipe and base treatment can make different levels feel like one force.

Ask which details will be omitted at the simpler level. ‘No freehand’ is clearer than ‘less detailed’. For metallic armour, specify whether you want metallic paint or a painted illusion of metal; do not assume a technique is included because it appears elsewhere in the portfolio.

Agree a sample and the viewing conditions

A sample model or a first colour test can catch a mismatch before it spreads across forty models. Agree whether the sample is included, when you will see it, and what changes can still be made. Neutral lighting and several angles are more useful than a dramatic filtered photograph.

If the models are for an event, check that event’s current rules yourself and send the relevant requirements to the painter. A service name does not guarantee entry, eligibility, judging results or painting points.

A few common questions