Necron Ghost Ark complexity

[Toaster36]

Is there anything more complex than putting a Ghost Ark together? I count 170 individual pieces that need to be clipped and flashed. Then you have to glue it together in chunks to paint it. And finally, once is painted you can finish gluing it together. Now, it's a new kit and most of the pieces only need a touch up other than where they were clipped, but I'm putting two of these monstrosities together and it's a PITA.

I have a buddy I play with that's complaining that it's taking me WAY to long to get my army together. Is there another kit that's more complex than the Ghost Ark or is my complaining perfectly valid?

[Necron_Lord]

If you assembled it completely before painting it would be even more of a PITA. Get over it and just paint it! It is somewhat more complex because you are also painting about a squad of Warriors as well (no other transport makes you paint the occupants) so it is more involved than say a Rhino. I suppose that the other open topped vehicles have drivers one can paint and the hang-on dudes for DE, but yes, the Ghost Ark is a bit more demanding than other transports, but done well it also looks friggin' awesome!

[ZenPaladin]

Ok... I'm kinda scared now. I thought painting my Catacomb Command Barge was rough.

[Kawauso]

The Ghost/Doomsday Ark is the single most challenging model I've ever done as far as painting and assembly goes, because of all the points you've mentioned.

Awesome kit when it's done, though.

Bit of self-advertising (or whatever), but as it's relevant:
http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?t=19713
(one Ghost Ark on the first page, and a Doomsday further down, and I've got a second Ghost Ark on another page in there somewhere)
Avoid going for any sort of complicated paint scheme with your Necrons if you plan on using the Arks. At least, avoid doing anything along the lines of what I've done. Seriously.

Incidentally, Zen, I've a Barge yet to paint - what did you find difficult about it?
I've been a little reluctant to get to it just because I'm not that fond of painting vehicles and I'm not sure how my scheme will apply to its...'hull', but I'm thinking it shouldn't be too hard after the Arks...

[the_puritan]

Honestly, the kit isn't really complicated. It is lengthy and there certainly a lot of components, but everything goes together in an intuitive sort of way.
Don't get me wrong, there are a LOT of peices to put together, but they're not hard to do so.

[Kawauso]

It's not hard to put the pieces together - doesn't change the fact that it's a very complex model, though, and probably more so than any other GW kit (at least in 40k) requires a lot of intensive painting before assembly is completed.

Unless you want to do a fully-painted interior on a Land Raider or something.

[WYSIWYG]

Honestly, the kit isn't really complicated. It is lengthy and there certainly a lot of components, but everything goes together in an intuitive sort of way.
Don't get me wrong, there are a LOT of peices to put together, but they're not hard to do so.

Well As some one who just put 2 of these suckers together back to back, I can tell you that its no easy task. Its far more demanding than any other transport as your required to build both it and its occupants. I think the OPs take is that it is certainly harder than building say a Rhino or chimera.

[Toaster36]

@Kawauso - I saw your thread the other day and your arks certainly are impressive. I hope mine come out just as well.

@Everyone - Glad to see people agree with me. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good challenge. It's WAY more complex than a stock rhino (~32 pieces), but I'm starting to regret buying those two battleforces back to back and saving the arks for last. Maybe I'll pick up some crack--I mean, plastic, as sort of a break to get my mind off of how big a task these really are. Payday can't come soon enough. :D

[Xyxel]

Ghost Arks must be painted before assembling! When you paint a Rhino or a Land Raider you paint only exterior surfaces not to mention you can play with it unpainted just after assembling. When painting Ghost Ark you have to literally paint every element on every surface.
So much work to get model to the tabel. Makes you humble. But in the end, very rewarding.

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/12/2/300812_tb-Necron%20Ghost%20Ark.JPG (http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/300812-Ghost%20Ark%2C%20Necrons%2C%20Necrontyr%2C%20Quant um%20Shielding%2C%20Skimmer%2C%20Vehicle%2C%20Warh ammer%2040%2C000.html)

[Nosmo75]

If you assembled it completely before painting it would be even more of a PITA. Get over it and just paint it! It is somewhat more complex because you are also painting about a squad of Warriors as well (no other transport makes you paint the occupants) so it is more involved than say a Rhino. I suppose that the other open topped vehicles have drivers one can paint and the hang-on dudes for DE, but yes, the Ghost Ark is a bit more demanding than other transports, but done well it also looks friggin' awesome!

This is a minor nitpick, but technically when it comes to dedicated transports you have to paint up the infantry unit that bought the dedicated transport, they just aren't a permanent part of the dedicated transport. Apart from pilots and gunners for open-topped vehicles and the cling-ons from the Dark Eldar vehicles, as you already noted. =)

[Kawauso]

This is a minor nitpick, but technically when it comes to dedicated transports you have to paint up the infantry unit that bought the dedicated transport, they just aren't a permanent part of the dedicated transport. Apart from pilots and gunners for open-topped vehicles and the cling-ons from the Dark Eldar vehicles, as you already noted. =)

Yeah, but with a Ghost Ark you have to do it twice.

You have to paint the occupants in the transport model, as well as the actual models for the unit.

[GrandReaper]

Kawauso: Wow. Beautiful work. I wish I could paint as cleanly.

[GrandReaper]

Ghost Arks must be painted before assembling! When you paint a Rhino or a Land Raider you paint only exterior surfaces not to mention you can play with it unpainted just after assembling. When painting Ghost Ark you have to literally paint every element on every surface.
So much work to get model to the tabel. Makes you humble. But in the end, very rewarding.

http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2011/12/2/300812_tb-Necron%20Ghost%20Ark.JPG (http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/300812-Ghost%20Ark%2C%20Necrons%2C%20Necrontyr%2C%20Quant um%20Shielding%2C%20Skimmer%2C%20Vehicle%2C%20Warh ammer%2040%2C000.html)

That's awesome too. Nicely done with the backdrop - makes the whole picture very impressive indeed.

[the_puritan]

I dig the background. That extra step before posting goes a long way towards making the model more "believable" .

Anyway, as someone who has put together and painted one of these things, I stand by my statement that this is not a complex or difficult kit.
"Lengthy", sure. "Tedious", maybe... but there was never a time when I was stumped as to where a piece went or how something came together. Also, there isn't any of that I-need-to-have-three-hands-just-to-hold-this-thing-together-in-the-four-simultanious-places-that-it's-gluing stuff going on that I've seen before.
Is is a Rhino? No. But isn't that a GOOD thing?

People (myself included) like to rag on GW for some of the stuff they do but, at the end of the day, they make really well thought out kits with some great detail and this one is no exception.

[Kawauso]

I think the difficulty people are speaking of (or at least I know I am) is just the amount of involvement (read: lengthy, tedious work) required to get this model 'table-ready'. I don't think I've ever had to work on a model that required so much time and effort to get to a playable state before.

Except my Tomb Stalker.

[dvdhwk]

I'm currently building 7!!!
4 Ghost Arks, 2 Doomsday Arks, 1 magnetized interchangeable ark.

It's definitely a PITA.

I fully built and painted 1 as a run through. Took a long while.

I'm currently working on the remaining 36 rib cages (bronze top, turquoise middle, and boltgun bottom). Then the gauss arays. Then I can fully glue the ribcages together. I feel like at that point I could probably put them on the table until the rest are painted. I'll post pictures of mine after work.

[inquisitorsog]

Just think of it as revenge by all the players of other armies for all the years of necron players getting away with only slapping on some boltgun paint and calling it an army.