Sorry for stomping in here without being a player. I'm participating in a gifts exchange, and my giftee is massively into 40k, especially into building a Craftsworld army, collecting models and especially painting them.
I've looked at a few shops in the UK, and from what I see they all sell painted models. On Ebay I find what looks like poorly cast metal models that look nothing like the ones used for painting manuals I've seen.
Of course I asked my giftee for more info, but he has so far not answered. I guess I need some help from the professionals.
Help?