Warhammer 40,000 is a universe where humanity has spent thousands of years fighting practically everything imaginable. The tabletop game brings that enormous setting down to miniature scale, allowing players to build armies, paint their models and send them into battle with dice and rules.

For many players, painting the miniatures is just as important as actually playing the game. Space Marines, Orks, Tyranids, Necrons, Chaos forces and countless other factions can all become miniature works of art when painted with enough time, patience and skill.

Of course, not every miniature ends up looking like a professional showcase piece.

Painting these tiny figures can be surprisingly difficult, particularly when working with small details, intricate armor and elaborate designs. A steady hand and a good understanding of color can make a huge difference, but sometimes a model simply doesn't turn out the way its painter imagined.

Reddit's Warhammer communities have plenty of examples. Some figures feature unconventional color schemes, while others have messy details, uneven coverage or faces that look considerably different from what was intended. A few are difficult to describe as anything other than works in progress.

That doesn't necessarily make them bad in the traditional sense. Part of the fun of miniature painting is seeing the individual choices that people make with their models, including the experiments that don't quite work.

A poorly painted miniature is still someone's miniature, and something is endearing about seeing the hobby without the polished finish of professional painters.

These figures also show just how much personality can come from a paint job. Two identical models can look completely different depending on who paints them, and sometimes an unusual color choice or questionable technique produces a result that's far more memorable than the original design.

Here are 15 questionably painted Warhammer figures shared by Redditors. They might not be ready for a medal, but they certainly have plenty of character.