I'm in the same situation as you and red is a very hard colour to paint, I've also been stripping alot of miniatures because of not matching the image in my head...
uhm, what I will try next before I give in is practicing painting skills just.. become a better painter that goes not only for miniatures but the craft of painting, i found a nice guide to contrast here
http://platoonbritannica.com/index.php?threads/a-guide-to-contrast.3077/
set up goals for yourself, test your painting on paper before you move to the minis to prevent stripping
