"Newbie" start-up

[zigar01]

Hey folks,

 

Here is my story... Several years ago I purchased quite a few Space Marine models with grandiose ideas of having a sweet Black Templars army. What ended up happening was that I never assembled, painted, or played with them at all. Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Whilst cleaning my house I came across a stash of my minis that I never did much of anything with. So, I think that I'm going to try and give it another go since I'm a few years older, wiser, and more patient .

 

I can't find any of the tools that I had bought for my 40K modelling adventure save the file set that I bought. So, I'm in need of paintbrushes, paint, etc. I figured I'd see what you guys recommend that I pick up. I'm open to all suggestions and need a place to start. So, aside from a set of files what else do you folks recommend for me?

 

Thanks!

[chromedog]

Glue, a hobby knife (x-acto or similar, and blades - #11), brushes and paint, obviously.

 

Yes, you can get most of these at GW, but you'll save money buying the same products elsewhere (any decent model shop will have the knives, glue and paints).

 

I use Vallejo paints, Revell (Contacta pro) plastic cement, loc-tite superglue, brushes from my local art store (as well as brush cleaner). Your mileage may vary.

 

The Contacta lasts for years and doesn't gum up. The loc-tite grabs quickly, the brushes cost me more, but they should last me longer. The GW ones I'm not fond of.

[red_starrise]

GW paints are good, but a bit pricey for me, except for specialized colors. But their washes are excellent IMHO. For the basic colors I prefer to buy the large bottles of craft paint which is a bit thick but it's like $2-3 for a huge bottle compared to other companies' paints. Also for your bright metallics such as silver & gold I prefer oil based which, again, can go on a bit thick, so it's never a bad idea to dip your brush in a little thinner first. As far as brushes, it all depends on how much you wanna spend there. For detail & fine detail, spend the $ for nicer ones, they're worth it. For basic paint application I find there's this set of clear blue plastic brushes at Fred Meyer/Wal Mart for like $8 that gives a good variety of sizes & are pretty good, durable brushes. They're a good start I feel. I personally like glue like E-6000 as it's a gel glue & after dry is rubbery so it makes minis a little more durable. Plus, it makes them easy to disassemble should you ever wanna change them later, w/out a simple green bath. Try to stay away from the plastic solvent glues that melt the plastic together if you ever wanna think about taking them apart again down the road.

 

Naturally all of this is opinion & YMMV.

[Jacinda]

Basic tools:

knife, file

Citadel starter brush and fine detail brush or similar

ceramic tile or some other palette

cheap plastic cup to wash brushes

paper towels

 

Nice to have:

pin vise, bit and rod for pinning

forceps

sprue cutters

wet palette

brush cleaner bucket to replace the plactic cup

small bottle for distilled water with dropper

rubber bands, alligator clips, sticky-tack and other helping hand type stuff

18/0 long liner brush

[darth_giles]

I disagree on the pin vise not being a basic tool. There's a lot of times when you need the bloody thing, even when you're working with plastics. Especially with metal/plastic hybrids. I use a mouthwash lid for washing my brushes. I have to change the water out more often, but it has some nice edges inside it that I can rub the brush up against so I won't be mashing it into a paper towel.

 

If you buy modelling putty, the only stuff you should be getting is green stuff. Don't buy GW blue/white stuff or the coarse forms of milliput that model train stores all seem to love carrying. Blue/white stuff is junk, and most forms of milliput are too grainy.

[zigar01]

Thanks for your advice. I'm taking a trip around town to the various hobby & craft stores to pick up some stuff. It's much appreciated :). I'm still open to suggestions if you folks can think of any other tools I may need. I used to have a ton, but I think they were sold off at a garage sale some years ago :). Serves me right for being unmotivated I guess.

[Brother Valerius]

You'll also want some kind of small clippers to clip your stuff off the sprue. I don't think GW's tools are any better than normal for the most part, although I do like their brushes. I'd actively avoid their glue, however... I'm not a fan at all, the only reason I currently use a bottle is I was out of plastic glue, and the only store which was open that day only had GW plastic glue.

[zigar01]

So far it's been good advice guys. Thanks a lot. I'm buying it in spurts (unfortunately, I'm not made of money :D) so I picked up some paintbrushes and some zap-a-gap from my local hobby shop. I'll probably pick up some clippers when I get my next paycheck, and then probably some primer/paints after that.

 

I did find my pin vice, so that should come in handy for drilling some holes for bolters and pinning some of the older metal models I've got.