Crash course to get back into the hobby

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mattamomo

New member
Hey everyone.
I use to love painting miniatures years ago as a kid and I did so for a good 5 years or so before I lost some interest. Since then I barely touched the stuff except on a few occasions when I tried to get back into it but didn't have the time or money.

I am now craving the hobby and want to get back painting. But I have a bit of an issue, the extensive knowledge of paint brands, brushes, retardants, base materials, painting methods, types of paint (washes, inks, acrylic, base, airbrush etc) has escaped me.

From what I remember Vallejo and Citadel were the go to paint brands, but there are so many variations and lines that I don't know where to start. I remember the brushes I used were series 7 miniatures, but they all seem to be sold out on their site, are they still going?

I am going to be getting a few models from one of my favourite lines, the Andrea Warlord saga and would like to know some recommendations for all the base paints, brushes and sizes, washes and inks, and just generally everything I will need to get going again.

I do live in the UK as I seem to remember a lot of items from say the US that were popular were hard to get hold of here.

Any help is appreciated.
 
MAXXxxx

MAXXxxx

Well-known member
WnN7 are still there and still the choice of brush for most. (Rosemary and Co s33, Raphaell 8404 being super alternatives).
Paintwise the 2 biggest is still GW/Vallejo, but lots of smaller companies create a lot of colors (P3, Scale75, Andrea)

recommendations:
- paint: what's needed for the figure, skin colors, black, white, browns
- brush: I'd stay with a no0 or 1 WnN7, and some cheap brush for basecoat/varnish/glue/drybrush/etc
- washes and inks: not needed. Worst case you can create them from the paints.
- extras to get: milliput (I think it's better for gap filling and such as GreenStuff), Xacto, sandpaper, superglue, *figure to paint*
-
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
R

Ritual

New member
mattamomo said:
series 7 miniatures
Click to expand...

Although it's a matter of personal preference, I'd say the regular series 7 are better suited for miniature painting than the miniature versions. Longer bristles means the brush will store more moisture, which means the paint don't dry out as quickly. Also, I have find that with longer bristles it's easier to maintain a sharp point to the brush, which is essential.
 
Wyrmypops

Wyrmypops

New member
Depending on where in Blighty you are you might enjoy sliding along to Salute2017 in a couple of months. Loads of boutique stores and inspiring cabinets/tables. Would likely end up with a few things you didn't know you "needed" :p

Could have a gander for painting groups on facebook if you use it. I enjoy the "eavier metal" group, pleasant and inspiring.
 
B

bullfrog

New member
Rather than splash the cash on a full range of paint and then find out you just don't like them I'd suggest trying one or two bottles from the brands you are thinking of buying. Money wise it's best to stick to those you can buy locally or at least in the same country. Grab an old mini and see how you like the paint and the ease of use of each brand. Then if you have the money think about buying a starter kit of the paints as the more you buy in one go generally the cheaper it works out to. Personally I don't like the new range of GW paints due to the many awful colours it contains that I'd just never use....but that's just me. After changing to eye dropper bottles I'd never go back to flip top pots unless I couldn't get something any other way.
I'll stick mainly to Vallejo as it is one you have mentioned and seems to be fairly easy to buy.
With Vallejo it really depends on what you use your paints for as to what range to buy. The Model Colour range is a much more diverse selection of colours than Vallejo Game Colour that has less. Game Colour however has closer approximations to the previous GW list. Game Colour has a harder wearing resin binding the pigment which can result in shinier minis than what the dead flat Model Colour will.
Just to confuse you even more, when it comes to metallics the Vallejo Model Air paints have a much finer pigment than most making them really lovely paints. Great coverage too. Don't need an airbrush to use.
I have the Vallejo Panzer Aces paints but they generally cover more military colours. Not a necessary choice.
Or you could stick with the Andrea brand. They have some great looking sets but that's all I can offer as I don't think I've ever used them. I'm pretty sure they can be obtained through Historex in the UK...or at least could!
If you want to really push your painting abilities I'd say a wet paint palette is a must. You can find plenty of info on this site if you want to know more.
Other than milliput I use Mr Dissolved Putty to fill in most of the smaller gaps. You can paint it into the crack with a cheap synthetic brush and often I find I don't need to sand it back like other fillers where I can't smooth it off with a wet finger. Keep all the metal paperclips you find for pinning your joints or the mini to the base. The other tools needed for this Maxx has already covered. Numerous online tutorials too.
All else you need to be able to get started is something to basecoat with. For minis I'm going to brush paint I still use citadel black or white can sprays although I find it rubs off fairly easily unless you drown the detail in paint. If I'm airbrushing I tend to use the Vallejo polyurethane coloured base coats.
You don't need much of the other stuff you have mentioned until you get to the point where you can handle the basics and want to aquire further techniques. Great you tube tutorials plus plenty on here if you just search.

Number one piece of advice is that the more care and attention you pay the mundane things like preparing your mini, the better the result. Wash and dry all pieces to get rid of mold release agents. Make sure you have scraped back or sanded the mould lines. Pin the joints securely if needed. Fill and sand any imperfections. If any of your figures are resin don't forget to wear a mask when drilling, cutting or sanding due to the toxic nature of the fine dust.
Now go and paint.
 
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Sicks

Sicks

Active member
I order my series 7's off Amazon, i got one miniature one by mistake once and I'd advise against them, the shorter bristles mean less space before the paint gets into the ferrule. As for paints i primarily use GW because they are easy to get but i also have some scale 75 paints which i really like but i have to order online if i run out
 
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