Getting back into the hobby

[mattamomo]

I use to be very interested in miniature painting and sculpting.
I lost my keen interest in the hobby many years ago.
I am feeling the need to get back into the hobby but unfortunately; I forgot everything . . . Literally everything.

So I had a few questions:
1) What are the best, good value paints? Vallejo paints I believe were strongly recommended but that was about 7 years ago.
2) What brush brands are good? I need a fine and very fine detail brush, stippling brush, small and medium drybrush, medium brush.
3) Good Matte and Satin finish varnishes?
4) Base materials . . . I use to love making bases, but remember 0% of how I did them, when I say bases I mean things like stairwells that you sculpt etc. Can you recommend a good putty or epoxy or any material you believe is good for the job.
5) Any general tips or tricks to help me get started again would be great.

As you can see I have many queries, any help is much appreciated.

 

[ten ball]

Welcome back. There are loads of different paints / brushes etc to choose from and we all have our preferences.
I favour Vallejo model colour and citadel paints.
also winsor & Newton series 7 brushes.

A good tip from me is not to spend loads of money flu at once, just get the basics and work from there

 

[mattamomo]

Welcome back. There are loads of different paints / brushes etc to choose from and we all have our preferences.
I favour Vallejo model colour and citadel paints.
also winsor & Newton series 7 brushes.

A good tip from me is not to spend loads of money flu at once, just get the basics and work from there

Thanks for the response, I actually had just stumbled upon W&N series 7 and the great reviews they get.
Good to hear Vallejo are still good paints, 7 years is a lot of time for a company to lose their quality so it it good to hear.

 

[gohkm]

Welcome back to the hobby, mate. To answer your questions:L

1. Best and good value paints are what work best for you. Vallejo, Citadel, and P3 paints are all very common and very popular in the hobby. There's some folks who also use standard artists' acrylics. Personally, I prefer P3 - they cover very well, take to an airbrush fairly easily, and are designed with an eye towards two brush blending.

2. +1 for Windsor & Newton Series 7. They're great brushes. Alternatively, Raphael 8404s are also very nice, and come with a larger reservoir, so you don't have to reload the brush so many times. If cost is an issue, check out Series 22 of Rosemary & Co. brushes. They're Kolinsky brushes, but at a much lower cost point than a W&N - not as nice, admittedly, but will work out plenty better than, say, a synthetic.

3. Testor's Dullcote is the matt varnish of choice, although it has a blending or masking effect. If you prefer to avoid the blending effect, Vallejo Matt varnish may be painted on, or sprayed through an airbrush. I don't use gloss varnishes very often, but my bottle of Vallejo Gloss Varnish has worked well so far.

4. Milliput is my epoxy of choice. I'm not very skilled with it, but I find it preferable to Greenstuff (which, I think is overly sticky).

5. Tips and tricks for starting out ... I think this is very much dependent on what you are trying to achieve, there's so many tips and tricks. But the basic premise is to have fun, and not stress out - if you screw up a model, you can always strip it back and start over. And, of course, thin your paints, all the time.

 

[mattamomo]

Thanks for the help.
I have another question. What is the difference between the many types of Milliput? There is original, black, white, silver etc.

 

[Humanitarian]

Thanks for the help.
I have another question. What is the difference between the many types of Milliput? There is original, black, white, silver etc.

Please see: http://www.milliput.com/products.html

You probably want original, silver or white as near as I can tell.

 

[mattamomo]

Thanks for the link
So far this is what I have ready to order:
Windsor & Newton series 7 Miniatures brushes size: 000,00,1
Non Acetone polish remover
Lint free cloths
Palette
Masters brush cleaner
X-acto blade
Milliput
Miniature files
Vallejo skin colours set (x16)
Vallejo was set (x8)
Vallejo wargames special (x16)
Vallejo matt varnish
Vallejo retarder

Is there anything I am forgetting?
I already have sculpting tools, Glue, Primers and a few brushes

 

[Zab]

Yeah you forgot something! Minis to paint Metal ones are best when you are getting back into it since they can be stripped with wild abandon (and a little simple green) and repainted again and again, and again, and again...

 

[mattamomo]

Ha sorry forgot to say i have a few metal eldar pieces, a lattore maximus figure and a andrea warlord saga figure to paint
I was just feeling like i have missed a few supplies but cant for the life of me think what they could be

 

[Master Of Asgard]

Ha sorry forgot to say i have a few metal eldar pieces, a lattore maximus figure and a andrea warlord saga figure to paint
I was just feeling like i have missed a few supplies but cant for the life of me think what they could be

When you say you have a palette, it's a wet palette right? I would say not to waste your time with a normal one, either use a wet palette or just grab an old bathroom tile or something.