Good painting/hobby stores in Toronto? Also, general questions re: paints/miniatures...

[Humble]

Good painting/hobby stores in Toronto? Also, general questions re: paints/miniatures...

(Note: This seemed like the most appropriate forum for my question. If it is not, I apologize profusely.)

So I\'ve been obsessing over Warhammer 40K figures and hobby miniatures in general for the past few weeks, reading about painting techniques and marveling at others\' works. The detail in these tiny figures is just astounding, and a well-painted model exudes personality.

Reading some of the articles here gave me a good idea of exactly what I need to get into the hobby, but I\'m curious if there\'s a store around my area where I can buy everything I need in one go, and also has a wide selection of products (not just overpriced GW-branded merchandise). Here\'s a rundown of what I\'m looking for:

1. Vallejo Game Colour paints

I like what I\'ve read about their durability, quality, and the bottles they come in. I was also wondering, what\'s the difference between these and the Model Colour line?

2. Cheap primer sprays

I bought a can of GW Chaos Black primer that cost me $17 CDN; I know now that there are MUCH cheaper substitutes available online, however it is apparently illegal to ship these types of paints internationally for safety reasons. I read somewhere Wal-Mart has a line of sprays that make good substitutes, but am unsure of the site\'s credibility.

3. Files/miscellaneous tools

File kit, and whatever I need to poke holes in gun barrels! I haven\'t found an article that mentions how this is done.

That\'s all that comes to mind at the moment. I\'d really appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by Humble
(Note: This seemed like the most appropriate forum for my question. If it is not, I apologize profusely.)
It\'s the right place, and welcome.

Here\'s a rundown of what I\'m looking for:

1. Vallejo Game Colour paints

I like what I\'ve read about their durability, quality, and the bottles they come in. I was also wondering, what\'s the difference between these and the Model Colour line?
Well the Game colour range (VGC)is a match for GW\'s own paints. (And by volume cheaper) They are designed to be a little tougher in regards to wear and tear than the Model range as they are supposed to be paints for gameplaying. The Model colour range (VMC) is \"Supposed\" to be for the painter collector where there is less handling of the miniature, but they are totaly interchangable and mixable. The VMC range is 220 colours, which if you pick and choose wisely will seriously compliment the VGC. There are a couple of reccommendations I would suggest are really a bonus to your pallette, VMC Ivory, VMC Smoke & VMC Black Glaze. The last two are semi-transparent paints which can enhance the mini\'s appearance with careful use.

2. Cheap primer sprays

I bought a can of GW Chaos Black primer that cost me $17 CDN; I know now that there are MUCH cheaper substitutes available online, however it is apparently illegal to ship these types of paints internationally for safety reasons. I read somewhere Wal-Mart has a line of sprays that make good substitutes, but am unsure of the site\'s credibility.

3. Files/miscellaneous tools

File kit, and whatever I need to poke holes in gun barrels! I haven\'t found an article that mentions how this is done.

That\'s all that comes to mind at the moment. I\'d really appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!
Sadly I don\'t know Toronto, but there are a couple of other Painters, (Starfyre for one ) who are based there.
They\'ll be able to give you good advice on the places to shop.
But the primary tools you\'ll need are , as you stated, Files, Emery paper and a Pin Vice. The pin vice is a hand held drill which is the tool of choice for drilling out barrel holes and making the holes for pinning arms & bits onto your models for strength.


There is a wealth of information to be found in the forums, some of it is even useful. Just ask and someone will point you in the right direction.

 

[Humble]

Thanks for the info, Dragonsreach. I did some searches on the forum and it seems Testor\'s Dulcote is the choice for finishing miniatures. Any clue if their primers will work as well? I figure I might as well get a white primer while I\'m at it. As always, any suggestions, even substitutes, are welcome.

I also checked out GW\'s online store for the pin vice and file kits, and I\'m certain they\'re overpriced at $20 and $16 respectively. At other online resources I\'m seeing kits with more bits and files, and I\'m certain I can find these elsewhere; if not, I\'ll just order from TheWarStore and have the stuff sent to my buddy in the states. I\'d rather not wait, though, so fellow Torontonians, let me hear from you!

On another note, I spent several hours perusing Reaper\'s online store and miniature catalogue. They\'re so magnificently sculpted, and talk about fair prices! I\'ve got my eyes set on a Talarand Blackguard, Gloom Wraith, and a handful of others.

Further, I was browsing your works, Dragonsreach, and noticed you gave one of your figures a \"Dettol bath\", which I\'m assuming works as a paint remover. Is this safe to use with plastic parts? I\'ve painted one miniature thus far, a Dark Angel Seargent, and have decided I\'m unsatisfied with how it turned out. I didn\'t file out the mould lines properly, and applied an unproportionately thick layer of primer/paint on the top of the model, completely obscuring the skull on the little guy\'s helmet. Now that I\'ve done more reading, I\'d like to start over. Are there safe substitutes for paint removal other than Dettol? My dad\'s got quite a supply of miscellaneous crafts materials, some of which might come in handy.

Phew, that was a long-winded post. As you can tell, I\'m quite enamoured with this hobby at the moment. Thanks for bearing with me and keep piling on with your advice!

 

[Swordwind]

Hey, welcome to the forum and the hobby.

As a general rule of thumb Games Workshop stuff is overpriced and a bit naff as well. I bought a pin vice from GW went to the model shop next door to pick up a few modern tanks and thier pin pices were 1/4 of the price :cussing:. Thier brushes leave alot to be desired aswell.

Reaper are a great company and if theres a model type you need, they probably have it. I also recommend Hasslefree (my particulary favourite minis company), Freebooter (Thier Chaos Witch and \"Wizards Apprentice\", need I say more?) and Rackham.

If you have even the smallest question, feel free to ask! That is what we\'re here for!

 

[AinuLainour]

For other questions, talk to StarFyre and SilAx, as they\'re both from Toronto.

 

[Dragonsreach]

@Humble: Thanks for looking at my gallery.

As for Dettol It\'s great at removing GW and Vallejo Paints. I\'m 90% sure that in the US and Canada it\'s called Pine-Sol. What I\'ve found with it is that if the paint\'s recent ie less than a couple of years old it\'ll come off pretty quick. (like within a couple of hours) other than that leave it overnight and it\'ll come off ok.
It works on plastics, but you may need a cheap toothbrush and a couple of things. Cif and some elbow grease.

To me the best part about Dettol is that it\'s easily disposable down the drain or toilet without earache from my wife.

Good luck and lets see some painted stuff pretty soon.

 

[Humble]

Got in contact with Starfyre and SilAx, both were very helpful. Thanks, guys!

Dragonsreach: Actually, Dettol is still Dettol in Canada as well. The only reason I know this is because we stocked it at the pharmacy I used to work at; it\'s a disinfectant/cleaning agent. Clearly it does its job! However, I found a thread here discussing which products work best as strippers, and am going to go with Easy-Off Oven Cleaner. Should be a cinch to find in a Wal-Mart. I\'m not too sure if the Wal-Marts here have as wide a paint selection as in the states, but hopefully I luck out and find some Dulcote and a decent white primer.

If all goes well, I\'ll strip and begin redoing my Dark Angels Seargent, properly this time around, sometime tomorrow. Although I don\'t think I\'ll be able to get any quality pics with the camera I currently use (A Sony DSC P8 Cyber-Shot), I\'ll try my best.

 

[Orb]

a word about primers; many painters (from both the mini world and painters of larger historical miniatures) use Automotive spray primers on their figures. I\'ve used them and they seem to work just fine. I usually use a grey primer.

 

[StarFyre]

yo!

Humble!!!!
hehe



a good primer i find is duplicolor white automotive primer.

If you are priming resin models, after washing with soap and rubbing with an old toothbrush, always use automotive primer. Apparently better for resin.

So much so, that even forgeworld mentions on their site to use car primer instead of hobby primer (ie. instead of GW primer).

Car primer is also smoother. When used on any model, the primed finish is very smooth and not grainy as GW primer can sometimes be (even after a lot of shaking, etc).

I get white automotive primer, duplicolor at cdn tire.

Sanjay

 

[DXM]

Toronto Hobby Shops

Hello Humble
There are two very good shops in Toronto.
Hornet Hobby, it\'s on O\'Connor near Eglinton and Victoria Park and the other is Northstar Hobbies on Dundas and the 427. Both have all the modelling supplies,building material and paints you\'ll need at very good prices especially Hornet.
As for primer, I strictly use Tamiya on all my competition pieces. It comes in White and light grey only. In the 15 years of using it, I have never had the fuzzies. Dries to a smooth egg shell finish.
Hope this helps
Regards DXM

 

[DXM]

Toronto Hobby Shops

Hello Humble
There are two very good shops in Toronto.
Hornet Hobby, it\'s on O\'Connor near Eglinton and Victoria Park and the other is Northstar Hobbies on Dundas and the 427. Both have all the modelling supplies,building material and paints you\'ll need at very good prices especially Hornet.
As for primer, I strictly use Tamiya on all my competition pieces. It comes in White and light grey only. In the 15 years of using it, I have never had the fuzzies. Dries to a smooth egg shell finish.
Hope this helps
Regards DXM

 

[Humble]

DXM: Thanks for the recommendations. SilAx also recommended Hornet Hobbies, they seem to be on top of things. I asked them for quotes on a few items via e-mail and they replied the next morning. Definitely a store I\'d like to check out.

As for primers, I\'m just going to go with the best price-performance ratio. I would assume Tamiya primers come at a bit of a premium due to the brand\'s reputation as a model company. If another brand does the same thing at a lower cost, I\'m going with them; nuts to brand loyalty!

Thus far, I\'ve one Dark Angels Seargent (one other yet to be stripped - haven\'t found time for that), Abaddon, Typhus, and Captain Shrike to paint. I\'m considering getting either a Space Marine or Chaos battleforce so I have a handful of grunts to practice techniques on, but those are pretty costly even at discounted eBay prices (roughly $70-80USD). It just doesn\'t seem like much considering the price, and yet there are so many GW figures that I\'d like to try painting. Decisions, decisions...

Starfyre: I took a look at daloonieshaman\'s eBay store and bought a pin vice set with 20 bits, along with a 10-piece file set, all for ~$15 USD. Quite the deal. Thanks for the recommendation!