A friend recently called me out on being a cheapskate. While I honestly can't say that anyone in the hobby is "cheap" I have to say I somewhat agreed with him in his opinion. The reason he called me this? While I generally like GW paints, I hate paying $5 for half an ounce of paint. So I go to Walmart, buy the same shade of paint in their craft isle (88 cents for 2 ounces) and then I mix it in with the GW paint. Basically the mixture is about 85 to 90 percent GW paint, I just cut the cost a bit by adding generic craft paint with no noticeable difference in coverage.


Does anyone else have any cost cutting techniques they use to get the most of their money?

I buy as few hobby supplies as possible from GW. Everything is far too expensive for the quality they deliver. I use Vallejo paints (cheaper, better quality imo) and only a few from GW, metallics mainly. Brushes are from DaVinci or China; knife, clippers, molding tools from Ebay or Amazon. Generally, everything is cheaper or has better quality for the same price. So outside of the models, I see no reason to buy much from GW. And even the models I go cheap, use Ebay where I can or buy with 15-20% off from retailers.

Your paint thinning is absolutely fine, as are all other options to cut costs on an extremly expensive hobby. You're not entitled to anything if you buy everything from GW, but it sounds like your friend thinks he is

Clearly you fall in the poor peasant category, that should play peasant games and not the rich peoples game

I am coming from the model kit scene, and i found GW paints always over priced, used to use Revel, Humbrol and after the eco changes to pain, i switched to Tamiya and now in Japan also Dr. color and Valejo

A fool and their money are soon parted.

The only GW paints I ever used dried up a long time ago, and they were just metallics. I use craft store paint (Delta Ceramicote, Americana, Aileen's, Color Traditions) for everything. I won some Reaper master Series paints in a contest once, also some Model Power paint. They are good paints but not worth the hobby tax added to their price.
I was a Golden Demon finalist, got an honorable mention, so I know what I'm talking about.

There does seem to be some folks who insist on using only certain brands of paint. Good for them! But when they deride others for not using their perceived "superior" paints, they are only showing us how big of an ass they really are.
To their credit, there are some cheap brands of craft paint that give the better ones a bad reputation.

I've been a gaming cheapskate for decades.

If you don't need it NOW! you can save money by waiting a couple of months and then hitting the 2nd hand markets.
Especially if the new "army" replaced any older units with newer plastic models. The older metals (and plastics) often go for a song.

Saved hundreds on my High Elf army for WHFB that way. Picked up old White lion (unit) models, Swordmasters, spearmen and archers, for less than a quarter of their retail price - all because they were older metal models.

My eldar army at one stage had 9 war walkers (only one in plastic). 2 were bought when they were about $15-20 each in a blister, decades ago - the rest (metals) were bought at BSS tables at cons for around $10 each. Weapons got collected along the way also.

Theres a difference between being cheap and being sensible. Should I buy GW branded PVA or go down the DIY shop and get three times the amount for the same money?

Poor PPL shouldn't be playing 40K anyway. Its a premium lifestyle choice you know.

I like to build terrain from cheap stuff and junk rather than spend a lot of cash on ready made stuff. Especially the GW terrain pieces that while nice are very expensive.

For examle here's my gallery of building Tau structures from things like Japanese soup bowls and shampoo bottles.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-299-4981_Tau%20Scenery%20Speed%20Build.html

I recall in the old RT book when making units from scratch and cheap materials was considered a sign of being an advanced hobbyist. Times change.

By the way, I built two armored companies and a couple super heavies from cardstock.

 cuda1179 wrote:
A friend recently called me out on being a cheapskate. While I honestly can't say that anyone in the hobby is "cheap" I have to say I somewhat agreed with him in his opinion. The reason he called me this? While I generally like GW paints, I hate paying $5 for half an ounce of paint. So I go to Walmart, buy the same shade of paint in their craft isle (88 cents for 2 ounces) and then I mix it in with the GW paint. Basically the mixture is about 85 to 90 percent GW paint, I just cut the cost a bit by adding generic craft paint with no noticeable difference in coverage.


Does anyone else have any cost cutting techniques they use to get the most of their money?

Just buy hobby paint (like the Walmart brand you mentioned) and use that.

I guess I am the only one here whos doesnt mind GW paint lol. Its not the only one I use, I also have Badger Minitaire, Vallejo game Air, Scale 75, and a few colors from Army Painter.

People seem to think GW paint is expensive, which compared to a lot of other paint companies I guess there are. However I find that they last a long time. Its pretty concentrated so one paint pot will last a while.

The only paints i would stay away from in the GW line is, there black, base coat and layer white paints. For some reason these dry up super fast.

I've found Badger Miniature paints a great bang for your buck. The bottle is big and they have a wide variety of colors. The only problem with them is, they don't have as many vibrant colors as Vallejo.

I use and enjoy GW Paints and washes, Reaper Master Series paints, and craft paints (for terrain and display boards).

In the past, I did use the craft paints for my miniatures, but they just don't do as good of a job.

I love GW technical paints and washes. Both are great. I just got their mud basing paint and it's great. I'll be using it on all my stuff. Even when I stopped buying most GW stuff, I still preferred their paints. I've tried the Walmart stuff and reaper stuff, and didn't like them.

You don’t hear many complaints about GW’s stuff being bad, just overpriced for small amounts. Except the glue. Don’t think I’ve heard anyone say anything nice about that. But most of the tools and the like are fine. But you can get the same stuff elsewhere, for half the price.

If you can save some money, go for it.

Yeah for paint that is a really silly thing to say. I mean it's paint, get whatever one works best for you and if it happens to be cheaper that's just a Win/Win in my book.

Ehhhhhh, I recommend getting miniature paints.
Their made for miniature paints, art paints are too thick and dont dilute well
That said, there are great ways to save money. Wait for them to go on discount, buy damaged models, Buy from 20% off retailers.

 cuda1179 wrote:
Basically the mixture is about 85 to 90 percent GW paint, I just cut the cost a bit by adding generic craft paint with no noticeable difference in coverage.

You could probably drop the percentage of GW paint even further.

TBh, go get vallejo paints, they last longer, do not dry out and are cheaper

Instead of buying 10 drop pods for a list I wanted to try out, I found some templates and made a bunch out of paper. I did the same for Rhinos in a Gladius formation.

It led to many jokes about the "paper-thin" armor on rhinos

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Ehhhhhh, I recommend getting miniature paints.
Their made for miniature paints, art paints are too thick and dont dilute well
That said, there are great ways to save money. Wait for them to go on discount, buy damaged models, Buy from 20% off retailers.

I definitely agree. I've been in the hardware industry for a long time and seen people use the paint for the wrong application all the time.. then they complain the paint starts to flake off....

Only time I use art paints is terrain. When drybrushing, thickness doesnt matter.

I scaled down from 28mm to 15mm and going lower.
Cheaper and makes for better scenes.

I tend to use Vallejo for metallics, but I do use big box cheap paints for colors that cover well-blacks, blues, purples.

As always on these types of discussions, I'll mention that I've never bought modelling sand for years - I just go down to the beach and fill up a tub!

Same with gravel, rocks, bark, and cork - it's everywhere, and it's free.

The world is your hobby supply shop.

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
As always on these types of discussions, I'll mention that I've never bought modelling sand for years - I just go down to the beach and fill up a tub!

Same with gravel, rocks, bark, and cork - it's everywhere, and it's free.

The world is your hobby supply shop.

I bought 1 bagof sand for 5$ 6 years ago. I still have it.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
As always on these types of discussions, I'll mention that I've never bought modelling sand for years - I just go down to the beach and fill up a tub!

Same with gravel, rocks, bark, and cork - it's everywhere, and it's free.

The world is your hobby supply shop.

I bought 1 bagof sand for 5$ 6 years ago. I still have it.

If I was going to buy sand, and it's a big if, I would head to a DIY store and buy a bag of builders sand for peanuts, so I salute your money saving approach

Anybody who spends £10 on a small tub of GW sand, well, there's a bridge I want to sell you

I have had cats for most of my life. I have always had access to a bag of kitty litter, which makes excellent basing material for large and small projects.

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
As always on these types of discussions, I'll mention that I've never bought modelling sand for years - I just go down to the beach and fill up a tub!

Same with gravel, rocks, bark, and cork - it's everywhere, and it's free.

The world is your hobby supply shop.

I bought 1 bagof sand for 5$ 6 years ago. I still have it.

If I was going to buy sand, and it's a big if, I would head to a DIY store and buy a bag of builders sand for peanuts, so I salute your money saving approach

Anybody who spends £10 on a small tub of GW sand, well, there's a bridge I want to sell you

Hobby Lobby is a godsend for me. cheap Paint, cheap flock, cheap everything. I was hesitant at first cause I was politically against them, but I like money more than my values.

 cuda1179 wrote:
. While I honestly can't say that anyone in the hobby is "cheap"

Sure you can. I'm cheap. I give you permission to call me "cheap" anytime!

I have to say I somewhat agreed with him in his opinion. The reason he called me this? While I generally like GW paints, I hate paying $5 for half an ounce of paint. So I go to Walmart, buy the same shade of paint in their craft isle (88 cents for 2 ounces) and then I mix it in with the GW paint. Basically the mixture is about 85 to 90 percent GW paint, I just cut the cost a bit by adding generic craft paint with no noticeable difference in coverage.

Grashopper, you're barely scratching the surface of cheap. I'm a cheapskate when it comes to gaming and here's just a few to get you going.

1- That paint thing is kind of laughable. Just buy and use craft paint. I recommend being slightly less cheap and buying the "Delta Ceramcoat" brand that is carried at craft stores. I think it's the best of the craft paints. It's coverage and application is almost as good as model-brand paints and it's available in a HUGE variety of colors. It's bout $1.20 for a 2 oz bottle, but that's still around 8 times cheaper than GW's $5 for 0.5oz

2- Buy used minis painted crappily for pennies on the dollar. Bathe them in Purple Power for a week. Scrub. Rinse, Repeat as necessary. Elbow Grease means saved dollars.

3- Build your own terrain from junk toys and other crap. Go to Necromundicon at Ironhands.com to see the bible for this kind of terrain. Or just search for my threads here.

4- Buy all your hobby supplies from the craft/hobby store (paint, PVA, razor saw, knives, Superglue, etc) or Hardware store or Harbor Freight (superglue, Files, Flush cutters, table vise etc). You'll spend about 30% of what GW would charge you.

5-Buy a 50 pound bag of "Sand Mix" concrete at your DIY store for $5. I know it's $5 more expensive than free beach sand, but you can sift it into at least 3 different kinds of gravel as well as sand and concrete filler. All of which are useful in hobbying. Also, as-is it's a nice chunky rocky soil basing for terrain.

6- For spray Priming, look at hardware store spray paints. Usually they will have a store brand flat white or black for a buck. Test first to make sure it comes out right. You can also get big cans of Grey, dark grey and red primer an cans of very flat camo colors (from rustoleum or Krylon) for about half as much as model brand paints in cans that are about twice as big.

7- Try artists Gesso in black or white (I like the liquitex brand) for priming and Winsor Newton Galeria Acrylic Matte Varnish for easy brush-on varnishing.

One more thing about paints. Alot of folks will tell you you need miniature paints. They unfortunately don't know what they're talking about. You may have to learn how to use a bit of Matte Medium and other supplies to thin or smooth out the paints (though with Delta it really isn't usually necessary) but craft paints can be surprisingly good.

One of my buddies uses artists acrylicas exclusively. One the best painters I know uses almost nothing but Americana brand craft paints and you can see his work here:
http://mdarrow.blogspot.com
Take a look at that and tell me you honestly need miniature-brand paints.

Alright, I'll dive in:

1) Wrote my own rules

2) Use 20mm scale minis

3) Build vehicles from cardstock templates - there are plenty of free ones online, for 40k and many other scifi franchises as well as conventional military vehicles.

4) Scenery from junk, a la the old RT book.

I loved 40k as a kid but it priced me out, and when I gradually drifted back into the hobby I was determined to use as much of a cheapy DIY approach as possible. I get great satisfaction from looking at my DIY board with my DIY army playing our DIY game with friends having spent no more than £20 on the whole thing.

Does it require more time? Yes. But so what, I enjoy doing this, as far as I'm concerned the ingenuity aspect of junk/cheap modelling is a huge part of the hobby.

Anyway. Just my £0.02, and I'm sure given my handle my views will have surprised nobody... OP, when I get called a cheapskate, I consider it a compliment!

kronk wrote:I use and enjoy GW Paints and washes, Reaper Master Series paints, and craft paints (for terrain and display boards).

In the past, I did use the craft paints for my miniatures, but they just don't do as good of a job.

When I was a poor student, I loved craft paints, or even low end artists acrylics, for being cheap and pretty good. I still use them, especially for basing and terrain, but I grown to enjoy collecting paints too much to only use the craft stuff.

Gordon Shumway wrote:I tend to use Vallejo for metallics, but I do use big box cheap paints for colors that cover well-blacks, blues, purples.

Also this. It was tough to find reds, yellows, or metallic that covered worth a damn.

The best red I have used was Reaper Master Series HD Red.

 cuda1179 wrote:
A friend recently called me out on being a cheapskate. While I honestly can't say that anyone in the hobby is "cheap" I have to say I somewhat agreed with him in his opinion. The reason he called me this? While I generally like GW paints, I hate paying $5 for half an ounce of paint. So I go to Walmart, buy the same shade of paint in their craft isle (88 cents for 2 ounces) and then I mix it in with the GW paint. Basically the mixture is about 85 to 90 percent GW paint, I just cut the cost a bit by adding generic craft paint with no noticeable difference in coverage.


Does anyone else have any cost cutting techniques they use to get the most of their money?

I do the exact same thing you do, except I don't cut it.

The only GW paints I use are bases and washes.

I use a whole bunch of paints, craft paints and miniatures paints both - it depends on what i am painting.

You can cut costs by not buying GW paints - which are overpriced for the quality.

Army Painter, Reaper, and Valejo are all very good, and a whole lot less expensive for the same quality as the GW paints.

When priming, I get automotive sandable primers - which work just fine. If I feel like spending money, I get Army Painter spray primers - more expensive than Duplicolor, but a great match for the paints.

The Auld Grump

Army painter.

Damn good, better price .
Nothing wrong with good value.

I steal sand and dirt off the road for basing materials :/

im such bad person.

Mine are based on old broken roof slate from doing up the house....

Not paying when I know a large slate costs 50p to a quid.

Just buy and use Delta Ceramcoat, Martha Stewart Craft paints, or Folk Art. They all work just fine. There are also the artist's paints from Liquitex and Golden that work really well; get the fluid acrylic or soft body acrylic. Thin them with matte medium and distilled water+flow aid. The notion that miniature paints are anything special is just ignorance. It's all pigment (finer ground is better) in acrylic polymer emulsion (Looks like milk. It's why acrylic paints darken when they dry.) And it is the exact same emulsion for any acrylic paint. The so called "miniatures" paints may have some other additive to create a harder finish, or reduce surface tension of the paint, or some other thing. Things you can add yourself. Look at my gallery to see how well such paints work. Delta and Martha Stewart work best. Avoid the Americana craft paints. They dry to a strange textured finish. I think the pigment is not as finely ground.

As far as other examples of, shall we call it, thriftiness, see my terrain blog (link in sig). I tend to recycle a lot of stuff.

At the end of the day, I think you get what you pay for in this hobby. You can certainly cut some corners, we all do it, but I've seen a lot of corners cut that ended with $100.'s worth of models crudded up by cheap glues, brushes, primer and paints that saved a couple of bucks, at best. Same with figure cases. I've watched opponents pull out armies from cases that I wouldn't have expected my kid to store his rock collection in and then wait while they spend the next 15 minutes gluing pieces back on...and a rushed glue job always looks so good! I just don't get it.

For a local event I've made a new 40k army.
2k, 6 tanks and 77 infantry.
Zero GW models and under $200.

To each their own, I suppose.

I've been transitioning from hobby paints to craft paints for a while now, and when I place one of my old minis painted with hobby paints next to a new one for the same unit painted with craft paints I don't see a difference.

Could be just me, though.

Excluding washes/shades, a few metallics, and the odd technical paint, my collection is strictly craft paints. Apple Barrel, DecoArt, and Americana mostly.

 BigWaaagh wrote:
At the end of the day, I think you get what you pay for in this hobby. You can certainly cut some corners, we all do it, but I've seen a lot of corners cut that ended with $100.'s worth of models crudded up by cheap glues, brushes, primer and paints that saved a couple of bucks, at best. Same with figure cases. I've watched opponents pull out armies from cases that I wouldn't have expected my kid to store his rock collection in and then wait while they spend the next 15 minutes gluing pieces back on...and a rushed glue job always looks so good! I just don't get it.

To a certain extent this is true, but I think more often "paying" a bit of time, can save ALOT of money.

-A properly made foam case based on gun cases is every bit as protective (in many cases more) than a Sabol case at 1/3 or less the cost. Of course you have to take the time to cut and glue cut glue yourself.

-Homebuilt terrain. It may take a bit of extra effort to build or to hunt the resale shops for donor toys, but the result can be

-Buying poorly painted or assemble minis saves ALOT of cash, but Stripping and repairing minis can take ALOT of time.
Of course some things are a bargain with almost no drawbacks
-Delta ceramcoat paints. 1/8th the price and 90% of the quality.
-Used Minis in good condition. Save 25-50% with almost no drawbacks.

I think it is very possible to make this hobby work at truly bargain prices and achieve above-average results. You don't even have to reinvent the wheel. The methods are already well established, they're just slightly outside the mainstream.

I know I do. I achieve average looking painted figures and somewhat above average looking terrain. I do this while spending a fraction (maybe 20%) of the $ most folks would to achieve similar results and in some cases I've found ways to even spend less time doing it.

 Eilif wrote:

 BigWaaagh wrote:
At the end of the day, I think you get what you pay for in this hobby. You can certainly cut some corners, we all do it, but I've seen a lot of corners cut that ended with $100.'s worth of models crudded up by cheap glues, brushes, primer and paints that saved a couple of bucks, at best. Same with figure cases. I've watched opponents pull out armies from cases that I wouldn't have expected my kid to store his rock collection in and then wait while they spend the next 15 minutes gluing pieces back on...and a rushed glue job always looks so good! I just don't get it.

To a certain extent this is true, but I think more often "paying" a bit of time, can save ALOT of money.

-A properly made foam case based on gun cases is every bit as protective (in many cases more) than a Sabol case at 1/3 or less the cost. Of course you have to take the time to cut and glue cut glue yourself.

-Homebuilt terrain. It may take a bit of extra effort to build or to hunt the resale shops for donor toys, but the result can be

-Buying poorly painted or assemble minis saves ALOT of cash, but Stripping and repairing minis can take ALOT of time.
Of course some things are a bargain with almost no drawbacks
-Delta ceramcoat paints. 1/8th the price and 90% of the quality.
-Used Minis in good condition. Save 25-50% with almost no drawbacks.

I think it is very possible to make this hobby work at truly bargain prices and achieve above-average results. You don't even have to reinvent the wheel. The methods are already well established, they're just slightly outside the mainstream.

I know I do. I achieve average looking painted figures and somewhat above average looking terrain. I do this while spending a fraction (maybe 20%) of the $ most folks would to achieve similar results and in some cases I've found ways to even spend less time doing it.

This. You can boil it down to an equation... Money + Time = Quality. If you short one, but don't compensate with the other, you are going to have lower quality stuff. You could even make the equation Money + Time(Talent) = Quality. Because if you are super talented, you can sculpt stuff yourself at minimal investment and have the highest quality stuff around.

Frankly I'm ashamed to be seen on the same message board with all of you!

What next, using gunball machine space ships for BFG?

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/689209.page

There's a distinction between being cheap and not overpaying. Super glue from Target works fine, there's really no reason to buy GW's.

 BigWaaagh wrote:
At the end of the day, I think you get what you pay for in this hobby. You can certainly cut some corners, we all do it, but I've seen a lot of corners cut that ended with $100.'s worth of models crudded up by cheap glues, brushes, primer and paints that saved a couple of bucks, at best. Same with figure cases. I've watched opponents pull out armies from cases that I wouldn't have expected my kid to store his rock collection in and then wait while they spend the next 15 minutes gluing pieces back on...and a rushed glue job always looks so good! I just don't get it.

There's a certain quality level you don't want to go below. Like you say, a rusty metal tool box isn't a good way to carry figures, but at the other end of the scale, the GW official army boxes aren't any better at protecting figures than a standard plastic suitcase lined with pluck foam than costs less than half.

I usually scratchbuild stuff or snag it cheap of ebay or the like to cut costs. I purist when it comes to pain though and only have gw paint. I've still got pots from ten years ago that a filled with usable paint, just gotta take care of the stuff is all.

I'm like so cheap, I refuse to buy anything from the two GW stockists we have here. I have to say, I usually receive a metric ton of flakk when I ask if someone wants to make a combined order from wayland. (Keep in mind, the stockist doesn't do any kind of % off the product AND while he indeed owns a gaming club, it's in the other side of country)

I also prefer to buy all my other supplies from different places. I/e brushes, basing materials, glue, etc.

My paint collection was 100% GW. About 5 years ago the prices stated to creep beyond what I determined 'value'. My paints are now around 40% GW. I use Foundry Paints now and slowly my GW is being replaced by these. Foundry Paints made the original Citidel Paints GW used to sell. GW £2.55 for 12ml = £0.21 per ml. Foundry Paints are £3.55 for 20ml = £0.17 per ml. Also, if you buy 3 pots of the same set, they discount by £1.50 making it £0.13 per ml.

Foundry paints come in sets of 3. A Shade, Base and Highlight. They are a really good system and do some very realistic skin tones.

Being savy with your spending isn't cheap, it's clever allowing you to buy more. Since the Orks got revamped in 2009, I've not bought a single GW product other than their paints. I play other game systems now which are cheaper and just as good (better in some respects).

I to remember the days GW encouraged people to make their own models, who remembers Gav Thorpes Eldar Grav tank made from a deoderant bottle featured in WD?

If you haven't seen this Dakka has an invaluable paint compatibility chart for most major ranges.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Paint_Range_Compatibility_Chart

I was a student and still managed to paint and create things. You learn how to do things on a budget.

Battered minis take time but you can save a fortune money wise.

10 messed up marines, 5 termies and a dread. Superglued like gak, bad, warboss, deff coptas, 20 so boyz, templates and dice +a old set of citisel cutters. Al in. Under 10 pound. Bargin at a charity shop.
Gw oop game, 95% complete minus figures. All in fiver.
Metal marines, a sister of battle and a few metal termies. Cheap in a wrecked space hulk set.

Needed work but a cheap army.
Only new gw bit I used was a tactical box to repace various parts that where too far gone.

 TheSecretSquig wrote:
...who remembers Gav Thorpes Eldar Grav tank made from a deoderant bottle featured in WD?

This Guy and This Guy
The Orgus Grav Attack.

We had an argument with a friend once.

We use sand from the beach to base models. He uses GW sand and said to us "yours isn't proper sand!"

that said I use a variety of paint, Vallejo or AP when they're better, but I don't mind for paying for the good GW paints - the most expensive thing I'm putting into the models is my time.

Sand, sand is sand...
Plus beach sand you get various small rocks

To be honest, if a local flgs sells bits off by the item, like one did with old scrap from trade ins, it was great for a few quid I got ernough random stuff to base to this day.

Hobbies need not cost the earth and the solar system.

GW paints are great, expecially with the base/shade/layer system for newbies.

However other companies do comparable products for cheaper.

I use beach sand too. As mentioned above, you get a realistic variation of grain size and small pebbles. You can sieve it to different grades if you like.

 kronk wrote:
The best red I have used was Reaper Master Series HD Red.

I like your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Seriously though, the reaper HD line is fantastic and very affordable as minis paints go.

It's heartening to see so many people saving money and having fun in the hobby - long may it continue.

I've got a whole bunch of plastic sprue sitting around. Will I throw them out? Hell no!

I'll use them to make terrain pieces.

On the subject of terrain, I couldn't believe what GW and battlefront were charging for plastic craters.

So I make my own.

1 coffee jar lid, put it on a base, and then build up the layers with sand, PVA glue, or polly filler, paint it, and hey, quick, cheap craters.

I get foam card for cheap, or use cereal boxes, and make walls and bunkers out of them.

Drinking straws make great pipes on industrial terrain when they're painted gunmetal.

The list is endless.

If your friend doesn't like you using the "wrong" paint, tell him that he is more than welcome to buy you the "right" paint. I doubt he'll take you up on that offer.

I paint all of my stuff with Americana, Apple Barrel, DecoArt, Delta Cream Coat, Folk Art, and Martha Stewart Craft paints. (alphabetical!) I chuckle every time I use my Martha Stewart Gunmetal paint. I don't know why, really, it just makes me smile. I prime with Gesso; it's not only inexpensive, but also I can use it indoors year-round. I scratch build. It's time-consuming, but fun. I buy models second hand and give them a new life, for pennies on the dollar. I hunt for bargains. I recycle plastic and cardboard into usable terrain and vehicles. I take pride in all of this. And I have a heck of a lot of fun doing it.

I use the box the models come in and the sprue the models come on to make bases for them. I grab the foam padding used to ship PC parts at my place of employment to hold my minis. Heck I even managed to build a whole 2250pt Dark Elf Army using only GW minis (Most OOP) for 180$.

Cheaphammer is the only way to go man.

Bah... I've never meet anyone who really cares what brand paints, brushes or hobby tools someone uses.

I'm probably what a lot of people here on Dakka would call a GW White Knight (haters gonna hate), but hell, I don't care one bit about what brand paints, brushes or hobby tools someone uses.

Personally I do use all GW paints, brushes and hobby tools, but that's because...
1. The Citadel paints are readily available.
2. The Citadel brushes are actually a good value.
3. The Citadel tools are quite good; admittedly they are very over priced, but none the less good.

My first land raider I built from a pizza box, and I still use it for games.

I buy already painted and assembled minis off E-bay for less than the cost of a new box from GW. I've been blessed the ones I've picked up have better paint jobs than my own.

I generally use the Walmart and Hobby Lobby paints, Kylon paints for primer. I've tried the GW paints and Reaper paints and wasn't really impressed. Though I prefer GW's metallics (they tend to have a better sheen) and like their consistency for ink washes vs. mixing my own.

Don't ever let someone get you down about "going cheap". If they want to give you grief, tell them they can spend their money to buy it for you.

I don't see how using alternative paints as "going cheap". It's not like you are using cardboard squares as proxies for actual minis >.>

Haven't found a great way to be cheap with my wild west buildings.
Save paper terrain.
Never been great at making terrain.

 fellowhoodlum wrote:
I don't see how using alternative paints as "going cheap". It's not like you are using cardboard squares as proxies for actual minis >.>

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Played many a game of "battle at the farm" using nothing but cardboard chits and card terrain.

 fellowhoodlum wrote:
I don't see how using alternative paints as "going cheap". It's not like you are using cardboard squares as proxies for actual minis >.>

When I purchased a Forgeworld Deimos Rhino, I ended up stretching the kit and a few spares to build a second Rhino thanks to the glory of Cardboard. The one with Card parts look decent with a Deathguard scheme.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I tried looking for a complete picture of the Rhino I mentioned above, but sadly don't have any saved to computer or on the camera.

Here is a WIP before I finished painting or added tracks.



About 50% card. Decided to scratch build the top access doors despite having plastic ones spare. Am still torn on whether to remove the existing top doors and replace them with 'official' plastic ones.

Anyone know any good paper terrain sites?

Worldworks http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/ Very nice stuff. And some is western themed.


For freebies, hunt around for stuff from Ebbles, or just search for papercraft terrain. There is quite a bit out there.

 Rainbow Dash wrote:
Anyone know any good paper terrain sites?

There's a free (if slightly cartoony) wild west town set here. If you read french you're golden. If not, they aren't exactly complicated builds to work out.

Nowt wrong with being cheap says White Dwarf

 Rainbow Dash wrote:
Anyone know any good paper terrain sites?

Are you looking for free or sale and what scale and theme?

It's probably not quite what you were looking for, but lasercutcard has some remarkably sturdy and quite realistic (due to layering) structures that are also darn cheap.
http://lasercutcard.co.za

Wild West 25mm (I'd rather it be free)

Scratch building is what got me interested in this hobby back during the RT era and is what has kept me around.



I use craft store paints for almost everything. I have hundreds of bottles of craft paint, bought on sale 3 or 4 for a $1, and a dozen or so bottles of GW paint, for odd things that the technical paints handle well.

My P&M blog is littered with penny pinching scratch builds

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Ehhhhhh, I recommend getting miniature paints.
Their made for miniature paints, art paints are too thick and dont dilute well.

I disagree I have been using Craft smart Paints from Michael's about 2-3 2oz bottles for a buck when on sale and I find them the same as the top shelf paints if not better in some aspects and they are so much cheaper then brands like GW or Vallejo and the real secret is acrylic paints are pretty much similar across all brands with a slight thickening or thinning between brands I have used them all and a few years ago came to the realization why the hell I was using GW when the cheap paints were just as good, they may not have the color selection GW has, but its not hard to mix colors to get the color you want.

Nothing wrong with saving money, especially if there is little or no downgrade in quality.

Most of the really fancy custom armies Ive seen over the years barely have any actual gw models in them, so much scratchbuilt stuff. And the stuff used to make it is considered "junk" by plebty of people out there.


Hell Im tempted to have a contest and see who can make the coolest xxxx point army for the cheapest. See how creative some people can get. Could be fun and entertaining to watch.

 xevv wrote:
Nothing wrong with saving money, especially if there is little or no downgrade in quality.

Most of the really fancy custom armies Ive seen over the years barely have any actual gw models in them, so much scratchbuilt stuff. And the stuff used to make it is considered "junk" by plebty of people out there.


Hell Im tempted to have a contest and see who can make the coolest xxxx point army for the cheapest. See how creative some people can get. Could be fun and entertaining to watch.

I'd definitely take part in that.

There is being sensible and then throwing away your money... I try to fall somewhere in the middle.

I like finding inexpensive "base" materials and build pretty much anything from there.

I have an old IKEA kitchen table that is my craft table that I have drilled and put bushings in for all kinds of stuff (swivel lamps, airbrush holder) no worries doing anything to it.

My "spraybooth" is the bottom end of a clear tote with modifications to contain the spray and ventilation plumbed into it.

I do not quite "cheap out" with paint but cost per volume they are: Liquitex paints are true artist paints and I lean on them.
Mid-body paints, mix their matt-medium 2 to 1 and you can paint almost out of the pot (drop of flow-aid).
Add to that 1:1 of the airbrush medium and you are ready to airbrush.

All supplementary artist supplies at "The dollar store":
- Mixing sticks
- Makeup applicators for wiping of bad shading.
- Blush brush for cleaning off dust from models left out too long.
- Various cups for brush waters.
- Toenail clippers for sprue cutters.

When I made my gaming tabletop, most building box stores will do a variety of cuts for you: I get most of my work done there.
Then it is a simple matter of clamping, gluing and screwing it all together and we have a cheap board.

Walmart curtains or bed sheets can be hacked up to act as the first layer or cover for the table: black for space, green for fields, etc...

28mm miniature storage containers that do not damage the paint job?

The double-fold egg carton. Stacks nice too. Good enough not to break eggs, good enough for your miniatures.

Need something to act as a mixer in your paint pots?
Glass marbles.

...... I could go on... I am cheap but I like elegant solutions.

 Talizvar wrote:
There is being sensible and then throwing away your money... I try to fall somewhere in the middle.

I like finding inexpensive "base" materials and build pretty much anything from there.

I have an old IKEA kitchen table that is my craft table that I have drilled and put bushings in for all kinds of stuff (swivel lamps, airbrush holder) no worries doing anything to it.

My "spraybooth" is the bottom end of a clear tote with modifications to contain the spray and ventilation plumbed into it.

I do not quite "cheap out" with paint but cost per volume they are: Liquitex paints are true artist paints and I lean on them.
Mid-body paints, mix their matt-medium 2 to 1 and you can paint almost out of the pot (drop of flow-aid).
Add to that 1:1 of the airbrush medium and you are ready to airbrush.

All supplementary artist supplies at "The dollar store":
- Mixing sticks
- Makeup applicators for wiping of bad shading.
- Blush brush for cleaning off dust from models left out too long.
- Various cups for brush waters.
- Toenail clippers for sprue cutters.

When I made my gaming tabletop, most building box stores will do a variety of cuts for you: I get most of my work done there.
Then it is a simple matter of clamping, gluing and screwing it all together and we have a cheap board.

Walmart curtains or bed sheets can be hacked up to act as the first layer or cover for the table: black for space, green for fields, etc...

28mm miniature storage containers that do not damage the paint job?

The double-fold egg carton. Stacks nice too. Good enough not to break eggs, good enough for your miniatures.

Need something to act as a mixer in your paint pots?
Glass marbles.

...... I could go on... I am cheap but I like elegant solutions.

Egg one is pretty cool recycling, there just free after you use eggs, everyone uses em. Just not so space efichant as a foam case. I have two now, there brilliant investment for storage. One holds all my marines with space left. The second my bac set all both safely packaged.

 Talizvar wrote:
There is being sensible and then throwing away your money... I try to fall somewhere in the middle.

I like finding inexpensive "base" materials and build pretty much anything from there.

I have an old IKEA kitchen table that is my craft table that I have drilled and put bushings in for all kinds of stuff (swivel lamps, airbrush holder) no worries doing anything to it.

My "spraybooth" is the bottom end of a clear tote with modifications to contain the spray and ventilation plumbed into it.

I do not quite "cheap out" with paint but cost per volume they are: Liquitex paints are true artist paints and I lean on them.
Mid-body paints, mix their matt-medium 2 to 1 and you can paint almost out of the pot (drop of flow-aid).
Add to that 1:1 of the airbrush medium and you are ready to airbrush.

All supplementary artist supplies at "The dollar store":
- Mixing sticks
- Makeup applicators for wiping of bad shading.
- Blush brush for cleaning off dust from models left out too long.
- Various cups for brush waters.
- Toenail clippers for sprue cutters.

When I made my gaming tabletop, most building box stores will do a variety of cuts for you: I get most of my work done there.
Then it is a simple matter of clamping, gluing and screwing it all together and we have a cheap board.

Walmart curtains or bed sheets can be hacked up to act as the first layer or cover for the table: black for space, green for fields, etc...

28mm miniature storage containers that do not damage the paint job?

The double-fold egg carton. Stacks nice too. Good enough not to break eggs, good enough for your miniatures.

Need something to act as a mixer in your paint pots?
Glass marbles.

...... I could go on... I am cheap but I like elegant solutions.

My paint brush holder is a large pill bottle, my pen holder is a couple rolls of shipping/duct tape stacked on top of each other. made a tower out of a can of oatmeal, use little solo cups my sauces from the chinese place come in for water and small storage, and I too use Toenail clippers for cutting sprue connectors (for some reason they give a nicer cleaner cut then regular sprue cutters do and not as much pressure on the piece.)

Ever since I started a non-buying pledge and limited by wargaming budget to that which can be raised through selling unpainted miniatures I've been seeing so much more potential with historical kits, japanese model kits, toys and scratchbuilding. As well as free or cheap rules offered by creator-owned companies or just fellow hobbyists.

 Rainbow Dash wrote:
Anyone know any good paper terrain sites?

DriveThruRPG has a HUGE collection of paper terrain you can download and print. Some is even free.

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?filters=0_2220_0_0_0

I will note that craft paints do tend to have a slightly lower pigment density than dedicated hobby paints. All this really means is that you need an extra coat of properly-thinned craft paint to match what a hobby paint can do.

In the meantime, that very tendency to 'show through' means you can do some astonishingly subtle color graduations that hobby paints, with their higher pigment density, cannot match without wetblending.

ah I love threads like this!

honestly, if I had the ridiculous kind of spare cash floating around, I probably would buy a lot of stuff from GW, just out of simplicity...and to be fair, they do some quality stuff - it's just too bloody expensive!

let's see...I buy...the majority of my models, usually very "second hand", off ebay (I mainly collect/play orks, so in my opinion, acquiring my army this way also feels a bit "fluffy" - looting stuff and absorbing smaller waaagh-bands into my own massive waaagh!)

for priming, I'm not a fan of rattle-cans...so I spent a whopping $50 on a cheap'n'nasty airbrush+mini-compressor kit, it's not fancy, but it does the job just fine for priming/basecoating...I've bought 250ml bottles of both black and white vallejo primer, either of which I just use straight, though I often wind up mixing the two to get different levels of grey primer, depending on how dark/light I want to start out as.

for paints, well...actually I've wound up with a rather large amount of GW paints of all ages and pot versions, due to several big assorted ebay lots including a bunch of old paints with them...I also have a dozen or so armypainter paints...for the most part though, I really only use metallics and washes from those lines, oh and some of GW's technical paints....the vast majority of my painting is done with "JoSonja's" "artists' colours" paints...I get them from my local art store, 75ml "toothpaste tubes" for about the same price each as a 12ml citadel pot...and there's loads of colours - I just counted my collection, and realized I have 43 different colour tubes - and still I mix a lot of colours!

washes. I do like GW and armypainter washes, that has to be said. and I do use them. however, I make my own washes too...just a simple mix of some josonja paint, a lot of water, and a little drop of detergent (acts as a flow aid)...I keep them in little 25ml dropper bottles I found at my local art store...I've made a black wash, a dark muddy-brown wash, a medium earthy brown wash, a rust wash, and a dark green wash...also a "satin" wash - basically just super-watered down citadel "'ardcoat"...I mainly use that one, mixed with some black wash (I'm having a good laugh now, seeing GW's new "gloss nuln oil" ), to finish off my nurgle daemons...a dark wash in all the crevices, while also making it all look all kinda damp and glistening...

basing texture paint...bought a 250ml tub of atelier "moulding paste" ages ago for...probably about 4x the price of a pot of gw texture paint...I can't remember what I thought I was going to do with it back then, but anyway...it looks like chalky white smooth peanut butter, real thick...I mixed in a load of beach sand and grit, and some dark muddy brown paints, and now I basically have a 250ml pot of stirland mud ...that, combined with a pack of 6 1'x1' 6mm thick cork tiles I got for about $10-$15 from a diy store, loads of great-quality basing!

hmm...think that about covers all my cheapskating that I can think of...anyway, if I'd always just bought ALL of my models AND assorted tools/paints/hobby supplies, from GW...everything that I have, and have used, over the past ~2 years that I've been doing this....I think I'd literally be in about $30,000...easy....as it stands, I think I'm in about $5,000....(conservative estimates here, but I have at least: 15k points of orks, 2k points nurgle marines, 2k points nurgle daemons, 2k points of space marines, and a bunch more assorted stuff...and a LOT of paints/hobby supplies)

That's a great way to do it Zobo.

It's also amazing how good some of those cheap knock off airbrushes can be. I got mine for like $20 and then just used my shop compressor. I do want to get a quieter compressor though because it's just so loud (well, not that it kicks in very often considering the large tank).

 MattofWar wrote:
That's a great way to do it Zobo.

It's also amazing how good some of those cheap knock off airbrushes can be. I got mine for like $20 and then just used my shop compressor. I do want to get a quieter compressor though because it's just so loud (well, not that it kicks in very often considering the large tank).

regarding that cheap little airbrush+compressor kit I bought for ~AU$50...yeah, I have no doubt that a "proper" airbrush and compressor would be a lot better...but hey, mine does the basic stuff well enough, and that's all I wanted out of it...~AU$100 for an airbrush, compressor, and 400ml of vallejo primer - that beats the heck out of 4 gw rattlecans imo!

the compressor is one of those tiny mini-compressors...it's like 6"x6"x3"...the noise is kinda loud, but not that bad...though it does kick in whenever you're passing air through the airbrush...so it can get a little old if your doing a large amount of work ...a compressor with a tank would be an improvement over my setup

I have no real complaints about it though...it's allowed me to prime and basecoat so much stuff, so easily and quickly...without needing to spend hours brush-priming, or needing to go outside to rattlecan-prime.

For all Germans: Teddy is selling a set of 5 small tubes of superglue for 1€. Best superglue I ever used. I tried to ripp off the arm of my metal dread again, I coulnd't

 ZoBo wrote:
~AU$100 for an airbrush, compressor, and 400ml of vallejo primer - that beats the heck out of 4 gw rattlecans imo!

When you put it that way it pretty much seems like a no brainer. Even getting a cheap single action paint sprayer type air brush would be better than just the rattle cans.

the compressor is one of those tiny mini-compressors...it's like 6"x6"x3"...the noise is kinda loud, but not that bad...though it does kick in whenever you're passing air through the airbrush...so it can get a little old if your doing a large amount of work ...a compressor with a tank would be an improvement over my setup

My shop compressor gets into the range of needing ear protection indoors. There's a local hardware store that has an airbrush compressor (a store brand generic chinese one) for like $70. My friend who has one says that while you couldn't sleep in the same room, he was able to use it in the room next to where his daughter sleeps and she hasn't woken up from it yet.

I have no real complaints about it though...it's allowed me to prime and basecoat so much stuff, so easily and quickly...without needing to spend hours brush-priming, or needing to go outside to rattlecan-prime.

What did you end up doing to evacuate the spray? I know there's nothing super toxic in vallejo primer, but it's still not great to breathe in atomized paint. I found some youtube videos about turning a plastic storage container into a spray booth using a bathroom exhaust fan. Right now I use mine in the garage with my exhaust fan going, but I still wear a mask and hearing protection.

 MattofWar wrote:

My shop compressor gets into the range of needing ear protection indoors. There's a local hardware store that has an airbrush compressor (a store brand generic chinese one) for like $70. My friend who has one says that while you couldn't sleep in the same room, he was able to use it in the room next to where his daughter sleeps and she hasn't woken up from it yet.

oh, yeah...definitely don't need hearing protection for my little compressor - it sits on my desk about a foot away from me while I work, doubles as an airbrush stand...it's honestly not too much louder than the actual spraying, just, a deeper "vrrrrrt" kinda sound...and it has no tank, so it has to be running the whole time whenever you're passing air through it...so, it's not bad, it's just not "pleasant", and can get a kinda annoying by the time you've say, primed 30 orks or something

What did you end up doing to evacuate the spray? I know there's nothing super toxic in vallejo primer, but it's still not great to breathe in atomized paint. I found some youtube videos about turning a plastic storage container into a spray booth using a bathroom exhaust fan. Right now I use mine in the garage with my exhaust fan going, but I still wear a mask and hearing protection.

I probably should be a little more concerned about that stuff than I am most of the time really ...I've been looking at painting masks, but haven't gotten around to buying one yet...but generally, I just sit between a desk-fan and a big open window...it seems to do the job well enough...

My compressor cost me $90 (AUD).
It's designed for small jobs (spraygun painting, inflating tires) as opposed to pneumatic tools. but it handles airbrushing fine (just needs a second moisture trap).

Noise isn't an issue - my suburb is light industrial, and I only use it in daylight hours, outdoors in the carport (because house isn't large enough to do it indoors, and we don't have a garage) - but the noise can't be heard over the power tools from the local sign maker 2 doors down. It has a substantial tank that gives me about 8 hours of airbrush time @ 25psi. That said, it still fits on a 600x300 concrete slab paver.

A clear storage container with clear drop-sheet liner works with a bathroom fan cut into it.
Trap a filter sheet into the front baffle and a discharge "sock" onto the discharge end to catch fine mist.
I still wear a face mask to be safe but the ventilation really stops overspray dust.
Note: you need a brushless or enclosed fan if you use solvents and then you really should discharge outside.

Getting a bunch of badly used models and stripping them down of paint and into component parts and building them up again is the cheapest way to get an army together.
My friend made a company of 40k marines this way.

 Eilif wrote:

 cuda1179 wrote:
. While I honestly can't say that anyone in the hobby is "cheap"

Sure you can. I'm cheap. I give you permission to call me "cheap" anytime!

I have to say I somewhat agreed with him in his opinion. The reason he called me this? While I generally like GW paints, I hate paying $5 for half an ounce of paint. So I go to Walmart, buy the same shade of paint in their craft isle (88 cents for 2 ounces) and then I mix it in with the GW paint. Basically the mixture is about 85 to 90 percent GW paint, I just cut the cost a bit by adding generic craft paint with no noticeable difference in coverage.

Grashopper, you're barely scratching the surface of cheap. I'm a cheapskate when it comes to gaming and here's just a few to get you going.

1- That paint thing is kind of laughable. Just buy and use craft paint. I recommend being slightly less cheap and buying the "Delta Ceramcoat" brand that is carried at craft stores. I think it's the best of the craft paints. It's coverage and application is almost as good as model-brand paints and it's available in a HUGE variety of colors. It's bout $1.20 for a 2 oz bottle, but that's still around 8 times cheaper than GW's $5 for 0.5oz

2- Buy used minis painted crappily for pennies on the dollar. Bathe them in Purple Power for a week. Scrub. Rinse, Repeat as necessary. Elbow Grease means saved dollars.

3- Build your own terrain from junk toys and other crap. Go to Necromundicon at Ironhands.com to see the bible for this kind of terrain. Or just search for my threads here.

4- Buy all your hobby supplies from the craft/hobby store (paint, PVA, razor saw, knives, Superglue, etc) or Hardware store or Harbor Freight (superglue, Files, Flush cutters, table vise etc). You'll spend about 30% of what GW would charge you.

5-Buy a 50 pound bag of "Sand Mix" concrete at your DIY store for $5. I know it's $5 more expensive than free beach sand, but you can sift it into at least 3 different kinds of gravel as well as sand and concrete filler. All of which are useful in hobbying. Also, as-is it's a nice chunky rocky soil basing for terrain.

6- For spray Priming, look at hardware store spray paints. Usually they will have a store brand flat white or black for a buck. Test first to make sure it comes out right. You can also get big cans of Grey, dark grey and red primer an cans of very flat camo colors (from rustoleum or Krylon) for about half as much as model brand paints in cans that are about twice as big.

7- Try artists Gesso in black or white (I like the liquitex brand) for priming and Winsor Newton Galeria Acrylic Matte Varnish for easy brush-on varnishing.

One more thing about paints. Alot of folks will tell you you need miniature paints. They unfortunately don't know what they're talking about. You may have to learn how to use a bit of Matte Medium and other supplies to thin or smooth out the paints (though with Delta it really isn't usually necessary) but craft paints can be surprisingly good.

One of my buddies uses artists acrylicas exclusively. One the best painters I know uses almost nothing but Americana brand craft paints and you can see his work here:
http://mdarrow.blogspot.com
Take a look at that and tell me you honestly need miniature-brand paints.

FabricatorGeneralMike agrees with all you have said. I have been in the "Painting miniatures/models" hobby for about 30 years now (Not that horrible GW 'H-h-h-hobby which is buying GW/Citadel models to assemble using Citadel modeling supplies and Citadel glue then painting with Citadel paints then assembling Citadel models to look at and oggle over because that's why people buy them because its a 'lifestyle' luxury brand miniature not because there is a game that goes along with all that crap somewhere...-altho 30k is kinda cool ) and I'm a horrible horrible cheap bastard and damn proud of it!!!

The ONLY thing I would even consider buying at full price is Forgeworld stuff and even then with the crappy exchange rate on the Canadian Dollar $ to the British Pound £..... I'd consider other options >.<

Revel in your hobby glory OH CHEAP OP , look at the silly people who pay full price for stuff and know deep in your heart that you will have learn more about hobbying by being a DYI'er then buying stuff pre-made. ( on a side note there is the time vs cost issue, for some people who don't have a lot of time in their life and cost isn't a issue but still want to Game/Hobby/Collect etc then kits and pre-painted is a godsend and as I know all about not having hobby time FabricatorGeneralMike supports you 100% )

I'm not really sure what makes better sci-fi storage tanks than upside down pringles cans with cereal box banding.

'Cheap" used to be called resourceful, back before there was GW brand scenery.

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I'm not really sure what makes better sci-fi storage tanks than upside down pringles cans with cereal box banding.

'Cheap" used to be called resourceful, back before there was GW brand scenery.

this is an oatmeal container I made a tower out of:

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I'm not really sure what makes better sci-fi storage tanks than upside down pringles cans with cereal box banding.

'Cheap" used to be called resourceful, back before there was GW brand scenery.

heck, i even remember the 3rd edition ork kodex telling you how awesome an ork army is to collect, because you can scrapbuild your own vehicles! they even put in tutorials with pictures and all, on how you could convert an ordinary boy into a skarboy, kybork, ardboy or nob by using bitz and greenstuff and how to glue two shootataz together to make a bigshoota/rokkitlauncha... well, i guess times change

Personally, I wouldn't give a single damn about being qualified as cheap.

- I never buy GW modelling supplies, for quality/price reasons and because there are plenty other well known manufacturers in this field.
- I buy all my IG vehicles on the Internet, either by Facebook groups or other second-hand sites. Vehicles are not as much customizable as infantry, so why should I bother buying them at GW?
- I do as many conversions as possible and I try to redo my old minis.
- I buy NOS infantry whenever I can but since I need them new to make my conversions, they are the only thing I actually buy at a GW.

This policy has made me save hundreds of euros... that I used to buy nice third-party bits for my army. So not real reason to call me a cheap guy after all

 RazgrizOne wrote:
This policy has made me save hundreds of euros... that I used to buy nice third-party bits for my army. So not real reason to call me a cheap guy after all

I think of the nice description for the word "cheap" would be to use inexpensive items in a practical way to get a result near equal to any "dedicated" product.

Sense and reason.

I mean if you got a forge world primarch or such 50-60 quid character and then decided no, Il not get a accurate colour I need or oh Il use a half dead brush that's falling apart and losing bristles. Yeah.

There's being smart and then stupid. Its nit being cheap ita just being smart with spending and still doing the same job you would spending more otherwise. Its just like I us army painter as cheaper for some things and good quality. Recyvle and clean up old battered marines, yes I buy gw kits for spares to repair them but not all new. And one kit can go a long way when you use it right.

Lots of folks have talked about used 40k minis, but I just wanted to add alternate miniatures to my list of ways that I am cheap and you can be too. You don't even necessarily have to buy used.
There are dozens (perhaps hundreds) of different lines you can draw from. One of the cheapest is for those who want figs to play Infinity or some other shiny sci-fi setting. Buy a copy or two of "Sedition Wars" on amazon for $30. Each box comes woth 50 figs and scenic bases!

Nothing wrong with Wal-Mart paints (Anita's and Folk Art's premium colors are GREAT. They are generally a little pricier at $1.97 but their metallics are *bleep*ing good. )

Only ones to avoid is their light yellows and 'glitter' paints (unless your detailing.) as the coverage is awful. Yellows are about the only colors I go looking elsewhere for.

Also their glow in the darks are disappointing cause they don't last. T-T

 Eilif wrote:
Lots of folks have talked about used 40k minis, but I just wanted to add alternate miniatures to my list of ways that I am cheap and you can be too. You don't even necessarily have to buy used.
There are dozens (perhaps hundreds) of different lines you can draw from. One of the cheapest is for those who want figs to play Infinity or some other shiny sci-fi setting. Buy a copy or two of "Sedition Wars" on amazon for $30. Each box comes woth 50 figs and scenic bases!

I bought like 20 boxs of Sedition wars when they were like $14 a box at MM or CSI or both.

Asterios wrote:

 Eilif wrote:
One of the cheapest is for those who want figs to play Infinity or some other shiny sci-fi setting. Buy a copy or two of "Sedition Wars" on amazon for $30. Each box comes woth 50 figs and scenic bases!

I bought like 20 boxs of Sedition wars when they were like $14 a box at MM or CSI or both.

Wow! I bought 3 boxes at the $26-30 price. I remember being sorry I missed the super-cheap ones. I've painted up all the basic troopers and managed to almost make back the cost of the boxes selling the strain figs and game parts. I did keep a set of counters though (great for many games) and I've got enough extra bases to re-base all my marines. Someday...

What did you do with all the sets you bought?

 Kilkrazy wrote:
I like to build terrain from cheap stuff and junk rather than spend a lot of cash on ready made stuff. Especially the GW terrain pieces that while nice are very expensive.

For examle here's my gallery of building Tau structures from things like Japanese soup bowls and shampoo bottles.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-299-4981_Tau%20Scenery%20Speed%20Build.html

Seconded, the majority of my terrain is made from packing Styrofoam and cardboard. With a little spray paint and cutting, I've created some fairly decent looking destroyed buildings.

Cheap is good. Expensive isn't so good. Thus the gospel according to my wallet.



Nothing wrong with gaming and modeling on a budget, improvising and using what is on hand for projects. That inspires creativity. Encouragement of that kind, I might add, is largely absent in the game industry nowadays. There was a time when game companies were awesome about this. They (Games Workshop in particular) understood that it was all about fun. Now, it's all about "BUY OUR STUFFZ".


I'm a cheap bastard. I won't lie about it. But I really don't care how it may be perceived, since being a cheap bastard is loads of fun.

Seems like a fair bit of the issue here is GW prices, Im not really seeing to much complaining about other companies. No big surprise there though. The days of them being pretty much the only option for models or at least quality ones are long gone. Throw in a series of steady price inflation and its no wonder people are avoiding them if possible.


The longer this thread continues the more I want to make a cheap bastard contest for who can make an army out of "junk" the best. But Im not sure anyone would be interested besides me. I dunno if you might and you see this toss me a pm I guess.

Asterios wrote:
I bought like 20 boxs of Sedition wars when they were like $14 a box at MM or CSI or both.

I bought 6 when they were $20. 20 though, that's either hardcore or crazy. DId you use the miniatures for anything ?

 adamsouza wrote:

Asterios wrote:
I bought like 20 boxs of Sedition wars when they were like $14 a box at MM or CSI or both.

I bought 6 when they were $20. 20 though, that's either hardcore or crazy. DId you use the miniatures for anything ?

actually they are sitting in a tub waiting for me to get to them.

I sometimes play with a guy who has papercrafted land raiders, dreadnaughts, and a 3d printed thunderfire cannon.

Honestly, I don't mind, the papercrafted land raider actually looks pretty decent. dreadnoughts are a little 'eeeeeeh'. 3d printed artillery looks surprisingly good.

I'm not sure if that would rub some players the wrong way though.

I painted the 17 troopers from the first box http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2015/01/sedition-wars-good-deal-for-patient.html

and then my buddy painted up 34 from the second and third boxes in an identical scheme.

Then we used them as the defensive force in a large-scale (28mm instead of 15mm) "Mech Attack" game at Adepticon.
http://www.chicagoskirmishwargames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=116

I personally buy GW models, convert a lot of it, use GW and craft store brushes, mainly GW paints, but I'm trying to phase into Army Painter, and some craft paints for blue, black and white.

I can't remember the proper name for them, but they are the human worlds that have joined the Tau Empire. I was thinking of using Sedition Ward soldiers as Human Fire Warrior equivalents and Hulk Buster Armors as Crisis Suits.

 adamsouza wrote:
I can't remember the proper name for them, but they are the human worlds that have joined the Tau Empire. I was thinking of using Sedition Ward soldiers as Human Fire Warrior equivalents and Hulk Buster Armors as Crisis Suits.

That seems like a great idea to me. They're certainly a similarly shiny and smooth aesthetic to the Tau. You could probably swap in tau guns pretty easily too though the guns they have aren't bad.

The only drawback is that IMHO a few too many of them have special weapons and they don't come with extra regular rifles. I solved this by going back and later cutting off the mini-tank and grenades from the 2 grenade launcher figs to turn them into boarding shotguns. Or they can just be treated as regular rifles depending on the ruleset. No pics of this, but it's an easy mod and looks good too.

It leaves you with a nice division of figs with:
2 Heavy Weapons
2 Special Weapons (flamer-ish things)
13 Regular rifled troopers

And of course there's the gun drone and the character figs of Medic, sniper, leader and extra-heavy with exo-assistance, but for the most part they have a somewhat different look.

 adamsouza wrote:
I can't remember the proper name for them, but they are the human worlds that have joined the Tau Empire. I was thinking of using Sedition Ward soldiers as Human Fire Warrior equivalents and Hulk Buster Armors as Crisis Suits.

The Gue'vesa (Gue from what they call humans, 'vesa from "helper" - the same suffix is part of name they call drones).

Thanks Elif and Chrome Dog.

With 5 boxes worth I should be able to cobble together enough Gue'vesa with the same rifle. I was planning on going heavy on the Hulk Buster Crisis Suits. The only real hurdle that keeps me procastinating the whole project is heavy weapons for the crisis suits. I'd eather have to Ebay a ton of bits or cast my own, and I haven't felt motivated enough to do either.

Although this conversation has me thinking about it again, I should probably finish working on my nids before playing with Tau

On Saturday I went to the FLGS. I saw single-figure blisters of the new dwarfs for $30, and boxes of 10 Ironbreakers for $50.
I am NOT paying that much for anybody's figures. Period.

It could have been worse. The 8E Witches were SIXTY dollars for ten... several years ago.

And those are significantly smaller minis to boot...