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The Black Reach set is in the mail, and I'm hoping to get it soon. I wasn't going to paint it, but parents took a trip to Hawaii and can grab some paints from there so I put together a list of all the paints I'll need and the brushes.

I was hoping people with more experience could comment on it and see if I have what I need. My two main goals are to get it decently painted to maybe just under tabletop quality and not to spend a whole lot of money just yet. My budget for this is about $60 - $80.

Here's the list:

Ultramarines (yeah, I know, but I loved the movie and it got me into the hobby so I'll roll with them for a while)
- Mordrian Blue
- Ultramarines Blue
- Skull White
- Blood Red
- Boltgun Metal
- Shining Gold
- Badab Black

Orks
- Chaos Black
- Orkhide Shade
- Goblin Green
- Bleached Bone
- Scorched Brown
- Red Gore

Brushes
- Citadel dry brush
- Citadel standard brush
- Citadel fine detail brush

I can probably get some krylon spray paint to prime it locally, but I've seen a few tutorials that say you can paint straight on to the model so I might go with that to see how it works out.

For the UM, I'm going to base with the Mordrian Blue then wash with Badab Black. I'm not buying the actual wash, I'll just thin the paint with water for the wash to save money. I'll use Skull White for the emblems and the Aquila and then drybrush Shining Gold on the Aquila. Boltgun Metal for the guns and other bits and Blood Red for the eyes.

For the Orks, I'll base with Orkhide Shade and then wash with Badab Black. Goblin Green to highlight/dry brush. Scorched brown for the leather parts, Bleached Bone for the teeth and Red Gore for the eyes. The metal pieces I'll use Boltgun Metal again.

I'm also going to try and extend the colors by, for example, mixing some Scorched Brown with Bleached Bone to get a light parchment color and thin the Blood Red or Red Gore for the melted wax parts.

Comments and Criticism are welcome.

Nah, order some Grey Primer first. Makes things much easier.

Popsicle wrote:Nah, order some Grey Primer first. Makes things much easier.

I would, but painting primer is going to take a while and I'm not sure if they'll get hassled by TSA for taking spray primer in checked luggage.

Then again, would regular Krylon spray primer work? I can get that here, but I'm worried it might go on too thick.

For the orks what about a thraka green wash? Also maybe devlan mud if you want easy, instant shadows or highlights on cloth.
Plus, for dry brushing, if you really want to save money, you could buy some cheaper brushes and if need be trim the bristles a little.

Oh, and if your planning on painting most/all the BR models, spray primer would be alot cheaper and efficent.

Bloodfever wrote:For the orks what about a thraka green wash? Also maybe devlan mud if you want easy, instant shadows.
Plus, for dry brushing, if you really want to save money, you could buy some cheaper brushes and if need be trim the bristles a little.

I was thinking about both of those colors, but I was going to try and stretch the Badab Black for the wash on both and mix it with some Orkhide Green to get a bit of shade. That brings up another question though: would this be enough for the entire Black Reach set or should I buy multiple pots of the base colors?

The brushes are the one thing I'd rather not skimp on too much. The consensus seems to be that the Citadel brushes are a good middle-of-the-road solution, i.e. not as expensive as the Reaper Kolinsky's but still pretty good.

Why do you need to get the paint from Hawaii, though? You can order paint online from several discount stores and have it delivered to your home. Same with Primer.

kronk wrote:Why do you need to get the paint from Hawaii, though? You can order paint online from several discount stores and have it delivered to your home. Same with Primer.

I live in American Samoa, and we're considered an international destination so USPS won't ship some things here. I got the Black Reach set on Amazon and had to get it delivered to my brother in Hawaii.

The Black Reach set was delivered today. So, I've got a window of opportunity here since my folks can just grab the paints/brushes while they're up there and bring the whole lot when they fly back.

sailense wrote:[
Then again, would regular Krylon spray primer work? I can get that here, but I'm worried it might go on too thick.

It will be just fine. I use hardware store primers like Krylon all the time. They may be a bit thicker than specialized miniatures primer, but technique will allow a good finish.

Dont try to paint without primer, the bare plastic wont take brush on paints well.

Heres some tips for using any kind of spray paint:

1) test it and get your distance right...usually about 8-12 inches from what your spraying.

2) start spraying before your model, sweep across and past it. Holding the can still is the major cause of runs and excess thickness, along with being too close.

3) shake it very, very well before use, and after every minute or so of use.

4) spray a piece of cardboard or something before each use, it takes a couple seconds before the proper mix of paint gets to the nozzle

That should get you going well.

You can order from somewhere like http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/ and get free international shipping on orders over £10

Personally I suggest getting the washes, especially the green (for the orks) the blue (for the marines) and the devlan "miracle" mud.

This will give you plenty of definition just using a single lighter colour of paint underneath (plain green or blue for example).

It is also quick and easy.

sailense wrote:
I live in American Samoa, and we're considered an international destination so USPS won't ship some things here. I got the Black Reach set on Amazon and had to get it delivered to my brother in Hawaii.

Look into ordering from Japan. They should be able to ship you anything you need. I believe things leave Japan on their own carriers and dont get to USPS carriers until they hit US soil. Same with most any other foreign order. Im just guessing Japan is closest to you.

Mad4Minis wrote:
It will be just fine. I use hardware store primers like Krylon all the time. They may be a bit thicker than specialized miniatures primer, but technique will allow a good finish.

Thanks for the tips. I'll grab a can and try some experiments to get the technique down.

SilverMK2 wrote:You can order from somewhere like http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/ and get free international shipping on orders over £10

Personally I suggest getting the washes, especially the green (for the orks) the blue (for the marines) and the devlan "miracle" mud.

International Shipping comes through Australia/NZ and takes about 3 months. A fair option, but the wait would be maddening.

However, I think I'll add the washes to the list: Devlan Mud, Asurmen Blue, and Thraka Green. Thanks for the tip.

Mad4Minis wrote:Look into ordering from Japan. They should be able to ship you anything you need. I believe things leave Japan on their own carriers and dont get to USPS carriers until they hit US soil. Same with most any other foreign order. Im just guessing Japan is closest to you.

There's no direct shipping to here from Japan, so everything would go through Hawaii or Guam. Especially since we have a US address and Zip Code.

Wow, you really live in the arse end of nowhere

SilverMK2 wrote:Wow, you really live in the arse end of nowhere

LoL, aye. I also managed to pick a hobby that requires some creative logistics. I guess if it was easy, it wouldn't be worth it.

I see. Best of luck, then.

I also use the Krylon spray primers. Make sure it says flat black or flat white. It works fine for me.

OK, first some issues that can get your folks into some serious trouble:
Spray can of ANY kind on an airliner: HUGE Federal no-no. If they try to sneak it through in their luggage it wil get caught. If for some stange reason it makes it into the cargo hold, the can stands a good chance of detonation as the plane climbs in altitude. At best all their clothes are destroyed. At worst it can damage the plane, damage flight controls, or even bring the plane down (Google "florida value jet crash").
As for the paint-pots...same type of issue. Paint itself is listed in the CFR49 (Code of Federal Regulations Chap 49...which is about 1319 pages long) as ID# UN3066, packing group 2 or 3, hazmat class 8 (flammable), and may only be carried in passenger aircraft in quantities of less than 1 Liter. Inner package MUST be packaged in an outer package (cardboard box) with absorption material.

That is why the USPS is such a pain. They don't do HAZMAT very well unless its shipped under a bulk general use code.
The best way around this would be your shipping option through OZ or NZ. But if your going that route I suggest you make it a large enough order to keep you going awhile. Also consider if you have a buddy who wants to get into the game (get him to buy an AOBR set and then you 2 trade parts so 1 of you has marines, the other Orks).
You can also check at a local craft stores to see if they already carry acrylic paints under a different brand (Apple Barrel and Folk Arts are 2 in the US...less expensive and you get about 4 times as much paint in each bottle).

Sorry to get all technical on you...One of my collateral jobs is the HAZMAT Certifier for shipping material. Just trying to keep your folks out of jail.

dkellyj wrote:OK, first some issues that can get your folks into some serious trouble

Thanks for the heads up. I knew the spray cans were a definite no-go, but I didn't know about the paint itself.

However, thanks to your post, I checked the TSA regulations for acrylic paints, and they come under the non-flammable liquid paint section, so they're ok to be carried in checked baggage.

Although, just to be safe, I've emailed games workshop for the MSDS on their Citadel and Foundation paints so they can print it out and present it if they need to.

Again, thanks for the info.

I think you should consider Vallejo because they are easier to mix and if you mix you don't need to get a lot of paint (5 colors are minimum red, yellow, blue, white and black)

Vallejos air metallics are really good due to finer pigment which makes them less climpy as normal metallic paint.

Just got the MSDS from Games Workshop. The paints are listed as non-flammable and not classified as dangerous for transport, so I'm good to go.

If anyone needs the MSDS, send me a PM.