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Hi guys, I have most of the tools but I keep hearing people talking about new tools and how I need them when I get my first metal miniatures. So with that said here are the tools I currently have:

Superglue, files, hobby knife, paint, paintbrush, cutter, pva glue, primer (white and black) and i believe that about it.


Here are the tools I don't have:

Dremel, sand paper, pin vice, hobby drill and magnet, green stuff, putty, SAW, scupting tool, basing material.

Can you guys tell me what each of the above tools do and if you can tell me of any other tools I need.

Also what are people using in this video to make the base stick to the paint pot for easy painting?

YouTube- How to paint Ultramarines Space Marine part 1 by Lester Bursley

Also what other material I can use to make the base stick to the paint pot and still be able to remove it? Also is stable enough where the base don't move.

With regard to basing material, what brand do I use and where can I buy them for cheap? Do I use real sand or fake sand (same with grass, etc...)?

One more thing I would like to ask, when you paint the miniature, do you paint it before you add in the weapon and other things, or do you glue each parts in place before you paint, if so how do you paint inside the same crevice?

Lastly does SIMPLE GREEN strip paint from plastic (snap-fit figure)?


Thanks guy

wrong forum.

and get a tamiya handy drill instead of a dremel. best tool I have for assembly besides my xacto knife

Pin vice and hobby drill are probably about the same thing and absolutely useful for pinning and conversions as well as weathering/battledamage effects. Sand paper in a variety of grits - I use 200 and 400 dry paper as well as 1000 and 2000 wet/dry auto body sandpaper.

Greenstuff is a putty that's great for gap filling and sculpting, which leads me to sculpting tools. Color shapers are great to help smooth and sculpt putties and are available in a variety of firmness and shapes. I use old chopsticks that I carve with a paring knife to help sculpt stuff too. They're very effective after a little bit of sanding to shape them.

Also what are people using in this video to make the base stick to the paint pot for easy painting?

Probably poster-tack or blue-tack, used to hang posters and available in most retail/home decor stores.

As far as basing material goes, it's a big, big world. Use what looks good to you and if you can't figure out what it is, ask them. I've used dirt and sand out of the front yard or from a trip to the beach, train modelling supplies, and GW's basing materials. I have to say that I like them all, but what I use depends on the model and how the army is themed.

One more thing I would like to ask, when you paint the miniature, do you paint it before you add in the weapon and other things, or do you glue each parts in place before you paint, if so how do you paint inside the same crevice?

I personally assemble models before painting them, but that's a matter of taste. Expanding on that, most folks feel that you don't need to paint what you can't see, but others feel that even if you can't see it, it should be properly detailed. I'm a member of the former group.

Lastly does green stuff strip paint from plastic (snap-fit figure)?

Greenstuff is an epoxy putty for sculpting, not a paint remover. You're after Purple Power for that. It's a driveway degreaser available in auto parts stores or big-boxes.

Gavin answered most of your questions in his post, but there are a few points I might add.

For one, you are now correct after that edit - to strip paint from plastic models, I soak them in Simple Green for a day or two, peel off any large patches of paint that have lifted by hand, then scrub the model under running water with an old toothbrush. Helps to have a strainer or drain guard in case the glue has softened (don't want to lose an arm down the drain and things like purity seals can literally fly off when scrubbing). You may have to go at the crevices with a pin or a toothpick to scrape out the gunk that like to hide there, but it gets the job done.

Personally, I assemble most of the model before I paint, but if an arm, weapon, backpack, etc. is going to be in the way, I'll paint it separately and attach after the bulk of the work is done. I think it strikes a pretty good balance between ease of access and the continuity you get when the whole model is assembled in front of you. I also second LBursley's holding method. I stick the bases onto craft paint bottles using poster-tac/blu-tac/white-tac.

As for the tools, you have a pretty solid set already. The extra tools and supplies you have listed will serve you well, but not all are necessary. A rotary tool (like a Dremel, for instance) can be a great tool to have, generally, and you'll find uses for it in modeling, but I haven't used mine on a model yet. Whether drilling (most rotary tools are high speed and low torque, not ideal for drilling), sanding/grinding, or cutting, I'd usually rather do it by hand.

I'd highly recommend getting yourself an assortment of small drill bits (plenty of hobby sets available that have all the sizes you might need AND MORE - you decide whether it's worth it to buy a set or just find the size you need and get a few of those, as they do wear out/break) for pinning, drilling barrels and exhausts, etc. A pin vice will hold those bits, as well as being able to grip wires for twisting or small file tangs if you want a bigger handle. Oh, and I don't recommend a double-ended pin vice. Having two sizes of collets at once may sound great, but it makes applying pressure while drilling a pain. Get one with a swivel back. It lets you apply pressure with your palm while your fingers twist. Makes drilling ten times easier and gives you plenty of control during delicate operations.

A small saw is great to have for plastic models, as well as being necessary for metal. Some people recommend jeweler's saws, but I always use a razor saw, since I'm going for straight cuts anyway - save the jeweler's saw for piercework in metal. You can find razor saws in any hobby shop. The blade is thin and the teeth are fine, so you'll get clean cuts and a thin kerf, meaning easier joins and less material removed from the model. If you're going to be doing any scratchbuilding/terrain work, too, I'd also invest in a small hobby miter-box. Should only be a few bucks, and it'll make it incredibly easy to get consistently angled cuts on rods, strips, and tubes. Just make sure your saw blade is deep enough to reach the bottom! You can often find packaged sets of razor saw and miter-box, which should save you a few bucks and guarantee that the blade will reach.

Finally, "basing material" is a pretty broad category. What kind of base do you want? People use flock, clump foliage, and static grass to represent flora; sand, dirt, gravel, model railroad ballast, and the like can all be used for different types of soil and rock. Decide what you want your bases to look like and ask how to achieve that. You'll get better advice once we know exactly what you want.

Those guys covered it pretty well but i'd like to chime in and say you probably do not need any sort of powered drill. The poster above is spot on, a pin vice is so useful and while a dremel may seem like a sweet all-in-one, it's really hard to actually find a use for it.

I have a dremel but I certainly don't use it on my models... it's for handy work haha

I forgot to add two things: Round-nose jeweler's pliers for working with wire and Flatnose Toothless pliers for working with everything else. You'll want toothless to avoid leaving marks on soft metal and plastics.

A few more supplies that you'll find handy over time - I know I did:

a pack of cheap guitar strings that you can get from Wally-worldfor around $5 are useful for so many things, especially urban basing.

a few For Sale signs, small and large. It's what most folks call plasticard only much cheaper. The larger signs are generally thicker than the smaller signs and both have their uses. When I'm out of bases, I break out the compass and scissors and use model glue to stick 2 or 3 rounds together, sand down the sides once it cures and you've got as many bases as you want to make.

rare earth magnets, which were mentioned in the post above, are a boon to the modern modeller. It's fun to find uses for them. I magnetized the banner on Kantor's back so I can take it off when he get's packed up. Make sure you get the right strength and size for the job, though, and be very mindful of the polarity when gluing them in.

corkboard tiles are great for rubble, stone, and concrete basing. Also a big-box special usually found in the home-office areas in four-packs of 1'x1'.

ruler, compass, and a lined cutting mat are essential for many terrain projects in my experience. My cutting mat came with a great hobby knife and has metric and imperial units on a grid. Self-healing for all but the worst cuts and really, really makes the wife a happy woman when I'm working at the kitchen table. I'll add an architect's t-square here, too, which makes building cityscape ruins out of foamcore a cinch.

greenstuff was mentioned, but brownstuff is pretty nice to have as well. It holds lines and edges better than greenstuff, is a bit firmer, and can be mixed with gs to produce a nice in-between material. Mulliput yellow/gray is a nice putty for when you need a filler to layer gs over. It dries rock hard and is water soluble prior to curing, but is stickier than gs - almost like potter's clay.

the dollar store makes good floral moss for forest basing and i've been picking gravel out of my son's sandbox for interesting rocks.