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Hi all I'm looking to buy the newest 40k starter set (http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat470005a&prodId=prod1490027a) after deciding to get back into gaming. As its been years what extras ie extra paints/spray do you recommend I buy?
The set includes:
5 Plastic Space Marines
1 Starter Brush
1 Space Marine Painting Guide
1 pot of Mephiston Red
1 pot of Agrax Earthshade
1 pot of Caliban Green
1 pot of Leadbelcher
1 pot of Ulthuan Grey
1 pot of Ushabti Bone
1 pot of Mournfang Brown
1 pot of Imperial Primer

Thanks!

You're saving yourself about 15 GBP for buying the set. Of all the items in it, I'd say the brush and imperial primer are not worth it. Arguably, the marines are over priced as well.

If this is your first time painting, you'll want to use a lower quality brush to allow for mistakes and abuse on the brush, without fear of great loss.

Imperial Primer is a spot primer, but it's odd to apply. A can of primer will do you better, and is easier to apply.

The marines are snap fit, don't come with extra bitz, and are bolter marines; buying pieces of the Dark Vengeance set is cheaper, and nets you plasma guns/cannons/pistols.

So basically, I wouldn't get it. However, if you can make use of the entire box, it's worth it. I still dislike Imperial primer, so I recommend picking up a can of black spray primer.

Excellent advice from Shadelkan, and I'll only add that you might want some glue (Plastic glue or super glue) - the marines will snap-fit together so it's not essential but you'll need glue for other models.

You can also find such glues (particularly super glue) for cheaper than GW sells in most DIY / General goods stores.

Plastic cement such as the Testors plastic cement also works well, and so does the glue that comes in gel form that comes in the bottles that let you control the amount squeezed out.

Yes, you should definitely find some cheap brushes. I have wasted too much money on expensive GW brushes only to ruin them with my great (lack of) brush care.

How devoted are you to the idea of using GW paints?
For alternatives, I would recommend a starter paint set like this one. 9 paints, 1 ink, and 1 brush for $22. Then you can buy some marines for dirt cheap from Ebay, or just ask around at the FLGS if anyone has any models gathering dust in their bits box.

Hrm. That's $40 for a collection of paints and 5 models.

It's cheap but you are getting what you pay for. I don't know how to build a useful painting kit out of that.

Think about the other things you are going to need to get. Black and white are not included, for example. There's no detail brush, you are going to want to do edge highlights on your models (which I believe the instructions will call for). They paints are in a Dark Angels scheme.

If I had to do it all over again, I would skip buying things like this and invest in tools that are good for the job.

- Windsor Newton brushes last a lot longer, keep a better tip, etc. For every 4 GW brushes I ever bought, I got one WN. The cost per brush is not that much different.

- GW paints are not really that good with airbrushes. I get a lot more traction with Minitaire these days - http://www.minitaire.com. The cost for each color is a lot cheaper than GW, and I can do so much more with them. GW gives you about 0.4 ounces of paint per pot, Minitaire gives you a full ounce at a lower price. They have direct comparisons with most of the GW line.

- GW basing materials, glues, etc are a rip off. I get stuff from the hardware store for about 20% of the cost.