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Hi guys, I'm looking for an quick and easy basing solution for my minis and was thinking of picking some of GW texture paints up. Anyone have experience with them? How are they? Is it easy to use? And are they all the same texture but different colour? I'm thinking of picking up either astrogranite or blackfire earth.

Thanks for the help!

Easy to use, spreads on like gritty peanut butter.

All the same texture, different colors.

I personally prefer heavy flock that I paint myself, but the texture paints are a good way to quickly base models, especially if you already glued them to the base and/or painted them.

Its runs out fast though, only getting you 10 or so models worth of basing, depending on thickness. And its expensive.

They're good but expensive. You have to apply it quite thick (0.5 to 1mm or so) to get a good effect. I just slop it on with a knife or sculpting tool (don't waste your brushes) then use a pin to stir it up on the base to create more texture.

Because you apply it so thick, it doesn't last long. I think I get about 20-30 regular infantry bases, but if I have to do something larger like a monster or a chariot then it goes down quickly.

There are cheaper alternatives, but I do like GW's offering more.

Ah thanks for the replies guys! The cost isn't too bad I guess since I'll be using it to base my infinity armies; that's about 20 or so minis lol not a huge 40k army or something. But good to keep in mind, thanks.

A couple more questions. Is the stuff durable? Will it come off easily? Should I varnish it or protect it somehow?

Look at getting artists modelling mediums. You get them in larger quantities than the GW products for not much more monies..

Its pretty durable. Havent seen any of my friend's (who uses it exclusively) bases crack or chip yet.

Any that you recommend? I see vallejo has some stone effect paste stuff. Is that what you mean? I can't tell which one would be closest to the GW effect though hm.

Thanks for the info Gragga! Good to hear. I might try some out.

In my mind, the texture paints are too THIN and not gritty enough. You really have to slop it on very thick to get any kind of texture going. If you just paint it on, you'll get mostly color with a few grains of sand in it.

I use it for mud on the wheels and bottom of my vehicles, personally. I think it works pretty good for that effect. I was considering using it for basing until I saw how it worked. You'd have to just cake it on so thick I'd be worried about covering the feet of my models. I decided to stick with using the ballast I've been using for years.

They're designed as an alternative for easy basing. As far as that goes, the browns and greys (like mud and astrogranite) are really easy to apply and look good after. The snow, not so much (I don't think it looks believable).

However, it's an awfully expensive way to base a lot of models. You go through it quickly (because the consistency is thick, and gritty). I think PVA glue and sand or ballast look just as good, and a large $15 size of ballast from woodland scenic will last you for hundreds of 28/40mm bases.

Even with the colored texture paint, you need to paint, wash, and drybrush, and you still need to add rocks, static grass, tufts, and debris if you want it to look like more than just a texturized base.

It really helps to have the right kind of tools for applying it. You pretty much need a spade tool like what they've got in the sculpting tool set to apply it properly because a Brush is gonna do it too thin and even then you'll totally destroy the brush in the process.

I've used a lot of it on my models. It's very durable in my experiences. I haven't had any chipping to speak of on the models I've used it on.

I still feel there's better ways to do basing, but if your guy is already attached to the base it's quite good. It's okay if a bit gets on the guy's feet, makes it look like muddy boots.

This PDF is in French.
But the products are the same ones I was thinking of.

http://lascaux.ch/pdf/fr/produkte/malhilfen/malhilfen_franzoesisch.pdf

At my local Arts supply store they have a kit of 6x50ml bottles and jars of mediums for 198 NOK. Around 35 $.
This is more than enough to last me with my hobby habits for years and years to come..

It's modelling paste A,B,C and Structura Natural I'd look into. And the gels can be used for water effects. Again FAR cheaper than most options I have found so far..

 ckig wrote:
Any that you recommend? I see vallejo has some stone effect paste stuff. Is that what you mean?

Vallejo has a number of different ones, some varying solely in color and others in both color and grit. There are also even more common alternatives - Liquitex, Golden, etc. all sell various grits. They aren't generally colored (white grit, clear or white medium), but can easily be tinted with the addition of paint or simply painted over. I have both Liquitex Ceramic Stucco (good for general fine texture) and White Opaque Flakes (can be painted up to look like dense leaf fall, shale, piles of coins...). Both seem pretty resilient - stronger than PVA and sand, IMO, as the grit is generally more evenly distributed in the slightly flexible acrylic matrix than most people's "spread glue and dunk in sand" results would be. Definitely cheaper per unit of volume than GW's. I consider the non-colored nature a perk, as it's more flexible than being locked into a single color. Not quite as convenient for "spread and done" basing, but mixing in a little color or slapping down a quick layer of paint is a small price to pay, I'd say.

Definitely agree with earlier posters on the "don't bother with a brush" point. These pastes/paints need to be applied relatively thickly to leave anything but gritty streaks. You get a much better effect and have an easier time cleaning up if you apply it with some sort of flat tool - a sculpting tool for small applications or a putty/palette knife for larger ones. Cheap, coarse chip brushes can still come in handy as stippling tools to "break up" lingering ridges from spreading - just mash them with moderate pressure once the layer has started to set, but has yet to really cure.

All of the shades seem too light for me.
I'd rather they were darker so I could drybrush up from there.

But then you'd have no reason to purchase a Citadel Shade!

Touche GW, touche.

Mix a little dap of paint in them if need be.
Or paint over them.

I think they work well. Paint over them or use a wash when done and some drybrushing works well. You can also add flock after if you like.

Can you just mix sand with some regular paint and get a similar effect? I'm thinking of basing my Dark Eldar warriors so it looks like they're stalking through blood soaked ground, planning to mix some blood red with sand. Would that work?

 TheSilo wrote:
Can you just mix sand with some regular paint and get a similar effect? I'm thinking of basing my Dark Eldar warriors so it looks like they're stalking through blood soaked ground, planning to mix some blood red with sand. Would that work?

I think you're better off applying pva glue to the base, dipping it in sand, and painting it afterwards. I have never tried to add grit to paint, but I think it would be too thin. If you look at the GW texture paints, they are thick like gel.

Although if you want to do blood soaked sand and dont want just "red sand", base and paint with regular sand, then splatter some "Blood for the blood god" technical on it like that guy shows in the GW video (stipple brush, run your finger over it to "fling" the paint onto the model) would prolly look pretty neat

For my Elysians I bought golden medium texture & mixed it with tan & yellow to make sand bases. Then used gf9 desert grass.