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Hi! So I was thinking about getting the Dark Vengeance set to start playing Warhammer 40k...bit I was wondering how much the paints and brushes will cost to paint all the soldiers...

Depends how well you want to do it.

You can probably get away with 20 paints, 2 rattle cans of primer and 3 brushes.

So <$100

Check eBay I picked up 20 GW paints that were barely touched super cheap

100 $ for a decent paint job!!?
Guess that just the life if a 40k-er...

Um NO it should not cost you anywhere near $100

If your starting out there is NO REASON to buy Windsor & Newton or Raphael paintbrushes. Get yourself something decent at Hobby Lobby that is still Sabol for like $3 heck get 2. (look for something in a 1 round) its going to be your general 95% of the time brush. If you want get something in the 0/2 range or a flat for other work and dry brushing.

Paints..... If you buy GW paints you are going to spend big money.

Vallejo Game Color is based color-wise on last generation of GW paints, They run about $2.75 to $3.50 a pot depending where you buy them. Most online wargaming stores carry them.

Krylon primer works just fine, at $3 a can (unless you want to throw $20 or however much GW "primer" is these days out the window).

So lets say 2 brushes at $10 total, add I dont know lets say 15 paints at $45 cuz why not at $3 and 2x rattle cans of primer. $6

I come up with about $60 and that will keep you in business for a good long time.

Heck you can even use the savings to get some brush soap (masters at $8 on amazon) and some extra models and still be under $100.

I agree with the above. Remember, you won't use up most of the colors you purchase so you will have paints for the future. Unless the pot dries out or it is the main color of an army they last a long time.

Darefsky, I would just like to point out that the person who estimated the starting gear being ~$100 is Australian. We get shafted on everything. Even paints and brushes.


As an aside he's being a bit conservative in his estimations.

Lets say you're buying GW paints and brushes. (Stupid yes. But it works for this example.)

You can probably get away with 20 paints, 2 rattle cans of primer and 3 brushes.

-Basecoast, Standard and Fine Detail brush: $10, $9 and $8 respectively.
-Spray "primer" (black/white/combination there of.) : $26 each.
-20 various paints: $6 each.

Totals - (10+9+8=27) + (26+26=52) + (6x20=120) = $199Aud.


Now i've gone for the 3 brushes I feel like would be most useful for a newbie and if you want the coloured "primer" then add an extra $2 per can.
And of course, GW want you to buy their ridiculous paint bundles. The Dark Angels bundle has 35 paints and costs $210, Crimson Slaughter bundle has 34 paints and costs $204. Which would bring the grand total up to $493.

Paints and brushes are an investment. Honestly, you can use a single pot for years (provided it doesn't dry out). I bought 3 sets of Reaper Master Series 5 years ago and haven't even used up 1/3 of the paints at this point....and I paint/strip/repaint mini's a LOT.

Brushes will last quite a while if you take care of them. This means rinsing in a 2 water pot system (1 to remove paint, then 1 to wash) when painting and occasionally soaking the brushes in Simple Green to remove any vestige of dried paint. With proper care brushes can and should last for years, provided you aren't using them to aggressively drybrush entire models.

 Snrub wrote:
Darefsky, I would just like to point out that the person who estimated the starting gear being ~$100 is Australian. We get shafted on everything. Even paints and brushes.


As an aside he's being a bit conservative in his estimations.

Lets say you're buying GW paints and brushes. (Stupid yes. But it works for this example.)

You can probably get away with 20 paints, 2 rattle cans of primer and 3 brushes.

-Basecoast, Standard and Fine Detail brush: $10, $9 and $8 respectively.
-Spray "primer" (black/white/combination there of.) : $26 each.
-20 various paints: $6 each.

Totals - (10+9+8=27) + (26+26=52) + (6x20=120) = $199Aud.


Now i've gone for the 3 brushes I feel like would be most useful for a newbie and if you want the coloured "primer" then add an extra $2 per can.
And of course, GW want you to buy their ridiculous paint bundles. The Dark Angels bundle has 35 paints and costs $210, Crimson Slaughter bundle has 34 paints and costs $204. Which would bring the grand total up to $493.

Sometimes I wonder if GW actually still view Australia as a market - or if they just see it as a place to screw with to see how many people are still that hard up to buy from them...

Granted, being GW - they probably don't believe in new fangled things like canals...so they are shipping everything on a slow boat around Cape Horn.

Get the armypainter starterset (ebay), and a set of cheap brushes to learn on, and a can of primer from your local walmart. $30 or so startup cost

Just another day in Australia

kb_lock wrote:
Just another day in Australia

That;s what you get for living on an amazingly beautiful continent where everything tries to kill you.