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Hi people. Is it really necessary to have a specialized tool to do the base of your models ? I was thinking about using a popsicle stick to be honest. What are the advantage to use a GW texture tool ?

I've never even heard of a 'texture tool', so no, it's not neccessary. GW just like to give everything a silly name so they can tm stuff.

Get a Tamiya paint stirrer (comes in a two-pack, stainless so it washes off easily). In short, no you don't need special tools. You can also buy a pack of plastic sculpting tools for dirt cheap at any craft store if your popsicle stick doesn't work.

As others said some sculpting tools made of plastic or even metal can be bought fairly cheap in a shop that caters to people working with clay.

If you just want to spread stuff, get a metal spatual and rinse after use.

I've been using tooth picks for all of my basing. Vallejo Grey Pumice spread with a little stick. Works pretty well!

as mentioned, no

I use everything from a spoon, sculpting tools, a popsickle stick, a coffee stirrer, an old brush, to my fingers. And there's surely some 'tools' I missed experiment with such tools too - it can be very instructive and fun!

A paintbrush that you don't like very much works well, too.

One thing I learned from frosting cakes and cookies is that an offset spatula, while not necessary, is very nice. Smearing a flock paste on bases is not that different. I picked up a diamond shaped paint scraper type tool. Not sure what it’s supposed to be used for. Oil paints on canvas I think. But it does my job as well.

It’s the wood handled one on the lower left, only cost a few bucks. Well worth it IMHO.

I have a sculpting tool for when I need to poke things (I like making/using rocky bases and it helps push grass tufts into indents and gaps between the rocks to make it look like its growing out from between them) and that's about it really.

I have a small crafting trowel that I use for applying my Pumice Gel on bases that get it.

I have a few sculpting tools and whatnot but for the most part I just use old knife blades that are too blunt for regular cutting work.

Coffee stirring sticks, offcuts of plastic card, bits of sprue, cocktail sticks, anything to hand really, don't see the need for anything special, prefer the disposable really

You mainly just want something thin (to get around the model itself) and flat (to smear the material on), something like icy pole sticks are too thick and cocktail sticks don't spread well. You could possibly just sharpen off the edge of an icy pole stick and make it work. I've made lots of random useful tools just by whittling icy pole sticks down to useful shapes.