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Hey guys, I've finally decide to slowly get into the hobby and I'd like to ask you a few questions about the tools. Are there any widely recomended cheaper alternatives to GW's one's? As dropping 20 pounds on cutters alone is a bit to... extravagant, for my wallet. I did look around and found something like this - (I'll post the links below, can't do it in my first post) along with few other cheaper versions of hand drills, files and so on. So is ther any meaningfull diferences between these and official ones?

And also brushes, I have few basic one's from the conquest magazine, but I'm not sure if there are any that are, kind of the "essentials" for getting started. And finally, I see tutorials using "blister pack sponge" - like here at 1:40 (link below) but I can't find any place where you could just buy it. Am I missing something or are there any good alternatives there to?


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https://www.screwfix.com/p/side-diagonal-cutters-6-160mm/7381v
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RmpbNpx7iY&list=PLZdxhOCJ_0h_Ke9MbRVWVdJ9LLGKSf5Ps&index=4&t=39s

I clip with tools from the toolbox, so yeah, Screwfix is a good start.
GW's hand drills are the best I have used, but I haven't tried many.
My recent brushes are the packs from Hobbycraft (or similar shops), with size-2 brushes in it. A bit like this one:
https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/daler-rowney-gold-taklon-long-handled-brushes-10-pack/602218-1000
Everything else is from DIY and hobby shops.

The 'blisterpack sponge' is probably the same as washing up sponge. Tear a corner off one of those and see how that does.
I use the throwaway bits from foam tray cases.

If you see something for a few pennies that looks likely, try it anyway. Having a trash spare is always good.

Honestly, most of the tools and brushes you can get from any kind of hobby or art store will be equivalent to (or much better than) the GW tools and brushes, while usually being cheaper. As for the sponges, those really aren't necessary for starting out. As far as I know, those are only used in some techniques, and I've never used them in my two years in the hobby.

All of the GW/Citadel tools are massively overpriced. They're banking on the folks who'll pick them up because they're in a GW anyway and don't know any better. But really, you can get equivalent tools from DIY stores, hobby stores, ebay, Amazon etc. for a fraction of the price. For example, if you're looking at cutters - a very quick click on the first option sort of search comes up with this <LINK>. I can't speak to the quality, but that's already less than half the price of GW without even shopping around.

Note - I probably wouldn't go with the Screwfix ones in your first post - they look like a considerably chunkier type of cutter for electrical/DIY work, and the larger head might have more trouble getting into tightly packed sprues. You're better off with a smaller, narrower head design closer to the Citadel ones or the Modelcraft ones I linked.

For brushes, there's two approaches you can take that will dictate the answer.
1 - Buy good quality Kolinsky brushes and look after them (e.g. Winsor & Newton Series 7, Raphael 8404, Rosemary & Co Series 33, decent brush soap etc.). Even those sorts of brushes are cheaper than the Citadel ones, and will last ages with proper care.
or...
2 - Buy multipacks of dirt cheap synthetic brushes, and don't care that they fray and hook because you got a dozen for a fiver - treat them as disposable.

The pluck foam from carry cases is also good to keep for stippling and blending

You're in the UK - Hobbycraft also carries a good range of hobby tools. A decent model railway/RC shop will have them too, plus lots of cheaper model railway sand, trees, cork bark, flock/static grass etc.

Home Depot - You probably have something in the UK similar, its our home improvement store. Buy wood, foam, concrete, tile, plumbing. I've found that most of the arts and crafts stuff can be bought here in bulk for the same price as the artsy places tiny sizes and the tools are like $3 and work perfectly fine.

Ok, I've got some normal brushes lying around the house and I guess its not the best idea to get 10 pound brushes for the first time. I'll just end up messing them up, so I might as well go trought the crappy ones I allready have first. Get some hang of it, see how it goes.

Yeah, I was also a worried about the size of those clippers. I looked around a little more and honestly, if I'm going to go for something better/thinner I might as well pick one from Element Games. I'll be buying most of my stuff there anyway and the price(when shipping is included) is about the same. Like one of these for example:
https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/tools/toolsap/army-painter-tools/tool-plastic-cutter
https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/tools/toolsap/gale-force-9-tools/premium-5-flush-cutter

I forgot to ask about the knife, but I think I'll go with the Xacto anyway, its relatively cheap and well regarded. As for the sponge I know its not essential, but I really like the effect shown on that DG video I linked. The way it gives of the chipping on the armor, that's the kind of effect I want to go for. That said buying carry cases, just to gut them of the foam, doesn't seem like the most economical option.x) I'll check out the kinds of foams and sponges mentioned above.

Oh and few(hopefully) last questions, about priming, is it ok to use primers meant for airbrushing with a normal brush? I'm specifically looking at the Vallejo Surface Primers. Is any old glue is fine? There is nothing special about the hobby ones? And fianlly are there two the same thing, just in a difrent bottle?
https://elementgames.co.uk/games-workshop/citadel-games-workshop-paints/citadel-technical/technical-ardcoat-24ml
https://elementgames.co.uk/games-workshop/citadel-games-workshop-paints/citadel-technical/citadel-technical-ardcoat

I can fully agree to not bother with 95% of GW's tools. There are a few which are decent; the paint handles get a good review from a lot of folks, but generally speaking...skip the rest.

For brushes, I'd actually go for a mid-grade brush. You get 80% of the brush for 40% of the price, but you're not using bargain-basement stuff. In the US we have some decent IMEX style brushes or in the UK you can consider Rosemary and Co. (which are actually really damn nice brushes, just not super expensive).

You'll want to go to Watercolor brushes ---> Pure Kolinsky Sable ----> No.33 style, or similar:

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/pure-kolinsky-sable/pure-kolinsky-pointed

If you're brand new to painting, then indeed go with a few cheaper brushes (as you're likely to destroy several as you figure out how to paint, etc.).

One place I would not skimp if you're going to be doing a lot of model work is clippers. If you get a good pair of clippers, they can remove a LOT of clean up work that comes from bulkier/general purpose tools. Xuron, for instances makes a very precise and fine cutting/flat sided pair of clippers.



Spend the $10-15 bucks on a good set of clippers - they can be a life saver. Also note how tiny the tips of these clippers are - that allows you to get the clippers into spaces on sprues that bulkier tools can't get to. This will save you a friggin' lifetime of cleanup and frustration.

Other tools and junk? Here's a link to a post I made on my blog a few years back for starting/re-entering the hobby:

http://myminiaturemischief.blogspot.com/2016/06/getting-started-tools.html

Tools are definitely cheaper. There is a cheaper alternative for pretty much all GW stuff. You're paying for the brand. All tools can be found cheaper. If you want cheap brushes, you can get pro arte, cass art sable, or Windsor newton cottmans for about £3.50 a pop.


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Also if you want to use sponge for weathering.. Buy a car sponge. Will cost pennies, and last a lifetime cos they're massive.

Get stainless steel manicure clippers. They're small, sharp and precise and curved slightly, makes them awesome at cutting things from sprues.

The issue is I'm trying to spend as little as possible right now and I'd like to avoid buying from Amazon, and for xuron, wich do indeed seem to be quite good, that's the best place to get them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xuron-170-II-Micro-Shear-Flush-Cutter/dp/B000IBSFAI/ref=asc_df_B000IBSFAI/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=271967412945&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2583818415073693411&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045503&hvtargid=pla-435531736464&psc=1

If I'll buckle and decide to go with amazon, than I'll pick those for sure and thank you for the blog post, its a really straight forward summary.

For the sponge, I think the blister pack one has a diferent, more punctured stucture wich wich would yield a better effect. Tho mayby that's just my perception, I can't remeber the last time I saw the blister sponge live.

The manicure clippers look good, but I'm a little worried that the curve you've mentioned would lead to leaving a bit of a seem as it looks like you can really put them straight again a flat surface.


Also, I found this tutorial(link below) wich seems to lead to a very nice metal effect, but it uses a glaze wich is no longer among us. So if I were to try and follow this guide now could I just use a contrast paint of a colour I'd choose?

https://30mm-madness.com/2016/02/

Yeah, if you're on a real budget, any clippers will do. But the difference between $3-10 for something you'll be using for years...may be worth splurging on one or two tools. Visit an art store and see what other options are out there? Maybe there's a company doing something similar for dirt cheap.

I tend to use blister foam for sponging, but I run out - because of how rare blisters are nowadays. I have a mix of random foams I screw around with.

You get the blister sponge in forge world boxes. But really there's no discernible difference between that and a regular bath sponge. You're putting random chips on a paint job.. How precise does it need to be? I've used torn up toilet paper to make chips before. It's not a strict science.

You may not discern a difference, but I do. I have a variety of sponges, and they do perform differently. Use whatever makes you happy.

The only GW tool I strongly recommend as being yards better than any other easily available alternative is the mould line tool, which I think is just great. It's not strictly necessary if you have a scalpel/xacto, but it's saved me a LOT of misery for buck.

Btw you can keep even cheap brushes in good nick for longer by using a dab of shampoo to rinse and leaving a dab of conditioner to restore the bristles on for a while after. The Conquest ones - apart from the very first - are a good start.

I'm planning on upgrading to the God Hand, but i buy clippers once every 30 years so I think it's worth it.

God Hand Ultimate Nipper 5.0 Plastic model Tools for GH-SPN-120 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MUGEO9X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_-w0yDb4573A0Z

I got lucky and the Xuron 170 II I linked before was just put on ebay at the same price with free shipping, so I ended up grabbing one, should arive today.

Oh that explains where people are getting it from, I was planning on getting some of the FW stuff at some point, but I'm a little bit scared of messing with resin and those prices... I'll see how badly I'll need it and look around for some alternatives on the buck.

I also heard that the mould line remover is usefull, but for now its kind of a luxurity item for me. I also saw that people recomend buying those curved, sickle like blades for the x-acto the can serve the same function. I'll look into that if it turns the be really needed. And thank you for those brush tips I'll keep them in mind, tho sadly the first conquest brushes are the only ones I have.x)

The God Hand does look quite sexy, but.... it costs almost as much as I've spent on everthing so far combined, so I'll have to pass on that one for now.x)

Oh and of course, thank you all for all your help.

You do have to consider the idea that buying the right tool at the start means you don't struggle for a year or so with an inferior tool before buying the good one anyway. You'll most likely only ever need one set of clippers, if you buy a relatively good one. This does not necessarily mean the GW one, which do have a markup for the brand, however they are the ones I have and to be honest they are great quality. They're well made and sturdy. Sponges are just sponges. Blisterpack sponge tends to be pretty fine. Do you have an old sponge you can cut up and use?

Brushes are an interesting one. I always cringe when I see the advice to just buy 10-for-a-pound packs. If you want to paint well, your brush is by far your most important tool. A great painter will be able to produce a stunning paintjob with a crappy brush, but for the rest of us using something like that is only making life difficult for yourself. Having said that, I would steer clear of the GW brushes. In my experience they're pretty awful brushes. They fray quickly and never go back to having a nice point. The bristles are too soft and go floppy. I hear the artisan brushes are good, but they they are essentially Windsor and Newton Series 7, which you can get for much cheaper. Here they are from a non-amazon place, reduced from the RRP but still pretty pricey for a first brush - https://www.artsupplies.co.uk/brushes-series-7-kolinsky-watercolour-brush.htm

Rosemary & Co are also very well-regarded, their Series 33 are good. https://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/pure-kolinsky-sable/pure-kolinsky-pointed Quite a bit cheaper, generally good quality, and a solid choice for anyone starting out. I've had a number of them and they're pretty good, although I personally prefer the Windsor and Newtons. For Gods sake get the short-handled version. I accidentally bought the long-handles and I poked myself in the ear every time I painted any details. Someone bought me a Da Vinci Maestro series 10 brush, and to be honest it's been the brush I've used for pretty much everything for about four months. It's a lovely brush. I've only ever had one of them so I don't know if the quality varies. https://www.jacksonsart.com/da-vinci-maestro-tobolsky-kolinsky-red-sable-series-10-size-1 I bought a Windsor and Newton Galeria size 1 brush yesterday as I saw it in my local games store and fancied trying a good synthetic brush, and so far it's really nice. Quite cheap too. https://www.jacksonsart.com/winsor-newton-galeria-brushes

So, having given you far too much to choose from, I shall ride off into the sunset. It's worth noting that no brush will last forever, no matter how careful you are with it, and some brushes are just terrible right from the start, even some of the more expensive ones! I tend to go through brushes quite quickly, and just order more W&N ones at eye-watering expense but that is mainly because I paint like mad and have poor impulse control when browsing online art stores late at night. I had to really clench every part of my body hard to avoid buying things from those links I posted.