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Havent been into TT gaming since I was a kid, loved it back then but never really had the money to invest into it like i wanted to... have a good amount of disposable income now that i want to sink into this hobby I plan to get into Infinity and Warmachine initially and maybe branch out into some other things eventually. Id like to really try and get good at the paining side of things... as i sucked when i was younger, didnt really know what i was doing and just tried my best copying the paint jobs i saw on the boxes/magazines lol... i didn't even thin my pain just blobbed it on straight out of he pot as accurately as i could.

Heres the shopping list Ive come up with:

Vallejo game boxed set - 72 colors, some brushes which think they are low quality ones ,can use for mixing etc
Citadel wash set
Vallejo metallic set
Windsor and newton series 7 brush - sizes 00, 1 , 2
Cheap dry brush (flat)
Citadel primer - black
Some cheap minis on ebay to practice on
Dettol - to strip badly painted if i mess up or strip poorly painted ones i acquire.

Anything missing that stands out here that i might need? or anything i should consider swapping with a better alternative?


I plan to get into airbrushing too next year, not decided which to get yet, but I want to get the brush basics down first, I guess my main question I have right now is im wondering should i go with the Vallejo game AIR set instead of the standard set since i will be thinning the vallejo stuff anyways...and can use that set for both brush painting and airbushing early next year seems like that might be the more cost effective way of doing things leaving more money to buy awesome looking minis?

I'd do any primer but Citadel. Save money and get a better primer from almost anywhere else.

I get my primer from Halford's. They don't do a black primer but do have grey, red oxide & yellow ochre.
I would look at different companies for your washes - maybe Coat D'arms.
I would also use Fairy Power Spray instead of Dettol - I find Dettol way too stinky & not had much joy compared to the Fairy spray.

as far as primers go, I've been sticking with "Army painter" primers recently. I feel I get more out of a can, and I like the results a lot better than citadel, Krylon and a few other hobby paints I'v tried.

Hobby tools, not just painting ones. Knife/files/etc. This thread is a recent one discussing some basics. I’m not sure if you want to get into wet palettes or airbrushes, but those are two more painting things to consider.

looks like a great list for starting painting.

I'm actually trying to get back into painting myself.
A few questions...

Why do people disapprove of Citadel Washes and Primer. Also, what was your price on the Vallejo Paint kit?
did you chose vallejo paints for quality or just price difference?

@Darkzephyr Personally, I love the citadel washes, the primers on the other hand, are another story.

The primers are costly and in my opinion sub-par quality. If I want to prime in color I always use army painter (it's amazing) priming in black I use krylon colorfusion flat black.

As for Vallejo, I use it to fill gaps in ranges. Being a little cheaper is nice too.

I would go for two dry brushes: both flat, one medium-small (2 to 4) and one big (10 to 14) for vehicles and terrain (although you will use sponges, too, I guess), but 00 winsor & newton may be - or become - less useful than you would think: 1 and 2 have nice points and will not dry as fast as the thin 00...

For the primer, I daresay Tamiya's is better.
I also like vallejo surface urethanic priner, both as brush on and airbrush, but it has to cure 24-48 hours to be 'stable'.

I would add to your list:

Size 0 Winsor Newton
Citadel Drybrush - Small, Medium (and Large if you're doing vehicles)
Winsor Newton Brush Cleaner & Restorer (1L)
No. 11 Hobby knife - NOT Citadel!!
Box of blades
Diagonal cutters
A set of small, regular files (make sure you get square, half-round, flat)
A set of very fine diamond files - Citadel is not bad (they're very fine), if you don't have an FLGS with alternatives
Superglue
Plastic glue
PVA (white) glue

By the way, there's nothing wrong with Citadel primer (I don't know why anyone would say it's a bad product). It's just more expensive. Formula P3 is another alternative.

I actually do not like Vallejo metallics for layering. I would buy Vallejo Gold and Silver (Silver, especially, is super bright, and useful); I like Citadel metallics more, because they are thinner, and metallics are not as easy to thin. I do not like how easily Vallejo metallics separate, and how much you have to agitate them all the time.

I loathe Game Color metallics. They feel closer to crappy craft store paints than GW's metal range. The Model Air metals, though, I love. They're a bear to mix if allowed to settle out completely, being so thin and finely pigmented, but they go on super smooth with even the thinnest coats. Getting the same effortless flow out of most other metallics means diluting until you're spreading water with some glitter floating on top. Haven't used the Model Color or Liquid Gold ranges, yet, but reviews are generally posititve.

As for primer, I'd also suggest skipping the Citadel stuff. It will work, but you have to pay out the nose for what is little more than re-branded spray paint. Better to buy cheap, generic flat enamels for plastics (I used ColorPlace, the Walmart house brand) and hardware store fare for metals (I used Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Primer, Halford's automotive primers are popular in the UK), IMO. If you get into airbrushing later, you can replace the whole lot with Vallejo's PU primers, so long as you have the patience to let them cure properly before painting.

I would also second the recommendation that you consider modeling tools, as well as painting. A knife is the bare minimum - an X-acto #1 handle with #11 blades is the standard. My files probably see the second greatest amount of use. Most hobbyists seem to prefer diamond grit files, but I find metal files superior. You can't simply scrub them on an area and expect good results like you can the "sandpaper on a stick" diamonds, but with proper technique, they're far more versatile - a good single-cut metal file can remove stock as fast as coarse grit or as slow as fine grit diamonds, but can also leave a near-mirror finish in either case.

After the knife and files, I get roughly equal use out of my razor saw and pin vice, perhaps leaning slightly toward the pin vice. I recommend a model with swappable collets - while I only occasionally need the 1/4" shank collet, I'm constantly switching between the 1/8", 1/16", and zero-closure (for my #60-80 wire guage bits). I find double-ended models uncomfortable and they still can't hold my full range of commonly used bits. A ball- or, better still, swivel-back model with a range of collets is ideal.

Razor saws are more straightforward, for most. While you can choose kerf width, blade depth, teeth per inch, and cutting stroke (push or pull), just about anything will work for the average modeler. Most go with X-acto or Zona, it seems. Others may recommend a jeweler's saw, but I wouldn't. For scrollwork and in situ cuts it's indispensible, but a razor aw is better at the straight cuts that most modeling jobs call for and is far less fiddly to use.

Lots of good advice here and things to consider, thanks guys!

A couple of follow up questions...

1) You say there isnt a black primer that halfords make, looking at their website I can see a black satin and matt black spray... are these no good for priming? I guess i should add a lighter colour to my list too for when I want to take my hand to models that use brighter colours, so i think i will pick up a grey too and one of their blacks, but not sure which of those to get.

2) One other thing i just thought of that i dont have included is a varnish to protect models once painted... any recommendations for a brand that can be bought in uk for this? Oh and nooby question here, the stuff you ise to strip minins will work just fine i f the models are varnished too right?

3) I noticed nobody has commented on wether i should go with the standard vallejo game set or game air set since i plan to get into airbrushing next year, would the latter be a better purchase?

Adding crafting knife, some glues, fairy power spray to list and switching out vallejo metalics for citadel ones.

I would second the recommendation about metallics. I would also add some high grade stainless steel ball bearings or glass beads to use as agitators in the paint bottles.

Most stainless steel (not talking surgical grade stuff, here) is rust resistant, not rust proof. Skip the ball bearings and go for stone/glass/ceramic beads or lead shot/sinkers/wheel weights for agitators, if you use them.

On followup #1: This may come down to the broad vs. narrow usage of the word "primer." A primer is a specific type of paint, formulated for superior adhesion, intended to be applied to a surface in preparation for subsequent finishing. Priming is the act of applying primer. This definition has been generalized, coming to encompass "that first coat of something you spray on a model." Plastics can be "primed" with plain old enamel spray paints, while metals general need a true "primer." Is your Halford's black a primer or a "primer?"

#2: I swear by Testors Dullcote, when it comes to matte varnish. Glosses tend to be less finicky in application and have less variety in luster across brands, so I'm less picky. I think I settled on Krylon Crystal Clear before I stopped using aerosol glosses. Once you have an airbrush (the reason why I stopped), you may want to consider switching out your aerosol gloss for whatever your current and local equivalent of Future Floor Polish is (is it still Klear in the UK?). Cheap as chips (although it doesn't taste as good ), plenty strong, sprays beautifully, and can also be used to thin paints, make washes, etc. Very handy stuff.

#3: I'm not a fan of sets, generally, but I guess they do make shopping easier. I'd suggest going for the regular paints and picking up some thinner, partly for practice (what happens down the road when you want to spray a color that doesn't come pre-thinned?), but mostly because dilution only goes one way. I like the consistency of VMA right out of the bottle for brush painting, but sometimes I do want something thicker. You can always thin a paint down, but how do you thicken it up for stippling or drybrushing?

Go Vallejo primer. That is infinitely better. Also if you are getting into airbrushing, I would seriously recommend saving up for a top end airbrush. I have a Harder and Steenbeck Silverline which is great. Never ever get a cheap airbrush because there are some features on a more expensive airbrush which makes airbrushing so much better.

For matt varnish, I swear by Army Painter's Matt finish. It's has the same matt finish as Testor's dullcoat, but it comes in a full-size spray can. I've had no issues with it since I started using it.

 WarbossDakka wrote:
Go Vallejo primer. That is infinitely better. Also if you are getting into airbrushing, I would seriously recommend saving up for a top end airbrush. I have a Harder and Steenbeck Silverline which is great. Never ever get a cheap airbrush because there are some features on a more expensive airbrush which makes airbrushing so much better.

I'll second both of the things you said

Vallejo polyurethane resin is so much easier to work with than rattle cans, not to mention you'll save enough money to pay off your airbrush in no time if you do a lot of minis. And if you live in a rainy or hot part of the world, no need to worry about the weather.

I have no idea how people can say they have a $20 airbrush and a top of the line airbrush and can barely tell the difference. It's not so much, "can this do that" (yeah, if they aren't broken, they can all basecoat and prime), but the higher end airbrushes are just so much nicer to use. Having a great trigger is makes such a difference, paint efficiency (being able to use just one or two drops) is a big deal, and ease of cleaning just makes airbrushing a lot more fun.

I bought the Vallejo Game Colour set which includes the metallics (If you are going down this route check whats included). However I wish I just bought what I needed rather than the whole set, some paints are better than others and so far I found I have a mix of the same paints so I have GW and Vallejo metallics but I only use the GW really. I use P3 Morrow White so the Vallejo doesn't get used. There are alot of the Vallejo range I haven't used in 2 years of painting. In retrospect I would have bought what I needed rather than trying to cover the future. Paints change too, like the new GW range which you may find better than what you have and therefore make your current range defunct. Just some food for thought.

Brushes-

Save yourself a couple bucks and start off with one Windsor brush, I recommend the #1. The differences between those sizes for a new painter arent big enough to warrant buying all 3.

Take some of that money and put it toward some Master's Brush Soap and Liquitex Matte Medium. You need to clean your 'star' brush regularly, and you will want the medium for thinning paints for details.