Painting for Dummies -- What You Need

Posted by Ranillon on 26. March 2009 23:06

Just like a mechanic requires tools to fix a car if you want to paint miniatures there are some things you are going to need.  There are also other things that are darn handy to have, but which you can do without if necessary.

What you need (and I mean it):

• One standard paintbrush
• One detail paintbrush
• One drybrush paintbrush
• Hobby clippers
• Hobby knife
• Primer spray (I prefer white)
• Spray sealer
• Super glue
• A good desk lamp that can use up close
• A basic set of metal files
• The basic set of paints you’ll need to fit your chosen paint scheme
• A cup for your paint water
• Lots of napkins

What would be handy to have:

• More brushes, especially larger ones to paint vehicles
• More paints – you can never have too much paint
• A drill (hand or powered)
• Pinning rods to use with the drill
• Sculpting Tool(s)
• Modelling putty
• Jewel Saw
• Flocking Material (usually sand)
• A dremel tool (pricey, but a godsend that saves a lot of time)
• More sources of light (more light is always better)
• Multiple cups for paint water if you want to make sure that metals don’t mix with regular paints

As you can see to do even a basic job of painting you’ll need a fair amount of stuff.  Fortunately, you probably have a lot of it already on hand.  Likewise, you can get by with a minimal number of brushes and paints if you really have to, but over time I am sure you will want to get more.  Nothing is more frustrating than realizing you need a new/different brush or color of paint – and the only way to get it is an extra trip to the hobby store (longer if you have to order online).  Also understand that over time you will use up paint and brushes that’ll need to be replaced.

And, of course, none of this includes the actual models.