Merv finds the size the most challenging and this is the scale he prefers. Click images to enlarge Merv is a retired builder with a hobby like no other.
Merv proudly shows his miniatures to whomever shows an interest and many of his works are given as gifts, lovingly displayed in toolbox cases boxes made from Red Cedar or Maple. Many of Merv's tools are available for purchase in large or small sets. See here for more details. With their unique shapes made for specific tasks, they do a lot of the work for you. When you are stepping up in skill, you want to aim for a natural hair Sable Brush set.
Obviously, in order to paint miniatures, you need paint. But then how would you know which miniatures are on which players side? There are various brands. Other ranges such as Army Painter and Privateer Press are also great considerations. The most lauded range is Vallejo who provide various series of Miniature paints or Airbrush Equivalents.
With the exception of the few push-fit models available, almost all miniature components will need to be glued together before, during or after painting them. For Plastic Miniatures, you need should really use plastic glue. Super Glue will work with any kind of miniature so if you have a mix of plastic, resin and metal, just get some Super Glue as your first glue as it will work with anything.
Specifically for plastic miniatures, plastic glue is applied to both parts which are to be stuck together. This will melt the plastic slightly which will cause them to essentially fuse themselves.
Or you can pick up any other solvent-based plastic glue you like. The Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is a more favourable option as it has an equivalent price and comes with a thin brush in the lid for applying it. Some say you should dry-fit your piece and run this down the seam. Metal or resin Miniatures require a type of superglue , this comes in many forms but the general 2 are liquid and gel. With the liquid version being quite runny it is used for small components.
However, as soon as it comes to basing your miniatures these are the types you would use. With Wood Glue giving a marginally stronger bond. Both are water-based and can be easily thinned or washed off before they start to dry.
Finally, you can use Epoxy or Resin as a bonding material. This can be used to create a particular effect or if you want something which will create an excessively strong bond whilst filling large gaps. Most of the time these are 2 part materials and need to be mixed together before you apply them. There are numerous hobby knife sets you can pick up with blades of all different sizes and shapes. But the defacto knife is the x- acto knife. A hobby knife is the most necessary of all your cutting instruments, In later sections, you will also come across sprue clippers and mould line removers.
At its simplest level, the hobby knife can achieve all of these tasks. This is used for many things, such as trimming the excess sprue parts from your model pieces and cutting out water slide transfers. It can also be used for removing mould lines. However, unless you have a feathery touch, you can end up taking away more plastic than you expect them to. Kind of a given, but certainly worth mentioning. You need some kind of water receptacle. As a beginner, you can use some old plastic cups or empty noodle pots.
You could even get some branded mugs. Just make sure you have a way to differentiate them from the ones you use for hot drinks. Many of us have made the mistake of drinking a brush in a drink. Fewer, but still some, have even drunk their paint water. When it comes to Water pots , you will want at least 2. Personally, I use 3, the third one in a final rinse and also to take clean water for thinning paints.
The below tools are for when you want to transition from a complete beginner and each, in turn, will either improve your modelling or hobbying skill or just make your life a lot easier.
But I promise you that this is the most important, unnecessary tool you can buy. Whilst, like paint, this is more of a consumable than a tool, primer is not actually essential, but it certainly helps.
Especially if your miniatures are to be used for battle in games. Primers help create a surface which binds to the model stronger than bare paint, in many cases creates a surface which the paint will better adhere to. Too much primer will cause runs and clog the details of your model. These also come in a range of colours. My personal preference, however, is Airbrush primer. It does not adhere to the models as well as rattle-can primers but it does leave a much smoother finish and clogs less detail.
Get some kind of a palette where you can put your paint and thin it with water. Anything with a smooth clean surface will work. Games Workshop sells booklets of semi-gloss paper which can be used as palettes but are consumable items you need to rebuy. For years, I used an old, non-textured ceramic tile which I would clean off with Isopropyl Alcohol. You can buy any old plastic artists palettes online which will do the job, but will also need to be cleaned off to keep the smooth surface.
The best option is using a wet palette. This is a palette with foam or tissue that you keep wet. Then a layer of semipermeable paper on top of this. It stops your paint from drying out. You can easily make your own using some Tupperware, a sponge and some baking parchment. The one that is made for and dedicated to Miniature painting the Redgrass Games Wet Palette shown above which is favoured by many miniature painters.
Keep things like knives, clippers and other metal tools free of rust. You also need to keep your brushes free of paint. If you are using high-end sable hair brushes, Brush soap is a necessity.
Then you can finally rinse your brush and put it away. See our full article on the best sprue cutters. Quite a necessary piece of equipment. You can always remove models from sprues by flexing, ripping and tearing but this will leave chunks of plastic on your models or even worse, snap the parts. You just want something small with the flat edge and a long nose.
You can pick up tweezers anywhere for next to nothing, however, these options are normally soft metals and you will find the nose bends, long before you can get a good grip. If you want to pay more money just for the sake of it, you can get some wargames branded tools, but you really are paying for the name. I do however suggest that if you are paying more for tools like tweezers you check out companies like Knippex or C.
K Tools for some professional long-lasting kit used in Electronics. These items will last for years if not for your entire modelling career. There are multiple types of tweezers you can pick up. You can get the more common ones that you hold closed.
A much better option in most cases is the reverse of this where they are closed and you press to open them. There are also Cobalt HSS and you can find tools made from them as well.
Generally, they will be M35 or M They are harder and will hold an edge longer than M2. I suggest that beginning woodturners start with M2 and learn how to turn and sharpen it for a while before spending the money on Cobalt steels. Do you happen to have a link for the 6mm x mm M2 HSS round blanks you used for your micro point and skew chisel tools. Could you email me a link if you have one? I just subscribed to your YouTube channel.
Very informative and well made videos. Thanks for your time and effort. Have a great day! Thanks for the comment. I ordered it from Amazon.
0コメント