[quote]I guess it depends, cost is relative I suppose. Once you have the printer, spools of filament are $15-$22 on average. These coins cost about $0.15 each to print. The printer I got was $399 on sale at Microcenter, but you can get a Ender 3D Pro for $200, it just has a smaller print surface. You can get quite a lot of things off one spool of filament! (I'm hoping it's a Gjallarhorn!)[/quote] I'm just getting back into mini painting, getting everything together to start a nighthaunt army, the cost since I last painted mini's is eye watering 😁

I was doing that in the late eighties, when a standard figure (made of delicious, toxic lead) cost around $5 in today's money. I can't believe what 40K players pay when they start adding vehicles, and my mind was blown when I saw they made full scale titan mechs, and blown clean outa my braincase when I saw the cost.

[quote]I was doing that in the late eighties, when a standard figure (made of delicious, toxic lead) cost around $5 in today's money. I can't beliece what 40K players pay when the start adding vehicles, and my mind was blown when I saw they made full scale titan mechs, and blown clean outa my braincase when I saw the cost.[/quote] I picked the nighthaunts because they looked pretty basic and the paint job looked kinda minimal, bought a few of the box sets and then went on YouTube to catch the GW painting tutorial . . . they flashed up two screens with about 25 paints needed . . . plus undercoat . . . plus texture paint for the bases 🤦 After 20yrs since I last painted mini's I'd forgotten about the bells and whistles 😁

You can use elmers glue and sand for the bases, or just glue down sandpaper. Either way, you can paint it however you want. Valejo is a great paint that's less expensive, and so is Game Color, which I think tries to match Citadel's colors. Are you airbrushing or straight brush painting?

[quote]You can use elmers glue and sand for the bases, or just glue down sandpaper. Either way, you can paint it however you want. Valejo is a great paint that's less expensive, and so is Game Color, which I think tries to match Citadel's colors. Are you airbrushing or straight brush painting?[/quote] https://imgur.com/gallery/UqMajZN That's the paints drawer 😁 airbrushing is a long way off man 😉

That's a damn good start. Getting the tubes of r/b/y/br/bl/w is something most don't do. If you know color theory you can really strech your paints out with those. I don't know what level you paint at or how advanced you are, so excuse me if I'm saying stuff you already know, but one thing I don't see is glaze medium. It can really change how you approach washes, and create some really luminous effects for the ghostly look you're going for. Plus, you can get 8 oz of the liquitex stuff for $5-6 dollars. There are plenty of good vids (I think dana howl) on the technique. Black magic craft has a ton of stuff on basing and terrain on the cheap. Have fun with it.

[quote]That's a damn good start. Getting the tubes of r/b/y/br/bl/w is something most don't do. If you know color theory you can really strech your paints out with those. I don't know what level you paint at or how advanced you are, so excuse me if I'm saying stuff you already know, but one thing I don't see is glaze medium. It can really change how you approach washes, and create some really luminous effects for the ghostly look you're going for. Plus, you can get 8 oz of the liquitex stuff for $5-6 dollars. There are plenty of good vids (I think dana howl) on the technique. Black magic craft has a ton of stuff on basing and terrain on the cheap. Have fun with it.[/quote] Total novice man, UK as well so not sure all US brands will be here. All advice glady accepted 😁 I'm at the stage were I've got pretty much all I need so just need the courage to sit down and start . . . I'm even considering giving oils a try. Could I ask you to explain the glaze medium ? Is that like lamhian medium by GW? I got my son onto black magic crafts, guys excellent with foam board and PVA glue. YouTube is an amazing resource I'll check Dana howl out tonight, cheers man 👍

Yeah, it's a glaze medium. Jusy way more expensive. Washes tend to settle into crevices, nooks and crannies, and are essential. A glaze medium is like a translucent paint. When you mix it with a color and some water it will not only settle like a wash, it will very lightly tint the entire area with that color. It takes a little experience, but all you have to do is start really thin (just add water) with less pigment because you can always get bolder layer by layer. It's an "advanced technique" that's nowhere near as advanced as people think. Perfect for your spectres because they're mostly sheets of ectoplasm with weapons. So you could paint them blue and glaze them violet and purple and it will really look like they're glowing. I looked and the liquitex is $5.84 for 8 oz on amazon vs $7.84 for 24 ml from citadel (like, 11X more expensive). So, like five quid? Plus you wouldn't have to brave 28 days later to get it. It's good to have a hobby in this global lockdown, and even better to have one you can enjoy with your son. PS- I wouldn't really do oils until you're really experienced, or at all. They're more finicky, smelly, and require toxic, flamable solvents. The stuff people are doing with acrylic products is incredible. Oils don't really offer any advantages anymore, except a little more durability for the finish. The downside is they actually weaken the plastic. Also, a color wheel is a GREAT tool for beginners. "Premier Stationary Icon 13 cm Pocket Colour Wheel," $5.45 on amazon. Everything you need to know about mixing colors and color schemes. I was an art major, and I had something very similar.

Absolutely fantastic reply man, loads of great info and thanks for taking the time to type it, I'll hit Amazon later tonight 👍 I think I've been watching too much Marco frizoni (?) on YouTube, great mini painter but slaps oil washes on everything 😁 Thanks again for all the info, the effort is appreciated, cheers man.

No problem. I've got plenty of time and nowhere to go (USA, fortunately rural but just outside three decent small to medium cities). You're really lucky to have all of these net resources like youtube. When I started, all there were were magazines. I'm pretty sure the reason for the oil washes is the same reason for other models like gundams; you can put solvent on a swab and pull it off of your highlights to avoid a muddy look. That can be avoided with acrylics by mixing in a tiny amount of dish soap to make it glide off of all but the crevices. Of couse, I never even heard of that thirty years ago, and of course there are tons of tutorials on youtube. If you're nervous about getting started, get a few dirt cheap dollar store rubber dinosaurs or plastic army men to practice on. You'll have more surface area to learn brush control, and texture to practice dry brushing, washes, etc. And when the first thing you do is garbage (which it frequently is) it's no big deal.

[quote]No problem. I've got plenty of time and nowhere to go (USA, fortunately rural but just outside three decent small to medium cities). You're really lucky to have all of these net resources like youtube. When I started, all there were were magazines. I'm pretty sure the reason for the oil washes is the same reason for other models like gundams; you can put solvent on a swab and pull it off of your highlights to avoid a muddy look. That can be avoided with acrylics by mixing in a tiny amount of dish soap to make it glide off of all but the crevices. Of couse, I never even heard of that thirty years ago, and of course there are tons of tutorials on youtube. If you're nervous about getting started, get a few dirt cheap dollar store rubber dinosaurs or plastic army men to practice on. You'll have more surface area to learn brush control, and texture to practice dry brushing, washes, etc. And when the first thing you do is garbage (which it frequently is) it's no big deal.[/quote] Hey man, can I ask a quick question? I was going to buy some glaze medium today but remembered that I had already bought "Galleria: Acrylic mediums. Flow Improver", it says it "increases flow and workability of acrylic colour or medium. Unlike water does not reduce colour strength. Does this sound like it would do the same job or is glaze medium a totally different product? Cheers for replies man 👍

Similar, but not the same. That's a substitute for water to thin your paints, and will help keep a really fine, even suspension of pigment. It prevents separation (like oil and water) especially over time, because acrylics are basically a liquid rubber/plastic. It's great for brush painting, and pretty much essential for airbrushing. Like I said, the products have improved so much. A glaze medium is like a semi-gloss, transparent paint that will adopt any color you mix it with. So if you wanted a really rich orange, you would start by painting yellow, then go over it with a relatively bold orange glaze (more pigment ratio), and then a really light red glaze (lower pigment ratio). It's like the difference between just painting something orange, and that gorgeous orange on a lamborghini gallardo. It may sound difficult or intimidating but it's not. You can start with your glaze really thinned out with your flow improver and as little paint as you want, and get more intense gradually. This chick Dana Howl shows how to use it with a squig, going over how to mix it and work with it. I'd watch that and see if it's something you might want for your figs.

This is the guy I was talking about, I actually really like the gritty, dirty results he gets with the oils but . . . one step at a time 👍 https://youtu.be/OYfvNz3h0Ko