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Thanks mate!
Amazon!
Kesheng Model Scenery Leaf Litter Models Simulation Leaf Leaves Deciduous Effect 100ML https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DCM3TJD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_6SM7TPFNYSGDCKP7MY1K?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I've recently been buying sheets of tufts/flowers that I find on Amazon.
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I don't have any pictures at the moment, but I can speak to the quality. The adhesive on these tufts is very good, and they are easy separate and make into smaller tufts. I have both the winter and autumn colored tufts, and when used on the same base they produce a very Autumn look.
I've got on really well with this one:
Daylight temperature and not too harsh. The cable is rather short though!
I bought my brother a set of vallejo model colour paints who was in exactly your situation. I would avoid citadel paints if possible as there are better alternatives.
Thanks! It was my dad who built it and was a long time ago so no WIP shots I'm afraid. IIRC the walls are all made from plaster using rock moulds like this then just painted and mounted on wood.
They are mounted to a brick with a bunch of holes, I bought them as a set. Similar to this one:
I find a lot of branded hobby stuff way overpriced as others have mentioned, though Army Painter brushes are good value just don't their tools, get one of their detailed brush kits.
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I purchased their new masterclass dry brushing set and to be honest think it was a bit of a ripoff, they just seem to be make up brushes rebranded.
Look on amazon for gundam model kits, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Swpeet-Professional-Building-Beginner-Container/dp/B07BHCL95B
Go on ebay for basing materials, find an indy supplier, branded stuff like static grass clumps and sand are equally a ripoff.
Craft store PVA
Tiling grout or plaster filler, I think you call it spackle in the US.
Green stuff epoxy/milliput
I purchased an Army Painter wet pallet, you can make one yourself but I struggled to find baking parchment that wasn't greaseproof where I live so I paid a premium for the easy option.
Airbrush thinner is cheaper than acrylic mixing medium, better to paint multiple coats thin than slapping it on thick.
Spraycan primers and varnish are better than painting by hand, especially for an army of figures or larger models, just be careful not to overdo it or get too close. I purchased Army Painter to support my local indy store but you can get stuff just as good from an autoparts retailer.
I get most of my stuff off Amazon, or the GW website if Amazon doesn't have what I want. I live in a small town with no game store, though. If you have a local game store, its nice to support it.
Here is a link to the starter set. It has everything you need to get started except clippers and super glue.
Middle Earth SBG: Battle of Pelennor Fields https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GQ75583/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xzA9BbZFP9A0P
I don’t think the set came with any. It may have, I don’t recall.
I bought these off amazon and put one in each bottle.
Also, shake the ever-living shit outta the bottles whenever you use them. The medium that they used is really thick and likes to separate.
/u/Noobxs seems to have covered most of it. Here is my two cents -
If just want to paint things like they show on the box, Citadel stuff works just fine. And they aren't horrible at ~$4.50 a bottle. Use the apps and keep an eye on Warhammer TV and I am sure they will have a tutorial for whatever you want to do. Those are some great resources.
If you want to get creative, want to play around with mixing colors, etc - I would recommend picking up Vallejo Model Color paints instead. YMMV, but personally I find they are more consistent. They also come in dropper bottles which is super helpful when mixing or watering down paints (which is pretty much all the time for me). I use Vallejo Model Color for most things. For metallics I use their Vallejo Air line, and for shades/washes I like the Army Painter brand.
These paints are a little more expensive. On amazon they seem to go for closer to $5 for a 17ml bottle. But that should last you a LONG time. If you are just starting out I would recommend looking at a bundle like this one There are a few - and each usually comes with 16 colors and brings the price per paint to $2.30. The set listed I linked has a decent array of colors and should help you get done whatever you need to do.
If you choose to jump out of Citadel's paint lines - this may also be helpful. I watch a lot of painting tutorials, and most that use GW paint names. This will help you translate from Citadel's proprietorial names to the actual names of colors...or at least what other lines call them.
Well the Easterlings are all about martial pride (from the little we know about them in the books and what GW has created) so it wouldn't be hard to see the role of assassin as something of a 'dirty' job in their society. Maybe only done by convicted criminals trying to regain some honour in death?
A strike against dwarven and dale watch posts etc prior to the evading army makes sense, and you could write a fun mission based on that. Like the Easterlings have to infiltrate a small border fort and disable to the warning bell before being spotted? This book may help as I believe it has sentry rules; https://www.amazon.com/dp/1698584210/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_D.N7DbCEC63AD
It could all build up to them trying to assassinate King Brand
Lol, and your opinion is about as invalid as your advice.
This is a portable airbrush kit (compressor and all) and takes up minimal space. Ninjon did a review on YouTube and said it perfect for priming and base coats.
Why so bitter?
Other posters have covered the right glues to use with metal and resin or plastic well.
Personally, I use Humbrol "Liquid Poly" for plastic. It's very much like the Tamiya product but I've been using it for decades and I'm used to how it works: how much it melts the plastic, how quickly it evaporates away and allows the the bond to form and how well and how far it flows by capillary action. It also has a brush inside the cap.
If you are struggling with little tubes of superglue (cyanoacrylate, "CA") for your resin and metal, you might find that this product is helpful: <https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loctite-1621077-Ultra-Control-Gel/dp/B001C42J9I/ref=sr_1_6>. Basically, it is one of those tiny tubes of gel CA in an "applicator". You gently squeeze the grey bits at the sides and they squeeze the tube for you. Much easier on arthritic fingers.
CA glues don't "dry", they react, primarily with water vapour from the atmosphere but also with a lot of other chemicals (like skin). Make sure you keep it tightly capped when not in use. Carefully clean any crust from the nozzle so that it can seal tightly.
I've stripped and repainted a lot of MESBG models over the years and tried a lot of methods, Biostrip 20 is the best by far, its the quickest, requires the least amount of work and doesn't damage the models whether they are plastic, resin, finecast or metal.
Not sure how much space you have, but you could get a rolling lapdesk, similar to this one: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Reader-Adjustable-Rolling-Standing/dp/B08DVDV1V2/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2EKMDC760C21J&keywords=rolling+lapdesk&qid=1661008257&sprefix=rolling+lapdesk%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-5
It has enough space for you to put your models, a few paints and some peripheries on it and you can roll it away to a safe space when you're not using it.
Have both with this new WetNDri artist palette from D'Artisan Shoppe. It's a 2in1 solution. You can buy it from Amazon.com.
I found those on cults3d while looking for al kinds of bases. The download also includes 40, 60 and 9 other sizes.
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/stonework-textured-oval-and-round-bases-and-movement-trays
Very accurate brush control! Looks great!
I can advise to try washes. I, as a beginner, love Agrax Earthshade from citadel. It just makes wonders. Other washes make miniatures too dirty. You can even thin them 1:1 with water and it will make softer "dirtiness" on skin, but, believe me, it will make huge difference for your minis!
Also, you can make cheap and easy bases with Vallejo Earth Texture. It is almost the same as stirland mud from citadel, but times, times cheaper. Can be painted over for your taste after drying, but out from bottle comes with good color!
A4 storqge boxes with lids is what i use. I have a couple that have a frame so they are like drawers. Can also use magnets on models for transport if you get some metal a4 sheets to fit on bottom or the like.
Like this
The Green Dragon Podcast just did a Dead of Dunharrow podcast
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Rodger Paintworks is selling some at a $1.50 each - and that will be in Kangaroo dollars. Have worked with him before and he's a good guy
You can also get premade mixes of different grades like this
If you plan on regularly building terrain with foam, you should strongly consider this. Then you can buy larger foam pieces and cut them to any shape and size, saving you a lot of time/money. You can buy the 1 inch boards and other small sizes but it will be most likely from modelling brands and more expensive than buying ( or even getting for free from construction site leftovers ) bigger pieces.
Definitely this! I recommend the lamp linked below (or similar). It's even more useful as an excellent painting lamp and it gives very nice flat light on minis. (For reference, I used it on a low setting to light the last two pictures I've uploaded to this sub)
...but from what I can tell these look great even from the dark pictures :)
I started with this and later got myself a Badger 105 Patriot with ultra fine conversion kit. I still use the old one for varnishing and priming and I use the compressor for both airbrushes.
I use this varnish from vallejo. You get a shitload in that bottle and it works perfectly.
Honestly, the first thing I would do if I were you is check out social media and see what kind of gaming groups and stores/shops you have in your area. If you don't have any, find some friends that may be interested in getting some game together with you. A really great way to start the game for two people is splitting The Pelennor Fields Starter Set. It comes with 2 entire armies. 1 Mordor force, complete with the Witch-King of Angmar on a Fell Beast and a Mordor Troll and 1 Rohan / Army of the Dead force that has a ton of Riders of Rohan led by Théoden. It also has a ton of helpful materials and the latest Core Rule Book.
After that, I would watch a bunch of "intro to MESBG" videos and battle reports on YouTube to get a good idea of the new factions, rules and games' meta. There are so many new and different models, armies and rules that it would be good for you to find one or two forces that you really like and focus on getting together enough models/points for games in your area.
Since you're just coming back into the game after a long absence, I would recommend starting playing games around 250-300 points with just one or two warbands. If you like those factions, build on them to get get up to 750 points or whatever your local gaming group is into.
If you haven't already checked out your cities Facebook groups, do that first. Also check your local gaming shops. A lot of places that have Magic: The Gathering and/or D&D groups may have a group already into MESBG. If not, that's a great place to get a group together.
If you can't find a group around you, put out some feelers on social media in your area. You could even find a friend and split the Pelennor Fields box set to get them started.
It's rather tedious dropping one in every pot. I had 60 or so to do so put a drop of paint on the lid to mark as done and still missed one! Worth it though. Next thing on my shopping list is a nail polish shaker:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lacquer-Adjustable-Varnish-Shaking-Machine/dp/B07G84M2NR
If you're having issues finding a cheap source of tentacles, and happen to live in the US, might I suggest the Force Awakens Rathar toy? It comes with 12 individually attached tentacles that could serve as decent proxies after some paint if all else fails.
I use a Copic Multiliner .003 -- Tried some other ones that aren't quite as fine as this one, love this particular model
https://www.amazon.com/Copic-Marker-CMLWG-003-Multiliner-0-03mm/dp/B00F9LG4MI
They almost look like tooth picks https://www.amazon.ca/Perfect-Stix-FP4-1000ct-Sandwich-Assorted/dp/B01FXFPO16/ref=asc_df_B01FXFPO16/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=337118607782&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14755221843490434581&hvpone=&hvptwo=&...
That troll looks amazing
I'm not the OP but I painted this mini recently.
I used a basic super glue - a liquidish one - and also a gooeier super glue ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TSYNG8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I also put tiny balls of green stuff into the slot where Gandalf's hand goes.
After applying all these materials I held the mini in place for 10 mins or so to let the glue settle.
It took a few tries but I eventually got a bond I was happy with.
I have a feeling this method is kind of primitive but I do not know how to "pin" minis.
Only thing I found so far is this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Reaper-Miniatures-Musical-Instruments-Unpainted/dp/B006C5XOUK
But I thought it was a bit much spending a tenner for 1 thing...
Do you have any other ideas, plans, or tips I might profit from? I am not the best at this😅
I use the Xtreme patriot 105 and it's a good brush for sure, for compressor I used this for 2 years now and have had no issues and the brush is what I use day in day out for everything I do mostly even detail sections. But iwata is a good brand as well basically you get what you pay for but starting out i wouldn't buy an expensive compressor until you know it's something for you
Try amazon smile to donate to charity automatically at no cost to you!
https://smile.amazon.com/Vallejo-Basic-Colors-Paint-17ml/dp/B009162PWU/
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To echo the other comments, basic craft & art store paints should be fine to help save money. I started by going to an art supply and grabbing two Liquitex Basics primary packs, one in primary colors, one in metallic, and like one black wash I got off amazon.
It might take a little time to get used to mixing the colors and managing the opaqueness, but thats pretty easy to do with all the resources online.
It is a proxxon hot wire cutter, and it is for example available here and it is in my mind not incredibly expensive (again, I thought of it as an investment).
https://www.amazon.com/War-Ring-Rings-Strategy-Battle/dp/1841549223
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Not exactly what you're looking for but it gives you the official scenarios from years past.