Hello all!

I have been thinking for a long time about repainting some of my ships and squadrons, and am excited to test some of my designs out. I know there are lots of sub forums about this, I just wanted a new page to see if I have everything correct and to ask some questions.

1. I have seen that in terms of paint companies, Vallejo, P3, and GW, and Army Painter are some of the most recommended brands. Is there a certain brand that is better than others, or are they about the same?
2. Is a 16 basic color set or a 72 color set better in the long run?
3. What are the benefits and drawbacks of a paint pot vs. paint dropper.
4. I have seen that 00, 0, 1, and 2 are the recommended brush sizes, and sable brushes are generally preferred for their longer lifetime. Is there a certain company that you recommend for these brushes?
5. Is primer/ stripping the paint necessary when painting the pre-painted models?

I am planning on getting nuln oil (or a similar alternative), a wet palette, and paint brush soap. Am I missing any other essential beginner supplies?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Thanks Ginkapo! I read these a long time ago but had trouble finding them again.

I’m glad they’re useful posts !

Really, absolutely, start simple and cheap - over investing is always going to be an issue. I think I stated my reasons for GW paints, and if you’re going to grab Nuln anyway, you’re already there 🙂

just get a hang of the absolute basics - make sure you enjoy it - before jumping into more 🙂

same as Dras and Ginkapo, start small

if you are to paint squads, you need black/white, a mid grey, and some basic colors (Red/Blue/yellow/green) and a wash

never go too much into small brushes to start with, n° 1 or 2, may be a 0, nothing smaller, you'll be unable to use it properly

if you enjoy it, you'll buy more paint later

In for ideas and education.

I think a magnifier or some type of enhancing glasses are useful when doing small detail work

Hey Dras, where do you sit on that panel liner by Tamiya? I'll be stripping and redoing an ISD, and I feel like it's easier than a wash in some regards.

28 minutes ago, Recon00 said:

Hey Dras, where do you sit on that panel liner by Tamiya? I'll be stripping and redoing an ISD, and I feel like it's easier than a wash in some regards.

I find the wash the simplest and most satisfying part of painting. You need to practice with dilution and such but it's a relatively simple step. For a cleaner look in Imperial ships I go with about a 50/50 Nuln oil/water blend with just a touch of dish soap.

Always start on the bottom of the ship as it won't be seen hardly at all. If it's a touch dark just put a little more water in before you get to the top which folks are gonna see.

The Tamiya panel liner is oil based if I recall - so you got to do your prep work and seal the acrylic surface with a gloss coat first, apply the panel liner, and then seal it with a dull or matte coat afterwards.

in the experiment I did with an infinity figure, it was a real nice flow - I would just question its ease with the additional steps and cleanup.

To test washes, and any technique really, I recommend primering a handful of pennies. Small details, cheap investment.