Often, you just want something that does the job, quick and well.
Handy Tips and Tricks
There’s so much stuff in this hobby that costs money or time – more often both. And we all tend to just copy what everyone else does or says. Quite often there’s a solution staring you in the face that you know you should have considered in the first place.
Tip #1
Static Grass with a Balloon.
Primary school science is still useful. Use a balloon to make your static grass stand up. Seriously, why buy a grass applicator. Rub a balloon on your jumper and pass it over the grass – watch it magically rise.
Buy 50 Balloons, why not:
Tip #2
Use LEGO as a drybrush palette.
Primary school toys are still really handy. Grab a large, flat piece of lego, prime one side black and one side white. Now you can use it as a drybrush test palette. Instead of spending hours making one.
Get 10″x10″ Lego-like plates x6:
Tip #3
Make a bunch of bases first.
Sometimes you just want a break from models. Spend some time just making bases. You can practice techniques, concentrate more on how they look and end up with bases that are ready to go when needed.
Pick up some basing materials:
Tip #4
Print your toxic pools in 2D.
Got a flat battlemat? Don’t create those raised edge pools and then mess around with resin pours. Just grab an image you like or make one, print it out and lay clear acetate over the top. Modify as needed.
Double sided Glossy Photo paper:
Isn’t it about time you experimented with different ways of doing stuff.
Tip #5
Fineliner pens for eyes.
Paint drying too quickly on your brush when you paint eyes? You’re not alone. Just grab a set of really small tipped fineliner pens and poke the eye in the exact spot every time. Let it dry well and voila!
Grab some great fineliners:
Tip #6
Tamiya Weathering Master.
Spending loads of time thinning glazes for dirty streaks or using oils or pigments? Dump all that and put them on super fast with Tamiya Weathering Master. It’s like cool eye make-up for hobbyists.
Buy Tamiya (sets available):
Tip #7
Detail with Pencils.
Sure, you can add all your edge highlights and weathering on terrain with your paints but why not just grab a box full of watercolour pencils and draw them on. It’s fast, it looks great and you can do it while watching Netflix.
Pick up some AK Weathering Pencils:
Tip #8
Rust straight from a rattle can.
Let’s be honest, no one can really make Dirty Down rust actually look like its 28mm scale. It looks like real world sized rust on tiny models. Let’s just spray it out of a can and then dry brush with two colours: dark brown and white gold.
Grab the Plasticote alternative to Molotow:
Begin looking outside this hobby for creative solutions to your problems.
Tip #9
Fill gaps with plastic putty.
I bet you’ve spent hours kneading Green Stuff or Milliput just to shove in a hole to fill a gap. Stop! Just grab some plastic putty, squeeze it in and smooth it off with a damp brush. Done. Gap filled.
Buy Vallejo Plastic Putty:
Tip #10
Only buy 5 Inks (CMYK+W).
Don’t go out and spend a fortune buying a ton of different inks. You can make all the colours you need in the same way your 2d printer does. On Youtube, I show you how to mix 168+ colours using only 5.
Grab a range of Liquitex inks:
Tip #11
Vent your Acrylics into a sock.
If you only spray with Acrylics and don’t have a window available for a booth, stick a slightly damp sock over the vent. It’ll catch anything that the booth might miss and you can do this anywhere. Only Acrylics though, consider venting into a sealed water bucket for toxic paints.
Get a spray booth (socks not included):
Tip #12
Use a silicone baking mat.
Bakers and pastry chefs need a non-stick surface just as much as we do. Why not steal their tools and lay a silicone baking mat under your paint area. Paint wipes right off and if you spill your Nuln Oil you can just pour it right back into the pot. No mess, no loss.
Time for a silicone mat (colours available):
Tip #13
Make single colour wet palettes.
Only painting something in one colour? Like a pile of terrain? I mean, you’re not going to really set up an entire wet a palette for one colour. Why not just make a single colour wet palette from a take-away tub, some sponge and a bit of baking paper.
Buy 50 small plastic pots:
Tip #14
Trace around your MDF sprues.
Keep all your leftover MDF sprues. You can use them to remake all the terrain again by tracing around the bits onto card of the same thickness. Then just cut it out and build it again. And the best thing is you can do this over and over until you buy another kit.
Get some 3mm Foam Board:
Tip #15
Make Laymans Medium.
Man, isn’t Lahmian Medium expensive. And for such a small pot. Why not make up my version; “Laymans Medium”. Simply mix 75ml ordinary water with 5ml matte medium and a few drops of optional flow aid.
Grab some Liquitex Matte Medium:
Tip #16
Install an Airbrush MAC valve.
Stop reaching for the compressor to change pressure. Set your airbrush around 30-35psi and install a MAC valve. Now you can control your pressure from 35 down to 7psi right in your hand.
Buy a GOOD brand one:
Tip #17
Gallon Corks & Paperclips.
Get a bunch of Gallon Corks and large paperclips. Cut the clips into lengths and drill holes in your model’s feet. Superglue them in (they wiggle out easy later). Then poke the clips into the big cork. Now you can easily spray, slapchop or drybrush without a base getting in the way.
Get some Gallon Corks:
Tip #18
Hand Sanitiser to clean brushes.
Yes, a good hand sanitiser has the same alcohol percentage as a brush cleaner. Costs much less per ML and has the added bonus of a fragrant smell. It will clean your brush just as well as a dedicated branded brush cleaner at a fraction of the price.
Buy some Hand Sanitiser:
Hmm, there’s probably way more to come so check back regularly.
Speaking of tips, why not pick up some other great hobby stuff.
AS-186A Compressor
A mid range compressor, perfect for those starting out.
AP Speedpaint Mega Set
All the speedpaints you could need in one mega box.
Vallejo Game Colour Set
A small starter set of Vallejo Game colour paints.
Molotow Acrylic Lrg
Amazing paint for an airbrush. No thinning required.
Acrylic Paint Rack
This will fit 12 droppers per row or 10 Citadel pots.
Moveable Paint Station
For when you have limited space to do everything.
Cheap Drybrushes
Make-up brushes to use for drybrushing. Great for terrain.
Godhand Nippers
Expensive? Yes. But by far the best to be had. Why chew your sprue.
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You can find more tips by subscribing to my Youtube Channel. I dare you.
