Morning Game Fans, we’re back with another article on getting started with miniature gaming.
This is a follow up to our article on New Years, and it’s going to continue the trend we established at getting you ready to put together your first miniatures. We’ll cover the painting in another article (probably several as the painting could occupy entire volumes of work). Now let’s take a closer inspection at the tools of the trade that any prospective model builder should have in their toolbox.
If you come at the hobby from a modeller’s perspective, you probably have an idea of the tools you need, but you might have missed a few. We’re also going to include a few examples of the tools and where to find them. As always, you can find tools in any price range and you might be surprised at the quality/price point differential.
Without further Ado, we present The Zardoz industries list of things you’re definitely going to need to get started with the miniature war gaming hobby:
Object 1: A work space- Everybody needs a place to store models being worked on, supplies, and paint. This is also going to double as the place you put stuff together, so it needs to be big enough for you to comfortably occupy the space and work. I now am using an old railroad table for my primary workstation, but that’s because i also have my streaming studio setup in the same location. For those of you looking for workaround versions, you can put your own together using a variety of MDF projects found on Etsy all the way up to dedicated professional hobby stands from Micro Mark or Tamiya.
Object 2: Protective Surface- Chances are you are working on a surface that you want to protect from the wear and tear of modelling. Whether it’s spilled glue, marks from hobby craft knives or the general wear and tear, your surface is going to get itself into trouble. Some folks will use old newspapers and magazines as a cheap alternative, but you can also get Self-healing cutting mats. These come in a variety of sizes and from a variety of suppliers. I have used ones from Games Workshop and Army Painter in the past and they are very similar in performance. This also includes eye and skin protection, so if you’re new to the hobby, Nitrile gloves and eye goggles are helpful ways to keep you safe and out of trouble.
Object 3: Light Source- Light is extremely important for the hobbyist. It’s very hard to remove pieces from a sprue if you can’t see them, and this can lead to some ugly looking modeling issues. Light becomes more important when you get to the painting side, as good lighting makes great painting. I prefer natural light to paint in, but i have a giant window that i can open the blinds on with ease. I use a simple desk lamp with a real “daylight” bulb but you can find sophisticated options at a variety of price points, including this lamp which is on my Amazon list
Object 4: A model kit This seems like a silly addition to the list, but if you don’t have a model kit to build and paint, then you don’t need most of the other elements of this list. For a starter, we recommend something that will ease you into the hobby without drowning you in steps and details (I certainly would not recommend an Imperial Knight titan from GW for your first kit). Lots of miniatures producers offer starter kits for their games, and most of these give you several different choices for your first model.
Object 5: Clippers- Most kits will have to be separated from their sprues (the frames that hold them in place during the manufacturing process). The best way i’ve found to do this is a flush cutting pair of clippers. They look like a pair of pliers with a cutting blade instead of a pair of grabbers. When using these, make sure you put the flat side of the blade against the model part you are removing from the frame. This ensures you have a flat cut rather than a weird ragged looking edge (which could happen if you use the flat edge against the sprue connecting point). You can find these from a variety of hobby suppliers (i use Army Painter ones most of the time). Make sure you get an appropriate clipper for the material you are using, because different materials can be very, very hard on the tools and after a while you’re going to wear them out.
Object 6: A hobby knife- Almost every model kit is going to have a mold line or flashing that needs to be removed from the model before you move on to other steps. A hobby knife can be used to scrape these mold lines from the surface of the model. A mold line scraper or a set of hobby files also fill this role admirably. You can also use these tools to clear any leftover plastic from the points connecting the piece to the sprue. (Caution: These tools are extremely sharp and should be used extremely carefully. Make cuts away from the body and be extremely gentle when cleaning mold lines and excess flash. Blood is not a paint nor is it an effective primer) We are fans of the X-acto family, and recommend them highly from any number of hobby stores.
Object 7: Glue- Once you’ve gotten to the point where all of your parts are removed from their sprues, you’re going to have to find something to stick them together. There are several different types of glue and glue accessories that you can find on the market. Our advice on this is to make sure that the glue you are using is appropriate to the model you’re building. If you are gluing plastic to plastic, plastic glue is your best bet for creating lasting bonds on models. Plastic glue is basically a plastic welding compound that melts the two pieces of plastic together. The resulting bond is very strong if you are using it on plastic. It doesn’t do any good for resin or metal pieces. Resin and metal don’t interact with plastic glue on a meaningful level, so you’re going to need superglue to get them bonded. Superglue has extraordinary fumes and should be used in a ventilated area. Also make sure you give it plenty of time to bond, or it will come apart in your hands. I have had personal good luck with Citadel plastic glue thin and Testor’s plastic glue, but it’s entirely up to you. Loctite and Gorilla both make a gel superglue which is wonderfully easy to work with on models that require super glue.
These are the basic tools of the trade for getting into the hobby. There are others that will come up later, such as epoxy compound greenstuff, saws, basing materials, and the host of options and features that you can come up with to base your minis. Tweezers get an honorable mention as a required tool because there are some miniature components that are very, very small and you might not want to try and work them by hand. In this case, grab a set of tweezers and you should be good to go.
For the starter on a budget, i recommend the following items
-The Army Painter Starter Set which can be found here contains most of the aforementioned tools.
-A Desk Lamp with a goose neck like this one.
Realistically you can roll with these two things and a Magazine for your workspace protective covering. The rest of everything will sort itself out as you add more tools to your arsenal and expand your skills. Thanks for reading along and we’ll catch you all the next time.
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