Do paint sets come with brushes?

[agrippamaxentius]

 Hi guys, preparing to purchase some "German Infantry Colors" for flames of war via Ebay, does anyone know if brushes come with the paint or do I need to purchase these seperately? Thanks!

[LongBlade]

No. There may be exceptions, but unless the site you're buying from explicitly states that brushes are included they won't be there. It's typical that paint is sold separately.

Good brushes are as important as good paint. However, if you're first starting out don't go crazy. You'll know when you're ready to step up and buy better quality brushes.

[GDS_Starfury]

0000 will be your future.

[agrippamaxentius]

No. There may be exceptions, but unless the site you're buying from explicitly states that brushes are included they won't be there. It's typical that paint is sold separately.

Good brushes are as important as good paint. However, if you're first starting out don't go crazy. You'll know when you're ready to step up and buy better quality brushes.

Thanks LB, I want to get started painting so bad I may go ahead and get the paints/brushes and maybe just a small set to test out my colors on. Perhaps a less expensive unit set as opposed to the boxed army for now.  Also do I need to buy anything else besides paint and brushes? I recall when playing Warhammer Decades ago that we had to use some sort of spray to coat our units before painting them.

[LongBlade]

Thanks LB, I want to get started painting so bad I may go ahead and get the paints/brushes and maybe just a small set to test out my colors on. Perhaps a less expensive unit set as opposed to the boxed army for now.  Also do I need to buy anything else besides paint and brushes? I recall when playing Warhammer Decades ago that we had to use some sort of spray to coat our units before painting them.

A lot of folks wash their minis before they prime them. I don't (most of the time) but it's not a bad idea. Some minis manufacturers spray their molds with oily chemicals to aid in the release after the model has been cast. Washing it off can't hurt. Just be sure the model(s) dry fully before you do anything else.

Primer is important. Its designed to stick to plastic or metal and allow you to easily apply paint. If you don't prime your models you may find you struggle to get the paint to go on smoothly. The quality of primer matters, but how much will depend on your attention to detail. I have the misfortune to want each of my 1" minis to look like Rembrandt painted it. I use high magnification glasses to see the details and I paint them to the highest standard that my talents allow (which don't match my expectations, but that's my problem).

There are various qualities and colors of primer. Buying a mid-range quality should be sufficient for you to start with. I would *not* suggest buying the paint+primer from Flames of War. IMHO it washes out too much detail on the mini. But then again, since you're first starting, it will save you an extra step of not needing to apply the base coat, so it may save enough time and effort to be worth the compromise.

Don't forget there are rulebooks to buy, too.

Oh, and lastly - most paint you buy is designed not to be applied directly but to be "watered down" a bit. The typical suggestion is to thin it to the point where it's about as viscous as milk. I've never figured out whether they mean whole milk, 2% or skim, but since I drink skim, that's what I shoot for. I think any of those consistencies will work. Personally, I use Windex to thin my paints (and clean my brushes). Crazy as that may sound, it works and doesn't affect the color. Use water if you don't believe me or are just tired of buying stuff.

I *think* that should get you off to a good start. Feel free to post pics and ask questions as you go. Starfury is sorta heckling from the peanut gallery, but his talent in this area is enormous. If he jumps in here and belays some advice I happen to give, I'd suggest listening to him. But if he doesn't say much, just assume he approves of my advice and realize he's pretty busy writing a review of a WWII game about Panthers in limited visibility.

[agrippamaxentius]

Thanks LB, I want to get started painting so bad I may go ahead and get the paints/brushes and maybe just a small set to test out my colors on. Perhaps a less expensive unit set as opposed to the boxed army for now.  Also do I need to buy anything else besides paint and brushes? I recall when playing Warhammer Decades ago that we had to use some sort of spray to coat our units before painting them.

A lot of folks wash their minis before they prime them. I don't (most of the time) but it's not a bad idea. Some minis manufacturers spray their molds with oily chemicals to aid in the release after the model has been cast. Washing it off can't hurt. Just be sure the model(s) dry fully before you do anything else.

Primer is important. Its designed to stick to plastic or metal and allow you to easily apply paint. If you don't prime your models you may find you struggle to get the paint to go on smoothly. The quality of primer matters, but how much will depend on your attention to detail. I have the misfortune to want each of my 1" minis to look like Rembrandt painted it. I use high magnification glasses to see the details and I paint them to the highest standard that my talents allow (which don't match my expectations, but that's my problem).

There are various qualities and colors of primer. Buying a mid-range quality should be sufficient for you to start with. I would *not* suggest buying the paint+primer from Flames of War. IMHO it washes out too much detail on the mini. But then again, since you're first starting, it will save you an extra step of not needing to apply the base coat, so it may save enough time and effort to be worth the compromise.

Don't forget there are rulebooks to buy, too.

Oh, and lastly - most paint you buy is designed not to be applied directly but to be "watered down" a bit. The typical suggestion is to thin it to the point where it's about as viscous as milk. I've never figured out whether they mean whole milk, 2% or skim, but since I drink skim, that's what I shoot for. I think any of those consistencies will work. Personally, I use Windex to thin my paints (and clean my brushes). Crazy as that may sound, it works and doesn't affect the color. Use water if you don't believe me or are just tired of buying stuff.

I *think* that should get you off to a good start. Feel free to post pics and ask questions as you go. Starfury is sorta heckling from the peanut gallery, but his talent in this area is enormous. If he jumps in here and belays some advice I happen to give, I'd suggest listening to him. But if he doesn't say much, just assume he approves of my advice and realize he's pretty busy writing a review of a WWII game about Panthers in limited visibility.

Thanks mate! So I assume primer is spray on paint of some kind? What kind should I buy?

[GDS_Starfury]

if you can find it Floquil railroad paint spray primer is excellent.  its a very finely ground paint pigment made for small scale modeling so it doesn't wash out details.

[LongBlade]

if you can find it Floquil railroad paint spray primer is excellent.  its a very finely ground paint pigment made for small scale modeling so it doesn't wash out details.

My preference is Tamiya and even better Tamiya Fine - however, for your initial foray I don't think you'll need to spend more for such high quality stuff. I've never used Floquil primer so I can't speak to it, but something like Privateer's P3 should be good enough for now: http://www.amazon.com/Privateer-Press-93111-Primer-Formula/dp/B002FCBSKW

You can even use primer you find at a Home Depot, though realize those are relatively low quality and may very well wash out the detail. Ultimately, like pretty much anything else, it's a matter of balancing personal preference and cost.

[agrippamaxentius]

if you can find it Floquil railroad paint spray primer is excellent.  its a very finely ground paint pigment made for small scale modeling so it doesn't wash out details.

My preference is Tamiya and even better Tamiya Fine - however, for your initial foray I don't think you'll need to spend more for such high quality stuff. I've never used Floquil primer so I can't speak to it, but something like Privateer's P3 should be good enough for now: http://www.amazon.com/Privateer-Press-93111-Primer-Formula/dp/B002FCBSKW

You can even use primer you find at a Home Depot, though realize those are relatively low quality and may very well wash out the detail. Ultimately, like pretty much anything else, it's a matter of balancing personal preference and cost.

Thanks Longblade! Does primer just make things easier or is it essential? I guess what I am asking is what is the idea behind it, does it make it so the figures last longer when painted? By the way, just bought my first Box Set "The one you linked" very excited :D. So now I still need Colors, Primer and some Brushes. Halfway there!

[LongBlade]

Primer can make a big difference. I don't paint anything unless I've primed it first. Otherwise the paint may not go on smoothly or at all:

This image is for oil-based home paint that you'd put on a wall. However, it gets the point across. You may not necessarily get bad results without primer, but my suggestion is to use it.

[GDS_Starfury]

do NOT use krylon "home despot" primers on models or minis.
shame on you LB for such poor advice!   

[LongBlade]

do NOT use krylon "home despot" primers on models or minis.
shame on you LB for such poor advice!   

Meh. For the first set of learner minis I doubt it's going to matter much, but the P3 primer is certainly better. I've used Valspar primer (ocher red) on some Flames of War minis just because it's a close match to the primer the Germans used in WWII. Honestly I didn't think it made a huge difference.

If we're really going to advise the best I recommend Tamiya Fine every day and twice on Sunday.

Agrippa - there is yet more to discuss regarding "style." Star and I are both of the minis Picasso school where we want everything perfect no matter how strong of an electron magnifier you need to see it.

The other end of the spectrum (and a perfectly legitimate school) is the "three foot rule." The three foot rule guys believe that 99% of the time you're going to be looking at your minis from at least three feet across the table. As a result they only paint detail to matter if seen from three feet. Given the fact that this is your first time in the minis world aspiring to a paint job with quality that looks good from three feet is a pretty good place to start. Pushing too hard before your skills have caught up to your aspirations is likely to lead to frustration. It is within that context that I suggested cheapo depot primer.

[Bison]

Isn't Picasso an abstract artist and not into realism?  Now Rembrandt...that's a master of realism.

Personally if they looked good when viewing from the other side of the room, I would feel I had successfully painted them.