Questions beginners ask

Grey for a first army — black gives you free shadows but makes every light color a fight, and white does the reverse. A light primer is a requirement rather than a preference if you are using one-coat paints. Full comparison in black vs white vs gray.

About the consistency of skim milk — it should run off the brush rather than cling to it, and flow into detail rather than sit on top of it. Expect to need two thin coats. The technique is in how to thin miniature paint.

Roughly a dozen: two or three armor colors, a metal, a brown, a flesh tone, black, white and one bright accent. Twelve colors mix into far more than twelve. See how many paints to start.

One, to begin with. A size 1 or 2 round that holds a point will paint an entire army. Add a cheap stiff brush for drybrushing second, because drybrushing destroys good brushes. See the beginner brushes.

If you intend to thin your paint, which you should, then effectively yes. Thinned acrylic dies in about two minutes on a dry palette, which is the real reason beginners go back to painting straight from the pot. A DIY version from a food container works — instructions here.

A dark wash over flat basecoats. It settles into every recess and creates shadow across a whole model in about two minutes, and nothing else gives that return for that effort. See the best washes.

Drybrush first. It is faster to learn, forgiving, and excellent on textured surfaces like chainmail, fur and stone. Add edge highlighting once your hand is steadier — the full sequence is in the beginner guide.

Not to start, and probably not for a first army. An airbrush is fastest at priming, basecoating and smooth gradients across many models at once, so it pays off when you paint units rather than single figures. Budget for the whole setup: the airbrush is about a third of the cost. See the honest version.

0.3 to 0.35 mm. Fine enough to basecoat a 32 mm model, coarse enough to spray acrylic primer without constant clogging. Smaller nozzles are specialist second brushes — nozzle sizes explained.

If they will be handled or played with, yes — varnish resists the abrasion that wears paint off raised edges. Cabinet display pieces are genuinely optional. See do you need to seal miniatures.

Humidity. The solvent cools the surface as it evaporates and moisture condenses into the drying film, scattering light. Spray below about 60% relative humidity and never on a damp day — the mechanism and the salvage option are in the topcoat guide.

The same cause, earlier in the process: in humid or cold air the primer part-dries before it lands and arrives as dust rather than a wet film. It cannot be painted smooth afterwards. See why primer goes grainy.

No. Modern kits are molded in multiple colors. Clean gate cuts, panel lining, a few marker details and a matte topcoat give an excellent result with no paint at all — see how to paint your first Gunpla.

A single-blade nipper, a sharp hobby knife, sanding sticks and a cutting mat. Add panel liner and a matte topcoat next. Skip the twenty-piece bundles — the full rundown.

Cut twice. Leave the nub 1–2 mm proud on the first cut so the part comes free with no tension, then trim it flush. See removing nub marks.

The painting kit is a small one-time cost that will paint far more than one army; the models are the larger recurring expense. We do not publish figures we cannot verify live, so the cost guide explains where the money goes and links every product to its current price.

A tabletop-standard infantry model is roughly one to two hours spread across a couple of sessions, much of it waiting for coats to dry. One-coat paints and batch painting together cut that dramatically for rank-and-file troops.

Because prices here render only from a live data layer with a 48-hour freshness gate. If the data is not current, numbers disappear by themselves rather than going stale. On a new site that means you will mostly see “Check price on Amazon”, which is the honest state of affairs.

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