Happy New Year

Posted by Saw Saw
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To all the lost and damned, I want to wish you all a very merry holiday season. Since I couldn't buy you all a present, I thought I would post a list of things I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that might help others. If you have a tip as well, add it to the list.

Just the other day, I sprayed FLAT top coat on a custom bike i was building (28mm of coarse), when it dawned on me, i had spent the last week, painting a cool flame pattern in GLOSS paint....opps!

Lesson learned: pay attention...lol... and always match your top coat, with your paint. I know it seems obvious, but we all slip up.

Never use a dull hobby knife.....ever. Don't be cheap, because you will pay for it later. Also carve AWAY from yourself always

You can always add more paint, but it's a bitch, cleaning up a rushed paint job.

Gurilla super glue is so much better then regular super glue. someone finally figured out you don't want to put powerfull glue in a cheap little tube.

If you don't already have a paint journal, get one. There is nothing more frustrating then trying to re match a custom paint color. Remember paint always looks a little darker when wet. write the color  mix ratios down and paint a little swatch as well in your journal. It also will help you figure out what quantities of paint you will need for a big job.

Don't be afraid to branch out. If your a sci fi player, paint up some fantasy pieces to keep your style loose. Vice versa for you fantasy players.... don't be afraid of the las gun!

Build some terrain, then build some more....keep building and you will see that every piece keeps getting better!

keep your area free of hair if you have animals... I paint on wax paper. There hair is like little ninja's, getting all over your wet paint, as if drawn by some majical force.

Spray paint works well, but always start further back, and work your way forward. Also don't breeth it, you'll get a tumor and die....

If you can find a big lid, from  a box or something, that makes a great baseing station, as you can freely poor water/glue bassing material inside the box, and not have to worry about a spill/ big clean job after.

Finally don't be afraid of your imagination. If you think it would look cool, there is always a way to build/ paint it.

 If you don't reach, you will never see how far you can take it. use the internet/hooby store/friends/enemies/pets/strangers off the street, for advice and technical help.

Hope this helps...

Saw

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MortiS-the-Lost MortiS-the-Lost
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Re: Happy New Year

Good advice all round, I think there is something each of us here can learn from here

Totally agreed on the trying different genres of miniatures and I’d add to that try different companies too.
Or at the very least try different armies, I think a reasonable aim for any serious collector or gamer is to try and paint at least 1 miniature of each Race/Faction/Army in your favourite game universe.
Variety is the spice of life and the spice must flow!


I’ve never heard of Gurilla Super Glue my self, what’s it like?
The best superglue I’ve found so far is Loctite Super Glue UltraGel which bonds pretty fast and come in gel rather than liquid form making it easier to apply to miniatures

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~The ravings of a single mad Goblin is bad enough, but such a power-hungry, malice-filled creature as Mortis can never hope to be understood~
Saw Saw
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Re: Happy New Year

Gurilla glue has a few different types, but I am partial to the super glue I have included a link, and no I don't work for them, just like there product. The flow control  is the biggest selling point for me. No more cloged tubes, ripping, and wasted glue, burning your eyes....

http://www.gorillaglue.com/glues/superglue/index.aspx

For my brothers across the pond, here is a contact number I found on there website:

For United Kingdom, please call 44 (0) 844 7451880 or email: eusales@gorillaglue.com

The regular gurilla glue works amazing at bonding large projects like terrain, but be carefull as it foams up, if it's too close to the edge. You have to sprinkle a tiny bit of water on the surfaces to be bonded, and that starts a chemical reaction, that makes regular glues look like wimps. I have actually used that to my advantage though, as by it's self it looks like a very funky organic material, perfect for 'nids, or any other creepy crawly.....
Please see www.sawstudios.blogspot.com for all the Saw maddness
Umboman Umboman
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Re: Happy New Year

This post was updated on .
In reply to this post by Saw
Some good advice,offered for free.I will start a paint journal & should of thought of that before,after I run out of a special  one off mix & needed to mix more & did not get it right.As well as never rushing ,I would add never work when tired or distracted as I tend to make mistakes then,which are difficult to correct;eg sticking the wrong halves of the USS Enterprise tubes together with plastic weld & then having to cut them apart with a scalpel.You think I would remember to cut away from myself after cutting myself several times!I have just started building terrain & it is fun.                                                                                                                                                                                                           I built myself a spray booth out of free plywood from a skip & a sheet of glass stuck on the top with silcone,with a fan/filter in the side if I need it(copied from one I saw at a model show..............................Do invest in  a figure holder with stand or make your own-it is more comfortable to hold & easier to put down to answer the phone,etc.If you have room get a large secondhand office desk to give you plenty of work room & invest in a good sound sytem to keep you entertained during the boring bits.Get some decent tools.                                                                                                                                                                                               I use a couple of lazy susans(a rotating carousel to store brushes,etc).A rotating cheeseboard is good for painting vehicles or different parts/figures enmass.For the older modeller get a magnify glass on a stand or magnify glasses.The Lithium Ion Dremmel Stylus is perfect for plastic/resin/metal model & will save a lot of time/hard work.I get my accessories from Milestools.co.uk.Buy 2 boa constrictors to get stubborn paint lids off.
                                      For UK members you can get great lights for modelling from www.rnib.org (see shop) or www.opitimalowvision.co.uk.If you cannot see properly you cannot paint properly.
The Prodigal son