OK, it's time that I try this painting thing
All I know that I have to do is by a casting.
As Vic (blaster) suggests, Tradition, Sarum and Dorset are all very good places to look. Since you're here in the States, and in particular, in Massachusetts, I'd start with Hobby Bunker to source them. I don't know if George Guerriero/Minuteman also has any kit figures or castings, but it's worth asking him. Another local source is Rich Dutkin/Dutkin's Collectables. He sells Tradition kits, among others (incl. Imrie-Risley). Or Ron Ruddell of London Bridge Collector's Toys. Ron is an authorized Britains dealer, including to sell replacement parts.
So, what else....
I have nothing at all. Let me know what I need re:
-brushes (types and size),
Invest in good natural fiber brushes. Sable are best, but you can get some other animal hair brushes, usually made in China. Again, ask at Hobby Bunker, but you could also look at an art supply store, like D - i - c - k Blick (getting around the nannyware). The arts & crafts stores (Michael's, AC Moore, HobbyLobby) carry good brushes, too, but they're designed for painters, so the shafts are too ling, or the tips aren't quite shaped right.
I use the finest points I can get, for most work-0/0, 5/0, 10/0.
Good brushes will cost more up front, but cared for properly, they will last a long time.
-what paints (I want to do glossy-Trophy like) and don't want to worry about mixing colors. I can change the hue, but don't want to have to create colors for now so need a pretty complete set of paints.
For gloss finishes, if you don't want to have to use a gloss coat, try Testor's enamels, in the little square glass jars. They are very good. You could also get Tamiya, Model Master, Polly S and Floquil (the latter three are all owned by Testor now, and I think Polly S or Floquil may have been discontinued).
You can also use acrylics, whether gloss or matte, though if you use matte, you will need to use a gloss coat to finish. As others mentioned, you can get by with craft store acrylics, like Apple Barrel or Americana. Look for those at Michael's (usually 40% off, and sometimes 85 cents a bottle), AC Moore or HobbyLobby (HL has regular sales and coupons you can print, usually for 40% off). Vallejo and Andrea are also good choices, used by figure painters, but they're more expensive. However, a little bottle goes a long way, and their finish is excellent. Tamiya acrylics are also very good. I have a mix of enamels and acrylics, as well as oils, in my
Farbkastl.
-Do i need some kind of filler putty?
Yes. Many castings you find, even good quality castings, will have some seams or gaps, and you'll probably want to fill them. I recommend Milliput's basic grade, or Aves Apoxie Sculpt. Both are 2-part epoxy putties--you mix equal parts of a catalyst and a putty, then apply. You can also use those putties to sculpt, if you find that you want to try your hand at kitbashing (modifying a stock figure into something else).
Yes. Mineral spirits and even lacquer thinner, for enamels, isopropyl (90% solution) for acrylics. If you buy Tamiya paints, I strongly recommend buying Tamiya's own proprietary thinners to use with them. Anyone who has ever tried hand-brushing Tamiya paints can tell you, out of the jar, they clump, and when you apply a second coat, you can lift off the layer below. That's because they are formulated for airbrushing and are meant to be thinned. And in my own experience, I learned that Tamiya's own thinner works best on their paints, at least, on the acrylics. I have read of others using lacquer thinner with them, too, but that was for airbrushing.
For craft store acrylics, and Vallejo or Andrea, water is fine for thinning them for painting.
They all make a specific fluid called brush cleaner, but I pretty much use the thinner to clean my brushes. To clean the enamels, I use mineral spirits or lacquer thinner, and for acrylics, a dip in water or isopropyl. I will also use the automotive de-greaser Super Clean, to clean my brushes after using enamels.
I dip my brushes in the fluid, and gently press and roll the point as the paint dissolves. Then I drag the brush points across a piece of paper towel, holding the brush like a pencil and pulling it towards me, never pushing it away. This helps keep the point's shape. I repeat the dip and drag until the brush comes away clean. Then I shape the point and store the brush upright to dry. I will also sometimes rub my fingers on my nose to pick up skin oil, to coat and seal the bristles. I know of an Italian painter who uses olive oil for the same purpose. A little oil--a very little--helps condition and preserve the natural fibers. After all, they're hair.
For metal or resin castings, I recommend a 2-part epoxy glue. They are usually marked as to the setting and curing times, and I prefer something that sets in 5 to 10 minutes, to give myself time to make adjustments.
Cyanoacrylate glue (CA glue, or the brand Krazy Glue) will work, too, but epoxy bonds are stronger over time. Some CA glue joins can become brittle with time.
If the casting doesn't have lugs or pins to fit parts to the main body, I recommend investing in a pin vise and some small drill bits, and using bits of stiff wire to pin the joints. This makes a stronger joint, than the simple butt join of two flat surfaces.
For styrene figures, like Tamiya's kit figures, or Airfix's or Historex's white plastic kits, use a styrene glue, like Testor's in a tube, Plastruct's Weldene or Bondene, Tamiya's liquid cement. These glues actually melt the plastic to form the join, like a weld. Epoxy and resin do not.
You should also have some white glue around, like Elmer's. I wouldn't assemble a figure with it, but eventually you'll find a use for it.
- what do recommend for castings? Mainly looking for easy to paint civilian stuff for now
etc......when I say everything, I mean everything!
Thanks guy!
See Blaster's previous post, and my followup to his answer, about castings and sources. I also recommend looking online, eBay, for example, and going to shows and looking through vendors' bins of old figures. For civilian figures, look for the old Phoenix Model Developments line, some of which are available today from Forty-Third, Ltd and John Eden Studios. Imrie-Risley also has some civilian figures, but they're mostly specialty figures, like the series depicting Dickens characters or Sherlock Holmes. However, they can be used for your purposes, too.
As far as other tools go, get yourself a Nr 11 hobby knife handle and blades, whether X-Acto or some other brand, and also a Nr 2 handle and blades will be useful. I would also get a razor saw (most are made to fit the Nr handle), as well as some fine files, and a supply of fine-grade sandpaper, 100 grit to start. Steel wool is also good for polishing and smoothing seams.
Oh, and yes, get yourself an OptiVisor, or its Chinese knock-off equivalent.
Good luck in your new pursuit! As Ben Kenobi said, "You've taken your first steps into a larger universe."
Prost!
Brad
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