AVOID these Games Workshop Products! And some to reconsider...
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ค. 2024
- Here are my four Games Workshop Warhammer hobby products to AVOID! And some to reconsider! I take you through my recommendations for Citadel products to avoid and some alternatives that are either cheaper or better. I also talk about some of my favourite and underrated products that hobbyist should consider adding to their hobby tools!
Note - some links below are affiliate links.
Tamya Extra Thin Plastic Glue: elementgames.co.uk/paints-hob...
Vallejo Textured Paint: elementgames.co.uk/paints-was...
Artis Opus Brushes: elementgames.co.uk/the-army-p...
Citadel Water Pot: elementgames.co.uk/the-army-p...
Citadel Spray Stick: elementgames.co.uk/the-army-p...
Citadel Paints: elementgames.co.uk/wargames-a...
Halfords Primer: www.halfords.com/motoring/pai...
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The water pot is stupidly nice. I laughed when I first saw in the store but since I started using it, I haven't even come close to drinking my paint water!
Exactly this! It’s something really simple but it’s definitely better than just a glass or jar. And I’ve never drank mine either 😝
Agreed (and I have had some paint water as well. Thankfully I use a miniature vodka bottle for my lacquer thinner so there is no risk of drinking that). That said, I saw those groves and it intrigued me immediately. When I read up on the intent of those groves, I was sold. Way, way better than their previous water pot offerings. The only issue I possibly see (I don't have one... yet) is cleaning it. But, at $10 a pop, maybe I'll get two, if I forget to clean I can leave one soaking.
I love the Brush Point lines, and love the ridges on the bottom and sides
I use pot and pallet both are awesome
The paint pot is super hard to accidentally knock over too.
Me : just ordered some citadel products
TH-cam : imma ruin this mans whole day
Sorry! 😅 What did you buy?
Benji: "I've never had Citadel dry on me unless I leave them open"
Me who's never had a single pot of grey or white paint _not_ turn into a half dried mess, and has even seen dried paint on the Citadel shelf: *chuckles*
I recently opened a factory sealed pot of Corax White that I bought six months prior and kept in a box in a room that tends to be cooler than warmer during the winter. I would describe the consistency as being somewhere between tar and chalk.
I still have some of the older pots,you know with the black lid, and they are still workable. Just regularly clean the lids and keep some medium and water around to dilute when necessary. No problem.
Only grey and white?...Pathetic
Corax white is pretty well renown for being bad, and I do own a pot (that I bought 4-5 years ago) that I thinned down with airbrush thinner and a little medium and it’s fine now. That being said you shouldn’t have to do that with a paint to make it workable.
Other than that I’ve not had any issues with greys or other whites.
@@bombkangaroo idk what winter means for you but freezing or near freezing will ruin paint
Even in my earlyish days in the hobby I was astonished to find that Games Workshop actually wasn’t the most expensive provider for certain tools and supplies . They were actually the cheapest option in some cases. So basically it’s like everything. You need to shop around.
Absolutely! Some brands will be cheaper than others but on the whole I don’t think GW are over priced and on the whole are pretty level with the rest of the market.
Except the Citadel range of paints.
@@sirrathersplendid4825 Its specialty paint...
@@mindfuqq - Some of the pigments in the old Citadel range are great, almost unmatched by most of their competition. Some of the newer stuff seems to me grossly overpriced however.
Their bundle deals are great, its just buying things individually where it gets ridiculous sometimes.
life hack for the citadel glue is straight after using it, hold it upright on a slight angle with the nozzle facing into a piece of paper towel. Squeeze the bottle forcing the air out the nozzle, clearing the nozzle of glue = no clogging.
Well I'll be doing that from now on and/or buying the other product next time :D
What I often do instead is : glue gets clogged. I take out the metal tube, hold in tweezers, head with cigarette lighter with neither end pointed towards me. Clears it well burns all the glue up that's clogging it
Or go to hobby lobby, grab a bottle and precise nozzle cap and tranfer
@@christopherc3698 hobby lobby doesn't exist outside of the US and you'll have the same issue with any plastic glue
Another tip if it's clogged. Flip the needle around and put it back in the jar. Hold it like you'd be glueing for a few seconds and good to go.
Major reason i bought the cup so I don't confuse it with my mug.
A very valid reason! 😁
Super guilty here ahhahaha
many a time i have dipped my paint loaded brush into my mug of tea by mistake...
@@garywhitehouse9682 you have not lived till instead of sipping your black tea you get a mouth full of Chaos Black
Benji: The only time I’ve had paint dry is when I’ve forgot to close the lid
Me: or white
Hahaha! Ok, Corax white is a bit ropey 😉 I added some airbrush thinner and extra medium to mine, gave it a good shake on a vortex mixer and now it’s super smooth and so much more useable, but you shouldn’t really have to do that to get a useable paint.
I bought a Citadel paint set in 1991 and had some of those paints in flip top pots last, no lie, 20+ years. I’ve bought Citadel paint in 205 that lasted 20+ seconds.
Wraithbone is also really chunky right out of a fresh pot... I gotta try Benji's method, though. Maybe that'll do the trick.
I love dropper bottles. I've started transitioning to Vallejo because the paint is on point and the cost is right, but really it's mostly for the droppers. GW, if you switch I'll come back to citadel;
I’ve got a few Vallejo paints and will probably pick up more over time.
I just transfer my citadel paints to dropper bottles and add agitation balls.
@@josephcruz1473 I just don't understand why GW won't switch to droppers. It is crazy at their higher price point they still insist on pots.
@@fredgilbert2032 I'm clearly in the minority, but I largely prefer pots to droppers. So many of my droppers get clogs, which is manageable but annoying as I have to use a pin to unclog them.
Vallejo paints are fantastic, but also I recommend Green Stuff World paints.. especially their metallics. Plus they got a mixing ball in 'em already.
“Gw sprays aren’t supposed to be primers” They....they’re not? I...the...then what in the God Emperors name can you use them for? Painting a Titan?
Some people say they’re not meant to be primers, but GW say they are and I’ve never had a problem with them 🤷🏼♂️ Remember, it is the internet and people like to argue about things that are inconsequential 😂
ah yes because I definatly will use this spray can, a product good for covering large areas in a conistent coating of paint, to do these tiny details on my Space marine who is smaller than a pen lid. of course.
Painting an army very quickly is what they're for
@@BenjisHobbies I think people may be being silly with this. Whether they personally think they should be used as primers is totally separate from what they are intended for. And it seems clear that GW wants to be able to provide everything you need to assemble, paint and base your miniatures (at least to a certain degree) and doing so without a primer in their range seems like it would be a massive oversight.
Painting your Custodes in 1 easy step...
I can say he got 1 thing right for sure. Vallejo earth texture is great. My whole Army is base with it. And the jar is nearly still full.
My citadel paints have lasted me literally 6 years, I have been through a couple pots of black and white but that’s about it
Most people don't close the lids, we've all seen TH-cam videos with half open citadel pots. I don't like the pots, but ffs people, clean the thing and close it.
Exactly this! Look after them properly and close the lids and they’re all good!
@@StormcastMarine the big problem is the paint dripping into the ring, you loose so much paint that way, I’ve started clipping off the lids/lid rings
@Tapio Piuva Art true, I've lost count of the number of pots I have, but I still use them one at a time.
Like I said, I don't like these pots, but there is plenty of evidence in TH-cam videos of people not even closing them.
My only complaint is the quality control on the pots lids. Had too many pots where the tab that holds the lid open at the back is malformed and wont function.
After recently getting back into the hobby I have found that after a few decades some of my Citadel paint pots have dried up, but not all. Some are still in perfect condition even after 25 years.
Same situation here!
Kinda impressed
the gw mold line remover is god-tier. people laugh at it, but especially for beginners its rad.
This is one I really should have included as part of the video - I’m a big fan! If I revisit this in the future I think it’ll definitely be one I talk about!
I personally use a small dull hobby knife, but does it do the same job?
@@rasmuskock8077 YMMV, but having used both, I find a proper mold-line remover does a much better job without damaging the model.
@@rasmuskock8077 I've found it's generally better than using a knife, since it lets me be a bit more fast and loose with scraping; I've heard good things about three-sided deburring tools though, and those may come to a finer point, which is the only complaint I have about the mouldline remover (can't get into tight spaces). Those are roughly the same price though, so it's not like you'd be saving a ton of cash by going outside the Games Workshop machine.
Also using the back of the hobby knife to avoid accidental cuts has left me with a sort of skipping pattern depending on the angle the knife was held at; I've not had a similar experience with the GW hunk of metal.
This is absolutly true!
Love this one.
The spray stick has made the frustration of priming my models disappear. Idc what people say, I've gotten more painted since having it than before. While I'm not fond of the paint pots, they do have some really fire paints in the line. I think it's best to mix and match brands to find out what works for you.
I think you’re right on mixing and matching. I’m definitely keen to try out a few brands and hopefully get a little more use out of my Army Painter paint set soon.
The stick is frustrating for me to use. I have a raised platform i use for priming.
@@snieves4 I'm considering just using a thin piece of metal, since I'm magnetising all my bases for transport anyway?
I love it
I am literally just starting to dip my toes in to the world of mini painting, so this was super useful. Any chance of doing some beginner level tutorials...? Like especially for GW LOTR characters
I have some plans for things which you may find useful, but I won’t necessarily do ‘tutorials’ as such. Watch this space! 😊
@@BenjisHobbies Will do !
Definitely agree with you on the paint, I like the range but the pots can be a nightmare!
I agree with the Citadel Paint range, they are very good paints, the pots... not so much, so I transferred all the colors to droppers.... win-win
Just finished up doing just this, save for the washes.
I’ve just finished doing this, I’d transferred some a year ago, the ones I hadn’t needed some remixing.
It isn't that citadel paint is bad. It is that you get less and it cost a lot more than everyone else.
My brother is a professor at a pretty prestigious art school When I asked him how to best take care of synthetic brushes he told me to get a bar of " Fell's naptha " , it does wonders for keeping points fine! After your done painting and have cleaned your brush thoroughly wet it then roll it on the bar, when the brush has soaked some of it up roll the bristles of the point of the brush in the palm of your hand then let it dry.
That’s a fantastic tip! Thank you for sharing - I’ll definitely be looking in to that!
@@BenjisHobbies glad I could help, believe it or not I've used the same brush on several hundred models since he told me about it and other than trimming a loose hair here or there the point has remained like new
After 27 years of Citadel use, i switched to Vallejo paints and that's like night and day...
I'm doing this now, but using up what I can en route, transferring any citadel to droppers too.
I humbly disagree. I recently started trying Vallejo (bought around 12 colours) and found trying to thin some of them down horrendous - whatever medium I used, (I tried a few) the paint would split, I guess is the right term. the pigment would act very strangely, and even constant mixing to bring it back would not help - the paint would even split on the model (I make aircraft as well as GW miniatures). I havent had a single issue with the GW paints and discovered that thinning them with vallejo airbush thinner (but applying with a brush) very nice indeed. Its to the point that I am using GW paints to paint the airfix and revell models (though some desaturation and colour mixing is required to make them more suitable :))
@@iain101010 I always use distilled water or lahmian medium for some specifical applications and i never experienced issues to thin it...do you mix it well before use ??
@@iain101010 I transitioned to Vallejo and Scale 75 from GW about 10 years ago.
Never experienced that problem, except at exceptionally high dilution rates. If I'm thinning that much, I like to use artist inks or airbrush colors as a base.
Also, using the airbrush flow improver (1 drop for each difficult paint drop, than water to thin) helps.
I switched partly to Vallejo about 20 years ago when Citadel had those horrible pots with the black screw-on caps (those dried out pretty quickly), but returned when GW introduced foundation paints, which were pretty marvelous at the time. These days I happily mix brands using Vallejo especially their white paint and their Air range, while I use Citadel mainly for the Base series and the Shades (and even some Contrast for effect).
I cannot really say that one range is better than the other in every single regard - I don't much care about Vallejos inks, their black is way too glossy fpr my taste and a green with a decent coverage seems to be the hardest paint to manufacture ever. I still have some rarely used Citadel paint pots that work nicely after about 30 years of age (although the caps start crumbling if you're not careful), but I'll never buy a pot of white paint from them ever.
The other thing that I'd absolutely avoid are Citadel's hobby tools (with the exception of the mold line remover, which is actually really useful). No reason to pay ridiculous prices for knives, saws, clippers, tweezers and other tools, when you can get higher quality tools from brands like X-acto for way cheaper in any hobby store.
Regarding Tamiya Extra Thin, I feel one point about it would have been good to mention, for those who haven't used liquid cements before: It's *not* an _"apply glue on one side and then stick the parts together"_ kind of cement. It evaporates too quickly to work that way (properly, at least), instead you use it by holding the parts together and then applying the cement, which runs into the seam by capilllary action due to having very low viscosity.
I don’t agree. Never used it the way you described and had the good results.
Tamiya have another glue that called Extra Thin (Quick Setting) - in that case you may need to work the way you mentioned, otherwise it evaporates too quickly, especially with big connections.
Great video! I appreciated how you weren’t super negative about GW products, you were incredibly objective which is nice to see! You’ve earned a new subscriber good sir! Excited to start following your TH-cam journey!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate the sub and hope you’re enjoying my other videos! I think they are due credit where it’s deserved and I do often think they get an unnecessarily negative rep just because they’re the big boys in the industry.
One of my favorite things to use for basing large miniatures is actually tile grout. It works REALLY well.
I’m using it on a build right now, and will definitely be experimenting with it on bases! It looks great and dries super solid!
I really like the painting handles. I know you can use corks/lids/etc with blue tack but I just cannot be arsed faffing about with stuff like that. I just want to get on with painting.
Absolutely this! I see so many people recommend the DIY options but I’ve never found them to be as good as the GW ones, and that’s why I own five of them!
I got messed up hands and really like painting handles as well, the contour of the handles really feels great in my large hands and I don't cramp up with them.
I've used a tactic which I got introduced to mini painting with: a dot of glue on the base and a soda bottle cap - along with the empty 20oz bottle to use to hold. I kept this method when I went to BattleTech, though I had to switch to lids for Arizona tea (or similarly sized caps) which I use to turn on the work area as I do coverage. I'm still only an amateur who doesn't do a lot of detail work (and *cannot* make flesh look good, I keep trying and it fails every time) so... yeah.
Agreed I only have a limited time each week to paint, don’t wanna spend the time faffing about making stuff when I’m quite happy to use something designed already!
To be fair I JUST bought a panter start pack thing and the Corax white was just a ball of clunky white mass.
Corax is about the only one that I’ve had an issue with! I added a little airbrush thinner and some medium to it and it’s made it a lot more useable, but you shouldn’t really have to do that to get a paint to work.
I'm actually having a bit of a comparable but different experience. Most of my citadel paints are fine, but my Corax White keeps separating and I have to shake it every time I use it.
I used to love the paint, years ago. But I find it difficult to paint with now, and yes, some I've had have been iffy. Especially the white.
I’m a big fan of the citadel water pot as well. I scoffed at it at first until I used one at a paint and take event at my flgs, I bought my own that very same day. You won’t understand until you use one.
Exactly this! I keep getting grief about spending money on ‘just a water pot’ but it really is a great design!
I saw agree, I was scoffing at it at first, then looked at an in depth look at it and was "Ok, it's not that bad and has some very handy features."
Once again another helpful video and thorough throughout. Merry Christmas Ben mate love to all the family and those minis 😂😂🎅🏽🎄❤️
Thanks buddy! Not sure how useful you found it (for all those minis you paint 😉) but appreciate you watching and dropping a comment! Hope you had a good Christmas pal!
i love the video, and appreciate you putting it up. i disagree with the paint pot, though i have one my self. the reason some of your brushes are getting destroyed is because of that textured rib at the bottom of the citadel cup. those ridged pull, crack and break natural fibers in the brush rather quickly. synthetics also get destroyed by them, but nearly as fast. that brush you showed, has the tell tale look of a brush that was agitated in those ribs. i also used to use paint pucks, which are advertised to be safe on brushes... after stopping using them, i went from replacing my brushes every other month, to getting well over a year to a year and a half out of them. keep up the good work! your video is very clean. kudos.
I actually had one of those brushes before the water pot, so unfortunately that wasn’t the cause with that particular one! I’ve also used the pot a lot with other brushes (such as the Artis Opus one I showed, which I’ve had for over a year!) and not had the same issues. As I said though, perhaps it’s purely down to bad luck with the ones I’ve picked up, but I’ve had enough ‘bad’ brushes that I’d be hesitant to pick another one up.
Thanks so much for the kind words 😊 I’m definitely aiming to up my game further so keep an eye on the channel!
The paints are fine, it's the pot that sucks. The back of the lid inner rim gets paint in it and will make it hard to close with a air tight seal. As well as dropper paints make transferring paint into an airbrush easier. The fact they have an airbrush line through forge world that still uses the same pots is just daft.
Medium base brush from citadel is one of my favorites. Mine has lasted forever, and is by far the brush that balances speed, coverage and presicion the best.it feels like using a felt tip marker almost.
Perhaps you’ve got one of the good ones! I’ve just never had any luck with the base brushes!
Fantastic video, I'm just starting out this was so useful mate.
It's worth mentioning I found a somewhat simple solution to their plastic glue (overall the nozzle still isn't the best, but hey I bought the standard stuff). You can just take the needle out and flip it round, found that it works like new again. Unfortunately you have to do this somewhat often.
That’s great to hear buddy! Always nice to hear that my videos have been useful!
That’s a solid tip and I must admit it’s not one I’ve tried. I’ll give it a go with the half bottle I’ve got left 😊
Great video. I’ve just picked up some Tamiya cement as I got sick of burning my fingers clearing the GW nozzle out :) The mold line remover is a good one if you do a follow up video. It’s solid as a rock and there’s much less risk of damaging the model as compared to a hobby blade. I also love the original GW painting handle. The slight angles on the handle mean you can brace it against the table with no risk of it slipping or sliding around.
Paints and primers are fundamentally different and have different purposes. GW spray paints are chemically engineered to bond to their plastic models without need for a primer. Primers are usually engineered to bond to smooth, greasy, rough, or any other surface too difficult that a paint can’t bond to. You don’t need primer with plastic GW models but if you use their paint on metro or resin models it will fail quickly. Primer is for metal and resin, but GW plastic models can use their special paints in place of primer.
Wow, finally common sense considering the paints and pots not just repeating the illogical "transfer citadel paints to paint pots" mantra 👏🏻🔥 nice vid, really enjoyed it, subbed
Thank you! I think it’s become cool and ‘edgy’ to hate GW just because they are GW 🤷🏼♂️ Thanks for your kind comments, and I hope you enjoy some of my other videos! 😊
Seeing your paint range has made me think of a neat video request/add on to another short video. I have quite a limited paint range as I've only been painting mesbg, and only for a year. I'd love for you to go through your favourite go to paints for mesbg, then for 40k etc. We all have those paints we love using ("maybe I'll paint my dwarves clothing purple because this shade of purple is glorious" sorta thing". Or Equally, going over the basic paint range required to cover nearly all uses. Obviously just a suggestion and feel free to ignore :D
That’s a great idea! Let me think on it and see what I can do. There are definitely some colours that get used way more than others, especially for Middle Earth SBG so I’m sure I could think of something 😊
Been a lover of the dry brushes ever since I started learning how to dry brush and it makes a huge difference compared to any other paint brush
super cheap makeup brushes are my go-to. Citadel ones are a bit too stiff for my liking.
I similarly thought the paint stick was a joke product. I got one for Christmas from a family member and you know what. It's awesome. Well worth he money.
It’s a priming game changer! Preach!
Regarding glue: I would recommend using acetone instead of any plastic cement, simly because it's stronger and faster. the main problem one might have is that it dries incredibly quick, which means the only way to glue things are to press them together and then dab some acetone in, letting the capillary force do it's thing. It's also hard on plastic, which will melt if you are not careful. That said, I haven't used any cement the last ten years or so because of acetone. It's a damn godsend.
Good tip - thank you! I’ll try it out 😊
A few years ago I decided to try out Kolinsky Red Sable brushes since all the synthetic brushes I was using had started curling near the tip. I went to the local art supply shop fully intending to get top line Windsor-Newtons. The woman at the shop suggested the store's "house brand" (in this case it was Jerry's Artarama's Rhapsody by Creative Mark). The price is about half. I bought a 0, a 2/0, and a 3/0. These are now my "go-to" brushes for most painting. I have a couple of the Citadel Dry brushes, and they are great for that (I still have a few crappy old brushes that I still dry-brush with, too). Of course, I have a couple of Army Painter Psychos, too. I recently heard that I shouldn't use sable brushes with metallics or washes, so yesterday I picked up a few of Jerry's Mimik Kolinskys for that (they're cheaper). Having heard what you said about the Citadel Shade brushes I will probably pick one up. I love Citadel's Stirland Mud Technical. Mine came in a 24ml pot. I also got some Vallejo Thick Mud Russian Mud Weathering Effects in a 40ml pot which is similar, but slightly darker. If I ever run out I will look for that Vallejo Earth Texture. If you really like Citadel paints you absolutely have to check out Dr. Tabletops Droptops. Seriously (drtabletop dot com). It may change your life. I have about 10 Citadel paints and now I actually use them. It works on P3 pots as well. I have used Testor's Plastic Cement since I was kid building plastic car and plane models, but I am suddenly interested in trying out Tamiya Super-Thin. Good video.
Thanks for the detailed comment! That’s really interesting to hear about the ‘house brand’ brushes. I now tend to only use synthetic brushes with washes, inks and contrast paints and save my ‘good’ brushes for the detail work 😊
Great video. Been building and TH-cam for years. Just getting into warhammer stuff. Used extra thin for years but was told the extra thin sometimes had trouble holding over time
Thank you 😊
I’m not sure how it would weaken over time. It literally melts the two plastic pieces together so once they’re stuck, they’re stuck!
Great video!
My 2p worth:
Citadel Plastic Glue - awesome, very precise and very little issues after glueing over 2000pts of minis. Only dried in the nozzle right at the end of my first bottle - lasts ages
Citadel Water pot - can't recommend this enough. The side ridges, brush point shaper with the non-tip design and large capacity are amazing
Citadel Paints - awesome but agree the pot design is prone to making your paint dry out. Tip - only open pot to 45 degrees, take paint out and put lid back on - don't open fully and it won't allow a slodge of paint on the joint to dry out (that keeps the lids from being flush and let's the air in)
Citadel Brushes - ack - yeah hard lesson learned here. Shade brush is useful but the layer and base brushes are abysmal. Switch to Windsor and Newton Series 7 ASAP - expensive but you'll never look back
Citadel Sprays - Corax White is very picky on humidity. Choas Black is amazing and super smooth. Grey Seer contrast spray is super smooth and I love it...can be a little weak on the paint adhesion though - enough you apply varnish ASAP after you are done
Citadel File set - great but wears out really quickly unfortunately after mild use
Citadel Green Stuff - amazing - so useful for conversion work.
Definitely worth investing (or making) a wet plalette for anyone new to the hobby - helps the painting experience immensely i found and keeps small amounts of paint viable for so much longer + you can vary the consistency depending on if you want something thinner, thicker or to add more water to and older / drier paint
Thanks so much, and thank you for such a detailed and thoughtful answer! I too was disappointed in the file set and it’s why I tend to buy cheap sets off eBay or Ali Express etc.
I find the citadel plastic glue fine never had an issue. Only thing better is Tamiya thin
IMO
And that’s why I love Tamiya!
with regards to the citadel glue. I personally really enjoy it and when I first started off, I did have an issue with the metal nozzle. I learned a good way to minimize this is when I am done gluing all I do is set base of the bottle of glue down on the table and just push the sides. this pushes out any residual glue in the nozzle and I don't really have any blocks in the nozzle since. maybe once in a while.
I actually like the citadel clippers quite a bit, I find it super easy to get really precise and clean cuts off the sprew with them, this also goes for any parts of the model I'd wanna snip for kitbashing and such.
If you treat the paints well they will last. Lol I still have a few pots of my original paints that are almost 20 years old, and they are still usable. Every couple of years I check them and add a little medium if needed, but I could pop them.open and start painting any time. I actually gave a friend my last pot of chestnut ink that I had since 2003.
Shadow Grey, Tin Bitz and Brazen brass were my go to colors and I am saving my last pots for something special.
Tin Bitz! Best paint GW ever released.
I recently inventoried my paints and found a pot of Shadow Grey that I didn't know I had. Happy days.
A recently got a chaos warhound (my first and probably only big model I will ever buy again), I am.l thinking it might be the project to use up my last pots.
Im gonna be honest i much prefer the citadel stuff to everything else I've used even on none games workshop models so like... tbh i think it's pretty much all personal preference
Absolutely - these are just my personal suggestions. A lot of things are definitely personal preference in this hobby 😊
I typically use Citadel, Vallejo, and Army Painter for my paints as each brand has their own color deltas. Which one I use depends on how I want my mini to look.
Awesome Video!
I do like the idea of the spray stick, the only thing is I tend to basecoat my miniatures in subassemblies without bases. My guess is that the spray stick simply won't work.
As for paint drying, I've had old style pots (black top, white top) which dried out anyway. I haven't had any trouble with the newer style pots (transparent top)!
Glad you mentioned about the base brushes. On my 3rd medium and 3rd small base brush in a year. I now buy the inexpensive brush and base as much as I can before it dies.
On the other hand, I do keep meaning to get myself an Artis Opus box, just never got round to it (or would rather spend the £55 on some more minis) 😉
I completely understand about getting the cheap brushes! For mini painting I’m not sure I’d get the full box of AO brushes as some of them don’t get a huge amount of use from me. Maybe try the Size 1 or 2 and see how you get on with them before diving in and getting the whole set 😊 And if you do decide to buy them it would AMAZING if you could use my affiliate link (in the video description) as it really helps me out!
I too like the paint pot. People laughed at it but its never tipped over and the bristle cut ins are great
Now here is a man of good taste 😉
I agree with Tamiya's plastic cement, it's really good, about spray cans you have to be careful about, because some are nitro based and these ones could melt the plastic
I generally like the Tamiya plastic cement too, but I've had batches which have only given a light hold. Great for display models, but not for figures being used on tabletop.
Most spray paint tins will say on the side what their main ingredient is - acrylic or something more organic and vicious. The second type I reserve for metal figures.
When priming models with light colors so I can use bright contrast colors, which is great for Tzeentch daemons, I've found Vallejo white to be the best. No clumping or fuzzy messes. The paint self-levels and leaves models in top shape for painting. Since it's hard to find though, I've gone on to try both Scale75 and Army Painter with much success. For black, I use Rustoleum from Wal-Mart for like $3 for a big can.
I’ll take a look for the Vallejo white, thanks for the tip!
I use the games workshop glue and i use a tiny sewing needle that i got from a craft store for like a dollar to unclog the tube. It doesnt happen too often for me but i can definitely see why you would want to use an alternative. I also use Mephiston Red spray to prime my blood angels and it saves me so much time! Im just starting off the hobby and my friends want to start playing so this is honestly helping me speed the process up a bit and at least for me its turning out some pretty good results.
4:10: I agree. The medium base brush is a key culprit for me. I have found the small base brushes much better.
I’ve not had a small base brush that I’ve used for painting in a long time, but I might have to try out the small one again 😊
Interestingly enough, I bought a small base and a small layer brush at the same time, the basebrush is useable only for larger areas as it is brittle and messed up, while the layer one keeps going and going. Switched to the layer for nearly anything now, same cleaning process and all, seems a quality problem with the base brush I guess. (Hope you can decipher this, not a native speaker, sorry :D)
@@SebsterGefunden perfectly legible! Thank you for commenting 😊
Love this video. Aside from like, 4 paints in their catalogue, I absolutely love Citadel paints. I fail to see the validity of complaints towards their pots, especially if you run a wet palette.
Also, Night Lord Blue > Kantor Blue all day
Thank you! I’d definitely agree on certain paints (looking at you, Corax White...)
Thanks for the tip on Night Lord Blue! I’ll definitely be checking it out!
Pro Acryl paint and the rest of their products available will improve your hobby life forever.
Ooh I'll have to check out Night Lord Blue...
Kantor Blue is basically my go-to paint for doing a TotalWar -accurate Ikit Claw armor.
For me? My favorite spray primer is Formula P3, with Duplicolor a close second; plastic cement is good old Testors. I've been meaning to grab a couple jars of the Vallejo texture paints, because I love Vallejo paints and products and I really want to save money over time by having a larger jar that will last a longer time. Brush wise, I've tried a bunch of them in recent times and I've settled onto Army Painter and Princeton brushes since they're solidly made and do good work. My main workhorse right now is a Princeton #3 that is holding a point really well and in general is holding up to regular use and not so regular cleaning (*wince*).
Thanks for your thorough reply! I don’t think you’d be disappointed if you tried the Vallejo Earth textures 😊 Let me know what you think once you’ve given them a go!
I do a lot of plastic model, tanks and aircraft, I’ve not used the citadel plastic glue but do use the Revell Contacta glue which looks pretty much the same - not sure who copied who. I also use Tamiya Extra Thin a lot. The two glues are not the same, they are complementary.
The Tamiya extra thin is, well, very thin - it is great for wicking between two parts held together. It is also fine for joining small areas. It’s weakness (and strength) is that it evaporates very quickly so not so good for joining large parts - you start applying and by the time you have reached the end the stud you put on first has evaporated, so you have to go around again, and again. This is where Revell Contacta comes in, it is much more viscous so stays active for longer so much better for joining large parts.
Another benefit of Revell Contacta is fixing very small parts with minimal contact area, the higher viscosity holds the part in place - it also creates a stronger bond as the glue settles into natural fillets.
Another thing to be aware of with Tamiya Extra Thin is that it wicks like crazy, keep your fingers well away because if you apply too heavily it will wick under you fingers, dry instantly and leave glue fingerprints on your model.
I agree with the metal tube on Contacta, it is great when it works but does clog up often - I use the flame method it declog it.
I’d say that Tamiya extra thin is not a direct replacement for citadel glue, a more complete replacement is Tamiya Extra Thin plus Tamiya Standard - the standard is more viscous with a bigger brush, so much better for larger surfaces and you can apply it with a cocktail stick to secure those tiny parts.
If you are in north America a good neutral primer is Rustoleum 2x. You can get it in black, white and gray and a couple of other primary colors. Their no clog nozzle is pretty good about not clogging. GW brushes are crap, made of some of the cheapest materials. I worked for them and when we had natural hair brushes in the shop the rhetoric was all about how natural hair brushes are the best and only thing a hobbyist should use. As soon as they cut costs and started shipping nylon brushes to the stores then management changed the sales pitch for the store employees and nylon brushes became the end all and be all. After learning about all the shady shit GW pulls (seriously it's a lengthy list) I stopped buying their product when I stopped working for the company.
Thanks for the recommendation about rustoleum. I’m not in North America but it’s available in the U.K. too.
That’s disappointing to hear about their business practices 😞 I always thought they were pretty ethical as businesses go.
Instead of earth texture, consider using dirt/sand and glue (pva/super).
Vallejo>Citadel.
Dropper bottles>Pots.
I used to use sand/grit but Earth textures just seem to give me a much better, more consistent finish. Generic sand always feels slightly out of scale for the miniatures I paint.
For brushes as someone who does traditional and miniature painting for UK people the range has some great brushes and use watercolour brushes for wash colours. You can also get texture mediums by Windsor Newton you can get huge amounts for lower prices you can mix them with any colour to make your own terrain types and colours. The generic plastic primer is great from the range as well and lasts longer than the Halfords one does in my experience. If you are using non traditional colours for a model or army water soluble oil paints are great and so are student grade acrylic.
I'm just getting started, really appreciate this video. Thanks. Subbed :)
Thanks Reece! It’s all the sort of things I wish I’d been told about when I first started 😊
The issue with the pots are that they can be a nightmare to keep clean and it sometimes take very little gapage for them to kill the paint, especially comparted to the old ones. And at the price they charge one could think that a bit more would go in to the product design... But i also think it is a... design goal. Because the more often they dry out, the more often you need to buy more paints.. And the pots have become less and less user friendly over the years.
I completely get that, and I see so many people having the same issues, but I genuinely just don’t have that problem with Citadel paints! I’ve had some of mine for 6 years or so and they’re still as useable as they day I got them. Maybe I’m just lucky 😊
I buy both the citadel and tamiya glue. I like the tamiya for general adhesive, but the citadel glue is better at weight bearing parts.
Someone else mentioned that. I can’t say I’ve experienced it but I’ll bear that in mind! Thanks for sharing your experience with it 😊
I just found this channel and thank you so so so much!! This will help me and my little brothers out tons!!
No problem at all! I’m glad it’s been useful to you! And big thanks to you for commenting 😊
I couldn't have find these video sooner, I just finished building a Redemptor but now I need to paint with basic paints and brush
Windsor and Newton series 7's are amazing, well worth the cost.
also vallejo's basing texture is absolute gold, I bought a pot of the asphalt/lava texture a couple of years ago for about £8 and it is amazing stuff, a little bit goes a long way.
Exactly this! I’m still working my way through the pot I bought 2-3 years ago!
W+N are also a good shout and brushes that I’d love to try 😊
I tried the Tamya thin cement and it's way too thin. even if I put a lot of it, it doesn't hold. the Dollar store has a pack of 3 tiny glue tubes. since they are tiny, you get nice control (not as much as the tamya brush, obviously) and they work WONDERS with Army Painter spray accelerant. not to mention the Tamya's fumes are something, even in a well ventilated area
I agree. I've tried it and have had bits fall off.
That’s interesting to hear. So far I’ve not had any problems, even with slightly larger models, but I’ll bear that in mind. Thanks for sharing 😊
I'm not sure if I'm using it wrong or what. Dunno how to mess up on using glue but it may be my fault.
@@dreadnaut1269 if it was only you, maybe. but you are not.
Mr Hobby Limonene cement, guys. Slightly thicker than the Tamiya cement, so it doesn't evaporate so quickly and you get better coverage. Still has the brush on the cap... and it smells like citrus. It's the one true champ.
Primer: cheapo krylon from the hardware store black and white, follow good spraying procedure and you preserve details and money.
Primer stick: GW vs paint stir stick + sticky. More proof the internet will argue over anything including a stick.
GW paint pots. The line of paints is fine and they don’t dry any different from other paints. Pots on the other hand do make a god awful mess if knocked over, whereas the dropper bottles don’t even if they don’t have the lid on them. Also GW is a bit proud price wise vs Vallejo et al. For the same volume of paint.
Stirland mud: Vallejo earth textures are good, modeling paste from the art and craft store even better. You can decide how much grit and the color custom to the project for similar price.
Water pot...nice features, sure, but nice enough to justify money over free (unused cup at home) or money that could be used for that next new project? Not for me.
Great video Benji, I'll definitely be trying out the Tamiya glue and Vallejo textured paint in the new year
Thanks dude! They’re both great products. I don’t think you’d be disappointed!
Citadel pin vise drill. It’s a bit pants but it’s better than all the other options I’ve tried.
I completely agree! I’ve tried some cheaper alternative and they’re just nowhere near as solid as the Citadel Pin Vise. I don’t regret spending the extra on the Citadel version.
@@BenjisHobbies I did until I then spent ‘less’ on others
Go Vid, Mate....... (Thumbs Up;O) _But_ I just wasn't clear on the whole "You Can Use Citadel Base-Coat Spray Paint as a *Primer"*
Could you elaborate on this a bit ???
(e.g. Why/How it can work as a Primer, etc.)
Thank you 😊 A lot of people say that you can’t use the Citadel cans to prime/undercoat your miniatures, and that you should use a ‘proper’ primer first, and then use them to add colour. I use the various colours depending on what I’m painting and I’ve never had paint chip off from not using a primer, and it takes paint well over the top. Hope that helps explain but feel free to ask more questions if I’m not making myself clear!
Thank you for an interesting video. Less pertinent would be a video covering the accessories that GW USED to do, good or bad. The sculpting tool, the battle mat, do they still do the pin vice? No idea why they discontinued them.
Thanks for commenting! Great idea 😊 I have loads of video ideas and plans at the moment, but I’ll certainly add it to the list! They still make the pin vice (or at least a more modern one) and it’s pretty good compared to one from another brand that I own.
I use large citadel base brush, for contrast-basing. It's realy good for that. With the shape of it, you can play with that very wash-like paint without accidently blobing it on the mini.
I really like this video. I kinda hate how some hobbyists just rag on Citadel for EVERYTHING. Like, maybe if you're a professional painter then yeah there's probably better stuff out there, but for the general public? Let's not act like Citadel's the worst crap out there. It's a bit pricey, their brushes are mostly poop and SOME paints are very fickle beasts (looking at you Corax White), but overall this is a good enough brand and from my experience at least they're not a whole lot more expensive than other brands.
Thank you! I think it’s only fair to give them their dues when their products are mostly pretty good, and give genuine reasons why I don’t like them if they’re not so good rather than just ‘gW mAkE bAd StUfF’ 😊
Still remember when GW's plastic glue came with a Tamiya style applicator, was so much better then
I think that must have been before my time, or perhaps I just used superglue ‘back in the day’.
I love the pots! Never had any issues. The dropper bottle paints on the other hand, are a pain some times because paint always gets clogged at the tip and have to unclog it. 😊
I’ve had bottles explode when I squeeze them too hard 🙈
for the nozzle on the plastic glue i pull it out and put the opposite side in and it works petty well for me
When I started out I was using the "chaos black," or whatever its called, spray-primer by Citadel and twice I had a can get clogged and stop working after just a couple of uses, they're very poor quality especially considering the price, I bought some armypainter spray primers and have yet to see one of them stop working for seemingly no reason. Those GW spray-cans are more expensive and in my experience lower quality than other products, I couldn't agree with you more not recommending them.
Army Painer Bone spray is my go-to primer, superb thin coverage and you can pick out the details, it's also a great base for yellows.
I've came to warhammer from painting cars for years, on those I use tamiya spray and acrylic and honestly it's all way better than citadel!
The colors of the rattle cans literally are used as primers, even in Citadel Tutorials.
Oh, I know. But it’s the internet and people like to argue about everything 😝
Hey !! Great vid !! 😉 could you make a video about how to make you own wash/toner ?
Thank you 😁 Unfortunately it’s not something I’ll be doing any time soon. There are loads of other people more talented than me that have made those sorts of videos already 😊
@@BenjisHobbies Thanks for you honest answer 😊 I called my local Kelzor role playing store and found a solution 😉
Totally agree with the Citadel cement bottle design, the tip clogs each time and almost always falls out. I pretty much only use Citadel paints since that is all my local games hop carries. I still have the hex-shaped pots from 25+ years ago that still work great with a couple that did dry out. I have purchased at least 4 each of corax white and white scar that seemed fine in the store but we're actually a solid lump with just enough liquid to sound ok. I have since found another shop that carries Vallejo paints and will be giving them a try.
Let me know what you think of the Vallejo whites 😊 I’ve not had any issues with White Scar but Corax always seems a bit lumpy. I mixed some with some airbrush thinner and a little medium, gave it a REALLY good shake and it’s now pretty good.
Vallejo spray paints are amazing mate. They are my go to sprays.
Thanks! I’ll keep an eye out for them 😊
Raphael 8404 brushes are my go to and daily workhorse
I’ve only heard good things about Raphael brushes! They’re definitely on the cards, along with Rosemary and Co. for a trial run 😊
They are too soft and don't have enough spring to them.
I tried the Raphael's along with artis Opus and found that the raphael ones hard to get hold of, and once I did, they were very soft. But they held insane amounts of paint and had to soak a lot of it away to be able to use the brush and not clog the detail up too much. For me, its artis opus all the way. But I'm glad the raphael's work for you!
@@iain101010 it is unfortunate that the 8404s are hard to get ahold of. I personally love how much paint they hold. Less trips back to the wet palette while doing glazing and wet blending. I also have Artis opus and really like them as well! Both are great for different uses!
Totally agree on getting the water pot. I also agree on the colors. Sometimes you just want the exact color GW uses, and there ya go (don't use them straight from the bottle and add a little water when doing layers). I would also talk about the ridiculously priced drill and mold line remover. Just use a hobby drill from Hobby Lobby for $10 and your exacto to remove mold lines.
another good alternative I found is also by tamiya: the regular plastic cement (same bottle but in white instead of green). Comes with a small brush as well but I find the glue to be stronger than the extra thin. I've occasionally had some models (particularly stuff with small joint surfaces) have broken off the model and needed repair. After switching my glue to the regular cement I've had no issues since.
I agree with this almost entirely except for the bit on the rattle cans. Ditch rattle cans all together and get yourself an airbrush--it gives you more control over the thickness of the coat on the model, allows you to do quick preshading with zenithal techniques (which is difficult to do consistently with rattle cans), and ends up being much cheaper in the long run.
I have an airbrush which I tend to use for preshading when I need to 😊 For newbies, or those on a limited budget rattle cans tend to be a more budget friendly option in the short term - £7.50 for a can of primer vs a £100+ airbrush. Obviously there are savings in the long term for having an airbrush but some people don’t have that option.
you see alot of professional scale modellers use citidel paints because they really are just pretty good
Exactly 😊
Quality-wise, I’d agree. They have better coverage than most of their rivals. On the downside though, are: (1) daft pots, (2) daft names, and (3) daft prices.
Biggest of those problems for me are the names: when buying online I haven’t got a clue what the colours are meant to represent; and even in a poorly lit show or model shop it’s hard to see whether a paint is blue, green or grey or anything in between.
I still have some Citadel paints that i bought about 13 years ago and they're still usable.
But I'm not a fan of the design unless you're fine with painting straight out of the bottle. So i might give Vallejo a try.
After years of burning stuck glue from the nozzle and subsequently spoiling the glue in the bottle thanks to some burnt stuff getting inside, I've kept my Citadel plastic glue blockage-free after I started turning the bottle so the needle points up, putting some tissue paper or toilet paper on the end, and squeezing it against the desk so any glue still in the nozzle comes out with air.
I've also found that exact Tamiya glue to do a very bad job, it doesn't glue even large areas of contact, like feet to a base, at all and I've tried applying it generously, scoring the pieces; it's very unreliable and have had to use superglue to finish the job.
That’s a great tip! Thanks for sharing! I’ve not had any issues with Tamiya personally so can’t comment, but I’ll bear that in mind.
When gluing plastic minis to plastic bases I use good old Testor's tube glue. It gives a very solid joint, and you don't need to be super accurate when doing this. Any glue that oozes out the edges can be covered with your basing material.
I've also found that when putting my Star Wars Legion minis on their bases that the texture of the bases makes for a poor connection point (especially the older PVC figs). For the hard plastic minis this isn't such an issue, as the Testors glue takes care of it. Needing to use super glue on the PVC minis means that the contact is not very good. I could sand the bases smooth to take care of this, but using the Vallejo texture paste solves the problem. I put a layer of texture paste (using a small spatula instead of a brush) on the base then press the mini into the paste & set aside to dry. This has the added advantage of having the mini imbedded in the basing material instead of sitting on top of it. You can also make footprints in the ground cover if appropriate.
I'll be honest: I have NEVER had good results with rattle cans. I vote air brush and Mr Surfacer 1000
I need to get more use out of my airbrush...
I have games workshop paint pots that are still good from the 90's
Good going! I’ve still got some from the early 00’s 😊
The mould line remover is great for those starting out, and now I believe that having a nice sharp hobby knife is a good thing to progress to when you get some practise
Yes! This is definitely one I missed off the list. I still get a lot of use out of mine 😊
I'm so invested I the GW/Citadel range but I wish they had dropper bottles. I agree with you for the most part on their actual paint quality with the exception of their metallics and whites. I also think their layer brushes tend to deteriorate very quickly, even when using brush soap. Nice video though, never really considered the sexy waterpot before.
I wish I knew about other brands when I started, my entire paint range would be way different, and I would have saved/increased my value for money on glue, clippers, brushes, etc.
You are right, best miniatures in the world. The rest of their product range (yes, all of it) just tries to be different than the competition, for the sake of being different. For better or worse...
Good product design reduces the chances of user error. When you don't close paint pots or knock then over that's a failure of design as much as it is user error.
I may use the Citadel spray stick for priming and basecoating smaller models with my airbrush. I also do like the water pot, and their paint. I do prefer dropper bottles but if you're inclined... You can put them in dropper bottles.
I don't normally buy a lot of GW hobby supplies, due to over pricing. However, there are a few things that, I have bought and, I effing love them! The water pot, the mold line scraper and, I just recently bought the the spray stick. I too, used the blue tack on a stick method, it can be dicey at best. I used the spray stick for the first time, yesterday...love it!
Artist Opus and the Squidmar brushes are absolutely worth their price.
The Squidmar brushes got a lot of people complaining that they don't keep their tips. Though these might have just been people trying to score free replacements. I've got the full set and I agree, great brushes. Not sure if I'd put them over Raphael 8402's though..
@@danollerenshaw8410 I haven't used any Raphae or Windsor and Newtonl brushes yet, but I only hear good things about them.
@@johnpawlak7350 Raphael 8402 Size 1 is my workhorse of choice. Amazing brush and I've found they're pretty resilient, considering they're sable. Highly recommend
@@danollerenshaw8410 Oh awesome! Next time I'm in the market for a new brush I'll pick one up.
@@danollerenshaw8410 What a load of BS. I bought the Squidmar brushes. They are terrible quality. 4 of the 6 brushes could not hold a tip, would split instantly, shed more hair than a dog. One of them even had a flat top right out of the package.
Yeah, I requested replacements, but not because I tried to score free brushes (way to dismiss everyone who had issues) but because they were TERRIBLE.
Guess what? I got the replacements (took a month) and 3 of the 4 brushes are garbage again.
They have horrible quality control and these brushes cost more all said and done then high-end Windsor & Newton Series 7 brushes, which are legendary.
I really like the Citadel Base range of paints. Their coverage is excellent for most colors, and because they're so thick and densely pigmented their value is comparatively higher (since you'll be thinning them to use, anyway). For most of the rest of their range, you can find similar or identical colors cheaper and (often) better with brands like Vallejo, ProAcryl, Scale 75, etc.
Super helpful. Thanks for sharing your experience.
No problem, I’m glad it was useful 😊
Thank you for mentioning the tamiya cement - I hadn't heard of this before :) Great video. Subscribed.
Thanks so much for subscribing! Please check out some of my other videos and stay tuned for plenty more coming! Give the Tamiya a go and let me know what you think of it 😊