Saving Money with the Hobby!

With how prices are going up on everything from gas, to food to everything including the models we know and love. It is good to put some thinking into perspective on how you can save money with your hobby so you can have more money to spend on those plastic and metal toy soldiers.

Toothbrushes

My wife thinks I am a freak for keeping these old brushes, but they come in handy for the hobby.
* Brush off plastic shavings after you scrape mold lines.
* Cup of water and an old brush allows you to wash a model. People don't think about dirt, dust and dead skin cells that collects on our models. Take an old model and wash it off, you will see the results!
* Paint splatter effects...
* Hard and med brushes can allow you to sculpt fur with green stuff.
* Use to scrub models after you soak them in a stripping agent to remove paint.

Glues

By far Elmer's glue does the best job for basing. Wood glue should be used for large projects like a table while the old white glue is great for basing your models. I found after you base and primer your models that the base texture holds up very well. I've seen some people use super glue for their basing. For me, I let that stick to putting models together. Loctite is my favorite so far, holds fast and is very strong. Find a glue you like an is by far cheaper than the hobby brands that companies will try to sell you.

Drill Bits/Xacto Blades/Sculpting Tools

Flea markets is a gold mine for these items and cheaper than buying them at retail stores or hobby stores. Look for vendors that sell tools and you will find these items. It may sound weird about the dental tools but they really work! Think about it, they add metal or filler to your teeth and sculpt it to cover holes from cavities...why not a model? You can also find other great things like vice grips and other assorted items for building scenery if you keep your eyes open. Save time, save money, shop S-MART!

Magnets

Buy these online in bulk, the more you buy, the more you save. Check out one of my favorite vendors under my links. Great prices and service.

Paints

This is a subject that everyone has their own opinions. Here are mine:
1) GW paints, for the most part you get colors that they give painting tips to. A good starting point for someone new to the hobby. As you get to be a better painter, try other brands. You may find one color in another brand that GW may not have or a better texture to that paint that may be less opaque.
2) Vallejo paints are good, they come in a bottle and are less likely to dry out on you. I don't like their texture though over other brands.
3) Foundry paints are by far my favorite! Hard to buy in the US, only the Warstore carries it or you have to order international, which if you buy in bulk like I did once it isn't so bad. What is nice about this is their color selection is AMAZING! Go look them up if you don't believe me! Also with each paint set you get 3 paints, your base and two highlight colors. A huge time saver for those that like to highlight and not waste time mixing colors.You also get bigger bottles with the stopper lids.
4) Coat D'arms paints is another paint that I like. Larger bottles, stopper lids and some colors that GW no longer carries and some similar colors they have also. Slightly better deal in the long run as you get more for your $.
5) Home Improvement Stores: Yep, for scenery I got it to your DIY store, bring a sample of the colors you want, have them mix up water based paint for you in cans the size you need.

Hope everyone finds this helpful!