Hobby Basics

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Hobby Basics
Starting out in minature modeling can be a exciting but sometimes daunting task at times. To make things easier we provide nearly everything you need to build and paint your Flames of War miniatures collection.

Note: Even though this article features Flames Of War miniatures the tools and techniques are just applicable to our Team Yankee models

Proper preparation and assembly is essential to a well-finished miniature. An unsightly mould line or piece of flash left can spoil the result, no matter how good the paint job is. Before you can begin producing miniature masterpieces, let’s look at a selection of some of the basic tools you will require.

Paintbrushes
The most important painting tool is obviously a selection of good brushes. Many beginning painters assume that to paint well, they should use the tiniest brush they can find. In fact, the size of the brush you use is much less important than the shape. For detail work, the bristles of the brush should come to a sharp point. The Drybrush is, as its name suggests, designed especially for the drybrushing technique.

Click here to see the Paint Brush Set in the Online Store...

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Hobby Knife
For trimming parts and cleaning casting imperfections before assembly. Using a new, sharp blade is actually safer, because you will not need to apply as much force and you are less likely to slip and cut yourself. In any case,remember to always cut away from yourself.

Click here to the see the Hobby Knife in the Online Store...

Clippers
For removing parts from sprues and trimming larger pieces of unwanted material. The flat bottom of the blades lets you get right up close to the model. With plastic parts, though, it is advisable to clip slightly away from the model and trim the excess with the hobby knife, to avoid leaving a scar or mark on the surface.

Click here to see the Clippers in the Online Store...

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Files
Also very useful for cleaning parts and making sure everything fits well. They are more effective than a hobby knife at ensuring a smooth, flat surface along straight edges, especially with hard resin parts.

Click here to see the Files Set in the Online Store...

Pin Vice
For drilling out small holes in gun barrels and muzzle brakes, etc. Also an ideal way to strengthen fragile joints between parts, by ‘pinning’ with a piece of metal rod.

Click here to see the Pin Vice in the Online Store...

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Hobby  Tweezers
For handling and manipulating small parts. These can be indispensable, especially when gluing together models. Often you will find that even if you can position a smallish part quite comfortably with your fingers when dry fitting, it gets much more difficult once glue is involved.
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Sculpting Tools
Great for shaping epoxy putty (Green Stuff or Grey Stuff). Epoxy putty is great for filling unwanted gaps. And, if you feel like a creative challenge, perfect for adding custom details and modifications to models.

Click here to see the Sculpting Set in the Online Store...

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Green Stuff
"Green Stuff" is a room-temperature curing epoxy/polyamide sealant in two-part tape form. It is stable in its packaged form consisting of base and curing agent side by side on release film. The base and curing agent are of contrasting colors so that when kneaded together, complete mixing is easily observed.

Click here to see Green Stuff in the Online Store...

Grey Stuff
Hobby Epoxy. “Grey Stuff” is ideal for sculpting master miniatures (15mm – 120 mm scale). It yields superb results when used for converting and assembling models and miniatures; it’s also perfect to fill gaps in “build-up” kits. “Grey Stuff” is professionally proven to produce consistent results and stunning original sculptures

Click here to see Grey Stuff in the Online Store...

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Paint and Paint Sets
Colours Of War paints are high-quality acrylic, tough and hardwearing so you can game without worrying about your hard work chipping or rubbing off. The paint has a very high pigment content to make it easier to achieve an even coverage with rich, solid colour. The colours have been fine-tuned with wargaming miniatures in mind - historically appropriate, yet vibrant enough to stand out on the gaming table.

Click here to see the Paint Sets in the Online Store...

Basing
One of the clichés you often hear about painting a great-looking army is ‘bases and faces’. Good faces naturally draw the eye, and can lift the effect of the whole figure. But bases are the largest part of your infantry and gun teams, and can turn them into miniature dioramas. With some thought, research and a little imagination, a well-planned basing scheme can add extra realism and detail to your army.

Click here to see the Flock Basing Range in the Online Store...

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Colours Of War
Looking for more information?

Check out our book all about painting and modeling for Flames of War called Colours Of War. Inside you'll tips and tricks for painting and assembling your models learnt by the Battlefront Studio team over the years. You will also find plenty of inspirational and reference photos as well as step by step guides.

Note: While Colours Of War features Flames Of War Minatures the tricks and techniques of painting and preping models are just as applicable to our Team Yankee Range. In addition the same kind of Painting Guides in this book are in the back of all our Team Yankee books

Click here to see the Colours Of War Design Notes...


Last Updated On Wednesday, January 24, 2018 by Chris at Battlefront