I 'spose it's because I've never done it for a living. We hit a curb the other day and literally popped a tire, leading to me changing it in the parking lot. Which, while fun, was bothersome since there was no particular reason for said tire to acquire a fairly large leak in the sidewall. We weren't going above 10 MPH, it was a new tire, and I honestly don't understand.
Is it worth it to invest in ready made mini washes?
I'm leaning towards the Citadel line, though I need to look at the Vallejo stuff. I've been making my own since I started painting mini's, and though I like being able to pick my own color for the various job, I never feel like it's quite perfect.
I like the Citadel washed and inks because they're thin, so being sold in a pot makes them easier to work with. The Vallejo ones are good, but since they come in a dropper it's a little harder to avoid waste.
So I kinda want to get into Warhammer 40k, but I've no idea where to begin.
So assuming I've got an army in mind, what should I buy first? The core rulebook? The codex for the army? The starter box? The army starter boxes GW makes?
I think your best bet would be to try and get a demo game, either at a Games Workshop nearby, or at a friendly local gaming store. You don't want to buy an army starter box at this point unless you're absolutely sure you know which faction you'd want to play. Plus, that's a lot of models all at once you'd have to build and paint and you don't want to get overwhelmed.
If you go down to your friendly local game store (FLGS) or Games Workshop there'll be plenty of people ready to talk your ear off about all the factions, and help you to decide which one you'd like to play. Each faction has its own quirks and abilities on the tabletop. I can tell you that Space Marines are pretty universal, because of the variety of play styles you can use them in. Some Space Marine chapters specialize in high speed and maneuverability (White Scars) while others specialize in shooting and destroying at range (Crimson Fists, Imperial Fists) and still others like the up close and in your face close combat style (Blood Angels, Black Templars).
If you prefer aliens, there are Orks, Eldar (space elves), Tyrannids (Think of the movie Aliens), Tau (High tech).
Then, of course, there's demons and evil Space Marines.
Picking your faction is CRITICAL, because you want an army that fits your play style. Switching armies later is expensive so it's better not to have to.
Once that's done, you should look to get the main book and the faction Codex. I don't advocate downloading them for free as torrents but people sometimes go that route to at least look at the rules and factions to help them decide, then legitimately buy the books they need.
After that, how you proceed is up to you, the amount of time you have for hobbying, and your budget. eBay can be a good way to save some money on books and models, and FLGSs often do swap meets and flea markets where you can get some really killer deals. If money isn't a problem, you can just order whatever you want as you're ready to build.
Paint supplies: Citadel paints are expensive and likely overpriced, but they come in a wide variety of colors. Do you have any recommended paint companies that maybe aren't so expensive but have a good selection or at least have easy miscibility so I can make colors I need myself? Larger sizes are good too, but I don't think I'll need more than two or three Citadel-size bottles of a single color at any given time.
Painting: I live in a compact apartment complex now, meaning I have no garage to do spray painting/ventilated brush painting in. Any recommendations on where to do the messy job of spray painting for the basecoating? I figure I can find some park bench somewhere to do the brush painting, lol.
One army that intrigued me was the Imperial Guard, but apparently they're now known as Astra Militarum? When did that happen? Also, I don't suppose you have any idea how they play? I've found decent descriptions of other armies, but IG/AM seems to be swept under the rug, and I can't tell if that's because no one plays them, or no one knows how to play them. XD
Deepfreeze32 wrote:Paint supplies: Citadel paints are expensive and likely overpriced, but they come in a wide variety of colors. Do you have any recommended paint companies that maybe aren't so expensive but have a good selection or at least have easy miscibility so I can make colors I need myself? Larger sizes are good too, but I don't think I'll need more than two or three Citadel-size bottles of a single color at any given time.
Citadel paints are actually quite good and their price is about on par with what you'd pay for any high quality paint. Personally I prefer Vallejo, because there's a wider selection of colors, it's more widely available, and it comes in dropper bottles so you can precisely use the amount you want for mixing or to put on a palette and minimize waste... so even though the bottles are comparable in size to the Citadel paint pot, it lasts a lot longer.
Deepfreeze32 wrote:
Painting: I live in a compact apartment complex now, meaning I have no garage to do spray painting/ventilated brush painting in. Any recommendations on where to do the messy job of spray painting for the basecoating? I figure I can find some park bench somewhere to do the brush painting, lol.
I have the same problem. When I prime my stuff, I do it on the porch if the weather is nice, or in the bathroom where there's a ventilator fan. Just be sure to put your stuff in a box and spray it in there to minimize overspray.
Deepfreeze32 wrote:
One army that intrigued me was the Imperial Guard, but apparently they're now known as Astra Militarum? When did that happen? Also, I don't suppose you have any idea how they play? I've found decent descriptions of other armies, but IG/AM seems to be swept under the rug, and I can't tell if that's because no one plays them, or no one knows how to play them. XD
They changed the name because you can't trademark "Imperial Guard." Same reason Space Marines are becoming "Adeptus Astartes" more officially now.
As for how it plays... it's kind of like Zerg with guns. A lot of successful IG players like to use a lot of tanks, and can bring some serious firepower to the table. IG is flexible, similar to Space Marines but not as tough. There's a variety of ways to play them as well. If you go IG, you'll be buying a LOT of models.
