First when I started collecting miniatures I wasn't quite sure on what I needed to get into the hobby, besides buying miniatures. Getting into and out it is easy, maintaining your hobby is the hardest part. I decided to make an entry about getting into this hobby, helping out new comrades that would like to venture and explore into the world of miniatures.
Picking a line of miniatures
There are a ton of manufacturers to choose from. Even those manufacturers have a lot of different lines of miniatures. I will mention the most popular ones, so it would help you to explore a bit and also give you an overall idea about them:
- Games Workshop - Warhammer 40,000 - Grim-dark Gothic Sci-fi. Best miniatures out on the market. After a lot of controversy, they changed a lot in the past year. Price-wise you pay for the quality. There are some ways to get 40k miniatures cheaper, but it will still hurt your wallet.
- Games Workshop - Age of Sigmar - Fantasy. Fantasy as before they killed it and revamped it with Age of Sigmar. They made some new miniatures, but they look like Space Marines. Most of it is older, but some of them still look good.
- Fantasy Flight Games - I won't go into every miniature game they have, they release games and miniatures faster then I can type. Star Wars X-Wing and Armada are their most popular ones. Quality wise they are sub-par compared to Games Workshop. Price was cheaper, but they will still empty your pocket with expansions.
- Privateer Press - Initially started as an alternative to GW, but they produce unique miniatures. They started off with metal miniatures, but they ventured into plastic and resin as well. Quality and price wise they are OK, better then FFG but still not on the same level as GW.
Choosing your first army
I would go for the army you like the best. It has to be visually appealing to you, otherwise you will not paint them. Trust me, I know. If you don't have any experience painting anything, I would recommend to go for armies that are easy to paint - a lot of flat surfaces, easy color schemes, less details on them. If you plan on playing with them, go for an army that doesn't require a lot of miniatures.
If you plan to go into Warhammer 40,000 I would recommend Space Marines. If you plan to go into Age of Sigmar I would say go for Stormcast Eternals. X-Wing and Armada comes with pre-painted miniatures, which means they are playable out of the box!
Buying your first kit
A lot of newer collectors/player make the mistake to buy a large quantity of miniatures on their first purchase. I would never recommend to go for more then the necessary basics. For ex. in AoS or 40k, you need a "general/warlord" to lead your army and some basic troops. Games Workshop has some Start Collecting! boxes which contain one HQ unit (most of them at least) and some elite/fast attack/troop choices. The bundle itself is a great deal, as it will save you some money if not bought separately.
Where to buy
I would never recommend to buy directly from GW, only if you are interested in Web Exclusive items. Usually retailers and FLGS will give you a nice discount for miniature kits. I usually buy kits, tools and paints from my FLGS. Of course there are plenty of others to choose from.
Buying tools
Now you bought your first kit, congratulations! You are officially in the miniature hobby! Now you will need some proper tools to assemble the miniatures.
First you will need cutting tools. For starters a hobby knife. Yes, any kind of hobby knife will suffice. Go for the cheapest one.
Next you will need something to cut the miniatures out from their sprues. Just pick up a cutter which has a flat side.
You can find these tools virtually everywhere.
Now you will need a glue to put all the parts together. A lot of new (and old) hobbyist will use super-glue for plastic parts. Personally I use plastic glue which melts the parts together. I genuinely avoid using super-glue as it won't melt plastic and will only harden the glued parts of the miniature. Eventually this will cause the glued parts to break off. Also super glue tends to flow every where, and will cause some unwanted lumps on the miniature. Just go to a hobby store and pick up some plastic glue. You won't regret it.
At the beginning this is all you need to start assembling your miniatures! However I would also recommend to buy a cutting mat. This will help you to protect your desk/table.
Where to buy
I would never recommend to buy directly from GW, only if you are interested in Web Exclusive items. Usually retailers and FLGS will give you a nice discount for miniature kits. I usually buy kits, tools and paints from my FLGS. Of course there are plenty of others to choose from.
Buying tools
Now you bought your first kit, congratulations! You are officially in the miniature hobby! Now you will need some proper tools to assemble the miniatures.
First you will need cutting tools. For starters a hobby knife. Yes, any kind of hobby knife will suffice. Go for the cheapest one.
You can find these tools virtually everywhere.
Now you will need a glue to put all the parts together. A lot of new (and old) hobbyist will use super-glue for plastic parts. Personally I use plastic glue which melts the parts together. I genuinely avoid using super-glue as it won't melt plastic and will only harden the glued parts of the miniature. Eventually this will cause the glued parts to break off. Also super glue tends to flow every where, and will cause some unwanted lumps on the miniature. Just go to a hobby store and pick up some plastic glue. You won't regret it.
At the beginning this is all you need to start assembling your miniatures! However I would also recommend to buy a cutting mat. This will help you to protect your desk/table.
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