Hey everyone, with all the excitement over the V-set minis, and with no more new minis to buy, I'm inclined to start painting a few minis, just to see how well (or poorly) I can do it. For instance, I want to give some Mon Cal Medics a new paint job, to help show them in their OR Senator glory. And my Sith Apprentice needs a bit of blue if he's gonna become Darth Bandon. I made a whole lot of plastic models when I was younger, so I'm hoping my painting skills aren't too bad.

So my question is this: what brand, and what kind of paint should I use? I don't want it chipping or fading or rubbing off on my hands when I move the minis. Ideally, I want to know exactly what kind of paint WotC uses for its minis, so that I can duplicate that.

If you can offer any help in this regard, I would be most grateful.

Well, most of my initial painting work has been done with basic paints from Wal-Mart, brand 'Apple Barrel'. They are acrylic paints, and seem to work pretty well, especially for a beginner. They are usually about $1 per bottle, and I have yet to run out of any of the bottles, even things I use a lot of like white or black. And if you pay attention, you can often find them on clearance at craft store places like Michael's too (though not sure what you guys have up there in the great white north).

I would also recommend picking up a satin or gloss clearcoat as well, your preference (might want both, depending on the miniature). This helps to seal the paint so that it doesn't flake off from handling or such. I haven't found that aspect to be THAT necessary for SWMs, but it definitely makes a huge difference on the metal miniatures I paint. I think maybe the paint bonds to the plastic better, such that it doesn't flake off as much.

Now....all of that said....it's actually somewhat worth it to buy the really nice paints, like from Citadel or Games Workshop and such. Those paints are typically a bit thinner than the acrylic off-brand stuff from Wal-Mart. It still covers very well, but doesn't go on in a thick layer like some of the cheaper acrylics do. In addition, you can usually cut the paint in a 1-to-1 ratio with water, and help it go on smoother. I found this works especially well with skin tones. Do a white base coat, and then use some watered down flesh color to do the skin. The addition of the water kind of helps give it a bit more life like look, and not so much like lathered on paint. The 'washes' that are available from these higher end companies are REALLY nice as well.

Definitely start with the cheaper stuff though, just to get into it. Good brushes are very helpful too, and for doing miniatures, you'll want brushes at a size 1 or smaller, mostly. Although, it is nice to have some slightly larger brushes for doing base coats or your final wash/sealer. The brush I use the most often is a 10/0. Just lick the tip of the brush before you go to do detail stuff like eyes, and it's pretty easy to pull off.

we use the cheap stuff and usually mix in some silver into everything so it shines a little bit. also investing in a nib (caligraphy pen) will be very helpfull for detailing.

I use Reaper's Master Series paints, it's about 3 dollars a bottle but they have a lot of base colors and it provides a lot of good mixing potential, plus it dries smooth and quick, and coats nicely. (If applies right.) I'm not a big fan of citadel paints, it didn't seem to be as crisp and clean a color, but then some people perfer that style.