I love hobbies. They’re fun, fulfilling, and sometimes you can even learn something from them. But there’s a dark side to them as well - namely, not all hobbies are easy to get into. Imagine you’re a newbie to some hobby. You ask the world a simple question - “What do I need to get started?” In my experience, the answers you’ll get back can be summed up as follows:
You’re going to need This, That, and the Other Thing at the very least. All told, it will only cost you around <insert price that’s somewhere between $200 and $3000, and is only achievable if you buy everything off of Ebay and Craigslist, otherwise it will cost double>.
I’d also recommend a Thingamabob, though as a beginner you might be able to do without it. I get one from my local specialty store for cheap, and I’m going to assume you have exactly this kind of store in your neighborhood, despite the fact that I have no idea where you leave.
Lastly, please do not cheap out and get something of lesser quality. You will *not* have a good experience, and you will never come to genuinely appreciate the hobby. If you’re going to do it, do it right or don’t bother.
This kind of response drives me up the wall. It assumes that everyone lives in the same place and has access to the same resources. It fails to understand that newbies are reluctant to drop a lot of money on something they aren’t even sure they’ll stick with (mostly because the person giving the advice fails to understand that someone might find the prices they quote to be expensive).
Worst of all, this kind of advice is everywhere online, and chances are good that no one will agree with one another. Say you find a recommendation that you like. If you continue looking you will immediately find someone else who says something completely different, and suddenly you’ll fall into an anxiety-laden cycle of research and followups and mixed signals. The only way to break out of it will be to either give up on the hobby, or to make a choice and hope it works.
As you probably guessed, I’ve experienced this kind of advice when it comes to Gunpla. I’ve seen it when it comes to recommending which kits to buy, what equipment you’ll need, and of course, how to paint. Generally, fans will advise you to go out and get a paint gun with an air compressor, along with expensive Tamiya paints, thinners, primers and top coats. Not only is this not cheap, but this method of painting is impossible unless you address the ventilation concerns that come with it.
The other option is to hand paint. This too can get pricey too if you buy all the paints, brushes and accessories that every Gunpla blogger recommends, but I was certain I could build a beginner setup that wouldn’t break the bank, using items and supplies that most people could easily find wherever they lived.
First, the paints. You can use a number of different paints on model kits - I went with acrylic. It may not deliver the very best results, but it’s easy to use. I got these bottles for fifty cents each at Walmart. It may not be the highest quality acrylic paint, but I’ve seen relatives make wonderful things using this stuff.
Next is brushes. I got these from Walmart as well. It was a multi pack, and it has brushes of different sizes, which I thought might be necessary. It cost me about six bucks; if you want to spend a little more on brushes, you probably should, but I’m confident these will do me right. A warning - Walmart also sells a pack of multiple brushes for 99 cents. They look like the kind that you give children in preschool when they’re painting watercolors. They didn’t look very good to me.
I needed something to hold the paint in. At first I used paper Dixie cups, the kind you might put in a bathroom. These still work in a pinch, but they can become leaky and flimsy over time. I very quickly switched to small plastic Rubbermaid containers, the kinds that are used to store seeds and salad dressings and the like. If you don’t have something quite like this (I got mine from the kitchen), any small plastic container or bowl should do.
One thing everyone agrees on is that acrylic paint needs to be thinned out. Obviously paint thinner is the most recommended method, but I also read many claims that rubbing alcohol and water can also work. I initially got some alcohol, but quickly found that it did not work for me. I would recommend either real thinner or water (the latter of which I eventually used).
Many painting guides recommend getting some eye droppers to use to measure out both the paint and thinner. This allows you to have finer control over the proportions. I couldn’t find any at the store, but I did have this thing lying around in my medicine cabinet.
I used it to dispense my thinner, and just measured the paint straight from the bottle. If you look around your neighborhood stores hard enough, you should be able to find eye droppers (or some syringe similar to the one I have) at a store.
Lastly, I had a few miscellaneous tools to help me out. Cotton swabs and toothpicks for mixing and touch up, paper towels for cleaning, and a paper plate to work on.
So that’s my setup. In the next few posts, hopefully I can show you whether it worked.