Hobby Cheating 01 - Basic Cheats & Timesavers 

Dear Vince. 5 years ago on this date you published the first video on youtube in the series Hobby Cheating. Congratulations, Vince and thank you. I hope you never cease to produce new content. I am very fascinated of the wealth of knowledge you share and your willingness to show and to teach how to. I have not followed your videos from day one. In fact I think I found your channel this year. Painting miniatures is not completely new to me. 15mm Napoleonic Austrian Hungarians, 1/1200 1812 US Ships (Langton) and a rather large Tau army are some of my completed projects but I have been taking extended breaks from painting. Earlier this year I returned to painting the miniatures for The Wasteland Express Delivery Service board game and got interested in the hobby again. First leap was to try to learn to use a wet palette and I'm still learning and getting better but it is a complete change from using a dry one. Then I started to look for techniques and how to improve and somehow found your channel. At first I tried to watch all videos from the first one and forward. Then I got interested in those with focus on techniques. My eyes saw it and my ears heard it and my brain thought it understood it. Yet I used quite a lot of time to buy stuff as if that alone makes one a better painter. The first real step was to try a use zenitial priming. I didn't really get that much out of it as I had a habit of focusing on 100% opacity instead of making use of the undercoating. I did make undercoating work on a few parts of a model but not enough. Then I sort felt that I was running around from technique to technique mostly falling flat on my face (Steel NMM I'm looking at you). The videos on painting horns and the one on striations on horns helped me immensely. Thinning black ink to paint thin lines helped a lot too. I got some results on my 3rd edition Blood Orcs that made me smile and they still do make me smile. Pushing contrasts was and is still a leap for me but the next bunch of orcs are improving. And that, Vince, is you merit. To return to zenitial priming I decided to go full throttle and to do it like in the video on preparing for the best paintjob. At first I was very reluctant but then I found Dana Howls channel and got fascinated on her take on zenitial priming and using underpainting to the maximum. Her squiq painting video made something click in my mind. Then I returned to your teachings again and I use your videos as a tome to lookup how-tos all the time. It is as always with me: I use an inordinate large amount of time studing and watching, "walking around" the "task", looking at it, thinking of it, taking detours and stumbling, getting up again and when my brain has stopped worrying and complaining I pick up my brush and try it out. And thanks to you I can make it work (not NMM yet, that is quite likely outside my zone of learning so far (perhaps because other paints than Vallejo Model Color would suit that style better and I'm a bit reluctant to go out and buy even more paints)) In danish: "Går rundt som en kat om den varme grød". One could say I take the long way around the block but I get there eventually. Also I picture myself as a worse painter than I am and I return to videos for beginners which do enlighten me at some point but I also find out that "Hey I know that, I can do that". So, Vince, thanks to you, I am improving and please don't cease your work. You are unique. You are one of a kind. And kind. Thank you. Best Regards Peter Rasch Lageri. Denmark.

Best hobby trick is taking pictures of your mini's from farther away so no one can tell how bad the paint job is. :)

Take a kiddies felt-tip pen, pull out the ink sponge and let the tip dry out. You now have a very firm, yet absorbent, point for applying dots (e.g. boils, sea dragon cloaks, etc.) with slightly watered down paint from a wet pallette. For beginners, it's much easier than using a fine-tipped brush, which will will buckle when pressed against a model and may require at least some lateral movement across its surface.

Bamboo skewers are like the Swiss army knife of hobbying, I use em for so many things. The bamboo is more rigid than the wood of toothpicks so the point holds up well to scraping and poking like cleaning up paint on an aircraft canopy, I glue baby clothespins on the ends of them to hold small parts for spray painting, they are good stirrers, and also better than the tip of tweezers for grabbing that stubborn corner of masking tape without scratching a surface. Applying decals (transfers), poking holes in foam terrain to help drywall mud or spackle to adhere better, I've even used them as a spotter or stippler for painting chips and weathering. They are also killer with pineapples and shrimp on the grill!! Or steak and morels!

Watching the hobby Cheating series from the beginning while working on a terrain build and getting somethings reorganized. Spray paint tops!!!

I got the thinner and glaze medium. Really impressed how thin the paint gets and the paint is easier to work with.

Other cheap things that help a lot: An old toothbrush - it can either be one that's no longer suitable for cleaning your teeth, or even one of the sort that your dentist hands out for free. Or if all else fails, get one at the dollar store. Good for cleaning grit, flash and bits of plastic or resin off of models after you've scraped mold lines or sanded. Good for cleaning off mold release with dish soap and warm water. Good for stripping miniatures. A pencil box - another dollar store purchase. Good for keeping all of your other tools in one place, and maybe a separate one for your brushes if you store them that way. Worlds better than letting them just lay around on your desk or in a drawer. Emery boards - not the flat, hard, cardboard ones. Get the kind that is sort of flexible and a bit spongy. You'll have a coarse side and a finer side. Good for sanding away the bead of plastic on the seam between two properly joined plastic parts. Cheap at drugstores or cheaper still if you get the ones your girlfriend can no longer use on her nails. A floss organizer - get these at a craft store. People who do needlepoint or cross-stitch use them to keep their thread, but they make great organizers for your bits box. You can keep each type of bit (weapons, heads, whatever) in its own separate little compartment. They only cost a few dollars. I will disagree with you on the pin vise. Cheaper is not better when comfort and control are of utmost importance. As you said when using a paint cap to stick your mini to, your hands will cramp holding small stuff. Even more when you are turning it. That means it's harder to control precisely... like when you are drilling out weapon barrels. Plus, the heel of your hand is going to get irritated by that end. For a few dollars more you can get one with a rotating pommel, increasing your comfort and control. Worth the little extra investment.

I use the edge of a mechanical pencil lead to put easy highlights on things like belts and such.

I usually use acrylic floor polish for both thinning and glazing; very handy stuff.

Some great advice here. I use baking soda instead of the zip kicker. Sprinkle a bit of baking soda on one piece and CA glue on the other. It will set almost instantly when they come into contact with each other. Anyhow, I really appreciate this series. Easily the most useful resource I've found on youtube for the hobby.

My trick for accelerating superglue is to use sodium bicarbonate, some people know it as baking soda I think. I use it for when I know that a miniature has a very tiny point of contact, like a foot being half lifted, or when there is a massive figure and I cannot manage to get it to stick long enough to leave in a position to cure. But the bad effect is that you end up with a lot extra materials and texture, and that it is not that easy to use. But then again, I was using that when I was 12, so thank you for showing me a more modern version which probably looks so much better. I will try it myself.

I am brand new to miniature painting. This video has helped me tremendously. Especially the zip kicker portion. I didn't know it existed. Never heard of it. It took my gluing pieces to a new level. Thank you. I'll be watching every video in your cheating series.

"Corks!... Hit up your friend who is a slight alcoholic or may have a problem. Turn their problem into your solution!"

Great tips here Vince. I keep bluetac in my carry case too in case of immediate repairs

So... just discover this series on nº 149... and now i've 147 new videos to watch, and a looooot to learn.

Hi Vince, thanks for another great tutorial. Just a gentle request. I’m mainly a historical wargamer/painter. I wonder if you could look at a tutorial on how you would approach a mounted figure and painting horses.. Many thanks for your outstanding work. 😊👍

The sticky stuff you're using is called Blu tac, you can get a pack of it for £1. I just had to order some more myself after my older stuff got less tacky from too much paint being sprayed into it over like 5 years.

Great video, loving all your tips. Especially the paper clips for pinning rather than forking out on expensive job specific pins. Zip Kicker sounds very intriguing! Just for the record I've found it in the UK! :-)

Instead of the wood skewers I use toothpicks. I use them to stir my paint as do you,with the skewers. I also use them to poke through the dried paint in dropper bottle nozzles. A question about Zip Kicker,do you put the glue on the surface first,or the zip kicker?

Good tips. I use all your suggestions (except accelerant, but I'm in the uk). I also use loads of jam jars. very useful for holding brushes and clean water. especially useful with airbrushing to have a bug reservoir of clean water for pipetting into the brush and cleaning it.

I use hematite beads in my paint pots. I use them to help shake up my paint. Drop one in the paint pot (8mm fits in vallejo droppers) and shake. You need to make sure to use beads that don't react in water. Rust would ruin the color of the paint. So you want some kind of non metallic bead like the hematite.

Hi Vince, I discovered your channel a few months ago and what I could say is... Woaw. The content that you bring is amazing, full of interesting tricks and you can make painting videos 30 minutes long funny (and that's something). You're definitely a reason why I came back to the hobby with the purpose to improve my painting skills, so thanks ;) I used to paint only with paint and water before (no other additives) but after watching your videos I bought some thinner and glaze medium and flow aid. But now I'm bit confused... Actually, I don't know exactly how these things work and so I don't know when I should add more water/thinner medium/glaze medium/flow aid to my mixture to fix that or that issue or making the painting easier. I mean, okay I guess that the glaze medium purpose is glazing but I don't know why it's more effective than the thinner medium and why I should still add water when the consistency seems good only with the thinner medium... So I wonder if you intend to make a video to clarify all of this and make the « ultimate guide of additives » (instant subscribe) or if you simply could bring me light, that would be great too :)

I did as you suggested, I hunted all around the house and found just what I needed, Furball, freshly coughed up by jasper, stuck it on top of my deodorant can, stuck the model on top, worked perfectly .... came with only one downside, when shaping the brush, it made the brush taste a bit funky when painting the rim of the base. 😎

I really like your videos and am glad you have taken the time to make so many on such a variety of different techniques. I also like the way you usually have several ways to get the job done. I am just starting out in airbrushing and it makes the learning curve way easier to see what works and creates the desired effects. You have a very calm and precise way about you. You also seem to have the ability to always listen and learn from others which is a very good thing indeed. I appreciate the work you do and the help you've given so many' keep up the great vids. Alex B.

Instead of a spray top, I use a section of a bamboo chopstick, superglued to the bottom of the mini's base. This puts the mini on the end of a stick I can move around or tilt my hand to paint in any position to get to any part of the mini. One you are done you just pop the mini off the chopstick. Just another option.

Literally one of the best video sets I've seen Hobby cheats should be on every new painters MUST watch list Way to go Ps congrats on the new game release looks insanely fun!

For mini parts too small to pin, instead of glue I like to use "JB Qwick", which is the 5 minute set version of "JB Weld" epoxy. It's FAR stronger than glue, and you'd likely tear your mini to pieces before that joint fails. It's also good for filling in seams in multi-part minis; it's thinner and flows into cracks better than green stuff. Once it starts to set it can be formed and sculpted to match surrounding textures.

I got some large 50mm corks from the local brewing shop. You could probably find them online. Anyway, the size is much more compatible with miniatures and much more sits snuggly in my hand, I think I paid $10 for 10 of them, so economic for batch painting too. The size is so good to work with I much prefer them to the blu-tac + old paint bottle method.

Hi Vince and thanks for another great video. I used corks when I first started painting as it was so easy to collect as many of my parents friends drank wine, so they were free and thin making it easy to reach all parts of the miniture :-)

Just found this after restarting the hobby with AOS (GW's silver tower tactic worked), and I just have to thank you for the amazing videos! If you have a patreon or something like it, think this is definitely worth supporting. Going to save me money, time and improve my skills! It's really nice with videos going over a lot of the hobby related stuff that Duncan cant on GW's site:)

I always have a piece of 400er sand paper around while I'm assembling minis. It's super handy to smooth down mold lines where the knife simply isn't enough.

I find the problem with superglue accelerant is that the bond will be more brittle. But sometimes it's the only option, and it should definitely be in your arsenal.

So fun to see "Episode One"...likely your best "novice painter" video for starting out, actually very helpful...👍👍❤🤣🤣🤣❤👍👍

I know this is a bazillion years ago, but have you since tried the monument (Pro Acryl) glaze and wash medium? I find it to be quite cheap compared to other glazing medium products, because it contain less water but if thinned down provides the same properties. I feel it gives me more control because it is usable in a more voscuose state as well. To be clear: I too do very much like the properties of the Vallejo product, I just find it quite expensive given how much of it on can use on a single model

Thanks a bunch! Just getting started with the hobby and this is a massive help👍🏻

I got this idea from PLASMO plastic models: use those little plastic coffee creamer containers, you can use them right side up or upside down for smaller amounts of liquid/semi liquid.

I will start painting again. (I've stopped 25 years ago!!!!) After seeing several of your video's I am getting hooked again I think. Your videos are so professional, clear and have lot's of usefull information for ALL aspects of miniature building/painting. Very good job. I have one question though. I will use acryl medium matt to glace. In my opinion this acts also as a thinner. Can't I skip the Acryllic thinner?. I see them often used together. OR.... always use them together to skip even the water because water will affect the integrity of your paint/pigment. I'm going to use mostly Warcolours. Do you have any experience making your own washes with warcolours (gel) using homemade flow-aid (water + Glycerine) mixed with my matt medium. (or better mix it with an ink?) Keep up the good work!

This is a great video, lots of good tips and some of them are new to me too. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to watch more. I will need to do some purchase in amazon soon ...

Like this kind of videos a lot!!! Thanks man, the Amazon cart is filling up^^

Look up various other hobbying communities basic tools videos here on RU-vid, and keep an open mind about how to apply it to our particular corner of the world. I picked up a bunch of little useful ideas from watching videos for custom action figures, and high end technical model kits like Gundams. My favorite tips were the surprisingly useful foundation makeup brush, foam makeup wedges to paint tanks quickly and cleanly, and getting a small hobby pen saw to blow the lid off of your conversions.

I use a glass beer bottle. All the Engineering to make it the most comfortable feeling in your hand! 😎

Ever use baking soda as an accelerator? It sets super glue instantly and even adds a bit of built up medium on some joints that could use a bit extra.

Coming back on this a little late. I've been checking these tips and I'm trying to incorporate them. I had to use e-bay to find some blu tack. It wasn't expensive, but it's a recurring issue where a popular product in the USA or UK isn't available (or commonly available) in Belgium. I have a question on the blu tack though: how do you handle large batches? I sometimes paint a whole unit at a time, being 20-30 models. And I'm considering doing an even larger batch in januari. It seems impractical to put them all on stands logistically, due to the amount of blu tack and stands required. Also, painting a large batch takes time. Does it risk drying the Blu-tack?

In one of your video you were doing edge highlighting. You mentioned using a full body acrylic paint for the tip of the brush when brush loading. I am not sure what paint that is. Can I use regular Army painter white? Or something else? I did a search on Michaels website for full body acrylic and found nothing.

Was not sure what video to post this question on as to best help anyone who would see. This seemed like best one though. Do you typically assemble a model before painting? I assembled all of the models I have so far and as I have started painting I look at some and I'm like shit...lol...those are going to sucks to paint. If this is painfully obvious forgive me as I am only a few months into the hobby.

Great tips Vince. Get painting that Shaman! :)

Got a new camera huh? Mr big time now huh? I reject your medicine dropper!

Another one that works, is a piece of styrafoam with toothpicks or metal rods for individual pieces, heads, arms, legs, weapons, etc.

This whole video could do with having the sound amplified by a smidge over 10 dB. Even with my laptop's volume turned up all the way you're so quiet.

That wooden skewer...if you accidentally cut off a sharp fang on a mini while cleaning it up, if you sand it to a sharper point (toothpicks work too), you can cut the tiniest tip off the skewer and glue it in with superglue to replace the tooth...🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😘 (Discovered this hack this week when my dumb ass decided to clean and scrape down a fang after the entire mini was painstakingly painted except for the mouth...and the fangs ARE the focal point for the Dire Bear mini)😲😵😂

Fantastic love these hobby cheats I've just come across some of the later ones and have decided to start from number 1, 399 to go 😂

Question: id GW lahmian medium the same as vallejo thinner? Ibread that lahmian is more for the purpose of washes, buy I am unsure if I should buy both or just one.

This is better than Netflix

While you mentioned paint on your thumb you should have stressed the notion that the top side of the thumb is the best pallet for working with your paints ever. A cheap ultrasonic jewelry cleaner is great for revitalizing old clumpy paints.

So for the typical citadel paint would you say it is not good enough to just shake it up good before painting?

Any brand recommendations for non citadel paints? Found a hobby store that sells them for about 45 cents less but thought it would be good to try painting some models with other paints as well and see how I like them.

Baby food jars! Slightly more solid than paint can lids and also usable as a bits container!

Great tips,thank you!!!

you can also use baking soda for superglue accelerate,

You are the goat sir!

sticky sh#t lol great tips for someone quite new to the hobby will definitely watch the rest

Biggest cheapest thing i found for hobby gaming.... Wish or Ali express. Great apps. Shipping can take time but its cheap AF. Use old copper electrical wiring. I strip the coating off and use the copper inside. Great for pinning, putting in a cork for priming and painting (leave extra length so you can cut the copper off if you have too. ) Making your own wet palette, and using an absorbent, machine washable cloth instead of paper towel. Paper Towel costs money. I have two cloths cut, when it's time to replace it i just wash it.

Starting with video 1 on Dec. 5th 2020. And 238 to go

you can use rubbing alcohol in place of zap kicker

Watched!❤️

For sanding I use an emory board

Great vid! But you broke the First Rule!

baking soda can be a cheeper zap-a-gap and it can be a filler

Of course the thinner medium is thicker.

i noticed my local bank keeps a box of paperclips near the ATM.

Im not sold on zip kicker

😊

Dat focus...

Time to watch every hobby cheating from the start...

Quick tip: Zip Kicker is nothing more than alcohol in a spray bottle.

i would thumbs up, but it's at 666

Cheap is so ugly. I prefer to refer to myself as discerning or frugal. And promoting work place thievery, my man.