All the stuff that I use to collect, build, produce and play wargames.
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Gear Brushes
90% of the time I use cheap synthetic brushes that I buy in bulk for pennies on the dollar, and then, when they lose their tip, I trash them without stressing about it.
BOSOBO Paint Brushes Set
These brushes are good overall brushes that are applicable for all sorts of uses. The little ones do a good job keeping a tip for several weeks and have a substantial belly to hold the paint. The larger ones are good for washes, and the even larger ones are good for terrain. I always have at least two unopened packages of these brushes in my drawer.
Detail Paint Brush Set
These are another super cheap set of detail brushes that I turn to when I want detail but don’t need perfection. The best part of these brushes is that they are about $0.80 each, so if they lose the tip just chuck them in the bin and you won’t feel like you’ve lost any money.
Army Painter Brush Set
If I’m going to spring for more expensive brushes, I find that Army Painter is great. There an excellent selection in this set, and they keep a point well if you properly clean them. The Regiment brush is absolutely my #1 workhorse brush from any range.
BESTOPE Makeup Brushes 16 PCs
You haven’t drybrushed until you’ve drybrushed with makeup brushes. This is such an easy hack: the brushes are ideal, the drybrushing is a dream, and you can’t beat the price point. And if you even give them token care they’ll last for a long time
Games Workshop Citadel Outil
Not exactly a brush, but it’s the perfect tool for the job. Sure, I’ve seen people apply texture pastes with brushes or sticks (we’ll discuss texture pastes in more detail below) but it’s just so darn useful. Plus I figure I ought to include at least one Games Workshop product in this. It was getting neglected.
Paints
Model Paints
I use a mix of Citadel paints and Vallejo. I love the colors that you get from Citadel (I especially love going to the store with the Citadel Colour app on my phone to get just the right mix of base, layers and highlights. That alone is a big plus in Citadel’s favor, as is the fact that in my part of the world, Citadel paints are SO much easier to find than Vallejo.
Citadel Paints
Unfortunately, Citadel Paints are going to rip you off if you buy them from Amazon so it’s best to go to your FLGS and browse their varieties. Here’s link to Citadel’s website (there are no affiliate links for this).
Vallejo Paints
I love Vallejo Paints, and I especially love the fact that, in the United States, the only reliable way to get them at a good price is to buy packs of them. In the past I have bought the Vallejo Face/Skin Colors Paint Set, 8-Colors, the Vallejo WWII Allied Forces Paint Set , the Model Color Paint Set – WWII German Camouflage Colors, and many many more. You can buy the colors individually but they’re usually marked up a lot because they’re shipping from Europe. Occasionally you can find a single color that you want (and when I do I tend to buy two bottles of it.)
Army Painter
Craft Paint
For terrain projects you don’t want to waste expensive miniature paint on large pieces, so I buy craft paint from Michael’s, but here’s an equivalent brand from Amazon: Apple Barrel PROMOABI 18pc Matte Finish Acrylic Craft Paint Set, Assorted Colors.
Washes
For me, washes begin and end with Citadel. I’ve seen some side-by-side comparisons between Citadel’s Agrax Earthshade and Army Painter’s Strong Tone, but aside from that one example (in which the experiment proved them almost identical) Citadel has the best washes and selection, hands down. Citadel Paint, Shade: Agrax Earthshade
Citadel Water Pot
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Big Tools
3D Filament Printer
My 3D filament printer is the Ender 3 Pro, and I use it all the time. I don’t think it’s flawless: I had to replace the hot end once and leveling it was a pain in the neck, but I have printed out many, many terrain pieces with it. And you can’t beat the price.
Filament
I have honestly never tried anything other than this Hatchbox stuff, but I’ve also never had a reason to. It works great every time. HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Black,
Lamp
Neatfi XL 2,200 Lumens LED Task Lamp with Clamp, 24W Super Bright Desk Lamp,
Light Box
Upgrade Emart 14″ x 16″ Photography Table Top Light Box 104 LED Portable Photo Studio Shooting Tent
Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter
Jigsaw
Terrain and Basing
Play Sand
You don’t want to buy this from a hobby store or from Amazon. Just go to a Home Depot or Lowe’s and get a bag of Play Sand (like for sandboxes) and it’s something like $5 for 30 pounds. You will never run out. I use it for all my basing, and my terrain. It’s cheaper than sand from a hobby store, and it’s cleaner than sand you’d get from your yard, garden or beach.
Army Painter Grass Tufts
Flower Tufts:
Vallejo Texture Paste
Static Grass
When in doubt on scenery projects, I always revert to Woodland Scenics.
Woodland Scenics Static Grass, Light Green, Medium Green, and Dark Green, 4mm (Pack of 3)
Static Grass Applicator
I own one, but I don’t recommend it enough to put a link up to it. I need to get a different one.
Clump Foliage
Again, Woodland Scenics is the best. I use this for bushes, hedgerows, and trees. It comes in a variety of shades.
Realistic Water
For large water effects, I like Woodland Scenics Realistic Water. You have to be careful with it as it can run everywhere (and then dry like glue) but it gives a good effect.
Glues
PVA
Elmer’s Glue-All Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue, Extra Strong, 32 Ounces
Plastic Glue
Scenic Cement
When I’m not in the mood to water down my PVA and I want something that will do the same job but stronger and faster, I use Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement.
Cyanoacrylate Glue (Super Glue)
I go through a lot of this, and I prefer the brand Loc-Tite. I usually buy it in 4-packs so I never run out (because running out of glue is always the most maddening thing.)
Kicker
With cyanoacrylate glue, you want to use an activator to get it to work strong and instantaneously, especially if you’re gluing something fiddly or made of metal.
Mitreapel Activator (13.5 fl oz) Spray Accelerator for CA Super Glues
Spray Glue
I love this stuff, mainly because it doesn’t eat through foam (like most sprays do). I can spray this over foam and then lay down grass or sand, and it work like a treat. Not too expensive either.
Miscellaneous
Storage
These bins seem to be the perfect size to house models in good condition and stack them neatly and compactly. I think I have twenty of these bins.
Paint Rack
For paint racks I use these acrylic nail polish racks that I found. They are the perfect size for Citadel paints, but work for Vallejo, too.
My Favorite Tabletop Wargames and Models
For a long time I was all Games Workshop, all the way. I started with Games Workshop when I bought that first box of skeletons in probably 1989, and I continued with Games Workshop for most of my life. But recently I have found a passion for other forms of gaming, particularly historical wargaming and independent wargaming.
And admittedly, I don’t play a ton of games–I just paint a ton of models–so some of these models listed below don’t have specific games attached to them.
Anyway, here are the main tabletop wargames that I have played (and recommend):
Games Workshop
Warhammer 40k
Of course it starts here. While yes, my first box of minis was technically the skeletons, the first game I ever played was Warhammer 40k 2nd Edition. In particular, I played Squats and Harlequins. Squats are out of print now, and Harlequins disappeared for many years, but they have made a triumpant return. The link here is to the current Warhammer 40k starter box, Indomitus, which has two armies and all the rules. It includes Space Marines (of which I have collected SO MANY) and Necrons (one of the few armies I never have had).
Harlequins
Yes, they are space clown elves. But they’re murderous space clown elves. I don’t know where the idea for these guys came from, but I love them. They’re basically acrobatic colorful ninjas.
Blood Angels
I have collected many, many Space Marines over the years, but never have I gotten into them as deeply as I did the Blood Angels. Basically close combat assault warriors, who have blood lust–they literally drink the blood of their enemies like vampires. (But in an awesome way.)
Deathwatch
Another favorite group of Space Marines is the Deathwatch, which is kind of an elite group that brings in veterans from all the other chapters, the best of the best–kind of a Top Gun for Space Marines.
Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum)
Way back when Squats went out of circulation I started an Imperial Guard army because I could repurpose the Squats as Guardsmen. Plus, the Imperial Guard has tanks. It’s an incredibly shooty army that is terrible up close, and I loved to see my brother’s Space Wolves charging across the table to tear me apart as I tried to shoot him to pieces before he could.
Sisters of Battle
I never REALLY collected Sisters enough to call them an army, but I dove headfirst into the 2019 reboot and I painted every one I could get my hands on before my money dried up. Everything about them is over-the-top gothic Space Catholicism, and it’s awesome.
Chaos Space Marines
My first army that I ever bought as an adult with a job, and I think I bought an entire army from the catalog (before the website) in one go. This was probably 2000 or 2001. They still haven’t updated the Khorne Beserkers in all that time.
Death Guard
I think that every 40k player has at least dabbled with the Death Guard because they’re just so fun to paint. Led by Mortarion, Primarch of Nurgle, they’re all about plagues and pestilence, and have all sorts of oozy, nasty wiggly bits.
Genestealer Cults
More than any other army, these guys are just fun. The whole premise is that they worship the Genestealers–horrible, world-eating aliens–and they are slowly mutating into alien hybrids, some more than others. They’re almost human, but not quite, and they have the best vehicles.
T'au Empire
I’m including them on the list because I once spent a lot of money on them, built them, realized I could never adequately paint them, and then sold them on eBay for a profit. So, cool models. Wish I owned an airbrush.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar
So now we get into the fantasy side of things, which, I admit, I have never once played a game of in my life. I love a lot of the models, and have collected my share, but I wouldn’t know where to begin playing the game.
Seraphon
These I buy (I tell myself) because my son loves dinosaurs so much. I tell myself every time that I’m buying them for him, not for me, and sometimes I’ll give them to him. But it’s secretly because *I* like dinosaurs.
Skaven
True story: the entire reason I am a writer today is because I was entranced by the idea of fantasy rats that would burrow through the underbelly of ancient cities. I wrote that book. It was terrible. But it launched my career.
Nighthaunt
These have seriously got to be some of the best models that Games Workshop has ever produced. They’re not only gorgeous, but they’re also ingenious the way they create shapes and forms out of wisps and nothing. The Black Coach here is one of my all-time favorite paints.
Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game
The Battle of Pellinor
This is a great starter set into the game. It comes with great characters, including Theoden and a Nazgul, as well as the Dead of Dunharrow, Orcs, and the Rohirrim.
War Mumak of Harad
I have never owned this model, but every single time I have gone to Games Workshop’s website for the past five years I always look at it. I really ought to just take the plunge.
Bolt Action
I am currently more obsessed with Bolt Action than I am any other game. I find the soldiers the perfect models for painting: if you do them all to a good battle-ready standard they look amazing on the tabletop. And the tanks are amazing. I have, I think, every single tank on the American, German, and British sides. Some more than one. Below are all the armies that I have collected and painted.
British 8th Army
I had done D-Day, so now was the time to do North Africa.
German Afrika Korps
Obviously, I needed some Germans in North Africa, too.
US Airborne
I had this thing about doing Operation Market Garden, see?
British Airborne
Well, I couldn’t very well do Operation Market Garden with only Americans, could I?
German Grenadiers
So obviously they all need to fight someone in Operation Market Garden.
US Marines
And we can’t ignore the Pacific.
Japanese
You can see where this is going…
German Tank War
There are too many awesome tank models for me to list them all here, but this is a good jumping off point.
US Tank War
Same thing, but the other side.
Warlord Games Black Powder
I’ve gotten several things from this line, which doesn’t cover so much a certain war but an era.
Waterloo Starter Set
This is a really amazing deal for the price. The full rules, plus a good number of models on both sides of the conflict, including cavalry and leaders.
Continental Army Starter Set
Having dipped my toe into Black Powder, and not really knowing as much about Napoleonics as I’d like to, I set my sights on the American Revolution.
British Starter Army
This is another time where the starter set is a great value. You get British Redcoats, Hessian Mercenaries, and Woodland Indians.
Epic Battles American Civil War Starter Set
Okay, so I haven’t bought this–yet–but it’s on my to-do list. I’ve always wanted to get into the American Civil War, and I’ve also always wanted to do smaller scale. This “epic” scale has caused some controversy because it’s not quite 15mm so it doesn’t really mesh well with other 15mm American Civil War. But it looks awesome to me.
Warlord Games Pike and Shotte
So I haven’t gotten into this line very deeply (I don’t even own the rules yet) because it’s an era I just don’t know very well at all. But the models look great and Warlord has yet to let me down. But I have bought one box.
Samurai
I did a full terrain build with these samurai, which I really enjoyed and which you can watch on my YouTube channel. The models are a little fiddly, but fun to paint in all their vibrant colors.
Warlord Games Hail Caesar
I got into this based on a YouTube viewer recommendation, on a day when I had just happened to have won a $100 gift certificate to Amazon. I splurged and dove in.
Hail Caesar The Roman Invasion of Britain
Warlord really goes out of their way to give you a TON of great stuff in their starter boxes. This came with, I think, 40 Romans and 80 Celts. I especially love the detail of the decals because they make an average paint job look really splendid.
Hail Caesar Imperial Roman Starter Army
I discovered while painting the Roman Invasion of Britain that I really loved the Romans, but didn’t really love the Celts. I decided that I wanted to showcase the Romans in the best way I knew how, and that was to build a Hadrian’s Wall terrain piece. Not done yet, but in the works.
Victory At Sea
Battle for the Pacific
This is one I really bought for my dad, because I’ve been loved the US Navy as long as I’ve been alive because of him. When I was ten he got me to sit down and watch Midway, and I gobbled that stuff right up. This game is for him and me to play.
Is that really it? Are we done with Warlord? If you can’t tell, I’m an absolute Warlord Games fanboy. (I have also painted some of their Doctor Who line for a book nook.)
Wargames Atlantic
I have bought three boxes from Wargames Atlantic, absolutely adored two of them, and really WANTED to love the third (but sold it on eBay to a guy in Guam.) The two that I really loved are:
Death Fields Einherjar Infantry
So Wargames Atlantic saw that there was a big hole in the wargame world where space dwarves should be (since the downfall of Squats) so they decided to patch it up with their own: the Einherjar. I painted these up, loved them, and put them in a YouTube video.
The Great War German Infantry 1916-1918
I have seen these kitbashed successfully into the Death Korps of Krieg, but I like them purely on their own. They’re the only WW1 miniatures I own (with the exception of a 1/35 scale diorama) and I have no idea what rules I’d use with them, but they have all the great gas masks and potato mashers and spiked helmets. Love ’em.
Baccuse 6mm
No affiliate link for these, but they’re my first real foray into 6mm scale. I’ve got a load of tanks and about two hundred infantry. Not enough for a game, just enough to give me a taste of whether or not I’d like to paint this size.
Flames of War
Team Yankee – World War III Complete Starter Set
I got into this because of my love for Tom Clancy’s Red Storm Rising. This isn’t exactly that, but it’s the same era: what if World War III happened in the mid-1980s? When I fell for this game I fell HARD. The models are a delight to paint and collect, and there is just such a fantastic variety. It can really hit you in the wallet if you’re not careful.
Flames of War Hit the Beach: Two Army Starter Set
I really wanted to get into this game, because I have in my mind a vision of a beautiful vast Omaha Beach terrain build. It seemed beyond my grasp with 28mm like Bolt Action, but could it be done in 15mm? It was worth trying out. Loved the minis and I still have them, but I haven’t made that board yet.
Atomic Mass
Marvel Crisis Protocol Core Game
At the time of writing, this is my newest game yet. I’ve only put together one model (Doctor Octopus) and haven’t even primed him. But I love the 40mm scale, and I really like the assortment of characters in the starter. This seems like a game that I could really go down the rabbit hole on.
