[Fiend]

Now then! Good question. As you'd expect it's a bit of a minefield, in terms of pricing, small-child suitability, and whether you commit to the homogenous Big Hobby capitalist mega-corp that is Games Workshop.

GW do have all the charm of Adidas-Red-Bull-Diamond, BUT they are mostly very good quality and have lots of choice for getting the poor wee buggers hooked on toy soldier crack as soon as possible so the parents go bankrupt trying to pay for the addiction AHEM I mean starting out easily. Alas true old skool Warhammer has been replaced by some naff, indistinct, designed-by-committee toss called Age Of Sigmar although there's still some potentially decent models to paint in that. There's also the added benefit that the GW Youtube channel has a lot of decent tutorials for basic painting.

Starter kit examples:
Paint sets:
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/40k-Paint-and-Tool-Set-EN-ES-2020
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Aos-Paints-tools-Eng-spa-port-latv-rom-2018

A few models and a few paints:
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Space-Marines-Paint-Set-EN-ES-2020
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Necrons-Paint-Set-EN-ES-2020
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Scast-Paint-Set-Eng-spa-port-latv-rom-2018
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Nhaunt-Paint-Set-Eng-spa-port-lat-rom-2018

^^^ These are based on the "Two armies and a rulebook game starting set" so are limited just to the featured armies. The "Next Steps" bit on the website has a good selection of ""budget"" options for adding models but is also only limited to those armies, so if he wants to have a choice and paint a different style of model, the Start Collecting sets are worth an expensive look:

https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Warhammer-40-000?N=1125463923+2917003483&Nr=AND(sku.siteId%3AGB_gw%2Cproduct.locale%3Aen_GB_gw)&Nrs=collection()%2Frecord[product.startDate+<%3D+1611825000000+and+product.endDate+>%3D+1611825000000]&view=all
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Warhammer-Age-of-Sigmar?N=647457687+1593255432&Nr=AND(sku.siteId%3AGB_gw%2Cproduct.locale%3Aen_GB_gw)&Nrs=collection()%2Frecord[product.startDate+<%3D+1611825060000+and+product.endDate+>%3D+1611825060000]&view=all

(Copy and past since UBB code has wanked up the links)

For other manufacturers, the way forward is a lot less clear. There are LOTS of them but very few if any have a consistent  and easy to grasp sci-fi / fantasy range. Possibly the best option is Privateer Press and their Warmachine / Hordes game systems, which aren't too pricey and have lots of single models available, albeit tedious to search through:
https://store.privateerpress.com/games/warmachine/?sort=priceasc
https://store.privateerpress.com/games/warmachine/starter-sets/?sort=priceasc
https://store.privateerpress.com/games/hordes/?sort=priceasc
https://store.privateerpress.com/games/hordes/starter-sets/
(You may have to hunt independent online retails and/or Ebay to get their stuff)

For individual models with a Warhammer Fantasy feel, there's a couple of good smaller companies:
http://www.gamezoneminiatures.com/tienda/en/
https://avatars-of-war.com/sh/en/
Delivery might be slow but some of the sculpts are good. The Dwarf, Chaos Warrior, and Goblin I painted above are from these two.

Paints etc from other manufacturers:
GW do good paint sets and a massive range of paints but their paints are expensive and variable in coverage. Also some people prefer the dropper bottles so here's some well-reputed alternatives:
https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/paints-washes-etc/army-painter-warpaints/warpaints-starter-paint-set-new
https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/paints-washes-etc/vallejo-paints/vallejo-paint-sets
Similarly for brushes:
https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/brushes/army-painter-brushes

Element Games is 10 mins drive from Chez Fiend so feel free to give them some support

[Oldmanmatt]

Now then! Good question. As you'd expect it's a bit of a minefield, in terms of pricing, small-child suitability, and whether you commit to the homogenous Big Hobby capitalist mega-corp that is Games Workshop.

GW do have all the charm of Adidas-Red-Bull-Diamond, BUT they are mostly very good quality and have lots of choice for getting the poor wee buggers hooked on toy soldier crack as soon as possible so the parents go bankrupt trying to pay for the addiction AHEM I mean starting out easily. Alas true old skool Warhammer has been replaced by some naff, indistinct, designed-by-committee toss called Age Of Sigmar although there's still some potentially decent models to paint in that. There's also the added benefit that the GW Youtube channel has a lot of decent tutorials for basic painting.

Starter kit examples:
Paint sets:
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/40k-Paint-and-Tool-Set-EN-ES-2020
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Aos-Paints-tools-Eng-spa-port-latv-rom-2018

A few models and a few paints:
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Space-Marines-Paint-Set-EN-ES-2020
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Necrons-Paint-Set-EN-ES-2020
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Scast-Paint-Set-Eng-spa-port-latv-rom-2018
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Nhaunt-Paint-Set-Eng-spa-port-lat-rom-2018

^^^ These are based on the "Two armies and a rulebook game starting set" so are limited just to the featured armies. The "Next Steps" bit on the website has a good selection of ""budget"" options for adding models but is also only limited to those armies, so if he wants to have a choice and paint a different style of model, the Start Collecting sets are worth an expensive look:

https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Warhammer-40-000?N=1125463923+2917003483&Nr=AND(sku.siteId%3AGB_gw%2Cproduct.locale%3Aen_GB_gw)&Nrs=collection()%2Frecord[product.startDate+<%3D+1611825000000+and+product.endDate+>%3D+1611825000000]&view=all
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Warhammer-Age-of-Sigmar?N=647457687+1593255432&Nr=AND(sku.siteId%3AGB_gw%2Cproduct.locale%3Aen_GB_gw)&Nrs=collection()%2Frecord[product.startDate+<%3D+1611825060000+and+product.endDate+>%3D+1611825060000]&view=all

(Copy and past since UBB code has wanked up the links)

For other manufacturers, the way forward is a lot less clear. There are LOTS of them but very few if any have a consistent  and easy to grasp sci-fi / fantasy range. Possibly the best option is Privateer Press and their Warmachine / Hordes game systems, which aren't too pricey and have lots of single models available, albeit tedious to search through:
https://store.privateerpress.com/games/warmachine/?sort=priceasc
https://store.privateerpress.com/games/warmachine/starter-sets/?sort=priceasc
https://store.privateerpress.com/games/hordes/?sort=priceasc
https://store.privateerpress.com/games/hordes/starter-sets/
(You may have to hunt independent online retails and/or Ebay to get their stuff)

For individual models with a Warhammer Fantasy feel, there's a couple of good smaller companies:
http://www.gamezoneminiatures.com/tienda/en/
https://avatars-of-war.com/sh/en/
Delivery might be slow but some of the sculpts are good. The Dwarf, Chaos Warrior, and Goblin I painted above are from these two.

Paints etc from other manufacturers:
GW do good paint sets and a massive range of paints but their paints are expensive and variable in coverage. Also some people prefer the dropper bottles so here's some well-reputed alternatives:
https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/paints-washes-etc/army-painter-warpaints/warpaints-starter-paint-set-new
https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/paints-washes-etc/vallejo-paints/vallejo-paint-sets
Similarly for brushes:
https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/brushes/army-painter-brushes

Element Games is 10 mins drive from Chez Fiend so feel free to give them some support

Not sure if you grasp this, but it’s probably easier and cheaper to get into Cocaine as a hobby.

[tomtom]

Paint sniffing as a compromise?

[Fiend]

They're all child-friendly acrylics alas.

And yeah Games Workshop makes splashing out on new 5.10s, Gorilla Chalk and a couple of bouldering mats seem like a budget option.

[lagerstarfish]

Thanks Fiend 

[Oldmanmatt]

They're all child-friendly acrylics alas.

And yeah Games Workshop makes splashing out on new 5.10s, Gorilla Chalk and a couple of bouldering mats seem like a budget option.

You probably have a local casino, if you want to wean yourself off the habit,  without resorting to narcotics...

[tomtom]

They're all child-friendly acrylics alas.

And yeah Games Workshop makes splashing out on new 5.10s, Gorilla Chalk and a couple of bouldering mats seem like a budget option.

You probably have a local casino, if you want to wean yourself off the habit,  without resorting to narcotics...

Or follow the 'investment' thread?

[Fiend]

VACCINE'S READY MOTHERFUCKERS!

Topical eh! A great and characterful sculpt from Forge World that was one of the most fun figures I've painted - having a lot of variety on one model meant I never got bored painting too much of the same thing. I particularly enjoyed choosing some appropriate colours that I don't normally paint, and also painting the soft pale curvy tummy with gentle highlighting.
Feel free to share this far and wide as I'm chuffed to do something relevant to the current bollox times...

[slab_happy]

Oh, that's GORGEOUS, nice work.

Got a link to where people can buy the model? I think I've got friends who might want one. Lots of folks seem to be getting back into tabletop RPGs during the pandemic.

[Fiend]

Thank you

And yes, sure do, only comes in a pack of two with another model, and is expensive, but...

https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-GB/Necromunda-Rogue-Doc-and-Gang-Look-Out-2020

Forgeword's whole Necromunda characters range seems really nice, full of detail.

[lagerstarfish]

FFS!
The little lad and I bumped into Fiend this morning and I completely forgot about all the advice from Fiend that has led to Jack enjoying painting little plastic monsters.
Anyway. Thanks Fiend. Now that he knows that you are the painting figures guy, he was really pleased to meet you.

[Fiend]

Awwww that's cool  . Please say "nice to meet you" back from the Painting Figures Guy (am tempted for a mini-revival in this heat...).

Nice to see you again and guess who turned up an hour later...

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10160046142428623&id=666738622

[slab_happy]

Hey, relevant to your interests?

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jul/31/how-games-workshop-grew-to-become-more-profitable-than-google

Ah, memories -- White Dwarf magazine, where as an impressionable young person I first encountered the snark of David Langford ...

[Fiend]

Hah, cheers. I've been on hiatus since winter, trying to get my climbing back in shape instead. Will get back into it tho.

Langford wrote the science fiction and fantasy book review column for White Dwarf from 1983 to 1988,

Some serious old skool days when White Dwarf was a more general gaming mag and not just a pure GW catalogue. Modern Warhammer is a very different and mostly unappealing beast...

[BrutusTheBear]

Very slick Fiend! Bringing back good memories of friends in 6th form dragging me into their games and running around the woods in costumes armed with foam weapons. (Oooh er).
Been meaning to post in this thread for ages but struggling with Flickr account passwords and posting pictures here directly got the better of me.
So apologies for Insta spamming but here are some links to drawings what I done.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfS8P-XBjPV/?utm_medium=copy_link/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj-o5Snj-p2/?utm_medium=copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeOaDh-HTFs/?utm_medium=copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUyg2dWg2_S/?utm_medium=copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EIsnqj_sj/?utm_medium=copy_link

[Fiend]

Nice. I like the shadow on the second link especially.

[Fiend]

Seems to be a suitable season / current weather for this so might as well share a couple:

Female Dwarf!

This was inspired / encouraged by an ex-partner who I'm still in friendly contact with online. She is Scottish and ginger, hence the hair colour and, well, Dwarfs are almost was grumpy as Scots...

I struggled a bit with the face on this and of course the camera picks out the roughness and varnish issues perfectly 🙄 But I'm really happy with the metals and colour scheme.






Green Wizard!

This model is actually Sharkey (aka a covert Sauraman) from GW's Lord Of The Rings range, but I just liked the model itself and painted it as a normal wizard. The painting isn't quite as smooth as I'd like (I get bored on large uni-colour areas!), and the varnish a bit gritty, but I'm pleased with the colour scheme.

[Wellsy]

That's a really nice job that, love the robes! I've been thinking of getting back into painting some little geezers recently myself tbh, not sure what to get? Maybe some forge world marines cos then I'll spend ages carefully painting em.

[Fiend]

Don't do it Wellsy, it's a shit idea and really contrary to effective training, remaining active, glory AND grades etc etc.



P.S. Forgeworld Space Marines seem pretty nice yeah.

P.P.S. https://teamshambler.blogspot.com/2020/05/painting-tips-and-tricks.html may or may not help.

[Fiend]

Doctor Ork Sez Get Yer Fucking Booster Ya Cunts, Cos If Your Vaccine Refusal Makes You A Statistic The Government Uses To Justify Another Lockdown, He's Gonna Rip Off Your Balls, Hack Off Your Limbs, And Play Fucking Golf With Them After Da Surgery's Closed. And Get His Pet Squig "Omi" To Piss On Yer Face.

(Yes it's a bit verbose, but Doctor Ork might be even grumpier than usual).

(This one's dedicated to jab_happy and also Will Hunt who inadvertently forced me to get another orc/k...)







The colour scheme is the same as Vaccine Bitch earlier in the year. Only the number of syringes has changed....
https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25088.msg629447.html#msg629447

[Will Hunt]

New UKB avatar there.

[Scouse D]

Drew this the other day of Pen Y Pass YHA, where I spent a few seasons.

[Baldy]

Fiend - you've drawn me out of hiding just to say how incredible that paint job is!

Top, top marks.   

[jwi]

Drew this the other day of Pen Y Pass YHA, where I spent a few seasons.

I liked this!

[Duma]

Love Dr Ork Matt!

and the YHA (once I'd worked out how to make it big enough to see)