Don’t miss our latest and greatest list of essential miniatures supplies that are great if you’re at home with more time to hobby now!
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As the world becomes increasingly modern, hobby technology has skyrocketed. Take a look at these products I recommend that’ll make your hobby journey a bit smoother.
Please let me know if there is something you still can’t find or think I should check out for a future review!
Essential Miniature Supplies For Hobbying At Home
TUTORIAL: Make your own light halo for under $50
Products For The Hobby Table
- Ultrasonic model cleaner. Quickly clean parts and tools
- Light Halo (featured above)– Tutorial With Parts List
- Overhead Triple Bright Lamp– I use two of these on my hobby table.
- Smaller Ultrasonic cleaner– Both ultrasonic model cleaners are sweet at saving you time with a hands-free way of washing the chemicals off of your resin pieces.
REVIEW: Take Your Models Anywhere with This Mobile Hobby Table
- Dx Racer Chair– A good chair is something you don’t want to skip out on if you find yourself at the hobby desk. This is what Rob uses himself.
- Gunnar Glasses Protect From Harmful -Blue Light, great for those harsh painting lights and computer monitor
- Purple Pad makes any chair better – hobbying takes a lot out of you and this pad is great for long hours in the chair.
- Ott Light Portable Light with No Clamps– perfect for on the go light for your projects
TUTORIAL: Cleaning Models With The Ultrasonic Model Cleaner (large)
- “Vortex” Heavy-duty paint mixer is more fun than it should be
- Mr. Polisher for trimming mold lines– Resin and plastic injections still come with mold lines that are visible after paint. Take it all off with Mr. Polisher
- Print your own Bits with this dope 3d Printer– Great for saving time and money on alternate bits and pieces on your models. Plus, you can even make terrain!
- Anycubit photon S 3D printer is magic for minis– If you have a little extra coin, this seems to be the hot printer right now for minis.
- Refilling Paint Water Pot– If you’re painting with a bunch of different colors, you can save yourself the trips of dumping water with the press of a button.
TUTORIAL: Best Mixer Shaker for Wargames Miniatures Paints
- Amazon 11×17 Poster Frame 2 Pack for Warhammer starter box inserts.
- Mobile Hobby Table- mobile dedicated hobby table you can use anywhere.
- Masters Airbrush Spray Booth With LED Lights- remove harmful particles from the air, and still be able to see your models!
- Indoor Filters For Spray Booth– Keeps your hobby airspace clean if you’ll be priming and airbrushing a bunch.
- Wet Pallet (small)– If you’re tired of wasting your paints by watching them dry as you work on your models, it’s time to grab a wet pallet.
Hobby Supplies to Pick Up
TUTORIAL: Transferring Citadel Paints to Dropper Bottles: Decant
- 15ml Dropper Bottles– Swap the Citadel paint pots with these dropper bottles and keep them from drying out.
- 30ml Dropper Bottles (for contrast and large pots)
- Shoe Holder For Spray Can Storage– store your spray cans out of sight behind a door!
- Matte Coat In Any Conditions: Testors Lusterless Spray– Never ruin a miniature again!
REVIEW: Take Better Pictures of Your Minis With These
- Vallejo Plastic putty for gap filling– Green Stuff has its uses, but this is awesome for filling in small cracks and crevices between bits.
- Tamiya Extra-Thin Cement Quick-Setting– Great for ETB and all those “sliced” plastic model characters
- Testors Liquid Cement For Plastics
- Selfie Light for Miniatures– works great for taking pics of your minis for posting to social media.
- Cheesecloth for making Camo cloaks
TUTORIAL: Easy Lift-Off- Great for lifting paint off of minis you want to restore
- Testors Easy Lift Off Stripper (ELO)– A must-have if you’re restoring a model or bringing some older ones up to speed.
- Hobby Holder– GW’s handles are great if you buy them all. This product is a one-stop solution to most miniature sizes.
- Metallic Sharpie Markers For Painting– Great for quick trimming details on smaller models like shoulder pads/Titanicus
- Cheat at applying decals: Micro Sol/Set- Never have trouble with Decals again!
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Winsor Newton Cleaner removes dried paint– This cleaner does not play. You will need to use it with metal or glass containers it will eat plastic!
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Jentastic Brush Goop Conditioner after each use- Invented by a lady, but strong enough to protect and condition your brushes!
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Shapers Brushes for filling gaps with putties– If you’re doing high-detail work on a conversion and need to fill gaps.
TUTORIAL: This Product Changes Everything!
- Mr. Hobby Multi-Black Weathering– one of the easiest ways to get great dirty, grimy weathering on your painted models.
- Ground Brown Mr. Hobby Weathering
- Mr. Hobby Weathering Stain Brown
- White Wash Mr. Hobby Weathering
- Mr. Hobby Weathering Solvent– for cutting back the weathering solution.
For Streaming
New section under progress featuring all the gear we use to record video content and stream.
- Elite Earbuds For Podcasts & Streaming- Pretty much waterproof (I dropped them in a 3 ft mudpuddle), and indestructible ( I also smashed them on the asphalt twice). 15-hour battery life and quick charging case make these my go-to now for everything from phone calls to streaming.
- Powerful Slim Laptop we use for streaming and working at conventions.
Books & Reference Guides
- Want to open a game store? Read this book first: Your Friendly LGS
- This one will be a big help too, I read it in college, but it has a new edition! Why We Buy!
Anycubic Photon Printers Are Great For Miniatures
TUTORIAL: Learn 3D Printing While Working At Home
We’ve seen 3D printers grow in popularity as more and more people are beginning to print their own models. With this being said, it’s picking up speed and becoming more popular. But why now all of a sudden you ask? Well, it’s a complicated question that may have a lot to do with both supply vs. demand, and perceived necessity by hobbyists.
Enter the Anycubic line of 3D printers that seem to be taking the hobby by storm, and both are on sale quite frequently on Amazon.
These days it’s even easier for hobbyists to source and print bits, perhaps more so than any of us had thought. The undeniable allure is that it’s not too expensive for any person to get into 3D printing in order to monetize and/or supplement their hobby.
This 3D printed Chaincannon was spotted on eBay from Kojo1231 going for $4 per bit.
The first mini Rob printed, courtesy of Titan-Forge’s Patreon, using the Anycubic Photon above.
3D Printers:
ANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D Printer (left) and Photon S (right). Image theSLAchannel
- Anycubic photon S 3D printer is magic for minis.
- Anycubic Photon is pretty affordable and easy to use:
- Anycubic Wash & Cure Station
- Elegoo Mars has pretty high marks as well from folks.
New for 2020! Anycubic Wash & Cure Station is here! Now you can wash and cure your 3d prints super easy in one single unit! Just detach your build plate from your Photon printer and attach it to the wash station, then dry and cure!
Carbon Scrubber Air Filter:
So this is purely optional if you have good ventilation you may not need it. The key thing to get is a rear vent adaptor, you can print one out on your new printer, but it may not be as strong as a single part one.
- 4” Dryer Hose Flange Duct https://amzn.to/2wccU86
- Phresh Inline Carbon Filter https://amzn.to/2WexKyv
- 4” Black Flexible aluminum Dryer Hose Line https://amzn.to/2x1jPkx
- 4” Variable Speed Inline Fan https://amzn.to/2xIVv7L
- 5-gallon bucket and Lid: https://amzn.to/33jlWwp
- Duct clamps (you need 4) https://amzn.to/39XkHFC
- Get this print out for a rear vent adaptor https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2877754
- Self Tapping Sheetmetal Screws & Washers
- This is a cool self-contained unit that may do the trick as well for 1/2 the price and work: https://amzn.to/2J00wem
3D Printing Supplies:
You won’t need the pickle jars or the UV cure unit if you get the Anycubic Wash & Cure Station (below).
- Waterproof Silicone Prep Mat https://amzn.to/3aYDobY
- Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (for the print film) https://amzn.to/2vZLa6T
- Pickle Jar for washing parts https://amzn.to/2WgYpdS
- 90% or higher Isopropyl Alcohol (12 pack) https://amzn.to/2Qg5Wpq
- UV Curing Station (3-time settings) https://amzn.to/33l0cA2
- Anycubic Wash & Cure Station https://snip.ly/Anycubicwash
Recommended Airbrushes & Supplies
Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Airbrush (left) and Colani (right) REVIEW: High-End Airbrushes
- H&S Colani Airbrush– Amazing quality for the price.
- H&S Ultra Airbrush Probably one of the best “starting airbrushes” on the market.
- H&S Evolution Airbrush (Lightweight Aluminium)
- H&S Evolution Airbrush (Chrome finish)
- Badger Patriot 105
- Iwata Eclipse Airbrush– An awesome airbrush to get you started.
- GSI Creos .18 Super fine Airbrush Great for the smallest of details.
Tooty No-Name Compressor REVIEW: More Than a Beginner Airbrush Compressor
- Sparmax Compressor– Name Brand Super Heavy duty and quiet.
- Tooty No-Name Compressor– This is a solid overall compressor that comes with an air reservoir if your airbrush didn’t come with one.
- Aspire Compressor
- Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver Makes Airbrushing EASY!
- Vallejo Airbrush Thinner Thinner is great for getting your paints to the right consistency.
- Iwata Airbrush Lube – keep your metals lubed up!
- Grex Airbrush Cleaner – The second you buy an airbrush, you should also invest in some cleaner.
- Goose Neck Bottle for Cleaning AB– Clean your AB from every angle with high powered water!
- Tamiya Masking Tape For Miniatures: 18mm Large 10mm Medium 6mm Small
Miniature Figure Storage
TUTORIAL: Store Your Miniatures Safely For Under $20
- Collapsible Tournament Push Cart– This thing is MONEY. You can roll up to the tournament, pull out your minis, collapse this thing and tuck it under the table.
- Clear Case For Miniatures 15″x 17″, 6″ Tall
- Project Cart With 6 Cases for Miniatures 12″x12″ 2″-1/2“
- Steel Sheet (For Clear Cases)- use as a base for something to magnetize your minis to.
REVIEW: Pack & Roll Foldable Tournament Cart
- 3M Double Sided Mounted Table (For Steel Sheets)
- 10 Adhesive Magnetic Sheets 8.5″ x 11″ 20 mil Magnet Peel & Stick– If you want a peel-off magnet sheet for your minis to stick to, this is perfect.
- Sterlite Bins x12 – You can put a metal sheet in the bottom of these and throw your minis with magnetized bases inside!
- Hobby Bags – You can never have enough transportable bags to keep your hobby supplies in one spot
- Large Acid-Free Cases- Perfect for miniatures like Magnus, Mortarion, Beetle Lady and more. Construction Tutorial
Titanicus Hobby Gear
TUTORIAL: Magnetize Your Adeptus Titanicus Command Terminals
With all of these supplies covered, what’s been your best purchase? Do you have any other hobby recommendations?
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Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
