Article by Rapouc
So you want to start collecting and playing Warhammer 40,000
Well you have come to the right place, SWC is an online community of gamers dedicated to helping each other out in anything and everything to do with this hobby from writing your army list to painting your models.
Deciding on an army
The first thing you should do when wanting to play this game is to decide on an army. This can be tough as there are eleven different main armies you can play and all of them have some fantastic models in their ranges. There are many things you should look at when deciding which army to start, ask yourself these questions.
Do I like the Models?
Painting and Modelling is a large part of the hobby and if you don’t like the models the chances are you won’t enjoy playing with them , find an army which you really like the look of and you think you will enjoy painting and converting.
Does the army have a style of play that appeals to me?
All the armies in Warhammer 40k have different rules and each are suited to different things for example Tau are very good at shooting with a high range and powerful guns , however they are terrible at close combat. This is another important thing in choosing an army if you intend to play games, find an army that suits you.
The Story behind the army
The universe of Warhammer 40k is full of background or as we call it “fluff”, You can find the official fluff in the codexs (books with rules and background specific to an army), rulebook and the black library novels if you would like to find out more about your army. You can even make up your own background for your army which can expand on the official material. This can really help to get you immersed in the army you decide to collect.
Those are 3 main points you should consider when setting out to decide on an army when you have decided you should buy the rulebook if you haven’t already and the army specific codex. Join the forums and just post if you need any help in any aspect of this hobby.
Expensive hobby...
Don't think you need to buy every single GW model to have an official list. With creative thinking you can save a fortune on models. Things like making a chaplain out of marine standard bearer and captain plastics. Or giving termagaunts genestealer scything talons to turn them into hormagaunts.
Also spending a little extra can give you more options. Prime examples are always buy razorbacks over rhinos and don't glue the top hatch down, you can then switch between the two. The Tau Skyray kit comes complete with all the turret options for a hammerhead. Skyray costs the same amount as the hammerhead too! So buy the Skyray even if you want a hammerhead.
Materials , cutting the cost.
Now when you walk into a games workshop you will likely be hounded by a over-enthusiastic games workshop member of staff , when you get to the till about to purchase a model they will likely try to sell you glue , flock , spray paint and all sorts of other tools. here are a few tips -
Paints
The Games workshop citadel range is what I personally use and its pretty good and easy to get a hold of although if you can easily get some , vallejo game colour paints are great and cheaper with more paint in the bottle! (£1.75 compared to £2.00)
Spray Paint
Spray Paints suitable for miniatures can be found in B&Q and halfords , test before you try anything new though as some might not be safe for miniatures , I personally the Plasti-kote which is £4 for 400ml (same as GW)
Glue
Games workshop plastic glue and super glue are quite expensive and you can likely get some cheaper in pound shops but I stick to their glues as I can't be bothered raking through pound shops to find cheap glue.
Clippers , files and other tools
These can probably be found at a local DIY shop like B&Q for cheaper , be careful you find ones small enough though.
Paint Brushes
Last but definitely not least Paint brushes , Games workshop have paint brushes but to be perfectly honest they are not very good , if you are serious about your painting , find a local art shop , you can get better quality brushes for cheaper prices there. When looking for one they do not name them "basecoat brush" or "tank brush" like GW do but have a number system. This number system would work something like this compared to Games workshop brushes.
0000 - fine detail
00 - detail
1 - basecoat
2 - basecoat
5 - tank brush
Some brush sizes go as low as 10/0 , this is another way of putting it , so 2/0 instead of 00.
Following these tips can greatly help , reducing the cost you spend on tools materials leaving you more money to spend on models!