Don't Be a Fool, Buy Good Tools

Like the Magic the Gathering maniac who spends his fortune on cards and can't spare a dime for sleeves only to find himself out of value because his cards are no longer near mint, this highest standard of cards quality, much the same can be said on the gamer that buys endless miniatures and paints but never buy his tools.

And to this I say: NO MORE!  All you need is 10%



Don't be a fool, buy good tools!

One of the very few rules I have about painting in my leisure time is to spend 10% of my gaming budget on tools.  Not 5%, not 50%, 10%.

Tools, whatever they may be, make your life easier and your hobby far more enjoyable.

This 10% takes into account everything.  It's large enough of a number so you can afford the common things right away, like glue or fresh Xacto blades, or save it over a couple of months to get something big like a new camera to take pictures, a fancy new airbrush or straight up buy a new chair for your desk.

Whatever floats your hobby boat.

On the other hand, 10% is also a restraint, keeping you from going overboard.  You don't have to buy every single thing and doodad all the time, even if you can ( Money ain't no thang, player ) Keep the 10% ratio to keep you grounded with buying what you need instead of trying to get everything.

The best part of this rule is it takes away all excuses.

Ever noticed that a lot of folks that complain that buying an airbrush set is to expensive often have 2000$ and more worth of miniatures.  Yet, a good airbrush setup costs barely more than 150$.

To make thing simple, or how I started myself, is to keep track of everything that I complain about ( to myself most of the time) or that I feel like I'm missing when I paint.

The first thing I 10%-ed out on was a Tamiya Electric drill, because I was bummed out of drilling bolter barels in metal grey knights.

Let's say you're new to all this, you want to spend your 10% the folloing way most likely:

1-  Hobby Tools - Cutters, X-Acto, Glue, Cutting Mat

2- Painting supplies- Paint Starter Set or couple of colours, Colored spray primer, brushes

3- Because you now have the essentials and can get going, look at what is missing and go from there. 

Hate assembly with a passion?  Look for new tools and toys to make what you hate simpler, like a flash remover or an electric drill.

Not having fun with painting and what to get done fast?  Quickshade and Anti-Shine Spray.

Do these steps as your budget allows you and you'll always be one step ahead of your hobby needs.

Until next time, no excuses, hobby like a champion.