It’s Amazon Prime Bid Deal Days. Are there big deals? I’ve combed through the offerings and collected links to help you figure that out. Over the two days of the sale I periodically check back on the sales to add new offerings or remove expired deals.
Categories include: Miniature brand products, miniatures; domed drybrushes; pointed brushes; welled palettes; dry palettes; brush cups; brush cleaning textures; brush travel and storage; studio tools (clippers, files, paint mixers, etc.); sculpting tools; basing supplies (static grass, terrain); display cases; travel cases
LAST UPDATED: October 9 at 3:15pm EST – added Color and Light
Purchases made through these Amazon affliate links help me pay the maintenance fees for this site, at no additional cost to you. Unless stated otherwise, I do not have any personal experience with these products.
Deal Checking and Coupons
To check whether a current Amazon price really is a great deal, compare it to the collected data on the camelcamelcamel site. Enter the name of the product or paste the URL link into the search box. If you get a list of options, look through to find the specific product you’re considering. Scroll down a bit and you will see a graph of the Amazon history for that item that displays the highest, lowest, and average prices.
When scanning through listings on Amazon, look for a red banner/badge that says Prime Big Deal. That indicates an active deal. It should display a percentage savings, current price, and typical price. Amazon often adds non-deal sponsored items to search results.
Always check the listing for a coupon for additional savings! You may see an orange Coupon badge, and/or green text. Check the box in this area to apply the coupon and save even more!
Miniature Brands
The Amazon search results for a manufacturer displays sponsored items from other manufacturers in a way that is not always obvious. Where possible, I have include a second link to a brand’s Amazon store front. There you will see only products from that brand, but you’ll have to scan through all of their products to find the ones that are part of the Prime Day promotion.
The Army Painter (Prime Day listings)
The Army Painter has a number of products on sale for 20% off, including the Speedpaint 2.0 Complete Set, The Fanatic Wargamers Paint Set, the Fanatic Most Wanted Combo Set, and their Color Primers. Shop by category at the Army Painter Amazon store link.
CMON (Prime Day listings)
Numerous miniature-packed games produced by CMON are on sale for 25-30% off. Halloween themed discounted lines include Cthulhu Death May Die, Zombicide, and Marvel Zombies. Cyberpunk 2077 and Blood Rage are also on sale. You can also shop at the CMON Amazon store.
Star Wars Mini Games
A number of sets and expansions for the Star Wars Legion game are on sale, and also for the Star Wars Shatterpoint game. Star Wars Imperial Assault boxes are on sale.
Dungeons & Dragons (Prime Day listings)
The Gift Set of the D&D 2014 Core rulebooks is on sale for 59% off. Other sales from 30-45% include Spelljammer, Tasha’s Cauldron, The Making of Original D&D, and the D&D Essentials Kit. D&D products are on sale for 40-52% off list price. NOTE: an updated version of the Player’s Handbook released recently, and updates will be coming out for the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual in upcoming months. You can also browse via the Wizards RPG Team store.
Miscellaneous
Color and Light
This book by James Gurney is one of the most commonly recommended among miniature painters and artists in general for learning to understand, well, colour and light. His book Imaginative Realism is also on sale. You can get to know more about him and his teaching style for free by following him on his blog, Gurney Journey, and on his YouTube channel. (Not on Prime Day sale, but currently 43% off for the softcover.)
Asmodee Board Games
Asmodee normally limits the minimum advertised price sellers can set for their board games. This Big Prime Days sale coincides with one of their amnesty periods for the MAP. You can also shop MAP amnesty sales on Noble Knight. (Not an affiliate link.)
Painting Handles
There are a few painting handles on special, though not any of the ones I’m personally familiar with.
Miniatures
Mice & Mystics
If you’re looking for Humblewood type figures, or a kid-friendly miniatures game, you might want to check out Mice & Mystics. The Base Game is 25% off. The Downwood Tales expansion is only 6% off, and Heart of Glorm is regular price. I painted these ages and ages ago, I’ll have to dig them out for new photos and post them up on the blog!
Cheap Miniature Busts
If you don’t feel comfortable practicing on $50 busts, these resin busts are less than $2 each. Each listing includes a photo with measurements, but on average they’re 2.7 inches tall. This 10 piece set includes Roman/Greek/Renaissance male and female heads. This 5 piece set is based on famous sculptures like David. There is also a 7 piece set with the busts of classical composers like Beethoven.
Stonehaven (Prime Day Listings)
Stonehaven has individual and sets of miniatures on sale at 25% discount. You can also shop the Stonehaven Miniatures storefront.
Monster Protectors
This company offers multi packs of both painted and unpainted miniatures at low prices. They have several sets on sale for 20% off. From the pics these aren’t highly detailed figures, but they might be of interest if you need to throw a lot of figs on the table cheaply and quickly.
You can also check out all the listings for miniatures in the games subcategory.
Terrain
TowerRex (Prime Day listings)
A number of their laser-cut wood terrain pieces and sets are on sale for 20% off. You can also shop the TowerRex Amazon store.
Hautico
Hautico has a small selection of 3D printed buildings on Prime Day specials.
CZYY
A small selection of laser cut wood and plastic terrain options
SMONEX
This store also has a small selection of laser cut wood terrain options.
More Terrain
Check this link for additional Prime Day terrain options. I found some different terrain options with alternate search terms.
Basing Supplies
Grass, Mats, Bushes, etc
Check this link and this link for a look at the basing material options on Prime Day discount.
Dried Flowers
I have a collection of flowers like the ones I’m listing here, but I don’t remember the brand. These are real dried flowers. They come dyed different colours, but you can enhance them with paint or paint completely over them. Prime Day options include this set of 24 colours, set of 36 colours, and set of 3 boxes (some of which look too big for most miniatures). This set is a little more expensive, but has more natural looking mixes of colours.
Professional Art Brands
Every time Amazon has a big sale I check sale prices on artist brands like Liquitex, Golden, Winsor & Newton, etc. And every sale, I am disappointed. Oh, there will be a few items, but it’s usually a particular size of a medium or just a few colours of paints. Even then, the prices always seem to be at least a little higher than the prices at one of the big online art sellers linked below.
I think the big art brands do not allow online sellers to sell their products below a certain price unless something is on closeout. The board game company Asmodee does a similar thing.
I have shopped from all of these stores (I like traditional art supplies as well as miniature hobby ones). They’re established, respected storefronts. If you live outside of the US or UK, ask other artists in your area for the best online sellers. You will also find that different brands are more or less economical depending on where you live. Schmincke paints are much cheaper for Europeans than for North Americans, but I think the reverse is true for Liquitex.
I am not sponsored by or affliated with and do not benefit in any other way from non-Amazon links.
Jackson’s
I believe Jackson’s ships to many areas of the world, and you can select the currency for your region from the main page.
Paint Brushes: Domed Drybrush
For years people searched for domed shaped drybrushes in the cosmetics section. Now inexpensive goat hair dome brushes designed for painting use are much more readily available. Artis Opus pioneered these brushes in the miniature space, and their Opus D Series set is gorgeous, but it is expensive, so it is natural that people want to try that kind of brush more inexpensively first. Given the way we use these brushes and how they’re made, I don’t think it’s too risky to buy an inexpensive brand. Most listings include a photo that shows the dimensions of the brushes so you can compare between options.
You can see examples of results with different kinds of drybrushes here, and read about how I used dome drybrushes to paint a gingerbread man figure.
All of the brushes listed below appear to be made with real goat hair. If you prefer a synthetic option, these eyeshadow brushes look like the same design, though with less of a range of sizes. This six brush synthetic set offers six different sizes, but is not currently on sale. These craft brushes are also not on sale, but are very inexpensive.
Artify Drybrush Sets – 5 brushes, 5 different sizes
Artify is an established student/crafter art supply brand whose products have received positive reviews from art product reviewers I follow. Their card-packed set is 48% off. The box presentation set is 20% off and includes brush soap. However, I do want to note that the box presentation set is pretty much a direct knock-off of the gorgeous Artis Opus D Series set, minus the wood box. Almost everything inexpensive on Amazon is a knock-off. The listing includes options for white handles, black handles, or combo handles.
NicPro Drybrush Set – 7 brushes, 7 different sizes
I’m not quite as familiar with NicPro, but I’ve seen their brushes on sale for a few years now. This is the first set I’ve seen with seven different sizes of brush! It also comes in a snazzy looking storage case. Even if not on sale it’s a great price.
Lightwish Set – 8 brushes, 8 different sizes (plus one round brush)
I’m not super familiar with this brand, but I’ve seen reviews of some of their art products from reviewers I trust.
Sdanart Drybrush Set – 3 brushes, 3 sizes
If you’re new to this kind of brush and want to try one out for as cheaply as possible, this is one of the most inexpensive sets I’ve seen (from a company I’ve seen before that has some reviews to consider.) This similar PANDAFLY set is a similar price.
If the sets listed above are sold out or higher priced when you look, you should be able to find more options from this list.
Boar Bristle Stencil Brushes
Stencil brushes are often made with flat tops, but occasionally you can find them in the dome shape. These are made with boar bristles rather than goat hair. When dry, the boar bristle feels very rough and stiff. It softens up considerably when used with water-based paints or when rinsed in water. Despite this, they do offer somewhat different textures than the soft goat bristle brushes. Neither of these are are part of the Prime Day sale, but they’re both less than $10. Royal Brush set. CraftSmart set.
Paint Brushes: Domed and Detail Sets
I found a few listings for sets that include the domed drybrush style brush packaged together with small detail synthetic brushes. From the photos the drybrushes do look like real goat hair, but I think all the detail brushes are synthetic. I highly recommend spending the money for a quality Kolinsky sable like Winsor & Newton or DaVinci to paint precision detail work, but having a few cheaper synthetics for rougher jobs can also come in handy.
Transon 8 Piece Set – 8 brushes: 5 drybrush, 3 small pointed rounds
PANDAFLY 12 Piece Set – 12 brushes: 3 drybrush, 6 pointed rounds, 3 flat
Fuumuui Set – 18 brushes: 3 drybrush, 3 angled flat, 12 pointed round
Texture Palette/Brush Wipe
Wiping your drybrush on a textured surface allows you to remove excess paint and judge whether the brush load is correct for the texture you’re painting. There is an option available on Amazon, but the reviews are mixed.
Other Paint Brushes
(Possibly) Sable Brushes
Check through these listings carefully! Some of these sets include larger sized brushes that are intended for watercolour painters. Some brush sets listed are made with synthetic bristles but used deceptive search terms or sponsored listings to show up on the search.
Note that I am not recommending any of these! My personal recommendation always is to spend the money to buy at least a couple of the brand name Kolinsky sable brushes recommended by many miniature painters. (Winsor & Newton and Da Vinci are two popular brands.) I’ve never had a cheap sable or a synthetic brush that kept as fine a point for painting detail. From the photo these look like real sable brushes for a great price, but you can’t tell how well a brush keeps its point from a photo.
Miniature Paint Brush Sets
Due to the demand from miniature painters and nail artists, the offerings for detail brushes are constantly expanding! There are a few options as low as $7-8. The variety of shapes and sizes can vary widely among sets, and some include a carrying case or tube.
Brush Rinsers and Cleaners
Silicone Rinse Cups
The cups in this category have soft silicone nubs and textures at the bottom of the container. Swishing your brush across these gently agitates the bristles to remove paint. Most are sized for somewhat larger brushes than what we use, but should still work. Many include a removeable silicone brush holder ring for the top of the cup. Some include drip trays that may or may not be removeable. I have not yet found any available in this sale.
These products are knock-offs of the original Paint Puck Water Rinser, which is a well-reviewed quality product that comes in a variety of heights.
Paint Puck Water Rinsers
The Paint Puck water rinsers come in a variety of sizes, so you can get a smaller one if that better fits your workspace. The prices list discounts, but seem similar to the everyday prices for this brand at art sites like Dick Blick. You can hang brushes along the edge to dry over the drip saucer. (Or you can remove the brush holder part if you find that gets in the way.) I use a tall one of these for watercolour painting, and kind of wish I’d gotten a shorter one. The Dish option on that listing is their new collapsible rinse cup which looks very handy if you travel or need to keep your kit compact.
Standalone Silicone Cleaning Tools
Mini Paint Pucks (not on sale)
(Ignore the part where it says it’s for oil painting, these work fine in water.) Put these small silicone pucks in the bottom of whatever rinse cup you want. I used these to clean my brushes for many years. The silicone nubs are very gentle on brushes, and the textures are sized well for our smaller brushes. There is a ring of ridges around the outer edge as well as different sizes of nubs. They have suction cups on the bottom, but I find that these don’t really work and I often have to jab it down to restick it. I am currently using the Game Envy Scrubby from their recent Kickstarter. It is a weighted silicone scrub pad. It moves around a little more than I hoped. I guess my dream would be a weighted scrub with a suction cup. You can purchase the Game Envy Scrubby from their store now.
Texture and Sponge Cleaning Pads
Silicone texture products designed for cleaning makeup brushes can also be well-suited to our needs. I tried one designed to slip over your hand a few years ago, but it was clunky and hard to use at my desk. If I were to buy another, I’d get something like this compact silicone and sponge set, or this silicone and sponge set. They intend the sponge for wiping powder off of dry brushes, but I use a damp sponge with brush soap and then rinse in my water cup with silicone texture pad, so I might rather use it that way. I don’t know if the included soap would work on acrylic paint, you might need to use something like the Masters Brush Cleaner instead.
Other Brush Cleaning Tools
Bottle-Fed Brush Rinsers
I’m kind of astonished at how many listings there are for these, it seems like a pretty niche product to me. Some include extra features like a brush holder stand or palette, but I’m not sure how useful these are.
Electric Paint Brush Cleaners
What if you took a silicone brush texture pad and spun it on a motor? The products that answer that question are too weird for me not to share. I suspect the cup and textures are out of scale to detail brushes, but I have to admit I’m tempted to try this for larger brushes like I’d use on terrain or canvas painting because I find those such a pain to clean. I recently watched a review for one of these products and the reviewer felt the silicone texture was more helpful than the automated spinning element.
Paint Brush Storage/Travel
Check this article for more information on my experiences and recommendations, and some tips for no-buy options.
Dry Palettes
Ceramic Welled Palette
Most of the welled palettes on offer are not ideal for us. We want palettes with small wells since we use smaller amounts of paint. Paint doesn’t dry out as quickly in small wells. It’s easier to clean dried acrylic paint off of ceramic than off of plastic. This Meeden palette has the style of wells I recommend. Note that ceramic palettes are quite sturdy, but it is possible for them to break, so may not be the best choice for all setups.
Silicone Palette Options
In the past few years painters have started using fidget poppers and other flexible silicone options as welled palette alternatives. These are very convenient to clean. Just let the paint dry and then it pops right out of the well. Paint that is heavily thinned for washes and glazes doesn’t pop off the same way, but is easily removed with a plastic scrubber. Check the sizes in the dimensions photos! You want the wells to be pretty small in diameter to keep the paint from drying out quickly. The most suitable deals for mini painters are this 6×6 pack of 12, and this 3×3 pack of 30, both under $10. The biggest issue with these is most come in bright colours, but neutral colours are the best options for paint palettes. This hexagon option is not on sale, but it comes in white, black, and grey. (And I think its regular price is now less than what I paid for mine!)
Plastic Welled Palette
If you’d like some inexpensive and lightweight plastic palettes for kids or conventions, there are several options on sale. You can get the common round 10-well palette in packs ranging from two to 100 from these sellers: Hulameda, WNATN and Infus, among others. If you prefer the smaller rectangular palettes there’s a pack with 16, and a pack with 50.
Wet Palettes
Just a few years ago the only options were homemade or the clunky Sta-Wet palette. Now there are a plethora of choices! Note that most inexpensive knock-off options do not offer refills of sponges or paper. You will need to cut this sponges to size, or use folded paper towel. Parchment/baking paper works well for palette paper refills.
D’Artisan WetNDri Palette (Refills Available)
The package includes a textured bottom tray, a separate plastic palette tray with space for brushes and paint wells, two sponges, 50 sheets of paper, a brush rest, and an elastic band to secure it. Dimensions: 8.6” x 6.2” x 1.5″
Nicpro Wet and Dry Palette (Refills Available)
This brand does not seem to offer refills for the sponges or paper. The pack includes a separate plastic palette tray that has space for brushes and wells for mixing washes in addition to the flat bottom tray, four sponges, 100 sheets of paper, a brush rest, and an elastic band to secure it. The main wet palette tray comes in white or blue. The dry palette option and sponges are gray for both, which is ideal for colour mixing. (I’d probably get the white option to keep everything in my mixing area a neutral colour.) This is similar to the options above and below. Dimensions: 9.6in by 6.2in
Kreapa Big Wet Palette
Just the basics, but bigger. Tray with flat bottom, clear lid, one sponge, 50 sheets of paper. Dimensions: 23.6cm x 35.5cm
Jucoci Folding Plastic Palette
The lid folds back. This doesn’t look air/water tight to me. Tray with flat bottom, hinged lid, two sponges, 100 sheets of paper. Dimensions: 14cm x 22.8cm
Kreapa Folding Palette and Brush Holder
The lid is hinged and folds back. You can set the wet palette tray on it. The bottom tray is indented to hold 10 brushes. You would need to hold the brushes down with poster tack or keep brush caps on them to protect the tips if you want to travel with this. Brushes are NOT included. This does not look air/water tight to me. Contents include brush tray, flat bottom wet palette tray, folding hinged lid, two sponges, 50 sheets of paper. Dimensions: 16cm x24cm
Studio Tools
Paint Racks
A selection of wall and desk racks. I have six of the wall-mounted acrylic shelving style racks, and I love having my paint so visible. I also have a tiered acrylic rack on my desk that holds the paints I want to have immediately to hand. The listings also includes some MDF slotted options for those who prefer that method of storage.
Portable Paint Storage
If you need your paints on the go or don’t have space for racks, cases designed for alcohol ink and/or essential oil bottles usually fit standard dropper size bottles from companies like Vallejo, Army Painter, and Reaper. I really like the look of a new option among these that has three subsections and holds up to 72 bottles of paint, with side pockets for other items. (Alas the purple is not on sale!)
Hobby Tool Orgnaizer
If you want to organize all your tools on your desk, this is a snazzy setup!
Silicone Mats
Silicone Mats are a great way to protect your surface from spilled paint and glue drips. You can get simple flat silicone sheets very inexpensively. There are also a wide variety of inexpensive silicone painting mats that include built-in palettes, rinse cups, or other features.
Cutting Mats
If you want to protect your surface from hobby knives and other tools, a cutting mat is a great option. Most include ruled lines and measurements which can come in handy. Paint does not clean up as easily from these as it does from silicone, but you can clean them, or layer a silicone mat on top when you want to get messy with paint.
Travel Lamps
If you like to take classes at conventions, I highly recommend bringing a travel lamp with you. There are always a few people who struggle to see in every class I teach. Bringing your own light can help a lot. Always check the dimensions and verify it is a portable lamp before purchasing. Some sellers use deceptive search terms or photos to show up on more searches, and the many sponsored listings Amazon pushes on you may or may not exactly match search terms.
Magnifiers
I recommend use of a magnifier for painting detail, especially for those of us who aren’t so young. Based on personal experience, I am only comfortable recommending the Donegan brand, which does not have any products on Prime Day sale. I prefer the lighter weight OptiSIGHT visor, but I happily used the original OptiVISOR for years.
Vortex Paint Mixer
These devices agitate your paint bottles. Nowadays you can find inexpensive purpose-made mixers like these all over Amazon. Back in the day we had to buy heavy and expensive refurbished lab mixers off of eBay. And even that was totally worth it! These are invaluable when you are doing maintenance on your paints (though a mixer does not replace all instances of needing to stir.) Thank you to the patron who suggested adding this to the list!
Epoxy Pour Leveling Board
I had no idea this was a thing, but if I ever want to do much pouring I’ll probably get one, since the floors in my home are more warped than I am.
Organizer Boxes and Organizer Drawers
We tend to collect a lot of little bits and bobs in our hobby. These are a great way to store and organize them. I added plastic tray organizers to my hobby drawers a few years ago and find it helps keeps things tidier. I organized my bases by size and shape in a photo organizer case like these (And then a separate one for pre-cast resin texture bases. Have I organized my actual photos in the last 30 years? Nope!) Thank you to the smart reader who suggested adding these!
Spray Booths and Tents
Airbrushing, sanding, and other hobby activities add particulates and chemicals to the air that are unhealthy to breathe, or which can potentially damage surrounding objects. If you spray prime/seal outside you may have issues with wind or marking up the pavement. There are both desktop and outside spray booths to help with either situation. An interior spray booth needs to be vented through a window to operate correctly. These come in a variety of sizes, make sure to check the listing carefully to ensure the product meets your needs!
Pin Vise
If you are assembling multi-part metal miniatures it is best to pin parts together for greater stability.
Small Strong Magnets
Some people like to assemble their miniatures using tiny magnets so you can swap out weapons and gear. If you add magnets to the bases of figures you can store them on metal trays, which several of the travel cases below include.
Sculpting Tools
Silicone Sculpting Tools
Silicone tipped sculpting tools work well to sculpt and smooth epoxy putties and bakeable clays. They were once quite pricey – each of the individual tools I have cost as much or more than these sets! The Sdanart listing includes both a size 4 set and a size 8 set. The larger size is useful if you sculpt terrain or larger scale figures.
Metal Tools
The only really small sculpting tools I’ve seen were handmade and are not often made available for commercial sale. The ones on Amazon look like the kind and size of tools commonly available for sale in HobbyTown or similar stores. So bigger than what we would ideally want, but they can come in handy for some jobs. I like the flat spatula one in this set for smoothing putty into a flat layer to cut a shape into, and it’s come in handy for other uses. This set comes in a zipper case. I bought a similar pencil case to store my sculpting tools for more than that set costs.
Tweezers
Tweezers are a useful hobby tool! They make it easier to pick up and assemble fine details, like adding flowers and leaves to bases. You can use fine point ones to pull the support struts off of 3D printed miniatures. Curved or bent tip tweezers help reach into awkward corners without touching the figure. This 16 piece set includes a great mix of tweezers, incuding one reverse tweezers, and a carrying case. There is also an inexpensive pack of 6, and a pack of 3.
Reverse Tweezers
Reverse tweezers hold an object clamped down until you press them open. This can act as a third hand and make some assembly tasks much easier. This set includes two tweezers, one curved edge and one straight.
Miniature Prep
Diamond Files
Small diamond files are my preferred tool for removing surface issues like mould lines from metal miniatures. Used with a very very light hand these can also work on some plastics, but always test in an inconspicuous area first! This set of 10 costs only $5, as does this set of 10. For both of those, make sure to choose the 2 x 100mm option on the listing. 2mm shanks mean the correct size files for our purposes.
Clippers
I really like the Xuron brand clippers I have. They cut flush, and do not require a lot of hand strength to operate. If you want to take a shot on some inexpensive ones, there are some options.
Display Cases
Casematix Clear Plastic Display Case
This case includes three removeable shelves, LED lights, and a magnetic hinged door. Requires assembly.
Painted Miniature Storage/Travel
I have an article that discusses the various options for storing and transporting painted miniatures in more detail. There are a number of different types and sizes of storage options available with Prime Day savings. Storage and transport needs can be very specific, so you may find it worth looking at all of the carrying case options on Amazon, not just the Prime Day ones.
Cheap and Light Plastic Organizer Option
If you’re looking to store sturdy plastic miniatures or you’re willing to add your own cushioning of bubble wrap or paper towel, this collectible toy organizer may work for you. You can remove the slots between sections to create larger spaces.
Soft Vinyl Case with Four Layers Pre-Cut Foam
The case holds 80 miniatures total.
Wood Case with Moveable Metal Shelves
This wooden case includes a clear plastic front panel that slides into place and a handle. The interior is slotted so you can arrange the five metal shelves at your desired heights. It weighs 10 pounds empty.
Wood Case with Moveable Metal Shelves
This wooden case is similar in design to the one above, with a clear front panel that slides into place and a handle. It is a little smaller, lighter, and less expensive than the one above, and comes with six metal trays.
Clear Hard Plastic Case with Moveable Metal Shelves
This case is completely clear hard plastic, and includes a handle. The interior is slotted so you can customize the heights of the six metal shelves. It weighs more than 9 pounds and is one of the more expensive options.
Clear Hard Plastic Case with Backpack
SImilar to the above option, but with a backpack to carry it in.
Disclosure Statement
Links to products on Amazon in this article are affliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission when someone makes a qualifying purchases by using these links. There is no extra cost to you when buying through these links. The commissions I earn are used to pay the costs of maintaining this site, and I very much appreciate your assistance!
Bird with a Brush 