The upside of Black Friday expanding from a day to a week and a half is you can shop at your leisure and spend the actual holiday on the important stuff – food, fun, and family/friends!
Independent Sales
These are sales direct from miniature companies or vendors. If you know one I missed, please leave it in the comments or drop me an email.
Reaper
Reaper has the Storm Giant Queen and Blacktallow Lighthouse available in limited quantities.
The Army Painter
The Army Painter has a couple of deals on Amazon, but most of their offerings are on their own website.
Bombshell Miniatures
Bombshell is offering 25% off for their Black Friday sale.
Fantization
Fantization sells miniatures and related products (like paint) from a variety of companies. The site-wide discount has increased to 30% for Cyber Monday.
Amazon Sales
I’ve combed through the listings and collated links to help you find deals of interest on Amazon.
The categories of links include:
Miniature brand name paints, games, and figures
Miscellaneous (books, painting handles, other odds and ends)
Other miniature options
Professional art brands
NEW: Acrylic markers
Domed drybrushes; pointed brushes; other brushes:
Welled palettes; dry palettes
NEW: Texture palettes and brush wipes
Brush cups; brush cleaning tools; brush travel and storage
Studio tools (clippers, files, paint mixers, etc.)
Sculpting tools
Basing supplies (static grass, terrain)
Display cases; travel cases
LAST UPDATED: Monday December 9:35pm – added Reaper deals, added new limited time deals, new Warpaints Fanatic deal, Fantization discount increase, miscellaneous deals
Shopping From Here Keeps the Site Up
Any purchase you make on Amazon after clicking one of these affliate links is credited to my affliate account. You don’t have to buy the product I linked, it works on anything you buy soon after following the link. Affliate payments pay for a portion of the maintenance fees that keep this site up and running. There is no additional cost to you to use affliate links.
That said, I totally understand if you are not interested in contributing to the profits of big companies right now! I hope you will shop your local game store, boutique miniature shop, or favourite artist instead. They could all certainly use your help!
I share my personal experience with products where relevant, 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 Cyber Monday 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!
Limited Time Deals
The products linked below are limited to a certain number of units. Once that amount has sold, they will return to regular price.
RENEWED Marvel: Crisis Protocol the Galaxy’s Deadliest Affliation pack
NEW Mass Effect Heroes of the Normandy
NEW The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Miniatures Upgrade set
NEW Tainted Grail the Fall of Avalon
Ethefields Funeral Witch Campaign Expansion
Miniature Brands
Amazon search results for a specific company or product display 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
The Snow and Tundra Terrain set is 52% off. The Gamemaster Character Brush Set is 33% off. The Warpaints Fanatic Mega Set Combo is on sale for 19% off.
CMON (Cyber Monday listings)
CMON’s deals are more modest than in many previous sales, with most around 15% off, and fewer games than usual are on sale. These include Massive Darkness, Cthulhu Death May Die, and several Song of Ice & Fire sets. You can also shop all deals 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 (Cyber Monday listings)
Several books (and digital codes) are on sale, including Curse of Strahd, Tomb of Annihilation, The Making of Original D&D, Waterdeep Dragon Heist, Lore & Legends, Descent into Avernus, and Keys from the Golden Vault. Sale prices are 15-20% off, which is a more modest discount than I’ve seen in previous sales.
Games Workshop
Kill Team Legionaries Dice Set is on 20% off. Warhammer Underworlds Dreadfane is on for 24% off. Warhammer Underworlds: The Eyes of the Nine is on for 21% off. The Fyreslayer Plushie from Age of Sigmar Collectible Plushies is 36% off.
Wargames Delivered
Several figure sets are on discount.
Weta Workshop Giant Killer Robots Heavy Hitters Core Box
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.
Colour Wheel
A colour wheel is a handy tool for choosing colour schemes and colour mixing. (A value finder is a handy tool as well.) If your primary concern is choosing colour schemes, this compact set of reference cards includes includes a lot more examples for variations of each colour and is currently on sale. The most common ‘official’ colour wheels (both RBY and CMY) are manufactured in the United States by the Color Wheel Company. My experience has been that these display high quality printing and colour fidelity. So far as I can tell ALL of the options on Amazon are knock-offs, even those purporting to come from well-known art companies or which display the Color Wheel Company trademarks. If you want to ensure you get the real deal, purchase from one of the art companies I linked below. I received a free colour wheel from a Kickstarter with very poor colour reproduction, so it is a buyer beware situation.
Condition Markers
Rings that go around the base of a miniature to indicate conditions like rage, concentration, charmed, etc.
Miniatures
AUSPDICE
This company offers a small selection of miniatures, terrain products, and dice towers.
Monster Protectors
This company offers multi packs of both painted and unpainted miniatures at low prices. They have several sets on sale. 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.
House of Bodian
This company offers packs of unpainted miniatures at low prices, and has several sets on sale for Black Friday. They seem to use different colours of plastic so even unpainted you’re able to designate affiliation.
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. (There are two different sets available on that page.) This 5 piece set is based on famous sculptures like David. (Coupon!) There is also a 7 piece set with the busts of classical composers like Beethoven. (Coupon!) For $9 you can get one of five poses of Greek/Roman style bust flipping the bird.
Slightly less Cheap Miniature Busts
The board game Enthrone includes 8 busts for $40.
Dragons
The dragons in these kits look like decent sculpts for the price. I wouldn’t expect expect much from the paint, but the other extras could come in handy. This set has 3 different dragons plus palettes and cardboard scenery. (If that link is sold out, this is a slightly more expensive link to the same set.) This set has 2 copies of the same dragon.
Painting Handles
Attaching your miniature to something you can hold while you paint reduces hand fatigue and makes precision painting easier. This doesn’t haven’t to be something fancy! I’ve used old prescription bottles and wooden thread spools for years, lots of people use dice cubes. Some of the fancier options do offer nice features, like a hand rest you can use to steady your painting hand or a more ergonomic grip. I have a few (not these brands) with the hand rest and have found it helpful on occasion. Check the complete Amazon listings for painting handles to compare prices and features.
Miniature Attachment Options
Most handles, and many figure cases, require you to use something to attach the figure to the handle/case. Most people use mounting putty/poster tack, a few use double-sided mounting tape. Double-sided mounting tape works best when the base of the figure is flat. Poster tack works better when you’ve got a slotta base or something other texture for the putty to grab on to.
I am only including products that I have used and would recommend in this section. There are tons of off-brand versions of these if you want to go looking for cheaper options, but I recommend testing them thoroughly! The difference between mounting tape and regular double-sided tape is that there’s a layer of flexible gel or foam in between the two sides of tape, which allows it to adhere to surfaces that aren’t 100% level and flat. It also has a stronger adhesive.
Blu-Tack
A reliable and well-regarded brand. The 2 x 75g pack is on sale.
Gorilla Tough & Clear Double Sided Mounting Tape
After this was recommended to me, it became my top choice. The fact that it is clear is a big part of the appeal. Poster tack and my previous mounting tape added colour or value that would often draw my eye while painting. It’s not a huge issue, but it’s nice not to have colours unrelated to the miniature and makes WIP photos look prettier. If I had a complaint it would be that it adheres too well. It’s sometimes hard to peel it off the base.
Scotch Mount
Before I found out about the Gorilla tape, I used Scotch Mount. It is sold in different widths and volumes, and in the US is the one you’re most likely to find in a pharmacy or grocery store if you have an adhesion emergency. (Look for the green checkerboard backing.) It is a ‘sandwich’ of tape, foam, tape, and removing all of those can sometimes get a little fiddly. It has a sturdy and lasting stick though.
Terrain
TowerRex (Cyber Monday 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.
Dungeon Doors
Are your dungeons in need of doors? This box includes 40 unique doors for 28% off.
Texture Rollers
A couple of companies are offering a small selection of texture rollers. Note that some individual listings offer multiple texture options. Also note that polymer clay artists use similar tools, so check that the texture looks sized appropriate to your needs. (A texture roller is a cylindrical stamp of a texture like cobblestones or brick. You roll it across a flattened piece of putty or clay to stamp it with the texture. Since you can roll it continuously, it allows for creation of a wide variety of sizes of textured surfaces, from bases to terrain table features.)
Weird Skulls
Large unusual skulls.
More Terrain
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 Black Friday 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).
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.
Liquitex Ink Essentials
This is a good price! The set includes the primary colours, white, black, and raw umber, so is a good choice if you’re comfortable doing some colour mixing.
I have shopped from all of the following 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.
Acrylic Paint Markers
A few miniature companies are selling paint markers for painting figures. So far as I can tell these are not different to artist acrylic paint markers that are available from other brands. These come in an almost dizzying array of options, with different types of nibs and sizes of colour sets. Most larger sets include some metallic pens. When comparing sets of different sizes, compare the per unit price for most accurate comparison. Acrylic pens are best stored on their sides.
72 Colors Brush Nib
For less than $30 you can get a wide selection of colours and test whether this products works for your needs.
Grabie 72 Brush Nib Half and Half
This set is by a well-known brand. It is a good option if space is more limited. Each pen is half one colour, half another. So you get 72 colours in the space of 36 pens.
120 Dual Nib
For $40, you can get more colours. These pens have a brush nib on one end, and a bullet nib on the other.
180 Brush Nib
This is the set I have, though I confess I keep forgetting to try them on miniatures. Maybe I’ll give that a go in the next day or two and update this entry. They’re not quite as nice as my expensive art store pens, but they’re quite good!
240 Brush Nib
Do you need yet more colour? This set has 240 pens for $80. Another 240 set in more of a carrying case.
264 Brush Nib
The same brand as the set I have, but a verging on crazy number of colours.
288 Brush Nib
Someone just upped the ante to 288 markers in a set, which would not be as easy to heft as the picture suggests.
Paint Brushes: Domed Drybrush
If you haven’t tried a dedicated drybrush yet, take this as your sign to give one a shot. Inexpensive natural and artificial hair versions are now readily available, and prices have dropped since I started tracking. Artis Opus pioneered these brushes in the miniature space, and their Opus D Series set is gorgeous, but it is expensive. Given the way we use these brushes and how they’re made, I don’t think it’s too risky to try an inexpensive brand first. 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. 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. The card pack set is 16% off. The box presentation set is 16% 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. It also comes in a snazzy looking storage case. Even when not on sale it’s a great price.
Lightwish Set – 8 brushes, 8 different sizes (plus one round brush)
Lightwish is another established student/crafter art supply brand whose products have received positive reviews from reviewers I trust.
Golden Maple Set – 6 brushes, 6 sizes
An established brush brand. Comes in white or black handles.
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.
GACDR Dry Brush Miniature Painting Set – 5 brushes, 5 different sizes
This company has also been around for a few years, and this listing has a good number of reviews to help you evaluate the product.
GETHPEN DryBrush Set – 5 brushes, 5 different sizes
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 flattops, but occasionally you can find them in the dome shape. These are made with boar bristles rather than goat hair. When dry or when used with oil paints, 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. Royal Brush set. This set of 6 includes flattop and domed bristle brushes. You may be able to find another use for the flattops.
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.
Golden Maple 18 Combo Set #1 – 18 brushes: 3 drybrush, 14 pointed rounds, 1 flat
The round brushes have a triangular grip in an awesome handle colour.
Golden Maple 10 piece Combo – 10 brushes: 3 drybrush, 6 pointed rounds, 1 angle
Golden Maple 10 piece set #2 – 10 brushes: 6 drybrush, 4 pointed round
Transon 8 Piece Set – 8 brushes: 5 drybrush, 3 small pointed rounds
Fuumuui Set – 18 brushes: 3 drybrush, 3 angled flat, 12 pointed round
An established brush student/crafter art brand.
Artify Combo Set – 14 brushes: 5 drybrush, 9 round
The round brushes have larger handles rather than just a grip.
Miniature Model 18 piece set – 18 brushes: 3 drybrush, 12 pointed round, 3 flat
Nicpro 21 piece set – 21 brushes: 5 drybrush, 11 pointed round, 3 flat, one angle handle
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 use 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
Most of the items in this category feature silicone nubs and textures. Swishing your brush across these gently agitates and opens up the bristle head to help remove paint. Most are sized for somewhat larger brushes than what we use, but should still work.
Silicone Rinse Cups
Many rinse cups include a removeable silicone brush holder ring on the top of the cup. Some include drip trays that may or may not be removeable.
Collapsible Brush Rinse Cup
This is an inexpensive option with a nice variety of cleaning textures.
Game Envy Collapsible Brush Cup (not on sale)
This cup isn’t on sale, but it’s not too expensive and is specifically designed for miniature painters in size and features.
Paint Puck Water Rinsers (not on sale)
Many of the products in this category are a knock-off of this original, the Paint Puck. 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 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. 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.
Game Envy Weighted Brush Scrubber (not on sale)
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, but less than the mini paint puck. I guess my dream would be a weighted scrub with a suction cup.
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 as part of my brush cleaning routine. I coat the bristles with brush soap and gently draw them across a damp sponge. Then I dunk the brush into my watercup and swish the bristles across the silicone texture pad. 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 the larger brushes I 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, as well as suggestions for no-buy options.
Dry Palettes
Many welled palette options available are not ideal for miniature painters because the wells are too large. Small wells are more suited to small amounts of paint, and smaller surface area slows down evaporation. I’ve tried to find only options with smaller wells, though the options are limited for hard plastic palettes.
Ceramic Welled Palette
Ceramic palettes are easier to clean paint off of than plastic palettes. 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.
Plastic Welled Palette
This palette is compact with small wells, and comes with a lid to help keep the paint wet when not in use. It’s probably not as easy to clean as the ceramic, but the rounded wells shouldn’t be too difficult to clean out.
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 you can pop it 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. This 3×3 pack of 30 costs only $7. The biggest issue with fidget poppers 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
Wet palettes are popular with acrylic painters because they keep paint workable for longer. The basics of a wet palette are a flat plastic tray you fit with an absorbant sponge and fill with water. You place either a piece of parchment/baking paper (NOT waxed paper) or a sheet provided by the company on top of the sponge, and the paint on top of that.
Note that some of the inexpensive options may not offer refills of sponges and/or paper. You will need to buy something like compressed sponge and cut it to size, or use folded paper towel.
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)
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
Koviede 3-in-1 Palette (Coupon)
Includes a wet palette, flat palette, and texture palette. Comes with 4 sponges and 100 sheets of paper. Dimensions: 8.6” x 6.3”.
Kreapa Big Wet Palette
Just the basics, but bigger. Tray with flat bottom, clear lid, two sponges, 100 sheets of paper. Dimensions: 23.6cm x 35.5cm
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
Texture Palettes and Brush Wipes
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. People often make these themselves with old bits, but commercial options are becoming available.
Fuyoooo Texture Palette
The least expensive of the options I’ve found.
L&D Creations Texture Palette
This comes in three different sizes, presumably sized to fit into the more popular wet palette container sizes.
Generic Texture Palette
This is the first I found on Amazon, but currently the most expensive.
Fondant Texture Sheets
The cheapest solution I’ve found is to use fondant icing texture sheets. You get multiple in the pack, so you can reserve one for metallic colours. (Trust me, you don’t want to get metallic on all of them!) If you’d prefer something a little more solid, this tree bark silicone mat looks good. This six pack isn’t quite as sturdy, but includes multiple sheets so you can have a separate one for metallics.
Studio Tools
Combo Packs
This set includes a set of clippers, files, tweezers, a hobby knife and blades, cutting mat and mini Dremel type tool, a pin vise, and an etching tool.
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 Organizer
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!
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.
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 straight and curved reverse tweezers, and a needle-nose regular tweezers.
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.
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 is inexpensive. 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.
Clear Plastic Case with Magnetic Door
Only the Wall-Mounted Medium option is on Black Friday sale.
Wall Mounted Case with Clear Doors
This comes in a few different colours of case and shelving, with clear doors.
You can see some other display options here.
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 Cyber Monday 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.
Hard Plastic Case with One Layer Pre-Cut Foam
The hinged lid opens up to allow easy access to the 36 foam slots.
Hard Plastic Case with Two or Three Layers Pre-Cut Foam
The two layer case has two trays of pre-cut foam that hold 48 total gaming size figures. The three layer case adds a layer of customizeable pluck-foam.
Hard Case with Three Layers Pre-Cut Foam
This hard plastic case has plastic latches, a handle, and comes with three layers of foam that are pre-cut to accommodate 108 gaming scale figures. The listing includes a few different colour options.
Hard Frame, Clear Door, Moveable Shelves
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 