My Tools

There are a ton of devices, potions and gizmos used in the miniatures and scale modeling hobbies. I'll list some of my favorites, but this list is not exhaustive. It has also not been sponsored by any brand or retailer.

Tools

Knives and Nippers

Separating one thing from another is one of the primary tasks of modeling.

• Hobby Knife - A very sharp knife with a thin, disposable blade. X-Acto and Excel are popular brands.
• Sprue Cutter/Nippers - Cutting pliers with a flush-cut profile for taking parts out of sprues.
• Generic nippers - heavier profile cutters, good for large plastic pieces. They pinch as much as they cut.
• Micro-Mark Micro Sprue Cutting Pliers - Thinner profile for cutting thin plastic, single edge results in clean cuts.

Sanding/Polishing

• Sandpaper
• Sanding Sticks
• Sanding Sponges
• Novus Plastic Polish

Masking

• Tamiya making tape - 6mm, 18mm
• Vallejo Liquid Mask
• SpazStix Liquid Mask

Paint

Paint. Color. Finish. No matter what name it goes by, neither minis nor scale models are finished without it. I find that a mix of paint types gives the best overall results, but one can certainly do a good job with only one.

Acrylic

Many paint products are actually based on acrylic polymers, but the type of paint generally referred to as "acrylics" are those that are water soluble and water cleanable. Some, like Vallejo and Citadel, are 100% water based. Others also make use of alcohols as a solvent, like Tamiya or Mr. Hobby Aqueous.

• Vallejo - my primary brand for miniature painting and airbrushing 
• Model Color
• Metal Color
• Game Color
• Model Air
• Premium
• Varnish
• Surface Primer
• Airbrush Thinner
• Monument Hobbies ProAcryl - a newer hobby brand with excellent pigmentation
• Citadel - Games Workshop's official paints
• Shades
• Contrast paints
• Tamiya - Japanese brand focused mainly on scale modeling. Alcohol-based.
• Acrylic Paints
• Acrylic Varnish
• X-20a Thinner
• Liquitex - fine art brand
•  Inks
• Mediums
• Artist Acrylics
• Golden - fine art brand
• Fluid Acrylics
• Mediums
• Badger Stynylrez Primer

Lacquer

Modern lacquer paints are mostly based on acrylic resins just like acrylic paints. The main difference is their solvent. Lacquer paints use lacquer thinner, a mixture of acetone and other aromatic solvents. They are flammable, and hazardous to breathe, but their aggressive solvents allow them to use a wider range of resins and produce a harder paint surface. Some acrylic paints also mix well with lacquer thinner, such an Tamiya.

• Gunze 
• Mr. Hobby Thinners
• Mr. Finishing Surfacer (primer)

Oils & Enamels

Oil and enamel paints use oil as a carrier medium and white spirits as thinners. They are slow drying, which makes them useful for blending. They are also easily reactivated with thinner, unlike acrylics.

• Artist's oils - used to make washes, or as base paints.
• Winsor & Newton
• M. Graham
• Grumbacher
• Enamel Washes/Weathering - pre-thinned enamel paints for washing and weathering.
• Tamiya Panel Line Accent
• AK Interactive
•  Wash
• Streaking Grime

Brushes

Basecoating & Detail

For most hand-painting tasks, I use a mix of synthetic and natural hair brushes. For detail work, a finely pointed brush is a must, and natural sable reigns supreme in this regard, for now.

• Blick Masterstroke - a nice middle ground of affordability and quality.
• Fuumuul Sable Assortment - a lower grade set of brushes that offers most of the sable benefits, with lower quality tips. Similar assortments are available from many Chinese sources.
• Hobby store synthetics - A good pack of nylon or taklon brushes are great for base coating.

Drybrushing

The drybrushing technique is very hard on brushes, so having brushes specifically for that is a good idea. Makeup brushes and shorter, flat ended brushes work well.

Airbrushing

Airbrushes create a wonderfully smooth layer of paint, and are especially useful for large, flat areas, like scale models.

• Iwata NEO CN - an entry level offering from Iwata, 0.35mm needle.

Miscellaneous Products

There are many little odds and ends that get used frequently during miniature painting and modeling.

• Decal Setting Solution - Like it says on the label, these help decals set and stay down, and conform to molded detail. I use Mr. Mark Setter and Mr. Mark Softer.
  
• Dry Pigments - Great for weathering or applying color that doesn't like quite right when wet. Can also be used to add color to other products. I currently used artist's pastels, shaved to powder.
• CA Glue - Cyanoacrylate glue adheres strongly to most surfaces, and sets quickly. Weak to shearing and twisting.
• PVA Glue - "White glue," "school glue" or "Elmer's" dries clear, slightly flexible but not overly strong. Used to temporarily affix parts, attach clear plastic pieces, or seal in loose/powdery items.
• Plastic Cement - More a solvent than a glue. Partially melts both sides of the plastic join so they weld themselves together. Slower drying than CA, and difficult to use when contact surfaces are small. Doesn't work on resin, wood or metal.
• Texture Materials - can be just about anything that's the right size. Saw dust, sand, and aquarium gravel are common.
• Sculptural Media - Also known as "texture paints" these are effectively acrylic paints already mixed with texture materials, or designed to dry in specific ways (like water effects.)
• Modeling Putty - Used to fill gaps and add additional textures to models/figures.
• Epoxy Putty - Similar to modeling putty, but with more body so it can be sculpted and used to create new features.