Tools and accessories for modeling and 3D printing

There are different families of modeling, among which we find miniature modeling and tabletop game modeling ("Warhammer"), military and railway modeling, and also a recent new discipline which is the printing of figurines and miniatures by 3D printing.

In addition to the different ranges of paint for airbrushes (WPU Stardust and Hikari RC) or for brushes (Hikari Model) manufactured by Stardust, we offer here a series of accessories, tools and consumables for shaping, preparing and painting these different parts and figurines.

Airbrushes for 3D modeling and printing

We mainly offer major brands of airbrushes, with a wide choice of specialized or versatile models, with price offers from 50 euros to 500 euros for the best precision airbrushes.

To decorate and color figurines and miniatures measuring from a few centimeters to around twenty centimeters, the airbrush is by far the best tool ever invented: it allows you to spray or rather atomize fluid paints and to cover them in a manner perfect and homogeneous smooth parts or with complex reliefs. The big advantage is that the tool never touches the part since the projection is done remotely. The second big advantage compared to the brush is that the airbrush never leaves a mark, and that spraying allows the application of an almost perfect coat of paint in 1 or 2 passes.

Putties for model making

We offer several sealants, including some professional two-component 2kg formats. We also offer GreenStuffWorld putty, the famous Milliput putty which is a two-component epoxy-type putty of very fine and high quality. This putty is extremely versatile and is widely used by all 3D printing creators. It is very easy to work with and dries quickly, plus it is easy to sand. It creates little shrinkage during curing, and it can fill any surface defects or create smooth, level surfaces.

Putties are always meant to be sanded. Normally they cannot be covered with paints directly. We always recommend using a primer, right after the putty, to create a fine, perfectly smooth surface ready for painting.

Brushes for model making

A miniature, figurine, or even a COSPLAY print, no matter its size cannot simply be painted with an airbrush or paint sprayer. Sometimes it is necessary to use fine brushes. This allows you to make very fine lines, especially for drawing eyes or hair for example. This also allows you to work on color in a targeted manner, by highlighting color or light (“highlights”).

We offer a range of synthetic brushes from the GreenStuffWorld brand, based on nylon or polyester. At Stardust, we are involved in animal protection and never use brushes made from squirrel hair, for example.

The synthetic brushes we offer show some advantages over other natural brushes: they are remarkably durable and easy to clean.

They can also be used with any type of paint, that is to say acrylic paints of all types, but also oil paints and solvent paints, without the brush hairs being damaged or damaged. do not lose efficiency. In addition to their versatility and attractive price, synthetic bristle brushes allow the creation of precise details and broad strokes and they retain their elasticity and shape for a very long time.

In general, miniaturist painters use the finest brushes, that is to say size 1, because these brushes allow, thanks to their ultra fine point, to create details even on the smallest figurines. In general, the model painter places his little finger on the piece, and executes the outline in one or two steps, with a quick and precise gesture.

Masking putties

Here is an extraordinarily innovative and useful material in the decoration and personalization of small figurines. Whatever the complex shapes and reliefs of the part, GreenStuffWorld masking putty is flexible, like a paw or a piece of chewing gum, and it instantly adapts to any crevice. From the support this allows you to mask and protect certain areas in order to be able to paint with the airbrush, using the stencil technique. Masking putty allows you to work where traditional adhesives could not be applied.

In this range of products, we also offer liquid masks.

One of the advantages of masking putty is that it allows for camouflage and is removed very easily without leaving any trace of glue, grease or silicone.

It can be used several times and it is very easy to clean.

The wet palette for model making

Here is an essential tool for all lovers of colors and customization in the field of model making. The GreenStuffWorld wet palette allows paints to be kept out of their bottle, that is to say on the palette, without the paints drying out. The painter who uses brushes to take the colors and mix them on his palette can then keep his palette and his paints fresh for several days, avoiding the evaporation of the small quantities of paint deposited.

It is probably a tool that artists of older eras would have envied!

The wet palette is compatible with all our acrylic paints, and in particular the paints from the Hikari Model range, which comes in around a hundred RAL, PANTONE, and FEDERAL STANDARD colors.

Disposable cups for modeling paint

Acrylic colors intended for model makers, both for airbrushing and brush painting, can be mixed because they are miscible with each other. The figurine painter can obtain personalized colors by mixing. In general, we always recommend using pure colors, i.e. mono pigment paints (WPU color index colors), to create color mixtures. It is well known that this always gives better results, brighter colors and bolder shades, than when mixing together colors that have already been mixed.

The measuring cups are made of plastic and are disposable. They allow you to create color recipes thanks to their volume graduation. Of course, for even more precise results when mixing colors, it is possible to use a mini weighing scale.

Mini paint booths

For anyone who works in their workshop or even at home, it is very useful or even essential to have a mini paint aerosol extraction booth. When working with chemicals, epoxy resins, or spraying acrylic airbrush paints, it is important to vacuum up paint fumes so that they do not spread throughout the room. Mini paint booths are not only useful for vacuuming up paint mists, but also for preventing these micro paint droplets from resting on the freshly painted part.

The “Arche” lamp for model painting

Here is one of the most beautiful creations from the GreenStuffWorld brand, which looks a little like the Stargate! This is an arch-shaped LED lamp which allows the decorative painter on figurines to benefit from optimal lighting all around the piece on which he is working. The 180° lighting highlights all areas and shapes of the miniature, and its neutral white light shows the colors as they are. This allows you to see the real colors, but also the transparency of the colors and the level of coverage, without leaving any room for defects.

The arch lamp allows you to work on any type of figurines or hobby pieces, diorama, or military miniature, with fine brushes or with an airbrush.

It is also important to consider the power source of the hobby arc lamp. Some of them are designed to plug into an electrical outlet, while others are battery powered, which isn't really a good choice for long painting seasons.

Abrasive sheets for modeling making

It is mainly in the field of 3D printing that abrasive sheets are used. Also called sanding papers, these are sheets to which abrasive particles are stuck. The number of abrasive grains per square meter determines the sanding grain: for example 1200. In general for 3D printing, abrasive sheets are used to create not only adhesion on the part but also to reduce surface defects by abrasion. It is particularly on wired plastic 3D printing that we obtain fairly uneven surfaces on which it is necessary to sand with a coarse grain (around 180 to 320). sanding the part, generally must be repeated after applying the putty, and again after applying the primer. At Stardustcolors, we offer a range of abrasive sheets from 80 to 5000.

UV Resin Curing Light Chamber

Here is an essential accessory for all 3D printing creators, and particularly those who make their own figurines or miniatures using SLA/DLP/LCD resin printing. This light chamber allows maximum UV exposure all around the room thanks to the mirrored walls of this UV curing chamber, and it ensures the curing of the UV resin.

The resin curing chamber is manufactured by GreenStuffworld, and it contains 7 high-performance 405nm UVA lamps capable of curing a part in minutes. This UV curing chamber has the following internal dimensions: 195x160x150 mm

Magnifiers with light for model making

Magnifying glasses for model making are an essential accessory for the miniaturist. It allows high precision tasks to be carried out without tiring the decorator's eyesight.

Magnifying glasses with light allow the painter to work on very small pieces, and to carry out meticulous tasks or create very fine decorations, with a brush or airbrush. The lamp integrated into the magnifying glass allows you to work economically even in a dark environment.

The lamp with magnifying glass allows 4 different zoom settings (1.2x, 1.8x, 2.5x and 3.5x)

This lamp with magnifying glass is useful for all precision work, for example for railway model making which requires great meticulousness. But not simply, because these lamp glasses can be used in areas other than model making and miniatures, but also in the field of jewelry creation, embroidery, or watchmaking.