New to the hobby and was wondering where and what is the best way to buy paint to keep costs down?

Do most of you buy paint colors individually or are their paint sets or kits available some place?

Im having a hard time finding certain paints such as flesh colored as well as a few others.

Anyone have a favorite place to order paint from?

Also, like I said Im very new to this hobby and really dont have much experience at all when it comes to art or painting but feel with pratice I could easily learn. Through trial and error and experimenting I have concluded that enamle paint seems to go on figures thinker than acrylic does. Is paint chemistry all a matter of preferance or being new should I be using one or the other at first?

Doh! I have tons of questions but with leave it at this for now. TIA for the help and info!

Regards,
RS.

One thing I can recommend RS, especially if you're going to be doing any diorama building is to try the cheap acrylic paints you can get at places like Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby. You don't say where you live so I don't know if you have those near you, but you prop ably have stores that carry them. These normally go for under $1.00 for about 2 oz of paint, compared to about $3.50 for 1/2 oz of "model" paint. You won't find anything listed as "Panzer Yellow" or such, but you can sometimes get pretty close. You can also mix them to come up with your own colors. It sure beats paying full price for model paint.

I tend to stick to Enamels as I Always seem to have Issues w/ Acrylics.... I just buy them by the bottle. I have gotten a bit of a Discount by Ordering a "case" of a color (like OD) that I use Alot of.

I Guess I'll Switch when I'm Forced too!!

RS,
Ultimately, what you'll find is it's all a matter of personal choice regarding what type and brand of paint to use. That being said, once you purchase your basic colors such as black and white your paint requirement pretty much becomes model or figure-specific - meaning the three or four colors you'd buy to build a Panther tank can also be used on other German vehicles of that time period. After you have a few projects under your belt - adding one or two new colors for each - you'll have a nice selection of paints to choose from. Likewise for figures .....
I like enamels for airbrushing and acrylics, such as the Vallejo Model Color range, for brush-painting. Over the last two years I've become enamored with airbrushing the Vallejo because it allows me to begin applying my oil washes almost immediately. Again, it's all a matter of personal taste.
As to where to find good quality paint, there are dozens of reputable shops on the internet that provide quick service and carry full ranges of whatever brand and type of paint you desire. I live in a remote area where I don't have access to a hobby shop, so all of my paint is purchased via mail order!

Mike Kirchoff

Also, if you use black or white spray paints from a can, you dont need to but the little hobby cans, regular enemal flat spray paint bought in hardware store, is much cheaper and works just as well.

thx all for the great advice and direction.

I live in US/Michigan so I have walmarts and hobby lobbys. Infact Im heading to walmart soon to check out their paints : )

Have great day!

From what I have heard (I have not tried them myself, but hope to soon) the Vallejo paints are excellent for brush painting figures. I've been told the best place to get them is from theWarStore as they have cheap prices and shipping is $3.95, regardless of order size (sadly, this is only for US destinations).
Jamie

I have used Deco-Art Americana with a fairly high degree of success, less so the Delta Ceramcoat, although after discovering their primer/sealer, I've been happier with my results. At my LHS, the Delta Ceramcoat runs 2/$1.50 and the Americana runs about the same. (Remember, I'm a Crazy Canuck.) I have run across information that the Americana can even be airbrushed when thinned about 40% with water, although I haven't tried it.