Tabletop Miniature Painting Kit

They are thinner and higher-pigment than craft acrylics — they flow into a figure's fine detail instead of clogging it, and one coat covers. Craft acrylics are too thick and chalky for a 28mm figure. Miniature paints (and the matching shades/glazes) are the medium that makes the detail visible.

A sealed tray with a damp sponge and parchment paper on top — it keeps the paint on the palette wet for days (instead of drying in minutes), so you can thin to the right consistency and work slowly. For miniature painting (thin paint, slow work), the wet palette is essential. A dry palette fights you; a wet one disappears.

The four-step method. Prime (a thin coat for paint adhesion), basecoat (the flat color), shade/wash (a dark wash into the recesses for depth), highlight (a lighter color on the raised edges). It is the recipe that turns a flat figure into a dimensional one — the standard method taught by every miniature painter.

A 28mm figure's eyes and buckles are sub-millimeter — a magnifying lamp (or optivisor) lets you see and paint the detail your eyes cannot resolve. Without magnification, the eyes are dots and the detail is guesswork; with it, the figure comes alive. The magnifier is the tool that makes fine detail possible, not a luxury.