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Review: Notts Hobbies

Review: Notts Hobbies


If you ever consider expanding your weathering toolset or tapping into the mystic technique of drybrushing – the Notts Hobbies is here to ease your way into it. This UK based company offers a range of hobby tools designed specifically for weathering. In their strive to reach hobbyists around the globe, the Notts Hobbies asked me if I’d like to try out their products. Short after I’ve received the Notts Hobbies Complete Drybrushing Set and the Notts Hobbies Complete Weathering Set. Ran both of them through the painting gauntlet and here’s my thoughts…



Packaging and Visual Style

I believe that the first impressions matter a great deal. When seeing a product for the first time I expect to get an initial feel of the overall quality and what to expect from its performance. In my experience the first contact creates a bias that inevitably impacts the entire experience with the new tool, even if slightly. When it comes to Notts Hobbies products, the first impression was great. Simple, stylish, visually clean and not overdone. I got the feel that the person behind these products cares for quality over fake hype. Brushes, Drybrush Dampening Sponge and Drybrush Soap all came packaged in nice small boxes adding to the overall quality. Great first impression. I outright felt happy to compliment my workspace with these tools.



Complete Drybrushing Set

The Complete Drybrushing Set comes with three high quality goats hair brushes, a Drybrush Texture Palette, Drybrush Soap, Drybrush Dampening Sponge and a Dice Bag. A lot of stuff. Seems reasonably priced at 34,99GBP.



Brushes feel great. The hair is longer and a bit softer than the Army Painter and Citadel, which are the immediate competitors. A single outlier hair here and there, pretty common to all drybrushes, easy to fix. I had a really good performance with them. Very comfortable to work with. No hair broke loose. Finally, thanks to the length of the brush’s belly, it was easy to keep the ferrule clean and manage paint.



The Drybrush Dampening Sponge is awesome. The packaging might seem a bit fragile, but the sponge itself is just perfect for drybrushing. Synthetic sponge texture keeps the paint from drying out too fast and allows to leave the excess of it inside. It is also easy to clean outright and can be left outside to dry after the painting session. Fantastic tool – I genuinely love it.



Once the drybrushing’s done the Drybrush Soap comes in. Not only does it smell great (I had to take a break from writing this article for a quick whiff a few times), but it also works. Easy to use, getting bubbly with just a little bit of moisture. I used it right after rinsing the brushes to restore their brand new-like look. Wow!



Finally the Drybrush Texture Palette. This lightweight wooden gadget is a nice addition to the set. Wooden texture is great for drybrushing and allows you to loose some paint fast and without excessive moisture loss. Difficult to clean, but with high durability this item will probably serve a long time before the need of retirement.


Complete Weathering Set

The Complete Weathering Set contains a Weathering Sponge Holder and a set of 50 Weathering Sponges. These fancy thick foam cubes come packaged inside a translucent bag. An interesting proposal compared to large, cumbersome cosmetic makeup sponges with a useful tool to hold them with and apply paint with precision. Currently priced at 4,99GBP for the whole set (Including a lightweight, durable Holder) it seems competitively priced for what it brings to the table.



Personally I prefer regular sponges for a messy weathering, but after working with Notts Hobbies Weathering Sponges I can see a future use for them. They come especially handy when weathering sharp edges, such as Warhammer 40,000 vehicle armor, or when there’s a need for delicate dust-like effect.



Summary

Overall I had a great experience with Notts Hobbies products. From the very first contact, through over a week long, exhausting painting process these items had met my expectations. Reasonably priced stuff with stylish design. I especially like the goats hair brushes. These are currently my number one brushes for anything drybrush related. Really hit the mark for me. The rest of the stuff is definitely worth checking out so if you are looking to expand your hobby toolset, I sincerely recommend giving the Notts Hobbies a try. While at it, you can save 10% by using a discount code: scarhand10 this way you support your wallet and I get a cut as well. Win-win!



I hope you find this review interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below, or at Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate it if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional miniatures painting service, be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

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