Tuesday 22 April 2014

A Kickstarter project that's right up my street

The current ‘hobby favourite’ brush range is the Winsor & Newton series 7 - an expensive, but revered set of sable brushes. It’s natural that any new brush set would be compared with the series 7.

I was asked the other day by a Twitter pal to promote a Kickstarter project he’ll be running from Friday April 25th. That pal is Hugo Matte from Ichiban Studios - winner of several Golden Demon awards and the 2013 Games Day Japan Slayer Sword - so when he told me he had a set of brushes coming out, my answer was simple.

“Yep. No problem.”

Hugo has been painting excellent miniatures for years, runs a commission painting business, and in his spare time wins lots of awards. He knows a thing or two about what makes a good brush. I trust his instincts outright in this field. It would be a silly thing not to.

These brushes are manufactured by Games n Gears, who have had some recent success with crowdfunding projects - their Battleboard more than tripled expectations, and even more impressively, their original set of Pro Line brushes were backed over 40 times the estimated target.


This time around, Games n Gears have paired up with Hugo and his Ichiban Studio, and created a set of 4 new Pro Line brushes - sizes 00, 0, 1 & 2 - but with a few twists:

The brush cap clips to the back of the brush to extend the length, providing the balance needed for extended painting sessions. It’s a travel brush, but without being a travel brush.

The handle thickness looks like it can only help alleviate common RSI complaints, too - I was always told to write with a fat pen to stop my arm from aching, so I’m looking forward to using these. I’m told they’ve been designed with the perfect weight and size, that ‘doesn’t fatigue your hand’.

The sable hair is also slightly longer than the W&N series 7 brushes, and has an increased paint reservoir for longer painting between dips.




There are also plans to produce the same 4 brushes with synthetic bristles, for oil, enamel, washes etc. If the project is funded, and the stretch goals are met, these will be produced, and made available for purchase.

I want to try these out - really, I do - and I’m more than tempted to back this Kickstarter myself. At 2pm (UK time) on Friday April 25th, and for only 20 days, the project goes live, and with it come some perks - some freebies, and some extra products for sale.



Have a look at the targets that will be launched this week:

1 set Early Bird
Pledge £28 or more
Limited to 250 sets
Sizes 00,0,1 & 2. So 4 Games & Gears Ichiban Brushes.
High Quality Sable Hair, with innovative high end handle and cap design.
FREE TRACKED SHIPPING TO THE USA, UK, EU, AUSTRALIA, CANADA & JAPAN Only.
Everywhere else please add: 9.00GBP.
Estimated delivery: Jun 2014


1 set Standard delivery
Pledge £30 or more
Sizes 00,0,1 & 2. So 4 Games & Gears Ichiban Brushes.
High Quality Sable Hair, with innovative high end handle and cap design.
FREE TRACKED SHIPPING TO THE USA, UK, EU, AUSTRALIA, CANADA & JAPAN Only.
Everywhere else please add: 9.00GBP.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2014


2 sets Early Bird
Pledge £48 or more
Limited 250
2 sets of Sizes 00,0,1 & 2. So 8 Games & Gears Ichiban Brushes.
High Quality Sable Hair, with innovative high end handle and cap design.
FREE TRACKED SHIPPING TO THE USA, UK, EU, AUSTRALIA, CANADA & JAPAN Only.
Everywhere else please add: 10.00GBP.
Estimated delivery: Jun 2014


2 sets normal delivery
Pledge £50 or more
2 sets of Sizes 00,0,1 & 2. So 8 Games & Gears Ichiban Brushes.
High Quality Sable Hair, with innovative high end handle and cap design.
FREE TRACKED SHIPPING TO THE USA, UK, EU, AUSTRALIA, CANADA & JAPAN Only.
Everywhere else please add: 10.00GBP.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2014


There will be 7 stretch goals for this KS

Stretch goals

No 1 - 10,000 pounds Leather Brush Case (free if unlocked)
No 2 - 12,000 pounds Synthetic brush no1 KS (unlockable add-on)
No 3 - 14,000 pounds Basic brush technique Video (free if unlocked)
No 4 - 16,000 pounds Synthetic brush no2 KS add-on (unlockable add-on)
No 5 - 18,000 pounds Glazing technique Video (free if unlocked)
No 6 - 20,000 pounds Synthetic brush no3 KS add-on (unlockable add-on)
No 7 - 22,000 pounds Weathering techniques Video (free if unlocked)

the videos will be downloadable videos of about 20 min