Oh… I’ve been thinking would a wet palette be worth investing in? And more expensive paint brushes?
Brushes are one of the best investments you can make. However, I may suggest waiting a bit till you feel comfortable using and taking care of them. That way you avoid accidentally damaging a more expensive brush. Army Painter and hobby store brushes are a good middle ground before stepping up.
I’ve used a wet pallet once and loved it. But I tend to paint for long periods at a time. The main benefit to wet pallets is that it keeps your paint from drying out. If this has been an issue for you, then get one. If not, then it’s a lower priority. You can also make them with a shallow tray, paper towel, parchment paper, and water.
Next to brushes, the other things I’ve picked up that I could not live without are painting handles/grips to hold the mini, and a direct light source.
I find a good brush to be worth its weight in gold, but they’re not always worth getting straight away. Mostly where you’ll notice the difference is when painting fine details and using more advanced techniques, but you still need the practice/experience to get anything more out of them than you would with a cheaper brush.
I haven’t tried a water palette, but I’ve heard they’re really good if you do a lot of mixing your own colours. This guy has a tutorial on making your own wet palette if you want to save a bit of money 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei2PYhY5tZQ
One more thing I think is important to mention is in response to your asking “Good enough for the tabletop?” when you first posted the painted miniatures. At the end of the day, no matter the quality, it’s a matter if of YOU are happy with the models. This is a hobby we do as much for ourselves, for the love of the setting and the game, than we do for anyone else. We’re all happy to share our experience and tricks with you to help if we can, but when it’s all said and done, it’s the moment you look at the model and think “I’m happy with how this one turned out” that you’re really done with it. 
AlxRaven posted pictures of a couple of painting handles. There’s actually a third one called an assembly handle with a couple of clips attached to adjustable arms to help with assembly. I own all three and love them. They’re an invaluable tool, especially the assembly handle. And you can use the assembly handle as a painting handle too. They give you a bit better control with your painting, allows you to hold miniatures at angles that you might otherwise have difficulty holding them at, and the assembly clips allow you to glue something and walk away from it without needing to worry about if something is going to stay in place.
A good desk lamp like the one AxlRaven has in their picture is nice too. I have one with a big magnifying glass in the middle of the ring light. It offers excellent light for painting, and the magnifying glass gives you a much better look at your detail work when you’re doing those fine details.
Brushes was mentioned above. I personally buy the Hobby Lobby store brand, they’re pretty cheap, but good quality for what they are. I do tend to be a little more picky about my detail brushes than my larger brushes though.
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Agreed 100% with Gatekeeper, and I should have mentioned it sooner.
It’s all about what you are happy and comfortable with. In the end, they are your minis.
Painting minis is an art and a hobby. Everyone does it differently. Take and use what you like, leave the rest. No one is going to beat you over the head and tell you that you’re doing it all wrong and something MUST be done a certain way. (Barring something crazy like assembling the minis without some type of adhesive product, lol)
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Your minis look fine. I’ve got nothing to add that hasn’t been said already, except for this: When someone asks whether they should buy pro level brushes or if they should do X over Y, I like to point them to this video:
All of those folks are pro painters and their answers often contradict each other.
In the end, the only answer that really matters is: Do what feels right to you.
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VERY good advice from NoshrokGrimskull. What works for one person isn’t always a good fit for the next person. That’s why most of us offer advice then suggest that you experiment to see what you like. It’s like anything, different people do things different ways, and miniatures is an art form, and with all art, the end result is subject to the passions of the creator.
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Personally I don’t like wet palettes but I would absolutely recommend trying one out. I made mine with a plastic takeaway container, a flat washing up sponge, paper towel and baking (parchment) paper. The only thing I had to buy specially was the baking paper…and technically the take away I guess 
I have a painting handle and love it, but I used to use corks and poster tack and that works well enough for most things. The painting handle is nicer and better but it’s really not essential!
And I’m going to echo what everyone else is saying, if you are happy with the result or enjoying the process then that all that matters! 
Thank for everyone’s constructive feedback. It’s great to get some honest feedback. I’m quite new to the hobby and reading your comments, advice and opinions really helps, hopefully you can see from the new pics below I’ve taken your advice and hopefully I’ve improved the finish of my models. I did some extra work on the bases, and faces. I will also add some foliage at some point. Thanks again to an awesome and helpful community.
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Looks like you did the faces with a wash? They look a lot better, good depth to them now and you can see the detail work MUCH better now.
The bases look great, the work you did to them made them look really good.
I still notice some skin tone around the helmet, but other than that I can’t see anything to knitpick. You have every right to be proud of how they turned out, they’re going to look fantastic on your table.
Thanks. With the face I used a flesh wash then dry brushed with corpse pale. I think before I didn’t put enough wash on and obviously didn’t dry brush after. I’ll tidy up the helmets and should never of added a wash over them. Lessons learnt for next time.
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Life lessons. The more you do anything, the more you learn.
I know a lot of people handle things differently, but for myself I find that washes tend to give a more organic look, and therefore work well for flesh, “soft” clothing (pants, shirts, jackets, etc), and weathering. In contrast, shading usually seems like the better choice for “hard/smooth” objects like helmets, metals, etc.
So with the above model, the gun and helmet would be something I’d be more likely to use shading with, while the face and jumpsuit I’d be more likely to start with washes to bring out the detail work.
Seriously though, you’ve clearly got a pretty good eye for this kind of hobby, with a little practice you’re going to be really good at it.
Those faces definitely look a lot better with the wash and drybrush, and I like how you’ve painted the fire hydrant on the base!
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The faces are a lot more defined now and the extra work on the bases really makes them pop!
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Much better all around! I’m glad to hear you like how they have turned out.
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