Welcome to my blog!
Cliffbreaker Cyclops from the Massive Darkness board game, published by CMON.
Painted predominantly with Citadel Contrast paints.
About
Hi there, I’m Andy and this is my blog in which I’ll be chronicling my adventures and mishaps in the world of miniature painting. I might not be the best painter but I’m nothing if not prolific, at the moment I have around five hundred models painted.
I tend to paint all kinds of things, from wargames to board games and even scale models from time to time. I think it’s this variety that has kept my interest in painting since returning to the hobby. Even just within the realm of Warhammer, painting an infantry model is different to painting a vehicle, especially now that I’m starting to incorporate scale model techniques like pin washes and weathering in my toolbox.
Below is an ever growing list of what I’ve painted since starting this blog and what I’m currently working on. Simply click on the click to be taken to a collection of articles about that particular faction, game or board game.
Wargames
As with many others, my first foray into miniature painting was Warhammer 40,000. I started with Tau but these days I collect whatever looks coolest. From the disgusting Death Guard to the indomitable Imperial Guard there’s so many awesome looking models out there that it doesn’t make any sense to limit yourself to just one faction.
Nor indeed to just one company’s models. I might only have Games Workshop miniatures at the moment but I do plan on picking up some models from other game systems.
Board Games
But it’s not all about Warhammer, I am also an avid collector and player of modern board games. As a lot of these games, particularly Kickstarter games, come with plastic miniatures there is ample opportunity to do more painting. In much the same way that there is something special about having a Warhammer battle with fully painted miniatures and terrain, there is something to playing a board game with painted miniatures.
Stand alone models
Not every model is destined for the battlefield. Sometimes it’s nice to paint something for the sake of painting it. Often I’ll use 3D printed miniatures as a way to test new painting techniques or to see how far my skills have progressed. As each model tends to be a stand alone project I have grouped them below by their manufacturer.
Up and coming projects
Below is a list of models and games that I have yet to paint. Some may call this a “pile of shame” but for me it’s basically just my To Do Pile. It is also not exhaustive, or in any particular order I’ll just pick and choose whatever excites me to be working on next.
Valhalla Miniatures
In April 2021 I came across a Kickstarter by Claudia Rodríguez, she was producing sculptures for a small series of Norse inspired miniatures, predominantly the valkyries but also some of the other characters from Norse mythology. Now I have quite the interest in Norse mythology (see Space Wolves) so I was an eager backer and marked the first time that I had purchased something purely for painting, in that it wasn’t part of a board game or wargame. Models to paint: 17.
Conquest: Last Argument of Kings
A wargame by Para Bellum, I picked up a free box of Household Knights through my subscription to the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy. Depending on how they are to build and paint, I may look into what else Para Bellum has to offer. Models to paint: 3.
The City of Kings
A big box adventure game similar to Gloomhaven but it doesn’t have the legacy component to it. Additionally, the game doesn’t have a random element to it, so you can perfectly plan out your turns. The base game doesn’t actually come with miniatures, it uses standees for both the players and the enemies but I couldn’t resist the addon for player miniatures. Models to paint: 10.
Batman: Gotham City Chronicles
I have a great love of Batman and like so many others, I was practically raised by the animated series in the 90’s and Batman ‘89 was one of my favourite films. So when Monolith was launching a Batman game that had a bunch of miniatures and played their Conan game, I was all in. Turns out the game wasn’t all that fun to play, the miniatures are still great though. Models to paint: 273.
Dark Vengeance: Dark Angels
A few years ago Games Workshop did one of those made to order deals for the Dark Vengeance that was originally released in 2012. I’d been tempted to start a Chaos force and justified the purchase by telling myself I could give the Dark Angels half to my brother. As it turns out, he doesn’t need the models. So I guess I’m also starting a Dark Angels army? Models to paint: 20
Kingdom Rush: A Rift in Time
I was already a big fan of the Kingdom Rush tower defence mobile games, so I was definitely ready to back a Kickstarter for a board game interpretation. We actually got to play a demo of this at UKGE one year and that really sealed it for us. Models to paint: 26.
And of course, lots and lots of Warhammer!