1. Cadia still stands! Or For the Emperor! ? 😉 Why ? 😛
How can Cadia die when it lives on in my heart?
2. Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about yourself ☺
Hello, I go by the alias Chapter Master Valrak, I run a YouTube channel dedicated Warhammer 40,000, on it, you’ll find anything from News, Lore, gaming and painting videos.
3. Do you remember your first encounter with miniatures and wargames? When was it and in what year?
My experience with Warhammer 40,000 was some years back, I was around 11 years old and one of my family members bought me some Orks, I had no idea what they were but it set me on my course of being a Warhammer fan
4. When did you decided to start your social media presence? Why ‘Chapter Master Valrak’ and what does the name mean to you?
The funny thing about my name, it was completely random, it sounded cool so I just went with it, haha, I started my social presence when a game called Eternal Crusade came out, I think it was around 3-4 years ago.
5. I can see that you are a big fan of Warhammer 40k and anything Warhammer. What do you like the most about this wargame? What is your favorite ‘army’?
Space Marines are my all-time favourite army, I think the thing that attaches me to this story/hobby is the grimdark of it all, it’s just war eternal, no-one is really the good guy which is so different to other sci-fi games where you normally have a visible good guy/bad guy.
6. Is there a miniature that you would like to paint again? Why this one?
I love painting tanks, I love tanks as a whole, especially Space Marine ones, I could paint them every day and still not get bored. They’re so big and chunky I love them.
7. What miniature the most difficult to paint and why?
I really haven’t had a difficult model, all the Space Marines are quite simple to paint really, I think others like Deathguard are the harder painted models cause they have so much detail on them.
8. Wargaming, miniature painting, miniature converting or even sculpting. What do you like the most about our hobby and why?
Converting is the best thing about this hobby, you can spend hours making the most boring model just look absolutely epic!
9. Our hobby is constantly changing, new wargames come and go, players are 3D printing miniatures and terrains. Where do you see our hobby in 5-10-15 years’ time? What will change over time?
I think 3D printing is going to be a game-changer within the next 5 years, the stuff people are doing right now is mind-blowing and it will only get better and more accessible for people.
10. Do you have any advice for new players and people in this hobby (miniature painters etc.)?
Don’t pick armies for the rules, pick armies for the love, the meta changes but love is eternal.
11. You are a streamer, why you started streaming and how do you choose your stream topics?
Streaming is a way just to talk, I love sitting down and talking to fellow Warhammer fans, it’s like having a huge group of friends in front of you sharing the same things you love. Topics are random for me, I never go into a stream with a list to talk about.
12. What hobby project are you currently working on and what are your hobby plans for next few weeks?
Currently working on some Imperial Fist tanks and bunkers, hopefully, soon I can get my hands on the heavy intercessors and blade guard veterans.
13. If you could turn any movie, series, commix, book or any media into a miniature game what would that be and why this one?
Well, I would say Stars Wars but they’ve really just started that and their stuff is looking amazing.
14. Do you have any other hobbies apart from wargaming and miniatures? If so what are they?
Not really, Warhammer has all my attention at the moment.
15. How do you transport your miniatures? If you are using one of our products what do you think about magnetized transport solutions?
I use you A-Case, magnetising transports is the future, I love how easy it is to put them from your case to the table, no effort at all.
16. If you could choose the next person answering all those questions and having an interview with us who would that be?
1. Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about yourself ☺
I am Margot Crombeecke, 63 years young, mother of 2 children and grandmother of 5 grandchildren. After some setbacks in relationships, I found my great love 25 years ago, Robert Crombeecke, my support and constant companion. Unfortunately, I lost my son Marco to cancer 12 years ago and I am still very worried about my daughter who has mental problems. After Marco’s death I had to find my way back into life and partly thanks to Robert and my grandchildren, one of whom is Marco’s daughter and another one his son ( I only have one grandson), I managed to do that. I have always been a very creative person, even at home. I always say that I could knit before I could write 😊 Because of my rheumatism and chronic fatigue I had to look for another hobby, which finally became figure painting, already for 7 years with a lot of fun.
2. Do you remember your first encounter with miniature painting? When was it and in what year?
The year was 2007. As you may know, we organise SMC, which started as a model show with some figures. Only a few years later, when more and more figures were entered in the contest, also of a higher level, I was triggered. But it took another two years before I dared to start. I was afraid of failure. That is what happens to perfectionists
3. When did you decided to launch your website and blog – Stories in miniature? Why did you stopped posting new entries there?
That was Robert’s decision and he stopped doing it due to lack of time, but he actually plans to pick it up again in 2021.The show got bigger and bigger and it took up more and more of his time. I myself am not so interested in doing all this. It takes too much time, I’d rather paint. Our personal blog can be found here: https://www.storiesinminiature.com/, but there is also a lot of work, also recent one on our club website: https://www.scalemodelfactory.nl/
4. You went to the Art Academy in Arendonk, how does this affected your painting style? What was the most valuable advice that you have received during your studies there?
The hardest part was sketching and not immediately putting something ready on the canvas. Working with oil paint was the reason for me to go to the academy. I love texture in a painting but I didn’t know how to work with acrylics at all. The best advice I have received is without a doubt learning to look: looking at your object, looking at light and dark. First understand what you see and then try to put it on canvas or now on your figure. Everything I learned there has also had an effect on my figures.
5. Your works are full of colors and life, but they always seems to be perfectly balanced (ex. Kid Dancer or Courtesan Koi). Colors complement each other rather than ‘fight’ on the model for attention. Do you plan all your projects or kind of paint on the go?
I always have an idea in my head of a colour or mood I want to bring into my figure. Usually I use Pintrest to get an idea of what would be nice for that style of figure. But after that it’s completely automatic, my sense of colour was already my strongest point at the academy. And by always looking at my figure and seeing what it needs, it follows automatically. I never think in colour theory, in warm or cold, in contrast. Nor do I ever use the colour wheel. I paint my feelings and that takes little effort. The only thing I focus on is the technique of painting, which I want to improve time and again.
6. What miniature was the most challenging to paint for you and why? Would you paint it again differently if given a chance?
That was definitely Fire of Kimera, one of the four elements. And in hindsight I know why, in doing so I was relying too much on an example and was constantly fighting my feelings. The advice of someone with the best intentions also hindered me. I have learned a lot from this, especially to stay close to myself. And yes, if I didn’t want to paint so many other figures, I would want to do it again. But my friend Pietro Baloni, who has been in the business for more than 30 years and works for Pegaso/Kimera, once told me that you should not repaint a figure but take your experience to the next project.
7. You are an Artist, a miniature painter and sometimes diorama builder and story teller. What do you like about our hobby most and why?
What I like most is the freedom to use your creativity. It doesn’t matter whether you tell a story or paint a figure. But painting a figure has turned out to be the most fun for me. I don’t know why, perhaps because I have become more and more comfortable with it. I think that my story is expressed more and more in my figure without me wanting to explain it in a diorama. And since a while I have been painting more and more with acrylics, so I also see more possibilities to use texture in my work. And that brings me back to my remark in question 4, that I like texture.
8. Our hobby is constantly changing, new wargames come and go, people are 3D printing miniatures and terrains. Where do you see our hobby in 5-10-15 years’ time? What will change the most over time?
That is a difficult question. If I see how it has changed in seven years, it is difficult to predict how it will be in five or ten years. I do think that the quality of the figures will get better and better and that there will be more special figures. The disadvantage of 3D is also that you sometimes see that it is done by people who do not really have experience with our hobby. It can be a fantastic tool to create beautiful things. But sometimes I also see things that are beautiful at first, but when you look at them closely, they are almost impossible to paint because of the complexity or the bad shapes. But 3D is the future. Even though I myself like very much special hand sculpted figures
9. Do you have any advice for new miniature painters? What would you tell someone who is a complete newbie and is simply afraid to start painting miniatures?
Actually, I do have some advice. First of all, beginners should realise that all masters were once beginners and sometimes people still post their first figure. That’s so funny and you can see how far you can get. When you see my first figure it is so funny, but I still have it and I am just as proud of it as I was of my last figure. My next big tip is….paint for yourself, for the experience for the feeling that painting gives you. Winning a medal is nice but a snapshot of the opinions of three people at a particular time, under a particular light and with a particular taste. And even if the good judges try to ignore their own taste, I know from experience that this is very difficult. So don’t focus too much on competitions, although I must admit that it can stimulate you to go a step further, and in the end the figure is in your cabinet for the rest of the time. The third tip is, stay yourself. It is great fun to learn techniques from others, but start simple and try to discover your own style. It can be overwhelming to see all the new techniques like NMM but if you don’t master it, it’s frustrating and it won’t be pretty. In the beginning Alexandre Cortina Bonastre, owner of Alexandros models and my mentor in my early days once said to me, it is better to leave it out than to paint it badly.
10. I know that you used to be a Scuba Diving Instructor for some time while living in Egypt. I am curious, what is the best place to dive that you have seen yourself? How was it like to live in Egypt?
Haha, this is the hardest question of the whole interview…….I have seen hundreds of places, from difficult to easy and deep to shallow. What I will never forget is the day we made three dives on the Thistlegorm, a wreck from the second world war, with a locomotive on the deck and in the hold jeeps and motorbikes, army boots, toilet bowls, you name it. I made two dives by day and one night dive together with Robert and another diver. It’s really super when you descend. At first you see nothing, really nothing, and then slowly like in a film, you start to see the shapes and get closer and closer to ….actually that’s so special.A second dive that I will always remember is a dive in the Aquarium in Hurghada, not a real aquarium but the place is called that because there are so many fish and corals. At one point, I was swimming in the back of the group, and then I was in the middle of a large school of fish that slowly circled around me, very magical and this place is not deep or difficult at all, but so beautiful. Later, when I worked there, I dived there on my own for half an hour, which is really not possible and against the rules, but yes….it was super cool 😊 after my students had boarded …. to never forget. And I could go on like this for hours, because we made many special dives outside of Egypt as well. As for life in Egypt, it was born out of necessity, in a time of crisis when Robert had lost his job and couldn’t find work and we were in danger of losing our house. But in hindsight I wouldn’t have missed it, life was easy and you quickly bond with other dive instructors and guides of all nationalities and after the job you enjoy a drink together on a terrace. Robert worked at a different location than I did and you still had plenty to talk about.For me, the adventure lasted only three months because my son, then 25 years old, called me to say that he had been diagnosed with leukaemia, and so I flew back the next day, not knowing what the future would bring or where I would sleep as our house had been rented. After three weeks I went back to Egypt but couldn’t stand it any longer and said goodbye to Robert, again not knowing when we would see each other again. I wanted to be with my son. In the end, after wandering around a bit, I was able to rent a studio and after more than five months Robert was able to come to the Netherlands and he found a job after one week. But unfortunately, after three years of persistent struggle, I had to say goodbye to my dear son Marco.
11. What hobby project are you currently working on and what are your hobby plans for next few weeks?
I am working on several projects at the same time. I didn’t do that for a long time; I always wanted to finish one thing before I started the next. But I have experienced that it is good to take distance from a project now and then, in order to continue later with a fresh look. And sometimes I feel the need to paint with oil and sometimes with acrylic, and so those are different projects. Acrylic is still a learning process for me, I have always been an oil painter. But I am starting to like acrylics more and more. So to answer your question….At the moment I am working on Air, one of the four elements-series, and on Water, also one of the four elements, Dryad , Salvador Dali, Mad Hatter, and soon I will start with an article that I am not allowed to say anything about.
12. If you could turn any movie, series, commix, book or any media into a miniature game what would that be and why this one?
Pfffff I wouldn’t know because to be honest I’m not a games person. I read every day, but always thrillers, and movies and series are thrillers too. Now that I think about it, it’s strange because I don’t really like fantasy series and books, but I do like to paint fantasy.
13. Do you have any other hobbies apart from wargaming and miniatures? If so what are they?
As said … I am not a wargamer that is a small misunderstanding. I do have friends who play these games and paint these figures and I think it is fantastic, both the game and the painting. I have always been creative: forging jewellery, designing and making clothes etc… but now my hobby is painting figures and apart from that I have no other hobbies.
14. I heard that together with your husband Robert, you are co-organizing one of the biggest and best miniature shows in the world, the one and only – Scale Model Challenge. How did that started?
It started well before I started painting. Every time Robert came home from a show he always had comments about what he could do better and how he would do it. At a certain point I told him to give it a try, because I knew he would need my support to take the plunge. Together with a couple of friends from the modelling club they started and very soon it grew and became bigger. Robert wanted to go to a 2-day fair to involve people from outside the Netherlands and a couple of people stopped because they didn’t believe it would work. I had also started to paint and started to lobby in the world of figures abroad and very soon that yielded results. Another member of our club, Peter Zuidgeest, started lobbying in the wargame world and so they ended up at our fair with their own area where matches could be played during the show. Also on the contest tables, more and more wargame figures of a very high level ended up, I must say. I can always look at them with great admiration, also to those matches…I just don’t understand a thing about it, hahahaha. https://www.scalemodelchallenge.com
15. How do you transport your miniatures? If you are using one of our products what do you think about magnetized transport solutions?
So, I do use your A-Case. I was one of the first in the world of figures, if not the first and I did a lot of advertising. I think the magnetic solution is the best solution for transporting figures ever…I hate Blue Tac. I have also personalised my case with my name and pins on the shoulder strap. My only problem is that I regularly paint some larger figures and they don’t always fit in because of the height. But I try to take the base into account so that it might fit. What I find one of the biggest advantages of the A-case is the weight. Those heavy wooden boxes are a problem for me when I travel. I’m not as strong
16. If you could choose the next person answering all those questions and having an interview with us who would that be?
Again a difficult question, but I will give a few names that I think the readers will find very interesting and maybe even closer to their world than I am 😉 Peter Zuidgeest, Kirill Kanaev, Fabrizio Russo….. Thanks for this interview Hugs ( hugs are my trademark 😊)))))))Margot
1. Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about yourself ☺
I’m Andrew, a longtime wargamer and miniature enthusiast for the over 20 years (!!!). I may be better known as Hobby Vices on social media, and also as an official Warhammer Hero! I host annual international Secret Santa gift exchanges for the community, and generally try to make the world of miniature hobbying a smaller place through my Discord server (check us out!). I believe every person in the community has a valid contribution to the whole, and try to give the spotlight to new hobbyists and hope to see a true community flourish that isn’t dominated by a handful of mega-superstars. Everyone is an equal, in my eyes! Go find some miniature painters with like 28 followers and give them a follow! Do it now!
2. Do you remember your first encounter with miniatures and wargames? When was it and in what year?
My first encounter with miniatures was building model airplanes with my dad as a boy, in the early 1990’s. I soon moved on to painting 54mm American Civil War figures, (big) model trains, smaller scale WW2 models, and eventually Warhammer Fantasy Battles (I think it was 4th Ed?). Very fond memories!
3. When did you decided to launch your Instagram profile Hobby Vices? Why ‘Hobby Vices’ and what does it mean to you?
I launched Hobbyvices in the summer of 2016. I was flying back from San Francisco for a work trip, and had a decent flight to New Orleans. I was absently scrolling through my phone and saw some photographs of my Chaos Space Marines and thought I should post them online, so I did! I wanted to think of a clever handle for my social media account (not expecting to grow as large as I did) and came up with “Homebrew Heroes!” which I felt fit the bill at the time. I later found out this was the name of another group (on Facebook, I think?) so thought long and hard, finally deciding on Hobby Vices — because we all have our vices with the plastic addiction!
4. I can see that you from your Instagram profile that you are a big fan of Warhammer Age of Sigmar and 40k. What do you like the most about those two wargames?
The setting of WHFB got me into fantasy wargaming, coupled with my D&D experience. I’ve always done historicals, even before the fantasy stuff, but I find a more satisfying escapism in the surreal worlds of those bizarre settings.
5. Is there a miniature that you would like to paint again? Why this one?
I would really love to paint Magnus the Red. It’s a gorgeous model, and I’d consider even starting that army based solely on that sculpt. I just don’t have the means to get it currently!
6. What miniature the most difficult to paint and why?
The most difficult miniature I’ve painted would be larger scale (54mm+) figures. There’s tricks and “cheating” you can get away with on smaller models, but on a big 54mm polish winged hussar, you’re gonna need to be precise and exact! I painted it up ages ago, when I was still in school – I don’t even know where it is! Maybe I should go look for it…
7. Wargaming, miniature painting, miniature converting or even sculpting. What do you like about our hobby most and why?
I like the actual gaming the best, because it let us get together (pre-COVID ). Gathering around a table, rolling dice, and having a great match among friends is a good time passed. I haven’t had a chance to play like that in a year, so I’m really looking forward to when we can all get together again!
8. Our hobby is constantly changing, new wargames come and go, players are 3D printing miniatures and terrains. Where do you see our hobby in 5-10-15 years’ time? What will change over time?
The “hobby” hasn’t changed much in my eyes in the past decade or two. Rules systems come out and are adapted / changed, sculpts get more precise, but overall the end result is the same. And that’s a good thing! It’s welcoming and familiar. In 10 years I would love to see a more digital-oriented game, with augmented reality apps via smartphone, and seamless rules / updates / accessibility to streamline the games and make them more about the experience and less about bookkeeping. Here’s hoping!
9. Do you have any advice for new players and people in this hobby (miniature painters etc.)?
Never stop improving. We all sucked when we started, whether it was painting, building, winning matches, etc. But after all the time we only suck slightly less. We never reach “the top,” and should always have goals in mind to pursue, if that’s what provides enjoyment. Me? I’m very happy to hit “pause” on my painting skills and just crank out armies to a decent standard. I’m not gunning for a Golden Daemon trophy, I just wanna push plastic spacemen around on the table and have fun. I have kids now, and my job and life requirements – I’m lucky to just have time for a game!
10. I could see on your FB page that you finished Master of Arts. How do art studies affect your hobby and miniature painting?
You’ve done your research! I’m a classically trained painter and printmaker, and teach the arts to students every day for a living. If I had zero distractions or “real life” obligations, I could sit down and crank out a Richard Gray level paint job (really!). But that’s not empty boasting, because I’m confident in saying ANYONE can do that, to a certain degree. The trick is that you just need time to do it. Given enough time (ie. practice) anyone can achieve exceptional results. But to really get to that honest-to-god master level, it takes years of practice. Personally, I don’t want to spend days on a single miniature, when I spend my days dealing with art with my students. I just don’t have the time or desire in my life these days – I wish I did! I’m content to just hit that “tabletop standard” and dump my dudes on a battlefield! Anyone that’s wanting to get to that top-tier level of painting should simply paint EVERY DAY. Put in the work, because it IS work. And learn from experts (legitimate experts, not just social media celebrities) things like color theory, compositional techniques, even sculpting concepts. You can do it!
11. What hobby project are you currently working on and what are your hobby plans for next few weeks?
COVID really put a damper on my projects this year. It even kept me from entering Armies on Parade for the first time in years. But I would be eager to finish up my Imperial Fists force and lock in a specific army to bring to games, to have it fully table-ready with all the new releases I’ve gotten over lockdown!
12. If you could turn any movie, series, commix, book or any media into a miniature game what would that be and why this one?
Willow! A skirmish game based on that series would be dope as hell!
13. Do you have any other hobbies apart from wargaming and miniatures? If so what are they?
I do a lot of historical re-enactments and living-history stuff, I love to go camping and being outdoors, and creating art! I do enjoy reading a lot, like a LOT. I can crush a book in a day if I’m able to get enough quiet time. Read more books, people!
14. How do you transport your miniatures? If you are using one of our products what do you think about magnetized transport solutions?
I used to use foam carry cases, but I bought my first A-Case last year and haven’t looked back. Magnetized cases like the A-Case are perfect for travel because they’re secure and don’t break fiddly pieces off that get snagged on foam inserts. I run a Warhammer club at my school so I’m taking multiple armies to and from work every day. I may be one of the few people that transports the most armies globally! I’ll literally have 2-3 entire armies traveling from my home to work every day, there and back, along with personal projects I may work on during breaks at school. I don’t think I could do that as efficiently without the A-Cases. Magnets are the answer!
15. If you could choose the next person answering all those questions and having an interview with us who would that be?
I would love to hear what Craig says (@og.paintworks on Instagram) to these questions! He’s an awesome hobbyists that has done some awesome things for the community! He’s Canadian, but we can forgive that.
Wargaming as a hobby is not only about figures and playing games with them. It is much more than just that, and an important part of our hobby is miniature painting. In order to paint you need paints, brushes and a place to store them. This is what I am going to look at today – what can I 3D print to organize my collection of paints and make my life a bit easier.
Paint Holders for dropper bottles – Vallejo, Reaper, Army Painter etc.
There are plenty of different paint manufacturers out there, but somehow in our wargaming business most of them are using dropper bottles. They seem to be the most users friendly and a lot of use like them so much that we are transferring paint from Citadel paint pots to those dropper bottles. It comes to no surprise, that I was able to find some nice options of paint racks for those bottles. Let’s have a look:
Not all of us like the dropper bottles and prefer something different, like the Citadel pots. Here the options can be quite limited at times, but I managed to find some interesting designs for you:
A lot of us are using different brands of paint and this usually means different kind of paint containers. What do to when you have paints in both – dropper bottles and Citadel pots? No worries, you are not alone and there are some options out there:
Vallejo, Citadel, Army Painter, Reaper and the list goes on… What if you are using craft paints or calligraphy and drawing inks? Maybe you prefer tubes? Luckily you are not alone. There are plenty of different solutions available:
It might seem that I would be hard to find something special in this type of rather functional design space. However, I found few interestingly looking designs and solutions. It I easy to forget that in some cases, simplicity is the key to a nice and functional design 😉
Are you looking for something specific? Let me know!
Let me remind you that if are you looking for something specific or simply need help finding some bits just let me know. I am more than happy to provide you with a list of files suitable for your project. All you need to do is to let me know by writing a comment below! I will make an article around the theme chosen by you 🙂
Previous parts of What to print for wargaming series:
I have to admit that what was going to be a short article with some general information regarding using spray paint primers is now a two part series. In Part 1 – you can find it here – I talked a bit about why priming your miniatures is a good idea, what color to choose and what options of spray paint and primers you have. Now, let’s talk about how to use those spray paints and primers.
Weather
is important
As obvious at it may seems, I keep forgetting about that. Weather is quite important, as it have a huge factor of how the spray paint is going to behave. If it is too hot outside you might have problems with paint drying too quickly before reaching the miniature. This will cause something that looks like, and is very often called as, ‘frost’ or ‘frosting’. Small dots of paint, that dried midair and reached the miniature almost fully dried, or almost dried, and just stuck to the model surface. It can also happen, when you hold the can too far away from the miniature.
If it’s foggy outside or it’s raining the humidity is going to be high and that will affect paint quite heavily. The more humid environment the longer it takes for paint to dry. It might result in paint not drying and curing properly. In some places of the model you will find patches of accumulated paint, or the paint can dry, but remain sticky. In other words, better not to spray prime you models when the humidity is high outside. There is a trick how to avoid it, but we will cover that once a bit later on.
Before you start priming
Before you jump straight into priming your models, there are few rules of thumb to remember about, and few tips and tricks to use beforehand 😉 :
– wear personal protective equipment (PPE), mask, gloves and some protective eyewear. This is a must in my opinion. If you don’t have a more professional face mask with filters, try to at least cover your nose and mouth with a scarf and wear glasses. – always spray outside or in a well-ventilated area. If you can’t spray outside try to do it with open doors or windows and preferably use a spray booth if you can. – try to prime your miniatures with a spray primer with optimal weather conditions. When it is not too hot or too humid. Do not spray prime when it is foggy, very hot or raining heavily. – read the instruction on the spray can and try to follow the guidelines as much as possible. It will make your life easier 😉 – store the spray cans in room temperature, not in a cold place as the paint doesn’t like it. Yeap, storing your spray cans in a garage is not the best idea. – shake the can before using it for around 2-3 minutes and shake it from time to time while priming. – start spraying paint slightly above the miniature or next to the miniature and with a slow and steady motion pass over the model covering it with a thin layer of primer.
– try to spray around 25-30 cm away from the miniature. A lot of people, myself included, are talking the can and put it next to the miniature on around 45-60 degree angle. This will give you an idea of the distance that is right for spray priming. – spray in one direction. Don’t make uncontrollable movements or circle like moves while spraying. If you are spraying from right to left, or top to down keep on that controlled motion and direction.
Few
Tips and Tricks
– make sure that the can you are using for priming is not cold, but warm or at least warm-ish. If the can feels cold when you hold it, try to warm it a bit in your hands. One trick to do here is to put the spray can in a bucket of warm water. Warm means NOT HOT or BOILING water! Remember that spray cans are very flammable and they can literarily explode when exposed for heat for too long. So how to define if the water is not too hot for your spray cans? If you can hold you’re your finger or hand in the water and it’s not uncomfortable or painful the water should be fine for the can as well. Leave the can in warm water for 10-15 minutes (some people leave it even for 1,5h!), shake it for 2-3 minutes and try to prime your miniatures. – when you really need to spray prime your models when it’s raining or cold outside you can try to use a simple trick with a hair dryer or a heat gun. Place it directly above the top of the spray can and turn it on before you start spraying. This is warm the air in front of your spray can and lower the humidity level. It should allow you to spray primer your models and ensure that the paint is going to dry properly. – when you are doing a lot of spray painting you can quickly clog the spray nozzle. In order to avoid it when you finish painting, or every now and then when you have a long spraying session, turn the spray can upside down and push the button. Keep pressing it until you see that the nozzle is clean of paint. – some spray cans allow you to swap their nozzles (this is the case with MONTANA series). It is a good idea to grab few clean ones when you buy the spray cans. It will give you an option to change the damaged or heavy clogged nozzles and just continue spraying.
What is a spray booth/tent and how to make one
A spray booth or a spray tent is an enclosure or a semi enclosed area used for spray painting. A spray booth keeps the overspray from going everywhere and it’s a place where you can spray paint when you cannot do it outside. More professional spray booths will also have a build in ventilation, also sometimes referred to as extractor fan system, which will absorb the overspray and in some cases even ventilate it outside.
I
am sorry for the quality of the picture, I was more into priming than
photographing 😛
I
am not going to show you how to make a spray booth with ventilation
system, but I will show you a quick way to do a spray tent. It will
keep the overspray away from everything else that you do not want to
put the paint on 😉
1. Just take an empty cardboard box, big enough to put your miniature in it. 2. Take some tape and make sure there are no holes in the cardboard box 3. Attach the miniature to something and put it in the spray booth
That’s pretty much it, you can start priming your models and do not worry about the overspray 😀
Can
Montana black paint be used as a miniature spray primer?
In the first part of this very short ‘series’ I mentioned that I am going to try Montana Black as a primer. I also mentioned that I absolutely love the Montana Black series of cans and their color palette. Let’s see if this paint is as suitable for miniatures as for MDF/HDF. The results are as follows:
Montana Black series Black Matt
As
Montana spray cans are a premium, high quality paint for artists with
high pigments density I was a bit concern that the paint is going to
be too thick for miniatures. I was not exactly right here. The paint,
when fully dry, is a bit thick. However, I did a quick one coat
primer here. So, maybe, when being more careful it could get better
results. I need to experiment a bit more with it and we will see.
I also asked few friends for their recommendations of a cheap, but relatively good, spray can primer. I ended up buying this:
It’s a spray can primer available here in Poland in almost every Auchan supermarket. I paid for it around 3$/2.5EUR/12PLN. In comparison Montana Black paint is for around 4$/3.70EUR/17PLN. The difference is not great when you buy two or three cans, but can make a difference if you need a lot of cans.
As I had to test the Montana Black spray paint and was also testing the new Kameleon Spray Primer I decided to try Den Braven Universal White Primer a second change. Here are the comparison photos:
Den Braven Universal White Matt Kameleon Primer White MattFrom left to right: Kameleon Primer White Matt, Montana Black series Black Matt, Den Braven Universal White Matt
For
me this time Montana is number 1, even though the paint is slightly
too thick for my taste. However, it might have been my fault. Number
2 is the Kameleon Primer White Matt. I got a feeling that this primer
might be very good when you know how to use it, will definitely give
it a go in the future. With the last one, honestly, I wouldn’t even
use it for terrain. Straight to the bin.
Final
thoughts
For
all future MDF and HDF projects I am going to stick with the Montana
Black and Gold series spray cans. I really love their colors, high
density of pigment and how they seal the MDF/HDF and prevent it from
soaking more paints.
While
for priming miniatures I will probably use a mix of cheap and
dedicated spray primers. For the most part I am going to stick to the
cheaper ones. Why? You may ask. The fact they work. I simply see no
reason and need to change them. Maybe for more ‘collectible’ and
really expensive pieces I am going to use the dedicated spray
primers. The same goes for painting big armies and using a specific
color of primer as my base coat.
My
final advice is to try some cheap spray can primers and test them on
few broken models. If you are happy with the result, use it. If you
prefer dedicated miniature spray can primers, stick to them. In the
end each of us, gamers, prefer different tools and use different
techniques. If something works for you, that is all that matters 🙂
If
you have any questions just write them down in the comments section
or on our Facebook page. I am more than happy to answer them or just
have a nice chat about out hobby 🙂
In almost every
wargaming system sooner or later you will find rules for some kind of
vehicles. Be it a tank, a car, a spaceship, or a simple wooden wagon.
Today I present you a list of different kind of vehicles, and I hope
that each of you will find something suitable for your games. Enjoy
your reading!
Tanks,
Jeeps and other WWII vehicles
There are many wargaming systems covering that part of our history. They might be in different scales; like 1/100 Flames of War or 28mm scale Bolt of Action. However, as different as those two games may be in case of rules, the period is pretty much the same or almost the same 😉 There are plenty of models available for World War II rule sets available on Thingiverse. Some of them are actually legendary, and well-known to the gamers. Even so, I hope that you can find a new interesting vehicle, which you can use for your games.
1-100 Modern Tanks
and Vehicles by m_bergman –
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3766220 This
is one of the biggest collection of models that I have ever seen on
Thingiverse! And they are fully free for non-commercial use and
available for commercial use, under some conditions of course.
Science-Fiction wawrgaming systems are extremely popular. In most cases, having a vehicle in your ‘army list’ is a must, rather than an option. However, even if you do not need anything like a sci-fi tank or buggie, there is still room for using cars as a terrain piece. So let’s have a look what you can print for your army or gaming table.
I do know that I probably shouldn’t join those two categories together; however I do feel that models presented here are perfectly suitable for both settings. I see no reasons in splitting the models in two different categories if they can be use interchangeably in different, but similar settings.
This is a new category, as I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to put cars, excavators and all other trucks and mustangs just waiting to be printed! All those models can be used for zombie apocalypse or other post-apocalyptic like settings.
Are
you looking for something specific? Let me know!
Let me remind you
that if are you looking for something specific or simply need help
finding some bits just let me know. I am more than happy to provide
you with a list of files suitable for your project. All you need to
do is to let me know by writing a comment below! I will make an
article around the theme chosen by you 🙂
Previous parts of
What to print for wargaming
series:
Before
painting you need to primer your models. This is one of many ‘golden
rules’ of miniature painting. You can primer your models by using a
brush, airbrush and spray paint primer. If you have a horde of
miniatures to prime a brush is not the most tempting way to do it.
Not everyone have an airbrush, so a spray paint seems to be the best
and quickest option. However, it is often not as easy as it seems.
Let’s have a look how to make it easier for your, by providing few
tips and tricks and why you should prime your models.
Why priming is important
The case with priming is the same as with washing your models in warm water with some soap. Most people will tell you that it is essential, other will tell you that it is not important at all. I always prime my models and for me it’s just common sense.
So, why you should prime your models? Mainly, to prevent paint from flaking off your miniatures. Paint can have adhesive problems when used directly on plastic, metal or any other material that the miniature is made of. By priming the model you are creating a better surface for next layers of paint. You will find that primed models can be easier to paint as the paint sticks to them better, than to unprimed miniatures.
Painted models that were primed before painting are less likely to paint chipping when damaged during a game. Imagine that by a mistake you or your friend caused a model to fall from the table on the floor. Such fall can damage the models itself, not to mention the paintjob. Primed models, even when the paintjob is damaged and chipped in few places, should not show the bare metal or plastic, but the primer in those chipped places. In some cases, the paintjob will not take any damage thanks to the paint strongly sticking to the primer.
What color to use for priming your miniatures?
In
general there are three colors that most people use: black, white and
(light) grey. Those three colors are the most commonly used when
priming your miniatures. Before choosing the color you need to know
what you want to achieve. On black primer it will take more time and
layers of paint to get bright colors. When a miniature is primed with
white paint, all colors will be brighter, not as dark as when painted
on black primer. What if you are looking for more neutral color? Here
comes the grey primer to help you out. Grey color is considered to be
a neutral one, compared to black and white. Colors will not be too
bright, or too dark. We can say that they are going to be ‘toned
down’ a bit.
For beginner painters I would suggest a grey
primer. By many painters it is consider the easiest one to work with
and the most universal one.
It
is worth to mention that you can use many other colors to prime your
models. It makes sense especially, when you are painting an army and
can treat your primer as a basecoat.
Then you are just making your life much easier and speeding up you painting as you have 2in1: models primed and base coated at once.
What spray paint brand to use
There are many different brands on the market and at first it might be quite hard to choose the right one, especially when you are a beginner. So what brand to choose? I would say that the best idea would be to choose one of the brands dedicated to miniature painting. Which means: Games Workshop, Army Painter, Vallejo, Tamiya and the list goes on… Miniature dedicated primers were made especially for priming models. In other words they are designed for miniatures and should not melt them or damage them in any other way. Plus, they are expected to provide good coverage with thin layer(s) of paint and allow all those nice details to be seen through the primer.
The
downfall is that they can be quite pricey at times.
What about using cheaper not dedicated spray primers?
It
is natural that you will try to find a cheaper alternative to the
expensive dedicated spray primers. It is possible to get a quite good
spray primer that was not made especially for miniatures, but still
provides nice coverage and does not damage your models.
The question is which one to choose and which one is the best?
I
cannot give you one name and be 100% sure that it will not damage
your models and that you will be happy with the achieved result. I
can, however, give you few names as a starting point where to look
and what other modelers are recommending to try. Have a look at the
offer of: – Krylon primers (color master paint + primer) –
Brite Touch (general purpose primer) – Rust-Oleum Automotive
Primer (probably best for metal) – Deco Color – Dupli Color (or
Dupli-Color) – Den Braven – MONTANA (Gold and Black series)
You can find one of those brands in most countries and builders warehouses or even supermarkets. Before buying any of them please make sure that you are buying a PRIMER, and that it’s a MATT one. Believe me, you don’t want to end up with a gloss primer or just black gloss paint instead of a primer. Also make sure that you are NOT taking a VARNISH
Few things to have in mind when using cheap spray primers
Cheaper
primers most advantage is that they are cheap. Sometimes they also
provide a better protection and adhesion than miniature dedicated
spray primers. Unfortunately they are few downfalls that you need to
have in mind when buying and using those cheap primers:
– they
tend to have more aerosol in them than miniature dedicated primers
(you can overspray the miniature and it can be harder to control the
spraying itself)
– they stink. Yeap, they simply stink and the
smell can be still there even after leaving the model for 24-48h
outdoors
– it is safe to say that in most cases paint is
thicker than in dedicated miniature spray primers. This may lead,
again, to overspraying and flooding your models with paint, losing
all those lovely details.
–
they might damage your models. I am thinking mostly about plastic and
resin models, but metal miniatures are no exception. You never know
how the primer will react with plastic, metal or resin. Car primers
melting plastic or resin miniatures are nothing new 😉
Ok,
so if there are so many ‘general’ disadvantages are they actually
worth the hassle? The short answer is yes, but you need to be careful
and find the one that is right for you.
Before
applying any primer on your miniature take a spare model or a model
sprue and check if you are satisfied with the result. If you are not
happy how the primer looks, it’s too glossy or maybe it is flaking
off the plastic it’s not for you. The same goes if it melts the
plastic, it’s sticky, or the paint is to too thick – it is not
worth the hassle.
My own experience
For the last few days I was priming around 12-15 HDF terrain kits and some plastic GW models with some cheap and cheap-ish primers. We will talk about working with HDF and MDF another time though 😉
What are my conclusions? I will not recommend White Den Braven Super Color Universal spray paint for priming MDF or models. The paint is way too thick for my liking and the coverage is not too good either. However, white is a tricky color and it is hard to find a good white paint and primer. In the contrary, Den Braven Black Matt is OK for me. I can recommend it, but you need to be careful not to overspray the miniature.
I love the MONTANA Black series of paint. It is very good for HDF and MDF kits and the color palette is just amazing! Plus the price is quite good (17zł/7$) compared with the dedicated miniature primers. I have not tried to prime any miniatures with it so far, but will make a try especially for you soon. One of my friend’s advised me not to use in on miniatures, as for him the paint is way too thick for our hobby needs. However, my other friend told me that MONTANA Black series Black Matt paint is ok for him for miniatures. I will need to see it for myself 😉
What’s
next?
In second part of ‘How to prime your models with spray paint’ I will talk more how to use spray primers, or better to say how to make them work. How to prepare cans before priming and use them properly. I will also give you some tips how to avoid most common mistakes that people do with spray paints in general.
Our series of what to print for wargaming is slowly growing. You can have a look at previous parts, where I covered the topics of bases, weapons and horses. Today I want to talk about different accessories, that you might want to use in your games. Curious what is it all about this time? Read on.
Where
there is war, there are casualties
Sad but true. Where
there is war, there are casualties. I do realize that in most
wargames there are no rules for casualties. After all when one of
your soldiers is killed, you just take the model off the table.
However, I do believe that miniatures representing casualties can be
used as casualty or wound markers and to add a bit of realism to your
games. Sometimes, they can also be used as unit ‘gap fillers’,
when you are missing a figure of two and do not really want to buy
another box just for 1 or 2 miniatures. Plus, if you are a diorama
maker, they will definitely come in handy.
Every now and then
you probably miss having few figures of civilians on your gaming
table. Be it a waitress, innkeeper or just people walking down the
street. Also, during some games your objective is to escort someone
or to release some prisoners, and then all those civilian figures can
be useful. I hope that you will be able to find something for your
needs:
One day I will print them all (Hospital Staff) and make one huge horror inspired game in a haunter asylum…
Monsters!
Let’s admit it
openly. At some point all of us, gamers, have a need to paint and use
monsters in one of our games. In most cases, the bigger the better!
D&D and all other so called paper RPG players, I have some good
monster propositions for you
When I look at that Cockatrice I want to make a ‘The Witcher’ inspired diorama 😀
Objective
Markers
In almost every
wargaming system there is an option or a scenario where you need to
place some objective markers on the board. Those markers can be
represented by almost anything, however how much nicer it looks when
you use dedicated objective markers? Have a look at what I have
found.
In case of objective markers of wound/casualty markers it is a good idea to do them from scratch instead of looking for ready-made products. By combining few different objects – like barrels, weapons, ammo crates etc. you can make a simple but good looking objective marker. You can print each piece of the puzzle separately and then arrange it as you see fit. Markers made in such way give you must more satisfaction, than ready-made 3D printable designs.
It might be a good idea to look for markers in the board games section. A lot of files marked as ‘for board games’ can be easily adapted for wargaming needs.
Are
you looking for something specific? Let me know!
Let me remind you
that if are you looking for something specific or simply need help
finding some bits just let me know. I am more than happy to provide
you with a list of files suitable for your project. All you need to
do is to let me know by writing a comment below! I will make an
article around the theme chosen by you 🙂
We already talked about the concept of a limited palette (check it here). Now it is time to give it a go and try the theory in practice 🙂 If you want to have a peak on my take on the idea of a limited palette read on.
Try to answer some questions first
First
thing I would recommend is to try to answer some questions first.
Your limited palette will quite heavily depend on the model(s) and
current project you are working on. Try to determine how you want to
paint the model first: – Do you want to follow a specific color
scheme? – You need cool or warm colors? – How many colors you
want to use? – How much mixing you are comfortable to take?
After answering at least some of these questions it is time to choose your color palette.
In my case it is one of the plastic Frostgrave Barbarians from northstarfigures. I have around five of them. They are going to be a part of my warbands for Frostgrave and Rangers of Shadow Deep. So, let me answer some of the questions: – No specific color scheme, will determine it on the go. – Probably cool colors – Frostgrave = Winter is coming 😉 – 6 is the maximum (excluding the primer) – As much as it will take to finish the miniature. I want to learn as much as possible from this experience.
Ok, let’s have a look at our paint collection.
Choosing your palette
When you know what you are going to paint and how you are going to paint it, it is time to choose paints for your limited palette. Painting skin and flesh tones is not my specialty, so a color for skin is a must in my case. Barbarian without some fur is not a barbarian 😛 In such case I need some browns. Red – to mix some red-ish browns and darker brown mixes. Let’s try to paint some ice weapon or maybe some NMM (don’t really like it, but maybe I will give it a try). Blue it is then. Green is the last one. Ok, so why green? Just because xD I liked the color and was curious what mixes I will get with it. No idea how it will end for me, but I hope to have some fun mixing all those colors together.
Know your colors
I am still learning how to use a limited palette. Sometimes I am choosing wrong colors and struggling to get a satisfactory result. Next time, I am forgetting how I mixed a particular color or shade and have no idea how to do mix the highlights. So as you can see, it is a constant learning process for me. So what I learned so far?
Know your colors.
I start with making a quick color mixing guide. Just take a piece of paper, write down the name of each paint, and start mixing them together in 1:1 ratio. When you have a general idea what secondary colors you can get, try to make one or two simple color wheels to get some more secondary and tertiary colors. Now you have a starting point and a reference of available colors. You can and certainly will get more different colors, but you can now see what colors to use to get a desired shade and tint.
I created a very simple and quick color wheel that you can use for your own projects. The link to download the PDF should be at the end of this article.
What have I learned so far?
As I mentioned before, using the limited palette is still a constant learning process for me. However, I can give you some tips and advice how to make this process easier and more user-friendly:
– Make notes on your mixes. I cannot stress it enough. It will be much easier for you to determine how to mix relevant highlights, shadows or just get back to the basic color.
– Don’t be afraid to experiment. Using a limited palette is just another tool and learning step in becoming a better painter. It will help you understand the color theory better and how all that mixing works in general.
–
Washes. This is a second ‘paint’, that I missed in my palette.
Washes are an easy way to get shadows, and to unify the whole
painting altogether. This is what I missed. You could potentially use
any paint as a wash or glaze by using different techniques and
solvents. The question is, how much of different ‘painting
chemistry’ you want to include in your limited palette.
–
When choosing paints for your palette, remember that most of paints
that we use for miniature painting are not a single pigment paints.
It means that when you are mixing them together it is harder to
predict what result you will get. As in fact, those paints, are also
a mix of different pigments in various proportions. While, when you
are using single pigment paints, you can easily predict what color
you will get when mixing specific colors together. This is a very
important factor to take into account when selecting paints for your
palette as you might find using primary colors and single pigment
paints much easier, in the long run.
– White and Black should be a part of your limited palette. It is just my opinion. This is how it works for me, at least for now. I found out that I can easily work without black, but working without white was a bit difficult at times. With the set that I choose to work with it was hard for me to get the highlights that I wanted. By adding some white to some mixes I would probably achieved better results. Also, white, would end up as my final highlight in few places.
–
If you don’t like what you see, just paint it all over again. If
you are not sure if the highlight you just mixed is right, try it on
the miniature. However, prepare a wet cloth or a clean wet brush to
wipe the paint off if it is not what you are looking for.
–
Sometimes strange color mixes, might work brilliantly when put on the
model. So don’t be afraid to mix 3 or 4 colors together and use
such mix as a highlight or shadow. In some cases it can make wonders,
even if you feel that it will look odd. I for example, used some blue
for the beard in few places, followed by green-ish grey. I really
like the final result. The same goes for the helmet. I started
with dark violet mix of brown and red, and highlighted it with
pink-ish brown. In my opinion it worked quite well. Which was not as
obvious for me 😉
My mistakes
First of all, please keep in mind that this miniature was painted in just one short (around 1-1,5h) painting session. It is still a WIP (Work in Progress), as I haven’t finished painting the skin, the axe and armguards. What mistakes I made:
– I really like to turquoise color mix that I managed to get. However, when I am looking at the miniature now, it doesn’t look good compared with other brown-ish leather and cloth elements. In other words, wrong color scheme.
– I struggled a lot with highlighting the turquoise tunic. I changed the mix three to four times, but was never happy with the final result. I should have repainted it
–
I forgot what mix I used to paint the fur around his neck, and had no
idea how to get proper highlights. Now it doesn’t look to good to
be honest. I should have repainted that area using a fresh mix, wrote
down the recipe for that mix, and then try to get better color for
highlights.
–
Overall, I very often used too bright colors as my base colors. I
should have used darker mixes and leave the brighter ones as
highlights. This simple mistake forced me to use far brighter mixes
as highlight than I really wanted. It also made the whole process of
mixing much more difficult.
– Contrast. I should have used much more contrast. I am constantly struggling with this, so it is another.
When it will work and when it is a bad idea?
I got a feeling that using limited palette is a good idea with display pieces and more artistic work in general. While, obviously, it is going to be a nightmare when used for army painting. Mixing paints is a fun idea until you are too overwhelmed and too tired to make another batch or the same color for the 10th time during the same painting session.
At the beginning,
when you are trying out mixing for the first time it can be quite
difficult to properly paint a miniature during more than one painting
session. For me, a limited palette works ok, as long as I manage to
finish the model during a single painting session. The more sessions
I need to finish painting, the more difficult it gets to make
relevant paint mixes. Even with notes on recipes. I do know that
professionals are using limited palette ‘tool’ all the time and
have far better understanding of colors and how they work. However,
for me it is quite difficult at times to get the mix that I want and
that will work well on the miniature.
Try it and figure out your own way of using it Please remember that all information contained in this article are just my way of using a limited palette. Simply speaking, it is my opinion and my try on this subject. It does not mean that it is the only and right way of doing it. What I am trying to say is that you need to experience it in your very own way, do it as you want and as you need. Painting miniatures is a hobby, and as such is supposed to be relaxing and fun. I hope that your adventure with limited palette is going to be exactly that, relaxing and fun.
So far in our series of ‘What to print for wargaming?’ I covered the topic of horses and weapons. You can find the last one here.This time I had a look at miniature bases for our beloved models.
It was a bit tricky how to manage the categories. In other words it took me some time to decide whether I want to follow my usual ‘list’ or make it more themed based: ‘desert bases’, ‘stone bases’ etc. Hope that I did it right 😉
City bases – cobblestone, ruined streets, sewers, debris In this section you will find all kinds of different street type bases. Building an army for Warhammer 40k? Here it is – imperial city theme! Want more cracks in the concrete street and/or more metal parts? Got you covered. What about simple and traditional cobblestone? Yes, it is on the list. If you are playing Frostrave, Watrhammer or even Batman Miniature Game you can easily find something suitable for your game.
Science Fiction city, barracks and factories Any Infinity or Necromunda players out there? I got something for you. Sci-Fi city streets, barrack floors and factory grounds. All is here. You want to play a quick skirmish in the HiveCity, or on some kind of a drilling platform ? Have a look on the list below.
Skeletons, Undead, Zombies and all that Necromancer business… Graveyard, skulls, bones and much more! If you were looking for some suitable bases for your Undead or Skeleton army you have it all here. However it will be just fine for a Bolt Action team attacking or defending a Church 😉
I have sand in my shoes! Yes, you got it right. I am going to present you some sets of desert themed bases. Desert wasteland, ruins and stone roads covered with sand and plenty of cracked earth. Plenty of possibilities here! Ever wanted a skeleton ‘Egyptian’ like army (Tomb Kings anyone)? Not your cup of tea, ok, what about some Fallout and Wild West theme games? If the answer is yes, you will find something for you.
What about board gamers and D&D players? – no worries, I found something for you
I managed to find some interesting solutions suitable for board games and Dungeon & Dragons players out there. I present you with flying/climbing solutions and health counters!
TIP Sometimes when I am looking for some specific theme I tend to check ‘strange’ tags# and search by not so straightforward ‘search entries’. For example, under ‘banner’ you can find really cool looking ‘bases’ 😛
In other words, from time to time it is good to check tags that are not directly related to the model or theme you are looking for.
Are you looking for something specific? Let me know!
Let me remind you that if are you looking for something specific or simply need help finding some bits just let me know. I am more than happy to provide you with a list of files suitable for your project. All you need to do is to let me know by writing a comment below! I will make an article around the theme chosen by you 🙂
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
