What I’m Working On
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 paint more than a thousand miniatures.
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. Below each faction, game or boardgame are a collection of the latest blog posts on said subject.
Wargames
As with many others, my first foray into miniature painting was Warhammer 40,000. I started with T’au but these days I collect whatever looks coolest. From the disgusting Death Guard to the indomitable Astra Militarum 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. My collection might be mostly Games Workshop miniatures at the moment, but I do plan on picking up some models from other game systems.
You can’t have a cemetery without some crypts. The Cursed Sepulchre/Nexus of Grief set for Age of Sigmar is a great way to add some spooky looking terrain to your tabletop.
We’re now a gardening blog as we pledge ourselves to the Root. I’ve had my eye on Turnip28 for a while now and I figured there no time like the post-apocalyptic mud-logged future to get involved.
Technically, Dire Wolves are part of a Soulblight Gravelords army. But there’s no reason to keep these undead doggies out of my Nurgle horde. I’m sure in life they were in fact the goodest bois.
Nurgle
I have probably painted more Nurgle miniatures than any other. There’s something about the skin flaps, the boils and the maggots that make them so much fun to paint. Not to mention the armour and weapons that are awesome fun to make look weathered and decayed. They’re a great excuse to use techniques like chipping and enamel washes that I don’t get to use anywhere else.
You can never have enough zombies. In this article we get some Living Dead Peasants from Fire Forge Games tabletop ready in no time. Plus we sneak in a few sci-fi twists to make them feel at home in the forty-first millennium.
Nurgle daemons are always fun to paint. They’re all flesh texture so they’re perfect for washes, contrast paints and drybrushing. Whilst the Cankerborn do have some extra details, nevertheless we can paint them up in no time.
There’s a few tokens, and of course the Mire Kelpies that come with the Pox-Wretched, in Warhammer Quest: Darkwater. It this article we cover how to get them painted up in no time and play with some water effects.
The Pox-Wretches are the lowest of all Nurgle’s followers, and the most numerous of those encountered in the Jade Abbey. As such there are a bunch of them in the Darkwater box, but with thanks to some contrast paints we can get them table top ready in no time.
Kill Team
Being a smaller skirmish game Kill Team has become the perfect vehicle to release teams of models that otherwise wouldn’t fit into larger Warhammer 40,000 armies. As such I have amassed a fair few Kill Teams throughout the years.
In this article I go through the process of building a second box of Veteran Guardsmen to compliment and fill out the Kill Team I had from the first box.
Armoured only in faith the Sanctifiers take to the battlefield to cleanse the unholy with blood and fire. In this article I test out a new wash that promises to add depth and warmth to my miniatures.
Goremongers, who cut their own legs off to better emulate Bloodletter Daemons, are described as Khorne’s most reliable troops. Which is honestly, shocking.
Saint Celestine watches over us. Such a large and unwieldy terrain might seem a nightmare to paint, but with some simple techniques we can get our Saint looking ready for veneration in no time!
Commemorative Series
Like Kill Team, Games Workshop’s Commemorative Series miniatures are great one-off projects that don’t have to fit into an army. As they don’t fit in anywhere, they are an ideal way to test out painting techniques or styles you wouldn’t normally use.
Foolish are those that underestimate a fully grown Genestealer, their razor sharp talons will make short work of even the toughest armour. In this article, we try to find a scheme that is both alien and easy to paint.
The Inquisition are some of the most feared agents of the Imperium. Given absolute authority in the execution of their duties, their grim role breeds grim operatives. None more so than Inquisitor Ostromandeus and his retinue.
Leading the forces of the Cities of Sigmar, the Marshall and his Squire cut an imposing figure. In this article I take some historical inspiration for my scheme. Perhaps this will be the start of my own Dawnbringer Crusade?
As a member of the elite Kasrkin our Unbroken friend here needs a paint job that will make him stand out on the tabletop. Somewhat ironically, it’s his camouflage that helps him stand above his fellow Guardsmen.
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.
Nurgle daemons are always fun to paint. They’re all flesh texture so they’re perfect for washes, contrast paints and drybrushing. Whilst the Cankerborn do have some extra details, nevertheless we can paint them up in no time.
There’s a few tokens, and of course the Mire Kelpies that come with the Pox-Wretched, in Warhammer Quest: Darkwater. It this article we cover how to get them painted up in no time and play with some water effects.
The Pox-Wretches are the lowest of all Nurgle’s followers, and the most numerous of those encountered in the Jade Abbey. As such there are a bunch of them in the Darkwater box, but with thanks to some contrast paints we can get them table top ready in no time.
The last roaming monster that I needed to do for Massive Darkness 2 was Andra. A horrifying undead amalgamation of demon and angel, they swoop in and out of battle to target the most vulnerable heroes.
Narrative Campaigns
I do also love to tell a story, the idea of a telling a story over a series of linked battles is honestly one of the reasons that I started this blog. I have recently picked up a copy of the Five Parsecs from Home rulebook, and I have been having eyeing up other systems through which I can spin a narrative.
The Sisters race against time to rescue a stricken transport. It’s cargo? A Frater of the Ecclesiarchy. Will they reach him in time, or has the priest given his last sermon?
Dispatched to the heart of Eterna’s forests, Strike Team Baraqiel has been tasked with gathering intel on the Enemy. But with the undead lurking behind every tree and crypt, nothing is as easy as it seems.
Completed Projects
Some projects never truly end. Some though, through blood, sweat and even tears do draw to their inevitable conclusion. And by the Emperor does it feel good to get a project, an army, a story completed. Below are archives of blog posts for projects that I have managed to complete.
Village Attacks
A lot of games might have you fight a monster in a castle, but in Village Attacks you are the monster! And it’s up to you to defend your castle from a horde of peasants and villagers who are, quite frankly, sick of you stealing away their loved ones in the night.
At last we tackle the Troll! The final expansion that I need to do for Village Attacks. I did say it would be a big one!
This week we're diving into the Village Attacks expansion Rage and Avarice featuring iconic monsters such as the Baykok and the Wendigo, as well as the Town Heroes the Spirit Tracker and the Wind Dancer.
This week we're diving into the Village Attacks expansion Wrath and Ruin featuring iconic monsters such as the Leshy and the Glaistig, as well as the Town Heroes the Pathfinder and the Jailer.
This week we're diving into the Village Attacks expansion Dread and Malice featuring iconic monsters such as the Krampus and the Bogeyman, as well as the Town Heroes the Berserker and the Engineer.
This week we take aim at the Germanic inspired Greed and Fury expansion for Village Attacks. Featuring the Draugr, Red Cap, Shield Maiden and Celt these models are easy to paint and look great on the tabletop.
The Kickstarter edition of Village Attacks comes with a new Monster and Town Hero along with trap miniatures.
Our next expansion for Village Attacks to hit the painting desk is Fear and Torment, which features creatures from English folklore.
Next up is the Despair and Abhorrence expansion for Village Attacks which features monsters from Slavic folklore.
More Village Attacks expansions, this time we take a look at Doom and Suffering which features creatures from European folklore.
It’s been a while but at last I get stuck back into Village Attacks with the Terror and Anguish expansion.
Last but not least we come to the monsters of the Village Attacks: Horror of the Sands expansion. From the fiery Efreet to the insidious Ghoul, no villagers will last the night from the desert nightmares.
The Horror of the Sands expansion for Village Attacks has a host of colourful Town Heroes that can show up and ruin your day.
The Horror of the Sands expansion for Village Attacks brings the deadly Yunfakh Hunters! So swift they cannot be killed at range, one must get close to end them…
The Village Attacks heroes are a diverse bunch with a myriad of ways to ruin your day. From the Gravedigger to the Skald each of these miniatures are packed with details.
The first of the Village Attacks heroes from the core box; the dreaded Executioner! Built like a brick poop-house he can easily cut down your poor monsters with ease.
The final two monsters in the Village Attacks core box. After this, it’s onto the Town Heroes!
Zombicide: Invader
Zombies in space! Well, Xenos at any rate. But they bite just as hard. From hordes of enemies to highly individual heroes, Zombicide Invader has it all. And while it took some time to get everything done, I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
Speedpainting can be a great way to smash out a pile of miniatures in no time at all. In article we take a look at the steps I took to get the Driller Xenos from Zombicide Invader painted as efficiently as possible.
The bold and colourful Kabuki Gang might seem like a challenge to paint but with some careful planning they can be both quick to paint and still pop on the tabletop.
Adept at containing infections the Plague Gang are ideally placed to take the fight to the Xenos threat.
The Operation Persephone campaign for Zombicide Invader: Dark Side introduces Scientist Companions. In this article I use slapchop to get them painted in no time at all.
One of the stretch goals for the Zombicide Invader kickstarter campaign was the Soldier Extras, a box of extra gribblies and survivors to add to your games of Zombicide Invader.
Dark Side is another expansion to Zombicide Invader, as these soldiers are all from the same unit I was able to experiment with some quick effects to really make them pop on the tabletop.
The last batch of miniatures for the Civilian Extras for Zombicide Invader, just a few enemies that need mopping up.
The final lot of Survivors before I move onto finishing off the remaining enemies in the Civilian Extras box.
The third batch in my on going quest to get speed paint my way through all the miniature in the Zombicide Invader Civilian Extras box.
The second batch of Survivors from the Civilian Extras as I continue to power my way through Zombicide Invader.
I’ve tested the method and now I’m speed painting my way through the Survivors in the Civilian Extras box for Zombicide Invader
Yellow armour can be notoriously hard to paint, but there are a few tricks to make it easier. In this article I take a look at one such trick.
Yet more miniatures from the Zombicide Invader Civilian Extras stretch that are unsuited to the slapchop method. But with some simple techniques they can be tabletop ready in no time.
Continuing with the Zombicide Invader Civilian Extras I have identified a number of models that would be unsuited to being slapchopped. As such, we need to paint them the old fashioned way.
In this article I see what all the fuss is with the “slapchop” technique. Is the time saver that the internet claims it is? I put it to the test on these Zombicide Invader miniatures.
The Black Ops is an expansion for Zombicide Invader that pits an elite special forces team against the Xenos threat. As they’re from a singular team I was able to batch paint this box in no time at all.
Mansions of Madness
Exploring old mansions and hoping you don’t disturb some long forgotten cosmic horror has never looked so good. Pick your investigator and work together if you want to survive the night.
It turns out that horrors from beyond the realms of mortal comprehension are actually really easy to paint. In this article I use a handful of paints to bring these Star Spawn to life (not literally).
The second batch of Mansions fo Madness investogators. This time we take a look at Rita Young, Preston Fairmont, Wendy Adams and Carson Sinclair.
Mansions of Madness 2nd edition has a whole host of investigators for you to control as they make their way through the haunted halls of Arkham. In this article we take a look at painting the first batch of them.
The third batch of enemies for Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition. This time with take a look at the slimy Deep Ones, the terrifying Hunting Horrors as well as the creepy Priest of Dagon and the shambling Child of Dagon.
The second batch of enemies for Mansions of Madness have been completed. This time we take a look at the spooky ghosts and the even spookier cultists (they have mustaches).
The Mansions of Madness miniatures are quick and easy to paint. But with the right paint job they can add to the creepy nature of the board game.
You can never have enough zombies. In this article we get some Living Dead Peasants from Fire Forge Games tabletop ready in no time. Plus we sneak in a few sci-fi twists to make them feel at home in the forty-first millennium.