#hobby talk

[maniakminis]

Starting off the Orc and Goblin army with my Giant (Dankhold Troggoth) and Trolls. The Troggoth is such a cool model, I want this to be the centerpiece for my army so whatever I paint with this guy should help decide the colors for the rest of the army.

And because I always forget, here's the skin recipe so far.

Watered down Woodland Camo airbrushed over a zenithal highlight. The lighter skin on the stomach and under the arms is a 50/50 mix of Middlestone and Charred Bone, watered down and airbrushed. The darker skin on the rocky backs is 75/25 mix of Camo Green and Black.

They've got a ways to go but I'm already really happy with how they're looking! Since I've had these models one of the painting ideas I've had for them was just "Really Big Goblins" so I wanted them to be green with yellow bellies!

[tinyrelicsandtalltales]

A revisit to an old model, but I'm testing my camera and trying to get better pictures overall. Someone told me my Typhus models original photos looked like they'd been run through an AI filter and it got under my skin. But it gives me an excuse to repost some stuff and talk about it too, so here we go.

My Techpriest Enginseer for the tank army I never got off the ground, lol. At this point I was doing the full dry brush buildups from I think in this one's case it was Zandri Dust, a wash, then building up layers of contrast and drybrush. It makes for a good rich color but can be maddening.

Ah, the model that got me back into painting! I love Snikrot, every little thing about him screams cool to me and he was so much fun to paint. I had only just begun to use contrast paints here and hadn't developed my own personal style yet. I was trying so many different things but I still really love this model. I hadn't painted in YEARS but when I saw this model I knew I wanted back in. I even have the kill Team, I'll post them some other time.

Oof, ignore the mold lines here, I wasn't confident in my blade skills and was at times painting as a way of therapy and wasn't as attentive in my construction as I could have been. That said, there's a lot I like about this time period in my painting. I had settled into contrasts and edge highlighting through careful brushwork but I was still learning with every model. I was trying out so many different things still but I felt like I made solid colors and highlights and that my block work wasn't bad at all.

That's the last of them for now! I'm still working on other projects, the ongoing Tyrant for next week and the blight of Nurgle models I have that I want to paint more than anything. I don't even have the codex yet or I'd have already begun painting Plague Marines. As it is my warband is growing by what only has a singular weapons profile and Typhus.

[thekalpar]

So the miniatures hobby is about to be decimated in a big way thanks to the end of the de minimis exemption.

https://www.easyship.com/blog/de-minimis-exemption-suspension

What is de minimis?

So short version, de minimis in the United States was a rule that if you imported less than $800 worth of stuff you didn't have to pay tariffs on it. Logic being any tariff money the government got off of it wouldn't be worth the time and aggravation of collecting it. However, thanks to Two Scoops and a compliant Congress that de minimis exemption is going away on August 29th.

Okay, Kalpar, but how does that affect minis?

So here's the thing, having been around the miniature hobby for a few years. A lot of stuff is made elsewhere, particularly in the UK but I've gotten stuff from Spain, Poland, Germany, Canada. Miniatures are a truly global hobby which I find wonderful but now if I order a package from let's say the UK, I'm going to have to pay the post office $80 for it to clear customs. At least that's the impression I'm getting from the article above.

There have been multiple things I have ordered from other countries, usually small things like mdf bases or paper flags for historical units. Total price? Maybe $10 USD. But now because of the closing of de minimis and the USPS charging a flat fee that $10 order is now $90.

Obviously Two Scoops is stumbling around on a day to day basis and things change based on his whims, but that means I have no idea what will happen. And based on the fact he seems obsessed with tariffs and right now Congress is willing to give him whatever he wants I think we're going to be stuck with a bad situation for some time.

Obviously there are a lot of other big, important things going on. My own government doesn't recognize my gender as existing and has it out for me personally, but I can't even enjoy my hobbies for a bit.

[barefoothki]

Late Night with the Spirit Torment? Working on improving this blending technique I saw in the Nagash tutorial. I’m going to need a lot of practice before I honor the True God of Death! Had a lot of fun playing Skirmish earlier tonight as well. My opponent was running Bonesplitterz, with myself running Nighthaunt. I have never seen my Knight of Shrouds cut so much to ribbons. I have also never had such an orky good time. Thanks Wes! My list was very elite heavy so I didn’t have much in the way of bodies... anyway, the orruks shot me up. Still won all four games, but goddamn those Arrowboyz get disgusting once you get enough of them! I even had a Spirit Host take TWELVE mortal wounds in one spell! I mean the orruk must have manifested bones inside of it just to paste them or something. It was a magnificent roll for casting. One game I was left with just the Knight and my Guardian, and by all that is sacred and profane, those things destroy when working together! Glorious. Well, back to the gloom. (Also: That moment when your opponent’s shaman blows himself up with his mask. Priceless.)

[nigiyakapeppercraft]

i love the process, i really do. it’s just been a while, i forgot how long it takes me to put something together in a way i’ll be satisfied by

[maniakminis]

What I noticed in my first game of old world is how important having your banner was. I failed nearly every combat, even the ones where none of my side died, because my opponent had the benefit of a banner on his end. This led my trolls to fleeing and getting overrun and my boyz having to give ground multiple times! Next game I'll be sure to give my melee blocks their full command!

Also my friend was asking me how to do freehand painting. I took some pictures of the rough process I went through for this skull. I'm no expert but I'm excited to get more freehand practice in while working on this army!

[maniakminis]

Some shots of my second game of Warhammer Old World. 1k Points of Dwarfs vs Orcs and Goblins. Incredible game, the Fanatics and and my Shaman on Wyvern did a lot of work. Incredibly swingy, we both had a few hundred points flee the table. 523 to 499, just barely an Orc victory!