Warhammer Curious!

Come With Me As I Cross Over To The Dark Side!

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As a model maker (I think I still count) you cannot open YouTube with out the almost subliminal whisper of 'Warhammer, Warhammer, Warhammer, Warhammer...' from your video homepage... 😄

If you like to watch miniature painting or tabletop games - even tangentially - there's always a Game Workshop Warhammer themed project in your que of videos somewhere. (Evan in pop-cultural/TV news you can't escape as currently a big story is Henry Cavill's ongoing spat with Amazon regarding his Warhammer 40,000 'on/off' show!)

Above: Bucking the cliche of the classic miniature painting 'nerd', 
chiselled star Henry Cavillis famously a big 'Warhammer 40k' fan
who collects and paints his own army of miniatures!

But anyway, the point is I have finally succumbed to the mystic pull of GW's ecosystem and become 'Warhammer curious'!

Where It All Began...

I've always been aware of Warhammer as the main model supplies stores in my little town has had to be tabletops gaming shops. Though - luckily for me - they now recognise me as the 'modelling wierdo' who just comes in to buy paints and glue so they leave me along and don't try to recruit me into the cult anymore. 😂

Still, I always like to look at their model display cabinets and do admire the skill and creativity that goes into painting the Warhammer figs. So, I know of the franchise and what it's about.

But my first real contact with the Warhammer World has to be through my computer gaming hobby via games like 'Warhammer: Dawn of War' (real time strategy), 'Total War: Warhammer' (fantasy wargame), 'Warhammer: Vermintude' (co-op shooter) and - most recently - 'Warhammer: Darktide' (co-op shooter).

Above: StaceFiona & I 'enjoy' a Warhammer Vermintide II session, we really got
into the Olde Worlde grim fantasy theme. Surprising Really!

Of these, Vermintide and Darktide has been the games that really grabbed me, and Vermintide was one of StafeFiona and my favourite 'Dad'n'Daughter' game night shooters of late, which is why I snagged Darktide when it came onto the STEAM sale last week.

We both were really impressed with the rich and imaginative game graphic of the Warhammer universe whilst playing Vermintide. And even though Warhammer fantasy wasn't StaceFiona's sort of thing (it was more of my other daughter's taste as Kayleigh is into RPG games) she said how much she enjoyed 'the universe' and would be interested in playing more. Good enough!

So Why Now?

Having wetted my apatite with the Warhammer computer games, I was interested to discover that the 'lore' was backed up by a host of fantasy novels and as I am a big fan of audiobooks - which I listen to at bedtime as they help me fall asleep - I though I'd give one a go and bought 'KRIEG', by Steve Lyons...

This - in turn - introduced me to 'Krieg' (the grim and fatalistic Astra Militarum Militarum Regimentum known as the Death Korps of Krieg) which piques my Steampunk interest as a dark and anachronistic throw back to the trench warfare of World War 1, where gas mask wearing terrors wielded almost medieval armour and weapons! (Coincidentally, I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the game 'Trench Tales', third-person action game set in a dark, alternative world between WWI which has similar aesthetics.)

Above: The 'Trench Scene' from 2011's 'Sucker Punch' is a favourite of mine and draws
on the horror/Steampunk style - along with a banging music track - to create what is
broadly defined as the 'Grimdark' subgenre of sci-fi/fantasy. 

So, anyhoo, you get my particular taste in fantasy... And this is teh tangent that served as a gateway for me into the Warhammer stuff.  

Above: The Grimdark of Krieg!

So, What Next?

Well, aside from enjoying the very grim and gothic world of Darktide I was also tempted into the idea of trying out a crafting project based on this theme.

The obvious way into to Warhammer 40k from a model makers stance is - du-uh - to paint some Warhammer miniature of course! In particular, I really fancied a go at making some KRIEG soldiers, BUT there were two problems...

First, at 28mm scale (1/56) I was back to the problems I am having with model making in N Gauge scale, that the models are slighly small for my wobbly hands to handle, much less paint (I am really struggling and having to spend a lot of time doing my N Gauge stuff and it can get very frustrating sometimes.)

Annoyingly, there was a time I relished this small scale model making and panting as - before my stroke - I was very happy to god squinty-eyed and do incredibly tiny and fiddly jobs, LIKE THIS...

Even though I may say so myself, I was very proud of the job I did with these 1/72 scale WW2 German soldiers and got a lot of positive feedback about them. Unfortunately, my stroke put paid to any continuation of such delicate quality.

Still, over my rehabilitation my many projects have seen my modelling capability improve, and I have come to terms with my limitations to the point where I feel like seeing whether - given unlimited time - I could actually paint something on the small scale size (encouraged by my recent small scale work on my Japanese Takoyaki shop diorama and N gauge modelling)?

AND SO... I'm going to take a one-off stab at doing some Krieg miniature! Just to see what I can do (I don't expect amazing results, but it's just for my own amusement).

But, Here's Another Issue!

Having decided to take the plunge and do some Warhammer miniatures I then became aware of a bit of an controversial issue with dipping one's toe into the shady world of Games Workshop modelling...

In short, GW - the company - is infamous for it's unbridled and unashamed price gouging. Their models are VERY expensive, inexplicable so, from the point of view of someone who comes from a traditional wargaming miniatures background...

I have no idea where Games Workshop get's it's pricing from other than it being an example of untethered 'market forces'... Basically, people seem to be willing to pay the absurd prices for their models, even when fans seem to spend an inordinate amount of time moaning loudly about it!

Above: GM's Krieg Killteam set is £34 (10 figures)!

I'm not going to get into this murky subject, other than to say that as a military modeller I paid far less for just as detailed and well sculpted models - in plastic and metal - and so cannot see why GW asks so much more for their sculpts *other* than they know that there is a 'collectable' premium to be had from gullible customers! And, enough said.

I did look at official GW KRIEG miniature sets and suffice to say that I cannot afford to sped that kid of money on what is just a flippant trial project (I have NO intension in getting any deeper into the Warhammer miniatures world or playing the tabletop games).

But, while trawling around the internet I discovered the shady world of 'proxy models'. Look-a-likey boot-leg miniature some <cough> 'in the style' of GW products! LOL

In this, I find a bit of amused irony of one 'rip off company' (GW) being itself 'ripped off' by other companies. And what tickles me even more is how much GW tries to shut down some of these bootleggers - GW is a notorious litigator - as long as these other companies do not tread on any branding or use copyrighted descriptions for their models GW are a bit at a loss to stop them! 😁

And this is when I came across STATIONFORGE and their GRIMGUARD models. Tee-hee-hee!

Above: Stationforge's Grimguard set is £17 for 10 figures.

Cunningly 'Krieg-ish' looking miniatures but as a fraction of the price of the Games Workshop equivalent. And as I am not into the fielding of the figures in any official gaming tournament I have absolutely no qualms in buying these. Screw you Games Workshop! 😋

Conclusion (Thus Far...)

And so, I am ordering a set of these figures next pay day and having a go at painting them. Do not expect rapid results, I am slow at the best of times and these days my productivity has ground to a an abysmal snail's pace.

This is how I hope to get around my wobbly hand problems - an unlimited amount of time, small painting sessions, LOTS of repainting over mistakes and low expectations for the final quality...

It is - after all - 'just for fun'!