Tag: painting

From Virtual Battlefields to the Tabletop: Bridging Worlds for Inspiration

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In the last few weeks when I’ve had a spare few minutes in between school and life, I have been playing the video game War Thunder. My best friend Andrew recently got into War Thunder again, so we have been playing together. War Thunder is a video game where you battle with tanks. After playing a few matches together, we both were discussing how playing the modern tanks of War Thunder had us both craving to play our favorite tank battle tabletop game Team Yankee. This discussion led us to talking about how the power of drawing inspiration from video games can really elevate painting a tabletop model to new heights.

The virtual battlefield of War Thunder. Screenshot by Andrew from https://notbystrengthbyguile.ca

As Andrew and I played more games of War Thunder, a game celebrated for its “realistic” portrayal of military vehicles and combat, we realized what a treasure trove of ideas there were for a tabletop game like Team Yankee. That is why this week I am going to delve into the opportunity video games like War Thunder’s can have on tabletop strategy games like Team Yankee, particularly in the realm of painting and army customization.

Who says tanks don’t need blankets? If you are cold, they are cold! Screenshot by Andrew from https://notbystrengthbyguile.ca

Team Yankee: A Cold War Tabletop Scenario

Before we bridge these worlds, let’s set the stage by introducing Team Yankee. Born from the pages of Harold Coyle’s novel “Team Yankee,” this wargame immerses players in the hypothetical conflicts of the Cold War gone hot in the 1980s. With a focus on combined arms tactics, players command tanks, infantry, and aircraft over the battlefields of Europe, enacting skirmishes that never were but could have been, had history taken a darker turn.

“Advance comrade, advance!” Photo from Team Yankee store page

The game prides itself on realism and tactical depth, allowing for an array of scenarios from quick skirmishes to prolonged campaigns. The ruleset encourages strategic planning and detailed knowledge of your units’ capabilities, reflecting the tense, strategic standoffs of the Cold War era.

War Thunder: A Muse for Miniature Painting

War Thunder is an almost perfect digital encyclopedia of military hardware, containing playable aircraft, tanks, and ships from various historical periods, including from the Cold War. It is this collection of Cold War era vehicles that started the discussion of inspiration for Team Yankee in the first place. With many different paint schemes, and historical markings for each of the vehicles, War Thunder provides a nice visual reference for those looking for inspiration to bring their tabletop armies to life.

There is no better feeling then sneaking up on someone in a 42.5 ton tank! Screenshot by Andrew from https://notbystrengthbyguile.ca

Customization and Creative Liberty

While history and historical accuracy played a part in the creation of both War Thunder and Team Yankee, there’s also room for creative expression in both. War Thunder’s vast array of vehicles and its community created custom skins highlight the potential for unique paint jobs and modifications. This creativity can be mirrored in Team Yankee, where players might be inspired to customize their forces with unique camouflage patterns, unit markings, or even hypothetical “what-if” scenarios, blending history with imagination.

Wayne Turner one of the game designers at Battlefront Miniatures (the company that made Team Yankee) shows off his painted T-80’s. Credit: Wayne Turner Battlefront Miniatures

Integrating War Thunder’s Inspiration into Team Yankee

Drawing from War Thunder for your Team Yankee miniatures involves a few steps:

  • Research: Dive into War Thunder to study the vehicles and equipment featured in your Team Yankee force. Pay attention to the details: the way light plays on surfaces, how mud splashes on a tank’s tracks, or how wear shows on edges and corners.
  • Capture Ideas: Take screenshots or notes of specific features you want to replicate on your miniatures. This could include camouflage patterns, decal placements, or the effects of weathering and battle damage.
  • Experiment with Techniques: Use War Thunder’s visuals as a benchmark for trying out new painting techniques. Whether it’s experimenting with sponge weathering, creating custom decals, or mastering the art of subtle highlights, let the game guide your brush.
  • Narrative Building: Let the historical contexts and battles depicted in War Thunder inspire the backstory for your Team Yankee units. Crafting a narrative around your force can add depth to your gaming experience, making each skirmish on the tabletop a chapter in your army’s story.
Another shot of Wayne Turner’s T-80. What a great paint job! Credit: Wayne Turner Battlefront Miniatures

Conclusion: A Fusion of Digital and Physical Realms

Inspiration can be found in many places. The supplementary relationship between War Thunder and Team Yankee showcases how digital and physical gaming realms can be used as inspiration for one another. War Thunder provides a visual and historical resource that can elevate the detail of Team Yankee miniatures, while the hands-on experience of painting and gaming with those miniatures brings the digital inspirations into the physical world. It’s always fun when hobbies intersect to not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of your tabletop forces but also deepen the connection to the scenarios you play out. I love being able to bridge history, strategy, and art together on the tabletop battlefield.

Age of Sigmar or How I Learned to Conquer White Paint: Part 2

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One of the biggest selling points of tabletop wargaming for me (especially with games like Warhammer 40,000 or Age of Sigmar) was the ability for players to take the models and paint them like the box art or paint them in their own creative fashion. Painting up the blue coloured ultramarines of Games Workshop’s flagship game 40k is a fun exercise. Having played ultramarines in my youth, there is no better feeling for a hobbyist to get the “feeling” just right for their army. I know I myself have encountered many different armies in person on the table that perfectly capture the essence of the GW art and honestly it gets me excited. What also gets me excited is the creativity of others when they create something that is entirely their own.

These look really cool and Im not even a fan of Hello Kitty. Credit: Wargamer & KittiLittl

Now it’s funny for me to find pictures of what are supposed to be scare genetically modified super human killers painted in bright Hello Kitty pink. Timothy Linward at Wargamer perfectly sums up my feeling with the quote “One of the most wonderful things about Warhammer 40k is how it can be a canvas for creativity and self-expression.”. I couldn’t agree more with this quote. In Timothy’s interview with cosplayer KittiLittl she talks about how she, being a massive Hello Kitty fan, decided to make her own Hello Kitty themed army. I love seeing such a wild and creative idea excused really well. She also managed to paint a mostly white coloured army really well!

Who said advanced super human soldiers cant also look cute? Credit: Wargamer & KittiLittl

Three things I’ve used to improve my painting

I have always struggled with getting the creative ideas in my head, out of head and onto the page or model. Early in my miniature painting years I found myself frustrated by my inability to get the ideas in my head into physical manifestation on my actual models. What I am very thankful for is friends that were very kind and helpful. Andrew who is my closest friend, partner in crime and my chief hobby enabler has been instrumental in helping me grow my skills all these years. He taught me patients, and helped me understand the tricks of the trade to make a really solid looking model. He runs a really cool hobby blog called Not by Strength by Guile which I encourage you to check out!  I have talked about Andrew in some of my other posts and we have a hobby podcast together. Before I dive into my secrets for painting white I wanted to list the three things I think are important for every hobbyist to have.

Andrew’s brave Leman Russ staring down the barrel of my Baneblade during one of my 40k matches.

1) A really good paint brush

For years I was so hesitant to spend money on a proper good brush, thinking that I didn’t have the skills needed for a good brush. I finally let Andrew talk me into buying a Winsor & Newton Series 7 and I was kicking myself for not buying one sooner. That was almost 5 years ago and I was able to improve my control and handle skills dramatically with the proper tools. My advice would be to never be afraid of the tool or skills required even if it’s an expensive investment. The sooner you have the tool, the sooner you can improve your skills!

You can never have too many paint brushes!

2) Paint, and a lot of it

When I first got started, I was so overwhelmed by all the different paint companies, I was afraid of buying the wrong paint. The current paint market has even more different styles and types of paints that it’s very easy to end up unsure of what to buy. I know when contrast paints first came out I was very intimidated by how different they were. I also made the wrong assumptions about the contrast line out of my own ignorance and laziness. I had myself thinking the multiple coats that some paint colour’s from the contrast line needed was silly and a time waster and boy was I wrong. Andrew had gifted me some of the contrast paints for my birthday last year, and after some adjustment time getting used to them I can honestly say they are so useful to have in my hobby arsenal! They have become a staple paired with some of the other paints I use regularly. Never be afraid to buy and try new paints for yourself. You never know what you might find that works wonders for you and your projects.

It isn’t much and its a little messy but I know where everything is haha. Worth every penny!

3) Every hobbyist should have a fair critic

As I mentioned before, Andrew was key in teaching me patience, also helping be a sounding board for my ideas and provide me fair criticism about my progress. Criticism sometimes isn’t always nice to hear, especially when you’ve built and painted something you feel is good enough. However, in my hobby journey it is through fair criticism that I have been able to improve myself. One example was when I painted a bunch of guns on imperial guard units bright silver in my rush to get the unit painted thinking it was cool. Andrew, being the good friend he is and stellar diplomat, was quick to tell me how cool it was, but asked why I used such a bright shade of silver and didn’t colour the weapon housing. At first I was quick to try to defend my choice but I realized he was right. I was rushing and didn’t take the time to plan out that painting stage of the model. After he pointed it out I couldn’t help but notice how weird it did look. Now every case of criticism is different from person to person and project to project but its always too important to remember to take your time, always accept positive feedback, and hear out other criticism and see if you agree or not.

Nothing better than a freshly primed unit that is ready to paint!

How I painted my Vanari Aurlan Wardens

It all begins with Citadel Colour Wrath Bone Primer

In my long journey to conquering white painted armies and making them look good, I have learned a lot through the three things I have shared. Now I will get into the nitty gritty details of the paints and materials I used for my current Lumineth Realm Lords that have been working for me so far. My two big heavy lifters white paint wise have been Citadel Colour Wraith Bone spray primer and Citadel Colour Wraith Bone Base. After priming white I was able to fill in any missed gaps by dry brushing with the Wraith Bone Base. But also dry brushing certain areas of the model like the shields, chest plates and shoulder pads, it helped to add a little depth and also give them an additional pop.

I love how the Talassar Blue makes the cloth pop!

Citadel Colour Contrast Paints

Next I followed up with the following Citadel Colour Contrast paints: Snakebite Leather, Skeleton Horde, Talassar Blue, and Briar Queen Chill. These paints help to give the leather, cloaks, flats and uniforms a nice look and feel.

Slowly starting to take shape!

Citadel Colour Base Paints

Lastly, to finish off the last of the models I went back to the regular Citadel Colour Base/Layer paints using: Dryad Bark, Liberator Gold, Retributor Armour, Cadian Fleshtone, and Stormhost Silver.

Ready for the wargaming table!

Gold Trim with Liberator Gold

I have improved my painting recipe slightly for my Vanari Auralan-Wardens, doing the armour trim in Liberator Gold instead of just using Skeleton Hoard. The bright white gold on the shield and trim helped them to stand out over the clock which is painted entirely in Skeleton Hoard. I am planning to go back to my Vanari Bladelords to redo the armour trim in the liberator before I move to any more of my army.

Once I get the bases done these bad boys will look sharp!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s post. See you next time!

Age of Sigmar – How I Learned to Conquer White Paint: Part 1

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Over the last six months I feel like I have finally gotten back to a hobby I missed very much. I have always had a fascination with toy soldiers, army men, and history since I was a young boy. Star Wars opened my young eyes to the world of sci fi and Lord of Rings introduced me to the world of fantasy. When I first heard of the original Warhammer, with its square bases and fantasy setting, it never quite peaked my interest.

New pictures from the remake of Warhammer: Warhammer the Old World.

When I discovered Warhammer 40k, I was immediately hooked on the world, the lore, the armies and the models. I fell in love with space marines and the imperial guard. Not having the money to play both my first army was space marines which I got in the Battle for Macragge starter set (which was recently re-released). I painted them as classic blue space marines just like on the box art. After playing games, meeting more people and seeing their armies I realized that you could paint up your armies however you wanted. Eager to do something that was entirely my own, and after watching The Empire Strikes back for the millionth time, I painted over my blue space marines in white. Not knowing how to strip paint or anything I repainted my entire army to be some sort of hybrid space marine snow storm trooper variant that young me thought was the bees knees. 

Artwork for the Warhammer 40k Battle for Macragge set that I owned as a child, showcasing the Space Marines fighting a Tyranid swarm.

Thankfully no pictures exist so I can somewhat hide my embarrassment but that pivotal moment set me on a fateful path of trying to create a good looking white painted army. As I got older and got more money to make bad decisions, I would later find myself playing Tau in 40k. I wanted so badly to create a cool and clean white armored army, filled with white tanks and battle suits. I tried and tried and could never quite get the army to look how I wanted. I would regrettably end up selling the army to fund another. Years later, me and my friend Andrew invested in the Star Wars Legion tabletop game. Again I was excited to try and bring my army of clones to life in their white coloured armor and again I found myself frustrated in my inability to paint white.

My hobby desk from years ago filled with in progress projects from several different table top games. Most note worth is the half complete Star Wars Clone Galactic Marines looking as if they are trying to keep my Steel Legion at bay.

I have finally after 10 years of playing and painting miniatures selected and started painting an army that is mostly coloured white. But before I go any further I feel I must provide some context.

Age of Sigmar was released in 2015 after Games Workshop decided to end the old Warhammer fantasy game by blowing up the world and rebirthing it under a new title. I still remember hearing the news that old Warhammer was going away. It had been around for so long it seemed crazy to replace such an old and beloved game. I had never got the chance to personally play it but I had seen games and pictures a plenty and always thought one day I’d dive in and play a fun fantasy game that wasn’t specifically Lord of the Rings. Age of Sigmar’s release came and went, and I remember sticking up my nose in disgust. It was so funny the hate Age of Sigmar got from my hobby circle. I think the thought of diving into a new game without the fleshed out lore that Warhammer or 40k had seemed crazy to us.

Several years later, Age of Sigmar had improved a lot, the army offerings had tripled and the rules and lore had people talking. Me and Andrew finally gave it a shot. He had a cool Cities of Sigmar list with handgunners and I had chosen the Kharadron Overlords, which had flying airships driven by dwarfs with guns. It was so crazy to me to come from 40k with its futuristic guns to a fantasy game with pikes and shot, and airships with cannons. Andrew had always had a love for the empire of old Warhammer and with his new updated models and me with my over the top sky dwarfs both had our love of Age of Sigmar awakened.

The Kharadron Overlords. How could you not see this and go “so coooool”.

The funny thing about life is it always seems to get in the way of your hobbies. Well life happened and thought me and Andrew both had to come to realize that Age of Sigmar wasn’t as bad as we thought. He would end up moving a few hours away and I got very busy with work. Age of Sigmar would end up getting shelved and put on the back burner as we focused on other games and armies like 40k. After being dormant for a few years, it was mid 2023 that Age of Sigmar would be back on the table top menu. With this reawakening came the idea for a new army. I still have my sky dwarfs but I decided that with everyone getting back into Age of Sigmar again that I wanted to start fresh with a proper fantasy army. It was then I started collecting the Lumeneth Realm Lords.

Artwork of the Lumeneth Realm Lords kicking butt in their white, gold trimmed armor with blue cloaks.

I was drawn to the army’s clean white aesthetic almost immediately. The idea of a line of elves with huge pike walls supported by elven bows felt like a proper fantasy army. Lord of the Rings first introduced me to the concept of fantasy elves and dwarfs which perfectly explained why my two Age of Sigmar armies are exactly that, elves and dwarfs. The clean white, blue, gold and silver paint scheme of the Lumeneth Realm Lords was something I was eager to get right. So many times has painting a white army kicked my butt that I was determined to get it right this time. Slightly older and wiser I knew If I was going to get this right I was going to need the best paint and brushes. After dusting off my Winsor & Newton Series 7, building my new models, and getting a chance to play them a couple of times (and winning), I knew it was imperative I give them the paint job they deserved.

I have never had the time to get most of my armies fully painted before playing, so I got into the habit of painting units that I have played with on the table top that did really well first. In my first big game that was a 2v2, my Vanari Bladelords put in the work on the table, cementing their claim to be painted first on my hobby bench.

Box art for the Vanari Bladelords from the Games Workshop Webstore. My main reference picture for what I was trying to paint.

I had done weeks of research watching painting videos, trying to figure out the best way to tackle this army. After taking the time to gather supplies and knowledge, I think I have finally discovered a technique that works and turned out very nice! Using a combination of contrast paints, fine detail brushes, and an unwavering mindset, I finally was able to break my curse and paint white models. They came out with the right amount of crispness, detail, and best of all, without looking “dirty”, as I have struggled with in the past. Without further or do I present my Vanari Bladelords:

With the Citadel Wraithbone white paint pot in the background, it feels so nice to show case pictures of models I am proud of. Not bad for several weeks of painting after being away from the painting aspect of the hobby for the last 2 years, I am very proud of my work and I am excited to paint more. I plan finish the models proper by doing the bases in grass once the whole rest of the army is painted. I can honestly say this project has reinvigorated the hobby fire in my heart and I am hoping to try to get my 1000 points Lumeneth Realm Lords list fully painted this year.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I break down in detail what worked well and things I learned working with the new Citadel contract paints. I will also be showcasing my newly painted Vanari Auralan-Wardens which I think turned out better than my Bladelords. See you next time!