GregHowley.com

Over the past couple years, Warmachine has been my game of choice. I love playing the game, and have slowly grown to near-competence, although I could never compete using the standard "deathclock" rules which force you to finish everything you need to do in 60 minutes, using a chess timer.

One of my favorite aspects of the hobby is something that some of my friends loathe: painting. When I was in college, I used to paint metal miniatures, primarily for use in Dungeons & Dragons. At some point, I simply lost interest and stopped. But when the chance to pick that back up arose after I started playing Warmachine, I glommed onto it. And it's fun.

I'm by no means a good painter. I don't always properly thin the paints, and they go on too thick and uneven. I've never gotten into highlighting a model's raised portions. I don't even quite understand what "two brush blending" is. But I enjoy doing it.

My habit of late is to sit at my desk in the basement, put on an episode of Iron Fist, pour a drink, and sit and paint for 45 minutes before bedtime. Some people watch sports or play video games. This is what I do right now to unwind.

Most of my models are not "based", meaning that the black plastic bases are bare and not covered in grass, sand, or other terrain. Many of my models don't even have the tiny white lines indicating where the model's front and back arcs are. I should probably correct those things. But in the meantime, the majority of my models are painted, and I love the way they look when they're all laid out on the table and there's good-looking terrain down. I love it so much that I usually take photos.

I've even begun using the two-part modeling clay known as "green stuff" to mount and secure models. You see, with Warmachine modeling, it's not just about the painting. You need to fully assemble the models from their constituent parts, and there are a lot of steps. To some, this is a feature, not a bug.

Most recently, I got a multi-part model which can be one of three models depending on which arms are attached. I drilled out the arms using a small press drill, glued in tiny magnets and covered them with green stuff to conceal, and made the model a goddamned transformer: it can be whichever of the three I want depending on which arms I choose to attach via the magnets.

I'm fully aware that nobody is reading this, although many will look at the pretty pictures. Honestly, the pretty pictures are the primary reason I'm making this post.

One nice thing about this hobby is the fact that when at some point in the future I decide I'm no longer interested in Warmachine, I can likely sell all the models I've painted for more than I bought them for. After all, they're now assembled and servicably painted - isn't that a value add?