An exclusive interview with the reigning ITC Hobby Champion to help you master your miniatures with a look at Warhammer 40k painting, tools, and processes.
Another Long War Two-Fer is here: Keep those hobby muscles strong with this week’s webcast and the latest exciting podcast of table-top wargaming awesomeness, mostly centered around Warhammer 40k.
Episode 494
Show Summary:
This week, the crew talks with the ITC Champion and hobby expert Matt Aaron! Here are the key takeaways, section by section:
- (00:52) The guest, Matt Aaron, shares that he placed 3rd for Best Painted at his recent event in Atlanta, and won the overall hobby track for the ITC for the year, marking his third time as hobby-track champion.
- (02:00) Discussion on how narrow the margins are in major GT events: painting, hobby presentation, battle score, and sportsmanship all count, and sometimes one point in sportsmanship determines the winner.
- (03:00) Matt talks about his season preparation: limited tournament attendance (just six major events a year), heavy focus on painting and hobby side (especially his Necrons army), while balancing limited time for practice.
- (20:31) A tidbit on the industry/retail side: previews for upcoming Games Workshop Battle Force boxes and rumors of tight allocations (4-15 units) for the holiday season; also note on upcoming miniatures.
- (34:26) On painting technique: Matt weighs in on the difficulty of True Metallic Metal (TMM) vs Non-Metallic Metal (NMM) finishes. He suggests NMM can be more challenging because you must “read” convincing metallic effects without using metallic paints.
- (38:20) On fastest painting method: Matt argues that an airbrush + efficient base+zenith highlight workflow beats simple “slap-chop” base coat and contrast wash if you invest time to learn the tool properly.
- (42:39) On “Display Boards” at major events: Matt emphasises that the board is not just a backdrop, it’s part of your story and helps communicate your army’s lore and visual appeal; a well-done board can boost your hobby score.
- (48:12) Advice for newer players at big events: Don’t be intimidated, be open, ask questions, be humble, and use events as a place to learn and connect rather than purely compete.
- (51:11) On the interplay of “tournament players” vs “hobbyists”: Matt argues that there’s more camaraderie in the competitive scene than people might expect, and that combining playing and painting opens up new fun opportunities.
- (56:14) On long-term progression: He notes it took him years to bring certain armies up to his standard, and that painting is a marathon, not a sprint. Later you can dial in finer detail and incrementally improve.
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