How to win Warhammer painting awards: we talk technical execution, cohesive army composition, and narrative basing secrets.
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The Long War: Episode 528
Article Table of Contents:
Show Summary:
This week, Rob Baer, Kenny Boucher, Wyatt Turk, and guest Hugh Murray talk GW’s new Tone paints, free mini changes, Space King’s massive Kickstarter, LVO news, and how to actually win Warhammer hobby awards. Here are the key takeaways, section by section:
- 00:00-07:35: The crew opens by roasting GW’s “self-leveling” paint marketing before introducing Hugh Murray, who talks about returning to Warhammer around 10th edition, joining XPZ, and helping Wyatt’s team win Best in Show at Challengers Cup.
- 07:35-12:15: A one-man Would You Rather forces Hugh to choose between eating a jar of mayonnaise every day or adopting the “pee jar lifestyle,” which somehow turns into another argument over whether Miracle Whip counts as mayonnaise.
- 12:15-17:10: GW’s revamped free miniature program starts the news, with the old Miniature of the Month setup shifting toward in-store demos and hobby activities. The crew sees it as a better way to bring new players into stores instead of handing out models to people who immediately leave.
- 17:10-21:20: GW’s new Tone paints spark another round of comparisons to Pro Acryl and other paint ranges, with Hugh saying he’s already committed to Monument Hobbies. Kenny argues a new range would have to be dramatically better to convince experienced painters to switch ecosystems.
- 21:20-24:10: Age of Sigmar rumors and new hobby tools fill out the next round of news, including a Seraphon character teasing major setting changes and Turbo Dork’s new Fauxlinsky synthetic brushes.
- 24:10-27:30: Space King’s roughly $9 million Kickstarter turns into a discussion about getting buried by your own success, as the crew talks staffing, fulfillment, lawyers, and the infrastructure needed when a small creator suddenly becomes a multimillion-dollar business.
- 27:30-32:05: Christmas Battleforce rumors, premium Codex pricing, and new Custodes releases put GW pricing back under the microscope, especially the roughly $420 Space Marine limited-edition Codex that still hadn’t sold out.
- 32:05-34:40: LGT, eBay Live, and LVO close out the news, with Rob calling out unfinished tournament results in BCP while the crew plugs Long War Doubles and its roughly 70 registered teams.
- 34:40-42:45: Hugh breaks down how he became a stronger hobbyist, starting with a dedicated workspace, better tools, learning from other painters, testing color schemes, and refusing to play models until they were fully painted.
- 42:45-47:40: Hugh and Wyatt explain how XPZ planned for Challengers Cup nearly a year in advance, building armies around hobby potential instead of the meta and developing the Armageddon-themed display board that helped push the team toward Best in Show.
- 47:40-54:50: Winning hobby awards comes down to reading the rubric and showing consistent effort across the whole army, with display boards, readable details, clean execution, and presentation all playing a major role. Green Banner’s bronze, silver, and gold challenge coin system also gets plenty of praise.
- 54:50-59:55: Army choice matters when you’re trying to win paint awards, with visually busy factions like Genestealer Cults and Daemons facing a tougher road than armies with large armor panels, strong focal models, and easy-to-read color schemes.
- 59:55-1:03:00: Display boards, strong contrast, and model selection finish out the hobby discussion, while Hugh talks about his next challenge: building a Black Legion army that can still stand out despite black being notoriously hard to make pop on the table.
- 1:03:00-1:04:35: The show closes with some jokes about Tylenol, pill baskets, and getting old, before Wyatt wraps things up and the crew heads out.
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