The everything miniatures wargaming thread

[The Brain]

Very nice work Brain!

I played my first Age of Sigmar game last Monday. Really, really tempted to collect and paint a small army. Those fancy new high elves perhaps ...

Thanks. Sounds cool. Go for it!

[Iormlund]

Went to a local shop, got a few archers to start with and joined the whatssap group.

Now I need a colour scheme for my army. My necrons are supossed to be bluish black and coppery rust (still very much WIP). I want to do something very different. So maybe white-red-gold for the elves?

[Syt]

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/warhammer-mini-thunderhawk-record-sale/

One of Warhammer 40K's rarest minis just sold for a record-breaking $35,000

All aboard the 20lb Thunderhawk.

In Warhammer 40,000 lore, the Thunderhawk gunship is one of the Adeptus Astartes' best means of providing Space Marine transport and firing support. In the tabletop world, the 1997 all-metal models (big enough to actually fit a kill team) are one of the rarest miniatures, normally worth anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. Warhammer YouTuber Emil "Squidmar" Nyström just set a new record, selling one he assembled and painted for a whopping $35,000 USD/£25,600 GBP on eBay.

One of only 500 made, Nystrom began charting the history of the Thunderhawk mini back in February, when he acquired one from a man in Sweden who never took it out of the box to assemble. Nystrom even got in touch with the original creator of the model, who says he was assigned the task as a sort of test for future work with Games Workshop.

"I had never made a miniature in my life before. That was my first stab at making a metal model ever," the creator, referenced only as "Tim" said. Tim had only six months to design and cast the model for GW's annual convention, finding time in the evenings after his day job to make progress.

The whole package, including a fancy wooden chest with Aquila markings and certificate of ownership, weighs in at 22lbs. Even for Nystrom, who's made his career out of working with Warhammer 40,000 minis, the instructions for the all-metal model are extensively complicated.

Back in the '90s, the Thunderhawk cost a generous (even by Warhammer standards) $650, or $1,050 when adjusted for inflation. They were made before lighter, cheaper plastic became the norm for Games Workshop models. The result is 204 pieces of metal, many of which individually weigh as much as an entire modern Warhammer kit box. To add insult to injury, the points of contact on the model are totally flat (basically where one bit is supposed to be glued to another), making it a challenging assembly even for seasoned vets.

Who's the lucky buyer? The owners of a hobby shop in Melbourne, Australia named The House of War.

"We figured we were purchasing a piece of history," said shop co-owner Riordone Treylourne, who actually purchased not one, but two additional Thunderhawk miniatures that they plan to assemble and display in their store.

"When we come out of lockdown, it'll be really something to share with the community," Treylourne said. "Particularly in Australia. We're a bit backwater when it comes to gaming stuff. One of our goals is to increase awareness of the gaming community in Australia."

As someone who's had to help a friend lug around several briefcases full of Space Marines, I can appreciate that Nystrom spent an additional $500 to get a custom case and foam padding to transport the model across international waters. Nystrom said the case could be dropped from a maximum of 300 meters and still not damage the model inside.

If you don't have $35,000 laying around for some beefy space bros, try your hand at Games Workshop's relatively new subscription service or buy the plastic version of the Thunderhawk for about $770. You could also fill your shelves with the best Warhammer 40,000 books, or fill your Steam library with the best Warhammer 40,000 videogames.

[The Brain]

I saw the video of it before it sold.

The pic is not that model though. Looks like the present day offering from ForgeWorld.

[The Brain]

Finished Normans from the warrior sprue. There are 8 bodies to a sprue, I made 6 guys. The armored monk isn't a Victrix figure, he's a Fireforge guy. I thought since the Saxons got a religious figure the Normans can get one too. I saw after taking the pic that his cross needed some touching up, so I did that.

So now a basic Norman warband is done, since I already have the Norman archers.

[The Brain]

Finished some Saxon archers. These are the same kind of simple models as the Norman archers. Now a basic Saxon warband is done too. Progress!

[Jacob]

Nice!

I just picked up Five Parsecs From Home and now I'm considering buying all sorts of Sci-Fi minis I won't paint, and supplies for terrain I won't scratch build.

[The Brain]

Nice!

I just picked up Five Parsecs From Home and now I'm considering buying all sorts of Sci-Fi minis I won't paint, and supplies for terrain I won't scratch build.

It sure is a great hobby.

[Jacob]

It sure is a great hobby.

Sure is

[The Brain]

Finished Vikings from the command sprue.

There were some options to make some of them berserkers or ulfhednar, but I have other models planned for that.

[The Brain]

Finished Vikings from the warrior sprue.

[Jacob]

Nice!

What paints are you using?

[The Brain]

Mostly Vallejo. Anything in particular that makes you ask?

[Jacob]

Mostly Vallejo. Anything in particular that makes you ask?

Mostly I ask to keep the conversation and thread going even though I don't have any pictures to contribute

I mostly have Vallejo as well, though I use a Citadel's contrast paints a fair bit as well.

[The Brain]

Mostly Vallejo. Anything in particular that makes you ask?

Mostly I ask to keep the conversation and thread going even though I don't have any pictures to contribute

I mostly have Vallejo as well, though I use a Citadel's contrast paints a fair bit as well.

I still use some Citadel stuff. I've never really tried their "new" system, even if I buy the odd pot. When I started painting again as an adult in 2004 I bought the mega pack with all Citadel paints, and that was the core of my paint collection for several years.

Anywhoo...

I started assembling some new Viking minis. They're from V&V Miniatures in Ukraine, and they're frigging gorgeous. I knew they would be good from the pics at their site, but in person... Wow. They are resin figures, with awesome detail and sculpting. Unpainted they look like beautiful marble statues that you almost don't want to ruin by splashing paint on them. They come with 25mm round bases that are a bit thicker than the Renedra ones I use, which is perfect since these figures don't have an integral base like most plastic or metal figures. The thicker bases will make them be at the same height as the other minis, which is nice.

It's worth checking out their range, for those who haven't already: https://vminiatures.com/ They have a nice collection of mostly Dark Age but also some Ancients and Medievals. There are dealers in the EU, UK, and US for people who don't feel like ordering from Ukraine (their service is excellent though).

An example: