For over a year I have been interested in Warhammer 40,000 miniatures, story and games. But I was on the fence and didn’t get any kits. I did buy the 10th edition core rules as it had a lot of lore and was a good way to see what game play was going to be like.
So naturally, one of my brothers gave me the Warhammer 40,000 Ultimate Starter Set for Christmas in 2023. He and his wife have been painting miniatures for a while now and they are very good at it.
It’s a lot to start with. It’s a huge set with 44 miniatures and lots of terrain and bunker pieces. His sense of humor is subtle.
I did want a safety net and one day my son came home with a Space Marine: The Board Game. This was an exclusive at Target and had one Lieutenant Titus space marine, 20 Termagants, 2 Ripper Swarms. It was also on deep discount as it was not sold for almost a year.
Of course I asked him to get me one. It was on clearance for $19.99. My plan was to do some from this game and if I messed it up, well it was discounted kit.
What was I thinking? This is an amazing and addictive hobby!
I was invited to a meetup at my brother’s friend upstate for a “minicon” were a bunch of us would just paint miniatures. That was fun and the last time I painted any model was in 7th grade. This would be my first time painting any minis.
The miniature I chose to paint at the minicon was an Ultramarine Space Marine Sergeant. Mistakes were made and that was OK. The others at the minicon showed me some things to try and good advice. I’m not good at panel lines or highlights. I got some of the colors off, which I corrected at home later.
Online, I’ve found that the Warhammer community is fantastic. When someone posts a painted miniature, no matter how it is, people applaud. They offer positive advice and commentary.
My next set was to paint the starter kit’s Terminator squad, then I worked on Lieutenant Titus. Now I am doing the Tyranids from the Space Marine Board game.
I’m making a lot of good mistakes and that’s fine. Painting miniatures takes a lot of effort and I am finding one of my more relaxing hobbies. I’m learning and getting better with each new miniature.
I look forward to getting a game going and I really want to get a Kill Team set. But my Grey Pile of Shame is waiting for me and I want to finish it or at least reduce it before I get more kits.