Prince Grimfist rose from his knee and the warriors of his expeditionary force rose with him. His father the king gave a subtle nod of farewell and watched as they turned and marched forth to pursue their quest for revenge against the orcs.
The dwarfs of Grimshaft had given everything in defence
of their stronghold. Now they had sent a small band of their finest into the
universe to punish the invaders. They knew that few, if any would return.
The king allowed a single tear to run into his mighty beard. And then he turned from the brave warriors now fading into the horizon and faced the shattered remains of his kingdom and his people. Now was the time the rebuild in readiness for a new age.
When the glorious Overlord contacted me in November to ask
if I was still interested in joining OWAC, my head said “NO!!!”. A seemingly endless
list of major life events lay ahead and it was surely madness to attempt a
first ever painting challenge at the same time. Yet, like the finest dwarfs of
Grimshaft, I allowed my heart to lead. And I am absolutely delighted that I did!
Last time I attempted to paint an army was around 1997. As a carefree 15 year old, I did a decent job with my imperial guard, but this was going to
be a far steeper challenge.
What have I learnt? Preparation is everything! When the Challenge
officially started on 1st January, I had prepared nothing. So
precious painting time was used prepping, building, priming models and I quickly
had to scale back my plans, leaving several squads on the pile of shame.
But I was loving painting again. In 2022, I only managed to
finish three miniatures, so to finish ten in the first month felt like a huge
achievement! Even if I dropped out in February, I’d be ahead of the previous year.
And working day by day, month by month, I managed to find enough time to get a
respectable army finished.
And I’m really, really proud. I’m not a great painter and
won’t win any awards, but I’d be very happy to deploy this army on the
battlefield. I stuck to a colour scheme that I like, with a nod to vintage-era
sci-fi and of course inspired by David Gallagher’s classic space dwarf box art.
I think I was about 10 when the squats began to fade from
40k. Since then I have pondered how they could have looked in 28mm with all
those awesome EPIC steam vehicles and stout warriors. Huge thanks to the indie
companies who produce such cool models now, and who inspired me to start this
project.
So to cap it off, it really has been a joy to work regular
painting into my life again. And I feel proud as punch to have completed a project
that seemed utterly impossible when I first started.
If I am allowed the honour to return for the next round, I
will be working on some foes for the warriors of Grimshaft!
A big shout out to the fellow challengers who all supported
each other through it. And finally, A huge thanks to Iannick for all of the
work that goes into running the challenge!
Army list (points based on the squat lists in White Dwarf #111):
Combat Squad with lascanon and plasma gun: 400 points
Warlord and Rhino: 440 points
Land Raider: 750 points
3 x Trikes, 1 x Bike, 1 x Jetbike with Guildmaster: 520
points
1 x Rhino: 370 points
4 x Commissars: 280 Points
TOTAL: 2,760
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I love this post - so great to hear the OWAC got you loving painting and amped up your productivity, and you should be rightly proud of such a distinctive Squat force that seems so 'of the time' - you did great!
ReplyDeleteYou also shout out some of my favourite folks in the community and did a good job showcasing how modern indy minis can work in an Oldhammer/ Middlehammer era Squat Army.
If you are back in painting armies the OWAC achieved his purpose. And remember, preparación is everything!!!! Hope to see you next year
ReplyDeleteThank you! And yes, preparation, preparation, preparation!
DeleteMassive congrats on finishing your first OWAC among other major life events! It's great to hear that you reconnected with your inner army painter as it has been a pleasure following your force take shape.
ReplyDeleteYour squat force is a a fun and unique combination of models (I like the WWII stuff especially). It will be interesting to see what the opposition will look like
Thank you! I've been plotting this army for years and it's been so much fun pulling it together.
DeleteIt's always wonderful to see a squat army. Congratulations on finishing and on getting back painting armies!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love squats!
DeleteYeeeeaah! Congratulations! Your enthusiasm has been a great boon throughout this, and has been very motivating for me personally. I really like the pared down colour scheme and placement - congrats once again!
ReplyDeleteThat's so nice to hear! Thank you for all of your support!
DeleteIt's easy to forget the sheer joy of painting and let the fun get lost in grinding through another unit. Thanks for reminding us all to stop and smile now and then! And well done on bringing your technicolour dream army to life :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm thrilled! Loved every minute!
DeleteCongratulations on finishing your first OWAC! Great to see a Squat force ready for the battlefield!
ReplyDelete