
Let’s start this off with a strange statement:
Somewhere in my collection, I potentially already have some of the last physical figures I’m ever going to buy.
Now I admit, that sounds a bit like I’m going to die and I’m preparing for my end so let me explain.

Over the Christmas break, I finally finished assembling the BPRE28 Spearhead sets, giving me 28 new figures to add to the tabletop. There is some nice variety to these guys, with the Scorch and Hongbin teams now expanded with the local Awabari Nitto team and the Qasara SPEAR Brigade. The addition of all these units to the game opens up some new gameplay systems and I’ve been dying to get them on the board.
The figures for all these units are fantastic, dare I say some of the best for BPRE. The two new factions are very distinctive in comparison to the older sets, with the Nitto guys mixing older helmets and different equipment compared to the Scorch guys while the Spear Brigade appears as a modernised force with Russian rifles and, of course, the gas-masked heads. Then the next stage is going to be painting, and this is where actually I’ll need to be working on figures for both expansions. This is because SOMEONE may not have got around to actually finishing his Phase Line set, having to rely on merely undercoated during the last few games.
However, all this assembly time got me thinking about the hobby. More accurately, what I actually enjoy about it.
With both finishing off the Spearhead guys and the mass of plastic glueing that was needed for my Old World army over the summer, I found myself actually kind of hating the process. The trimming, gluing, filling, losing pieces to the carpet monster, finding damaged elements on the models and working out how to repair them, the whole process was very frustrating. I think part of this comes from how much time I’ve spent dealing with 3D-printed models (where the construction in most cases is limited to a few separate arms) and the abilty to go from printed to ready for painting (a stage I genuinely enjoy) is much faster. This was laid especially bare when one evening, after passing over some dwarves for the Dastardly Regular Opponent to get started with, I managed to assemble a single Chaos Horseman while he had a 500-point force glued on bases and ready for the rattlecan.

It all comes down to the fact that miniature wargaming isn’t actually a single hobby – instead, it’s five or six wearing a trenchcoat. Putting ideas to paper, I’ve roughly come up with six, although I’m sure that some of them could be split further.
- Collecting – I realise “buying models” is an odd hobby to have, but there is a collection element. Finding the figures you like, especially if they are rare or finish a collection. Some people like to have stuff on the shelf – I used to very much enjoy having shelves full of stuff but there does come a point where you can have WAY too much stuff to ever get to use it. There is also the problem of collecting rules and STLs, both of which take up less space but are still nice things to have.
- Assembly – this one could be split further into Assembly and Conversion work. Assembly is the process of getting the model from box to table, while Conversion is all the Green Stuffing, Plasticarding and Kitbashing that goes on around it. I like the conversion work but being a cack-handed goblin it is something I struggle with. Digital kitbashing has been a great help but there is still that rush to get figures all ready for the next stage.
- Painting – I used to be a pretty consistent painter and I do still enjoy it. For me though, the painting is a required part of the process for getting to the gaming side and it’s a little bit of personal pride to have painted all the figures I play with. I also think it’s a handy piece of mindfulness, a chance to sit back from the PC and assemble
- Gaming – this is what I’m here for. I collect miniatures to plan and play games. Getting stuff on the board, getting a few friends around and rolling some dice is still the main target I aim for, as it combines all the aspects I enjoy together (social, competitive, narrative and more).
- Writing – this is what I’m Here (on this website) for. I love writing and thinking about wargaming, both on the games design side and on the coverage side. Would I prefer to do more gaming than writing? Yes, but for now, I’m happy enough to spend time pounding the keyboard.
- Terrain – Terrain goes into a special corner. I know it’s needed, I love playing over it, but every part of me dislikes the process of getting it ready for the tabletop. It’s probably mostly because I haven’t done it enough to learn the techniques and so I’m hoping to improve this quadrant.
There are other reasons for the decline in certain areas of the hobby. I’m getting older and lazier, with limited time for the hobby thanks to work, family/friends and even other hobbies. This last year has seen a massive increase in how much time I spend playing games with friends online and a decline in how I spend with the paintbrush and dice. This change can be a good thing (it’s nice seeing my nephew more) but it does mean I can’t match the heady heights of hobby production in 2018. This then rolls onto the types of models I’m finding myself enjoying – the Old World army I assembled this year was fun when it was done, but there was a lot of teeth-pulling when I had to grind my way through assembly.


The 3D printer has made so many things so much easier. The ability to reprint models also makes me less worried about the figures I do have – a constant terror of wargaming models is broken barrels, snapped spears or dropped chunks, especially if such damage occurs in transit. This is especially true for rare or outdated models where replacements are nearly impossible or massively inconvenient to pick up. It’s also reduced the need for stockpiling physical items (and hard drive space is cheaper than new houses), removed waiting for deliveries and reduced how much I’m paying for delivery or customs charges. I’m aware that I’m in a unique situation with this (not everyone can use a 3D printer and there are a ton of safety concerns around it) but it has genuinely improved my personal hobby experience for the better.


The other thing that the printer has opened up for me personally is just an increased ability to kitbash with far fewer concerns. When you don’t have to worry about snapping donor parts, being able to deliver precise cuts or even modify the geometry itself with ease, this creates so many more opportunities. Combat Octopus‘s continuing releases have been vital for this – although there are a few key pieces that I’m missing to be able to build entire forces with them (I am once again asking for more UGLs please) the sheer number of pouches, guns, poses and body types means there is plenty of opportunity for kitbashing. And that’s just from one manufacturer. There is also the possibility of sculpting your own stuff, an opportunity I’m putting increasing time into as I feel that the type of figures I’d like for my games just aren’t getting made at the moment.
There is, of course, a two-hundred-ton, £132-per-share elephant in the room – Games Workshop. I am playing a few of their games (Old World and Necromunda being the main two) but I must admit I’ve begun to feel a bit stung by the costs paid vs what’s in the box. Last year’s Spyrer kit was disappointing, with two identical spures – an incredible piece of industrial design to be able to build 5 models from it to be sure, but not great as it’s missing all of the limited options that force includes – a situation very different to the other box in the same range which had all the upgrades you’d ever want. However, I also think that in both cases, I’ve reached the end point of collecting those specific forces – I have four Necromunda groups (Enforcers, Escher, Outcasts and Spyrers) while the Old World Chaos Army has roughly 2000 points in it, with only a few specific models (such as command groups) if I decide to move figures around. As for future Old World armies? Well, there is a big box of Last Sword and Highland Miniatures STLs all ready for an Empire army at some point.
Perhaps my initial statement is a touch hyperbolic. However, the result of internalising this thought (you can tell I’ve been playing Disco Elysium over the break) is that this change is a uniquely personal one for me, based on the combination of factors around my hobby and what I choose to collect and play. There will continue to be fantastic kits being released as physical items – I just think at this stage, I’m happy to make the switch to focusing mostly on 3D prints and all the things it provides. It’s also fun to think about and this has definitely been a key moment on my ongoing hobby journey, hence why there is a post about it. There will be more posts like this coming up over the year – last year I felt really unfulfilled by the lack of finished posts aside from news, so I’ll be pushing for more writing for you all to (hopefully) enjoy. Something I have found myself enjoying more and more are people like Small Scale Victory and Jim’s Wargames Workbench, both people who put out posts covering both “things I have painted” as well as grander schemes.
In the meantime, let’s see if I wrote down how I painted up the rest of my BPRE28 guys…