In difficult times, it’s great to have a hobby to occupy the mind. The last few months have been tricky for many, and we’ve heard from a lot of you that Warhammer has helped. In return, we want to help you. We know that it’s easier to enjoy the Warhammer hobby when you have a space that you can dedicate to building and painting your models – not to mention gaming! Today, we’re going to look at the basics of getting started with hobby areas in your home.
Many of you will be fortunate enough to have a permanent hobby desk set up – or maybe even the veritable holy grail, an entire hobby room!* For most though, juggling working from home with space for family, it helps to have a mobile hobby area that you can pick up and move around. That’s doubly true for Warhammer fans on the move! Many are the students in halls of residence, or the soldiers in barracks, who have taken along some sweet, sweet Warhammer to keep their mind happy in the quiet times.
Whatever your set-up or situation, being able to work around the needs of your loved ones (or roommates) and take your hobby to different rooms is a big win. First, let’s consider what you’ll need for different tasks.
Building
Whether you’re building a Mega-Gargant, an army of Necrons, or a fleet of tiny aircraft, the requirements are the same. You want a few specific tools.
– Clippers, cutters or snips. Basically, a tool to remove components safely, and intact, from the sprues
– Something to clean up the parts, like a mouldline remover or files
– Glue
– An assembly handle
– A surface to work on – a painting mat works well and can be rolled up for easy storage
In the image above, you can see a simple set-up for building your models. The tools are kept ready for use in tool racks from the Hobby Project Box – which is also perfect for storing everything securely when you’re not using it. This is especially handy when you have limited space or children and pets running around.
Painting
You’ll see a few of the same tools are useful for your painting area – namely the Painting Mat (it’s in the name, after all) and paint racks from the Project Box. In addition, you’ll want:
– A water pot – remember to keep this far away from your drinking water or tea!**
– A palette pad for watering down and mixing your paints
– A painting handle for keeping your models secure
– Paints and brushes, of course! A paint pot holder works to prevent those awkward spillages, too.
A painting area doesn’t have to be large – you can select the paints you’re going to need for that session, meaning you can work in whatever space you have. Keep the rest of your paints stored with your tools, and swap them out for different projects. Just add a lamp (preferably with a daylight bulb for the best light quality) and you’re all set.
If you want some next-level guidance on setting up a comfortable hobby area, check out Nick and Peachy’s in-depth guide to preparing for marathon hobby sessions.
Playing
Gaming at home has long been a key part of the Warhammer hobby – a lot of us started off playing games on kitchen tables using whatever we had to hand as hills and buildings! Fortunately, gaming boards and plastic terrain have made setting up somewhere to play easier than ever, and there are games to fit every space. You’ll need:
– A board to play on
– Terrain to play over
– Models to play with
– Dice and something to measure distances
– The rules for your game and factions
A gaming set-up can be as small as the space for a pair of Warhammer Underworlds boards or as large as a 44” by 90” Onslaught game of Warhammer 40,000 – it all depends on the surfaces you have available. Boards and terrain can scale to fit your needs, and plastic terrain is as easily stored between games as your models are. A set like Battlezone: Manufactorum – Vertigus is a great way to get the boards and terrain you need to get started – and the box is perfect for storing them in!
Of course, there are also a variety of games you can enjoy as a single-player – an adventure into the Blackstone Fortress, for example, or the solo play scenarios for Necromunda and Warhammer Underworlds. Warhammer video games are also a great way to get your fix even if you can’t get around a gaming table with your friends – there are plenty on Steam, all the major consoles, and mobile app stores.
How are you set up for your hobby needs? Share your building, painting, and gaming areas with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – and remember that the staff in your local Warhammer store will be only too happy to help you out. Your local store may not be running painting or gaming activities in store at the moment,*** but they’re on hand to give you even more top tips on how to make the most of your available space – just find your local store and ask!
* If this is the case, please show us! We love to drool over awesome hobby rooms.
** We’ve all made this mistake at least once. Aethermatic Blue isn’t as delicious as it looks.
*** Just give them a call to find out.