When fantastic new models appear, we often get some painters from around the community to work their magic, just like we did with the plastic Thunderhawk Gunship from Aeronautica Imperialis. This time, we were so enamoured with the enthusiasm Harry Chamberlain showed for Bastian Carthalos that we sent one each for him and his son to have a crack at. Here’s how they got on.
Harry: I have been collecting, painting, and playing with Games Workshop miniatures since the late ’90s. I am also part of a racially mixed family – I am constantly at risk of sunburn, my wife is beautifully dark skinned, and our clever son is right in the middle of both our features.
Over the past nine years, I’ve hoped that my son would share my enthusiasm for the Warhammer hobby. He enjoyed the Warhammer Adventures novels and the Realmslayer audio drama – and he loved playing the Doomwheel mobile game. However, he has always been intimidated by the prospect of painting his own models.
I’ve been amazed by the sheer amount of character and story the designers pack into each model. But, it was not until I saw the preview of the new Stormcast Eternals that I realised what I had really been missing.
When I laid eyes on Lord-Commander Bastian Carthalos, for the first time, I saw a centrepiece Hero with whom my son could truly identify. Bastian’s nose is shaped like his, and Bastian’s skin is dark like his mother’s.
I made this observation on Twitter, and to my utter surprise, my tweet caught the attention of the Warhammer Community team. They thought, and I agreed, it would be fun to let my son and I get our hands on Bastian Carthalos a little early to enjoy building and painting him together.
And we certainly have – this has been such a good opportunity to help my son learn the core skills of this hobby. He enjoyed clipping out all the parts and fitting them together. He then sprayed the model with two primers to get a nice zenithal shade, and he tried his hand at washing with Citadel Shades and drybrushing simple highlights. He even got to discover the magic of Citadel Contrast paints.
As Bastian is the Lord-Commander of the Hammers of Sigmar, neither of us wanted to deviate from the traditional gold and blue colour scheme. I chose to go for a desaturated gold, which I achieved by applying Nazdreg Yellow over Leadbelcher, while my son went with the traditional Retributor Armour shaded with Reikland Fleshshade.
We will continue these different approaches to gold armour with the rest of our respective Stormcast Eternals armies. So far, mine consists mostly of models from the Dominion boxed set. He has Vandus Hammerhand, the other models from the original Warhammer Age of Sigmar Starter Set, and a pack of Gryph-hounds and Aetherwings because he loves animals.
Excellent work! Warhammer is a fantastic hobby to share with kids of all ages. The Warhammer Alliance programme is designed to introduce beginners into the wonderful worlds of Warhammer. Whether you’re getting school groups involved with starter packs or completing fun challenges to earn a hero’s bounty of useful rewards through the Warhammer Battle Honours programme, there are plenty of ways to help kids learn new hobby skills.