🎙️ Listen now: Spotify, Apple, Amazon

Cousin Josh joins Erik and Steve for a full hobby episode on the painting side of 40K. Erik sits at the assembly-line extreme, Steve at the masterpiece extreme, and Josh in the middle, where the guys hypothesize that most of the community lives. Walking through their process step by step, they find that how you paint depends less on skill than on what you think the point of the hobby is.

Along the way they cover:

• Michelangelo vs. the assembly line: Erik frames the three approaches, with Steve painting his Sistine Chapel, Erik cranking out the Model T, and Josh somewhere in between
• Five stages of painting: Steve’s framework of prep, base coating, layering and detail, washes and effects, and finishing touches, with each host explaining what they do and what they skip entirely
• Painting to play: Erik never buys a model until it’s in a list, gets his kids to assemble for a couple of bucks, and leans on contrast paints and shades to get a battle-worn look that gets his models to the table quickly
• Chore or passion?: Josh calls painting a chore, Erik throws the challenge flag, and Josh explains how leaving models off their bases keeps him from rushing to play with them
• Precision and prep: Steve makes the case for sanding mold lines, airbrushed base coats, zenithal priming from one direction for coherency, and dry brushing with his wife’s old makeup brush
• Tools, tips and no wrong way: The hosts debate super glue vs. plastic glue and how to varnish. Steve makes his pitch for a couple of good brushes and all three land on “find what you enjoy.”

Whether you’re here for the painting tips or just want to hear Steve wince at Erik’s paintbrushes, this one’s for you.