Well, it’s been an exciting year for wargamers in general and for my personal hobby life in particular. So with Christmas fast approaching, let me seize this opportunity to take a look at the ups and downs of 2012 from my personal hobby perspective. And what better way to keep tabs on 2012 than by having our own little (slightly improvised) awards show? So here they are, the first annual Eternal Hunts Awards for special hobby moments.
In this first installment, I would like to focus on the people that actually make the hobby what it is: The hobbyists. I was lucky enough to get in contact with lots and lots of talented artists this year, and some of their creations and endeavours really blew me away. So let’s take a look:
Best hobby blog 2012
Wargaming hobbyists are very lucky to have such an energetic and creative blogging scene. The internet is chock full of fantastic modelling ideas, great painting advice and creative energy. It’s really rather hard to name my favourites here, seeing how there are so many fantastic blogs and websites. Even so, some blogs were even cooler than the rest. Here’s my top three:
1st place: From the Warp
To tell you the truth, this one at least was really a bit of a no-brainer: Ron is running a fantastic blog over at FTW, and provides awesome hobby content with lots of great tutorials and ideas. I would be hard pressed to nominate any one post of his as my favourite, since all of the content is usually top notch. I discovered FTW fairly soon after getting back into the hobby, and the blog never ceases to inspire and amaze me.
Even though Ron has recently decided to take things a bit slower for a while, FTW still has tons and tons of fantastic backlog content for hobbyists to discover, and I, for one, simply cannot wait for him to post again. Nuff’ said.
2nd place: Spiky Rat Pack
These two guys from way up north are among the most talented artists I had the joy of discovering this year: izeColt and OkkiW are the “Spiky Rat Pack” and provide conversions and paintjobs too awesome to believe on their eponymous blog. They have recently begun what they are referring to as “Punk Moth”, their very own foray into the world of INQ28, and the results so far are amazing. Just look at the venerable Inquisitors Cassar and Pherion and their respective retinues here:
These models were not created by me. Image appears courtesy of izeColt
These models were not created by me. Image appears courtesy of okkiW
What I find especially striking about their work is that it has a very Blanchian quality to it, but with a decidedly individual twist. Great stuff! And there’s more where that came from, so check out their fantastic blog!
3rd place:-Dark Future Games
Another staple on my blog diet, and a fantastic blog for wargamers all around: Modelling tips, painting, tactics, or just collections of awesome material from the forums — Dark Future Games has it all. It’s one of those blogs I tend to visit on a daily basis, and I was more than honoured to be asked to contribute the odd piece of guest content by Old School Terminator. What I especially like about DFG is how it’s suitable for all kinds of wargamers without favouring one hobby approach to the exclusion of all the others. So whatever you want from a wargaming blog, there’s a good chance that DFG can provide it. Go check it out!
Hobbyist of the year
Really a tough call to make, but some hobbyists stood especially tall in 2012. Here are my favourites:
1st place: Ron Saikowski (of From The Warp)
I could just repeat my gushing praise of FTW, but you already read that earlier. Suffice to say that Ron is not only a very talented artist, but also a great guy who will go to great lenghts to explain things in detail, answer questions and make sure everyone is on the same page. What’s more, even though Ron is insanely talented and quite well known among hobbyists, I have yet to “meet” someone who is as humble about it all. Keep it up, Ron!
2nd place: Commissar Molotov (of INQ28)
Molotov is a relentless advocate of INQ28 and has been for some time now. Stumbling upon his blog was really an eye-opener for me, but that’s not the best thing. The best thing is that Commissar Molotov, along with a number of highly enthusiastic and talented individuals, was really instrumental for the “INQ28 scene” to come into its own. Oh, and those guys are doing narrative games in Warhammer World that make me wish I was actually living in GB so hard. Oh well…
Anyway, Molotov’s tireless work for INQ28 was immortalised by yours truly in a model:
Molotov XVIII, Arco-Flagellant
3rd place: Biohazard/Doombreed
3rd place goes to my fellow World Eater Biohazard/Doombreed who not only has one of the most inspiring World Eaters threads over on Dakka and Throne of Skulls, but who is also always full of ideas and constructive criticism whenever one of my World Eaters related projects just isn’t happening. Oh, and did I mention his continued generositiy in donating bitz to my cause? In any case, thanks for all the help buddy! 
Best models 2012
Ah well, what can I say? Blogging is all fine and dandy, but in the end, it always comes down to the models, doesn’t it? In a year full of fantastic models, here are the ones that really blew my mind:
1st place: PDH’s Inquisitrix Callydia Benadice
This model was not created by me. Image appears courtesy of PDH
PDH has been one of the usual suspects in INQ28 circles for quite some time, with lots and lots of awesome conversions under his belt. But his converted Inquisitrix Callydia Benadice is a step beyond anything he had produced up to that point, and she is also my favourite model of 2012. This bonny lass is everything I expect and Inquisitrix to be: Regal, gothic, very imposing and slightly over the top in all the right places. The model reflects all these qualities and is simply so gorgeous I’d like to eat it. While 2012 has been a year full of fantastic conversion and models, Inquisitrix Benadice is a step above and beyond them all, and that’s why she is my favourite model this year.
Also be sure to check out PDH’s fantastic Dakka thread! for more pictures of the Inquisitrix and her retinue.
2nd place: GuitaRasmus’ Nurgle Fly
This model was not created by me. Image appears courtesy of GuitaRasmus
GuitaRasmus is one of those hobbyists who keep on cranking out stuff us mere mortals can only dream of. Every model he does would probably end up winning pretty much any contest it was entered in, and his talent for building and painting world class stuff is more than a little scary. My faourite for this year would have to be his Nurgle-themed chaos flyer, converted from a WFB Arachnok kit. And while the execution is flawless, it’s the little touches that really make the model shine (or, in case of a Nuglite model, glisten ): GuitaRasmus actually converted the eyes to look more fly-like, and – at my humble suggestion, if I do say so myself – decided to paint the fly’s carapace in a slightly metallic hue for that extra disgusting bluebottle effect. We are really lucky that a hobbyist this talented turned to chaos in the first place
Be sure to check out GuitaRasmus’ fantastic Dakka thread. Be warned, though: Your own hobby endeavours will invariably look pretty meagre in comparison…
3rd place: Biohazard’s Gorehound
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This model was not created by me. Image appears courtesy of Biohazard
Again, it is really hard to pick a favourite from among Biohazard’s/Doombreed’s fantastic Khornate conversions and kitbashes. But even though I have a very soft spot in my heart for his scratchbuild Defiler variant (fittingly called the “Bloodstalker”), the Gorehound Titan you see above has got to be my favourite this year, simply due to the flabbergasting scope of the project: That huge beast was kitbashed from nothing but GW plastic parts, and it frankly looks like it could be sold as a regular kit. So while the Gorehound may not be 100% finished at this point, it is definitely worthy of an Eternal Hunt Award!
Many more great conversions and kitbashes can be found in Biohazard’s great Dakka thread.
Best armies 2012:
1st place: Mayajid’s Metal Beast Mercenaries
These models were not created by me. Image appears courtesy of Mayajid
The premise does not sound all that captivating: an army of Beastman/Space Marine hybrids. It has been done before, right? Well, I thought so too. But then Mayajid’s Metal Beast Mercenaries simply blew me away: Here’s an army where every single model has been expertly customised to within an inch of its life. And not only are there conversions for every staple in a Marine army, Mayajid also managed to incorporate “40k-ified” versions of all the special characters in the WFB Beastman army book. Combined with the sheer scope of the project and the fact that its creator didn’t cut ANY corners during the completion of this army, that’s more than enough to make Mayajid’s Metal Beast Mercenaries the best army of 2012 in my book!
A single picture does not do these guys justice, so I recommend you head right over to Dakka and feast your eyes on Mayajid’s fantastic army!
2nd place: Meade’s Black Legion
This model was not created by me. Image appears courtesy of Meade
This model was not created by me. Image appears courtesy of Meade
Even though I am an avid follower of the ruinous powers (and have been for years), even I have to admit that chaos armies are rarely truly scary. Granted there are skulls and chains and grisly trophies and all that jazz, but only very infrequently do we find a hobbyist who succeeds in making his chaos army look as scary as it should.
Enter Meade: His Black Legion force (pictured above are a Daemon Prince and a Defiler, since I simply couldn’t decide which was cooler) looks like the lovechild of the silent Silent Hill universe and the Film Virus: With lots of gruesome cabling and body horror, Meade’s Chaos Marines look really, really scary. His prowess at painting spectacular OSL effects makes the army shine even brighter. I couldn’t replicate this stuff if I tried, and frankly, I am not even sure I want to: Those guys look like lots and lots of trouble, even if you are on their side
Anyway, Meade is a hobbyist who knows how to do chaos right, and that earns him a slot in this year’s Eternal Hunt Awards. Head on over to Dakka and check out the rest of his disturbing creations.
3rd place: Migsula’s Inquisitor Silas and Retinue
This models were not created by me. Image appears courtesy of Migsula.
Well, maybe it’s not an army per se, but bear with me: Migsula is another very talented artist, and also yet another disciple of the “Blanchian style”. He is also one of the greatest converters I have seen to date, and the amounts of thought and consideration that go into his work are simply outstanding. Likewise, my favourite piece of work of his in 2012, Inquisitor Silas and retinue, is only a small part of an even greater hobby endeavour. I think the models really speak for themselves, so let me just add that you should definitely check out Migsulas’s own blog, if you haven’t already!
Well, I think I’ve given you lots of awesome blogs and projects to check out. Those are my favourites, but there were lots and lots of fantastic little plastic men in 2012. What’s more, there were great releases and fantastic personal hobby moments. We’ll be looking at those in the next installments of the Eternal Hunts Awards. Expect those in a couple of days.
Until then, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and hope that you’ll be able to spend it with people important to you. And I also hope you still have time for the odd hobby project over the holidays.
As always, thanks for looking and stay tuned for more!
Filed under: 40k, Conversions, Pointless ramblings Tagged: 40k, award, awesome, best of, conversions, my favourite blogs
