This week’s Fangirl Feature is from Jackdawwill

Hobby showcase! Share with us: Your favourite images

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What games/systems are you most interested in/do you collect?

I’m predominantly a 40k collector and dabble in Age of Sigmar & Warcry.

Any specific armies?

My main army is a Dark Angels Successor Chapter, The Obsidian Choir, which features a heavy emphasis on all Dreadnoughts and pre-heresy armour MK’s. With the new SM supplements I’ve been convinced to start a Relictors Primaris army as well. For AoS I have a Hedonites of Slaanesh Invaders Host.

What aspect of the hobby are you most interested in?

 I’m most captivated by the kitbashing community around 40k. There’s a wealth of creativity backed up by a very accessible universe to draw inspiration from. I’ve spent my whole hobby life of nearly 20 years reading through Black Library books and comics. Following reoccurring characters through the Horus Heresy is particularly enjoyable. 

What compelled you first start or restart the hobby?

I was introduced to tabletop games by friends in the early 2000’s and it quickly became a regular after school activity to paint and play. The first comic I read in store was a Warhammer Monthly featuring the Deathwing Tale of Two-Heads Talking, and that cemented my affinity for the Dark Angels ever since.

Do you have any future plans for your hobby?

My immediate plans for the time being are to build and magnetise three of the new Dark Angels Leviathans to spearhead to the Dreadnought horde. And a more long term project in a steampunk inspired Imperial Knight House.

What sort of materials do you use to create your hobby? How long does it take you to complete a project?

Aside from drawing bits from all across the GW and FW range I use plasticard and brownstuff often to make chunky scenic bases. The Sector Mechanicus terrain kit have made for great bases after turning them into round cross sections on my bench drill.

What inspires you to keep going? Do you admire any other hobbyists?

Talking with other kitbashers has been a great source of inspiration. Sometimes having a different perspective from someone more familiar with another army has been instrumental in fleshing out a character or filling a void with details. I’d like to give a shout out to 1000_ways_to_build_a_thing and reamelish, both on instagram who are both masters of kitbashing and scratch building.

What do you find most frustrating about the hobby?

Painting, that is the bane of my hobbying. I find it easy to fall into analysis paralysis trying to come up with colour schemes and an order of operations. I have however invested in an airbrush to speed up the initial blocking out phase & I hope to become more adept with it.

Do you have any tips for any aspiring hobbyists – beyond the usual ‘practice daily’? 

My advice to anyone dabbling with greenstuff would be to invest in some cheap silicon shaper tools. They’re excellent for creating flowing or organic forms and smoothing out finger prints. Keep them wet stops the tools from sticking to the greenstuff

What is your fondest hobby memory?

The most fun I’ve had in the hobby was purifying Death Guard armour and turning them back into stylised MKIII power armour for for characters like the Techmarine. I learned a lot about trimming away details and filling gaps. I drew small parts from a wealth of kits & this was the first time I tried making a chunky scenic base. 

Anything else you would like to tell our readers?

If you’re like me and you have a backlog of unopened kits, put a shelf life on them. If you become uninspired by that project, sell them on and infuse the projects you’re passionate about. 

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Many thanks Jackdawwill for taking the time to answer these questions for the Fangirl Feature this week.

You can find JackdawWill on Twitter

And if you’d like to be featured on the blog then please, don’t hesitate to get in contact.