Even though it’s a bit late for “Orktober,” I have the pleasure of presenting one of my favourite models in my collection: my Goff Stompa! This model is now over ten years old. In previous articles, I’ve touched on the fact that I’m an “old timer” in the hobby, with more years under my belt than I’d care to admit. That said, the journey I’ve taken as a hobbyist is one that only gets better with time.
I wanted to share some of the detail on the Stompa, especially the crew! For me, these characterful grots, working to keep the shambles of the mighty Stompa running and in good order, carry metaphorical meaning for my hobby journey.
The hobby journey
When we begin our journey in model making, building, and painting, it’s an exciting time full of imagination. We’re spoilt for choice with a plethora of realistic, true-to-life models, strange fantastical kits, and everything in between.
Thinking back, the energy I put into my first model was some of the best hobby mojo I’ve ever had. Not constrained by knowing anything, I was free of doubt and preconceived notions about how things should be done. I could simply create. Much like my grots, eagerly working away with little knowledge but driven by a desire to make it work! That’s the magic of our hobby.
As we gain experience, we start to find models, games, paints, and techniques we prefer. We begin to form our own ideas about what works and what doesn’t. This is natural and part of growing into the hobby. With experience comes emotional connection, driven at its core by love and care for what we’re doing. But with those exciting emotions, negative ones can creep in causing fear or doubt about our ability to do a project well.
How many of you have sat at a table after the initial rush of buying and building a kit, thinking… I must paint this now?! Where do I even start? And if I do paint it, will I do it right? Will it be good enough?
Comparison can be the thief of joy
This brings me to the nub of the matter. I had a recent conversation with Garfy this week about great paint jobs and hobby projects we’ve seen. We share things we’ve spotted and enjoy commenting on what we like – or what we might have done differently if it were our project.
Emotionally, these thoughts are both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing that we can so easily enjoy other people’s amazing hobby projects from around the globe, all at the click of a button in high-definition glory.
It’s only natural to compare our work to others, and that can help us improve if that’s our goal. But I was reminded by wise old Garfy that “comparison can be the thief of joy.” Comparing your work to others can make you feel inadequate or not up to scratch. The time spent scrolling through Insta or the web looking for “cool paint jobs” bleeds time away from doing your own hobby and stifles enjoyment.
I urge you to remember those early days in the hobby when we just did. The joy of tackling a project in any way we could. That creative freedom is always there. It’s just up to us to determine its value and worth. Often, looking inward during a hobby project is far more rewarding than constantly looking outward.
Just like my grots on the Stompa. They’re loving life finding creative solutions to problems or challenges. Sure, they make mistakes along the way, but that’s all part of the process and the fun, plus as hobbyists we have the bonus that a Runt Herder won’t give us a proper kicking if we mess it up 😉. A hobby is just that: a hobby. It’s done for enjoyment and pleasure.
Tale of Painters is the unofficial Warhammer hobby magazine run by hobbyists like you. Support our work by using the affiliate links from our 🇺🇸 / 🇨🇦 partner stores for your next orders so we can continue to bring you fantastic FREE content every day:
Or support us directly:
