Building a Gaming Board – pt 2.

Marko Paunović, 27th September 2020

In the previous asrticle, I've started work on my winter themed Frostgrave board. So far, I've covered the cutting of the plywood, making a frame, building volume with HD styrofoam, adding cliffs and river banks and I've finished the article with texture application.

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I'm at about the half way mark with the building of this board and the main idea of this build is to have a single board for my Malifaux games which means I would require a 90x90cm (3'x3') board. I decided to go with a frozen river, with a couple of crossings. I'd also wanted at least one road and several paths that wouldn't have been (entirely) covered with snow. I'd also wanted to add some levels to my board so it wouldn't be just flat. Two or three levels would have been perfect. Since this wouldn't be a fixed terrain board, I'd still needed plenty of flat areas to place the scenery before my games. In this issue, I'll be painting the board's three separate kinds of surfaces (ground, cliffs and river), followed by adding the river which will be the most tricky and most time consuming part of the build. After the river sets, I'll add vegetation, roots, grass tufts and alike. I'll also add a couple of fir/pine trees. In the end, I'll add ice surfaces (ice and icicles) as well as cover the entire board with snow.

Planning

Most of the planning was done in the last issue. The main needs and wants were decided and all that was left was to micro-manage some issues like when to paint, when to pour the resin and how to add the snow. During the build last issue, as always no matter how good you plan things, there were some things that weren't accounted for that might pose some troubles and problems later during the build. First of those were how to gather all the loose texturing material without simply chucking it all away in the yard. Also, pouring in the resin and adding the snow needed careful planning in order not to accidentally mess and ruin previous work. For instance, if I opted to put static grass, I'd need to put it before pouring in the resin to prevent stray static fibres from getting accidentally stuck in the resin while it cured. Also, protection of details (like river, cliffs and tufts/static grass) would be crucial before adding the snow to prevent snow from completely covering them.

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After a short think, I came up with this list of tools and materials that I would need to finish this board:
- glues - PVA 1kg, 1x10g Superglue
- paints and spreys - 6 Pebeo Deco Paints (Black, White, Grey, Brown, Ochre and Ash), one black, ash, off white and pure white matt acrylic spreys and one clear matt acrylic sprey
- large brushes No 90, No 40
- airbrush
- brush size 16
- several roots
- static grass tufts and scatter (three to four sorts)
- Clear Water gel by Ammo by Mig Jimenez
- Resin (Gedeo Crystal Resin)
- Pebeo Vitrail Sky Blue paint
- 20-ish pine trees
- NOCH icicles
- NOCH snow products (2 packages)
- NOCH ice crystals
- snow foam in a sprey can
- scalpel blade
- scissors
- masking tape
- thin card (several pieces)
- portable hand-held vacuum cleaner

Preparation work

As mentioned before, last issue I left the entire table covered with texture material – sand and gravel. As I didn't make a mixture of water, PVA glue and sand/gravel, opting to first put PVA glue and sprinkle the texture over it, it was now necessary to remove the excess sand, gravel and pebbles from the board. Normally, when doing terrain, I would suggest usine a large cardboard lid and simply turn over the terrain over it. However, my board is 90 x 90 cm with well over 5kg now and I didn't have a large enough receptical to gather all the leftover texturing material. Simply turning it over the floor of my garage was also out of the question. To gather all (or most) of the texturing material, I used a small hand held battery powered vacuum cleaner that housekeepers use for collecting breadcrums in the kitchen. A couple of minutes of vacuuming, removed most of the excess material. Rest was lost alas when I turned the board over in my back yard. But I did manage to salvage almost an entire jar worth of basing material.

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Undercoat

When the excess texture material was removed, I could proceed with the painting. First step as always was to undercoat the board. This time, I would use four different spreys to do the undercoating. All the main textures (apart from the cliffs and the river) were undercoated black. Rest of the surfaces, notably: cliffs, boulders and river) was first undercoated white followed by a layer of off white and ash spreys. When these were dry, I then overspreyed those surfaces lightly with pure white sprey again. In the end, I turned back to black sprey to repair the sloppy spreying in places.

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Airbrushing the washes

The next step in painting was to airbrush some washes to the riverbed and all the stone parts (cliffs, river banks and boulders). I used these washes: • Coelia Greenshade • Athonian Camoshade • Druchii Violet • Nuln Oil • Seraphim Sepia • Agrax Earthshade

For the riverbed, I used only the Coelia Greenshade, Athonian Camoshade and Nuln Oil. On the stone parts, I used all of them with repeats of Nuln Oil and Coelia Greenshade. As these colours were washes, the drying period between the layers was long. To shorten this period, I used an old hair dryer to speed up the drying process. Remember to always airbrush (and sprey from sprey cans) in a well ventilated areas!

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Painting the texture

When I was done with applying the washes to the cliffs and the river, it was time to paint the rest of the surfaces on my board. Apart from the river and the cliffs, there were two distinct surfaces to paint. One was the normal ground, the other road and paths. I decided to paint all those surfaces with an initial layer of drybrushed Pebeo Brown. To apply it, I used the biggest brush I could find – size 90. Once the layer was dry, I applied a layer of Pebeo Ochre to the road and paths only. Again, when this layer was dry, I painted the entire surface with a drybrushed layer of Pebeo Ash. The difference in the layers due to the Ochre colouration on the paths and road is still visible. At this point, I would normally stop painting. Maybe adding a final highlight of pure Pebeo Antique White to the most raised surfaces only. However, most of this board would be covered with snow, so I decided to push the colour even whiter. I added two more layers to all the surfaces. First was with the afore mentioned Pebeo Antique White and the latter was done with pure Pebeo White. Note that the difference between the normal ground texture and the paths/road surface is still visible. Also, you may notice that the paintjob was not as tidy as it could have been. The reason behind this was two-fold. First, I was rushing the job a little. Second, I didn't go back as I would normally, only because I was aware that most of the surfaces would be covered with snow in the end. A careful reader/viewer may notice some white-ish marks in the road that mark the spots where some pebbles were glued that got knocked of during painting. These I also did not go back to repair. I would simply cover those places with either snow or grass tufts to save time.

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Painting the cliffs

Painting the cliffs was relatively simple. I just drybrushed some Pebeo Grey followed by Pebeo White. I then realised, that these layers covered almost the entire airbrushed washes effects. So I decided to turn back to my airbrush and re-apply those layers, using Coelia Greenshade, Athonian Camoshade, Druchii Violet and Nuln Oil. This time, I did not wait for the layers to dry. Instead I opted for the washes to mix freely due to the pressure applied from the airbrush.

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Making the river

After the paintjob, it was time to make the river. Most of the river had river banks made from schist in the last issue. However, there was a part that had a low crossing which didn't have any elevation from the rest of the riverbank. To make the river bed one whole, I needed to model some sort of an embankment to prevent the resin from spreading to the road. The job fell on Clear Water gel by Ammo by MIG. It is a white paste that dries clear. Using a small brush, I made a small embankment that was 2-3mm high and I left it to dry over night.

Unfortunately, that night the rain started to fall and the temperature dropped down significantly. This caused the effect not to dry completely. It still remained white. As I was chasing a deadline, I decided to proceed with the resin pouring despite it not being clear. I could always cover this part with snow at a later point.

For the river, I opted to use Gedeo Crystal Resin. A quick calculation based on rough estimations of the river being 5cm wide and 90cm long coupled with my wish for the river to be 1-2mm deep, produced the result that I needed 45-90ml of resin. The Gedeo Crystal Resin is my resin of choice, mostly because it is a two component resin that is mixed in 2:1 volume ratio. This makes it really easy to use in almost all volumes neccessary. During the airbrushing, I spent all of my Nuln Oil. Fortunately, I saved the 24ml bottle. Using two fills of resin (48ml) and one fill of hardener (24ml) ensured that I hade 72ml of resin. Almost perfect for my river. To slightly tint the resin, I used Pebeo Vitrail Sky Blue colour. Remember to add the colour after you mixed the resin and the hardener to ensure the resin sets properly.

Also, the resin mixture is quite volatile and can even produce some heat as the curing is an exothermic reaction so the use of protective gloves is recommended.

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Adding pigments

At this point I still was not satisfied with the look of my cliffs so I decided to add some pigments to it. Using rust and ochre pigments applied randomly throughout the cliffs, I added some subtle tones. In places those were not so subtle. I fixed the pigments using AK Interactive Pigment Fixer using a large brush (size 16).

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Roots on the cliffs

To add some further variety to the cliffs, I decided to add some roots. If you remember from last issue, I went on a hike to the hills where I gathered some stones I used to make cliffs with. On the same hike, I also gathered some roots from an overturned tree stump. These, when washed, make excellent trees, dried shrubs and even roots in our small scale. Using super glue I fixed them in desired places making sure I glued their both ends. This way, they wouldn't be so easy to dislocate during gaming. Alternatively, you can always pin them using a really thin wire.

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Adding snow to the pine/fir trees

Next step was to add the trees. I decided I would use NOCH fir/pine trees that come in a bag of 50. I would plant 20 of them to my board. Before gluing them to the board, I decided to paint them white and add some snow. First I spreyed them using a white matt acrylic sprey. This was still not white enough for me, so I used Pebeo White applied with a size 16 brush cut for drybrushing. Be careful, this is a messy procedure and you'll get spreyed white as my T-shirt will attest. When the white colour was dry, I spreyed the trees with snow foam from a sprey can. This added some volume to the snowy effect that I was going for. When the foam was dry, I spreyed the trees with clear acrylic mat sprey to add some strength to the bond between the trees and the snow foam.

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Low branches

While the snow was drying on the fir/pine trees I decided to add some more medium to low vegetation to my board. Once again, I turned to the roots gathered on my hike to the hills. I used some cool looking roots that had at least two to three branches to make some low branches that are growing from the cliffs of my board. I glued them arbitrarily around the cliffs, just making sure they do not get in the way of gaming. To glue them in place I used some super glue. If you are worried that the branches might get knocked off, you can always pin them using wire/paperclips to the cliffs.

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Ice on the river

With the resin now totally cured, I had to add some ice on the riverbanks. Fortunately, during Iron Painter, I discovered a cool product used by railroad modellers to add ice to their rivers. It is made by a german company called NOCH. Their Ice Crystals comes in a rubbery tube and is some sort of paste that can be applied directly from the tube to a frozen lake, a wintery pond, to the street or to windows and subsequently be easily modelled with a brush. Once dry it gives the shimmering effect of ice. I used a large brush (size 16) to apply it to my river banks. I made sure that the layer wasn't uniform making it narrower and wider, lower and higher and I even placed a couple of pieces inside the river.

Also, once dry, you can add some Clear Water gel from Ammo by Mig to form a stream if you wish. I decided not to as I wanted my river not to be rapids.

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Icicles

Another NOCH product I discovered while doing Iron Painter back in 2017 was the NOCH Icicles tube. This is really easy to use product that comes out of the rubber tube as a small worm. It is obviously some sort of resin that dries clear and has quite high a rigidity. Perfect for making icicles. I decided to use them only around the river on the cliffs and low branches. This way, the branches when covered with the NOCH Icicles, not only would they look frozen, but would be more rigid which will prevent breakage during gaming.

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Low vegetation

Since the majority of the board would be covered with snow, I decided not to use generic static grass, but opted for a slightly more expenisve tufts. The tufts I used are from Gamer's Grass and they come in a number of colouration, height and size. I used 12mm, 6mm and 4mm long tufts in beige, winter, dry and autumn colouration, as well as spikey variant which added quite some character to the cliffs underneath which I glued them using PVA glue.

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Gluing the pines

Depending on the sort of trees you have, you can fix them to your board in several ways. First, and the easiest, is to glue the trees using PVA glue. Since my trees had the roots made in the bottom, I chose this method. Not only do they provide wide enough an area for the glue to work, the fact that the roots were modelled made them realistic enough to use as is. However, some trees come on a circular base (about 2cm in diametre). If you use those, my advice would be to remove the circular base and add a wire pin (using a pin vice or a dremel). This will provide added strenght to the bond. Around the tree, I would then suggest planting some low vegetation (or snow in this case) to hide the fact that there is no root present.

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Adding the snow

The last thing to add to this board will be the snow. My initial plan was to cover the entire board (minus the river, most of the cliffs, roads and paths) with several layers of NOCH snow products glued by a thick layer of PVA glue. However, that seemed like a waste of material (both the snow product and PVA glue) so I decided only to use the NOCH snow underneath the trees. I applied a thick layer of PVA glue around the trees and using a large spoon sprinkled the snow product. Also, at this time I used a watered down mixture of PVA glue, water and white paint to cover some of the ice surfaces on the river. Those areas were also covered with snow product.

Rest of the surfaces, I sprinkled with snow foam from a sprey can. In all, I used two sprey cans. Around the sensitive areas like river, cliffs and tufts I used some thin card to protect them from the sprey. Once dry, I spreyed some clear matt sprey to add strenght to the effect. This way, I saved both money and time as this is truly a fast method. Eventually, due to gaming on the board, I expect some of the snow to peel of. However, the snow foam from a sprey can costs less than 2 USD so the cost of repairing isn't high.

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The finished product

After a couple of weeks of building on and off, my board was finished. In total, it cost less than 100USD with all the materials used (over half of which is resin and fir/pine trees).

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Latest articles

  • Painting a Floral Kimono
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    In the next article, my brother, Petar, will explain how he painted the kimono on the Tetsuha & Wakaba miniature sculpted by CobraMode. If you're interested, follow him on PlaySupport

    PROBLEM

    Everyone knows that contrast is key when painting miniatures. This doesn't just apply to values and colors, but also to the level of detail that the model has. If you have an incredibly painted or sculpted model that is completely covered in various details and textures, all your hard work is for naught. The brain simply can't absorb all that overwhelming visual information and the model turns into a blurry mass - it's unpleasant to look at.

    The solution is to have areas that are almost completely devoid of detail, so that the observer's eye can "rest" in those places and better perceive the richness of detail in the neighboring areas. To me, however, this is unacceptable. Usually my strategy for creating great models is to simply paint them very quickly, so at least one will win a medal. Lately, however, I have been wanting to invest an unreasonable amount of time in a single model, and to do that I need a way to get as much detail in as possible without the model becoming that aforementioned mass.

    IDEA

    As with many of my miniature problems, the solution came from a product specifically designed for women and has nothing to do with this hobby – wedding dresses.

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    Wedding dresses are often completely covered in intricate embroidery, yet they don’t appear overly saturated. This is because both the embroidery and its background are the same color, so all of these details blend into the background and become very subtle. In this project, I wanted to see if I could achieve something similar – painting white embroidery on a white surface. If I could, I could use this effect to create a model that at first glance gives a balanced impression of detail, but upon closer inspection reveals that it is even more impressive than it first appeared. In short, I want people to react with: “This looks even better than I thought!”

    PROCESS

    I chose a model that was covered in clothing without any unnecessary details. I started with a base of “white” that was very subtly shaded, because I knew I would add more highlights and shadows later after I finished the embroidery. I played it safe – better to have to highlight more than have the details become invisible.

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    The model is very small, so I had to choose a simple enough pattern to draw. After a few hours of looking at references of embroidered kimonos, I decided on a floral pattern. I decided that three different repeating flowers would be enough for an interesting pattern.

    I tried a few variations on the pattern before finding three that looked good and were simple enough. I wanted to keep the flowers as small as possible, so simple shapes were the best choice. I settled on:

    - Four simple dots that make up a flower

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    - X shape (at first I tried to sharpen the ends, but quickly gave up - it's more important to keep it small than realistic)

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    - A star (in my head it's a dandelion)

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    Once the shapes were selected, all that was left was to repeat them. To do this, I mixed a little bit of the shadow color with white, because I wanted to highlight them later. Of course, none of the shapes turned out perfectly symmetrical, but that's not a problem because we're talking about fabric that stretches and deforms.

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    The most important thing in this process is to get the paint to the right consistency. If you thin it too much, it will start to run all over the model and stain it instead of painting it. If it's too thick, it won't come off the brush. Note: I used oil paints. It's probably possible with acrylics, but the paint would probably dry on the tip of the brush a lot.

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    After many hours, the sample was ready.

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    During the process I realized that the initial layer should have been lighter, because although this looks good, it doesn't feel like "white on white" to me. The next step was to add additional shading and highlighting to the kimono to make everything look whiter. For this I used semi-transparent oil paints, applied and then feathered with a dry brush.

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    Once that layer dried, I added the reflected colors from the surrounding surfaces. With that, the floral kimono was complete!

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    CONCLUSSION

    While I think I learned a lot from this project and the initial idea had great potential, in the end I didn't quite get it right. I don't think the kimono looks completely white. If I were to do this again, I would start with an even lighter base and actually paint all the patterns in a darker color first. Then I would go over them with a lighter tone to create more depth to the embroidery.

    Nevertheless, the result is quite nice, and I promise the next one will be even better! Here is the model when the rest is finished and placed on a cute base.

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    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(8839) "

    U sljedećem članku moj brat, Petar, će objasniti kako je obojao kimono na minijaturi Tetsuha & Wakaba koju je sculptao CobraMode. Ako ste zainteresirani, zapratite ga na PlaySupport

    PROBLEM

    Svi znaju da je pri bojanju minijatura kontrast ključan. To se ne odnosi samo na vrijednosti i boje, već i na razinu detalja koju model ima. Ako imate nevjerojatno obojen ili skulpturiran model koji je potpuno prekriven raznim detaljima i teksturama, sav vaš trud je uzaludan. Mozak jednostavno ne može upiti sve te silne vizualne informacije i model se pretvara u nejasnu masu – neugodno ga je gledati.

    Rješenje je imati područja koja su gotovo potpuno lišena detalja, kako bi se oko promatrača moglo „odmoriti“ na tim mjestima i bolje percipirati bogatstvo detalja u susjednim dijelovima. Meni je to, međutim, neprihvatljivo. Obično mi je strategija za stvaranje odličnih modela da ih jednostavno vrlo brzo naslikam, pa će barem jedan osvojiti medalju. U zadnje vrijeme, ipak, imam želju uložiti nerazumno puno vremena u jedan jedini model, i za to mi treba način kako ubaciti što više detalja bez da model postane ta spomenuta masa.

    IDEJA

    Kao i kod mnogih mojih problema s minijaturama, rješenje je došlo iz proizvoda koji je posebno dizajniran za žene i nema nikakve veze s ovim hobijem – vjenčanice.

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    Vjenčanice su često potpuno prekrivene složenim vezom, a ipak ne djeluju kao prezasićena masa. To je zato što su i vez i njegova podloga iste boje, pa se svi ti detalji stapaju s pozadinom i postaju vrlo suptilni. U ovom projektu htio sam vidjeti mogu li postići nešto slično – naslikati bijeli vez na bijeloj površini. Ako uspije, mogao bih koristiti taj efekt za stvaranje modela koji na prvi pogled daje uravnotežen dojam detalja, a pri bližem promatranju otkriva da je još impresivniji nego što se činilo. Ukratko, želim da ljudi reagiraju s: „Ovo izgleda još bolje nego što sam mislio!“

    PROCES

    Odabrao sam model koji je prekriven odjećom bez suvišnih detalja. Počeo sam s bazom „bijele“ koja je vrlo suptilno sjenčana, jer sam znao da ću kasnije dodati još svjetla i sjena nakon što završim vez. Igrao sam na sigurno – bolje da moram dodatno highlightati nego da detalji postanu nevidljivi.

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    Model je vrlo malen, pa sam morao odabrati dovoljno jednostavan uzorak za crtanje. Nakon nekoliko sati gledanja referenci vezenih kimona, odlučio sam se za cvjetni uzorak. Zaključio sam da će tri različita ponavljajuća cvijeta biti dovoljna za zanimljiv uzorak.

    Isprobao sam nekoliko varijacija na modelu prije nego što sam pronašao tri koje izgledaju dobro i dovoljno su jednostavne. Htio sam da cvjetovi budu što manji, pa su jednostavni oblici bili najbolji izbor. Odlučio sam se za:

    - Četiri jednostavne točkice koje čine cvijet

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    - X oblik (isprva sam pokušao zaoštriti krajeve, ali sam brzo odustao – važnije je da bude malen nego realističan)

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    - Zvjezdicu (u mojoj glavi to je maslačak)

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    Kad su oblici bili odabrani, preostalo je samo njihovo ponavljanje. Za to sam pomiješao malo boje sjene s bijelom, jer sam ih kasnije želio dodatno highlightati. Naravno, nijedan oblik nije ispao savršeno simetričan, ali to nije problem jer govorimo o tkanini koja se rasteže i deformira.

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    Najvažnije u ovom procesu je postići pravu konzistenciju boje. Ako je previše razrijedite, počet će se razlijevati po modelu i mrljati ga umjesto bojanja. Ako je pregusta, neće sići s kista. Napomena: koristio sam uljane boje. Vjerojatno je moguće i s akrilima, ali boja bi se vjerojatno često sušila na vrhu kista.

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    Nakon mnogo sati, uzorak je bio gotov.

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    Tijekom procesa shvatio sam da je početni sloj trebao biti svjetliji, jer iako ovo izgleda dobro, meni ne djeluje kao „bijelo na bijelo“. Sljedeći korak bio je dodatno sjenčanje i highlightanje kimona kako bi sve izgledalo bjelje. I za to sam koristio poluprozirne uljane boje, nanesene i zatim featherane suhim kistom.

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    Nakon što se taj sloj osušio, dodao sam reflektirane boje iz okolnih površina. Time je cvjetni kimono bio završen!

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    ZAKLJUČAK

    Iako mislim da sam puno naučio iz ovog projekta i da početna ideja ima velik potencijal, na kraju ipak nisam u potpunosti uspio. Ne mislim da kimono u potpunosti djeluje bijelo. Da radim ovo ponovno, počeo bih s još svjetlijom bazom i zapravo bih sve uzorke prvo naslikao tamnijom bojom. Zatim bih ih prešao svjetlijim tonom kako bih stvorio vez s više dubine.

    Unatoč tome, rezultat je prilično lijep, i obećavam da će sljedeći biti još bolji! Evo modela kada je ostatak dovršen i postavljen na simpatičnu bazu.

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    Ivan Knezović, 5th May 2026
  • Pigmentation principles: why powdered pigment doesn't work
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        string(58) "Pigmentation principles: why powdered pigment doesn't work"
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    This text was written after a Wednesday get-together where a discussion about the pigmentation of plaster developed. Since I wasn't able to explain everything on the spot, I decided to put it all down on paper — and the principles in question apply more broadly than plaster itself anyway.

    1. What is a pigment — and what is not

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    A pigment is a substance that imparts color by selectively absorbing certain wavelengths of visible light and reflecting others. A black pigment absorbs almost all wavelengths; a red pigment absorbs blue and green and reflects red. It is important to distinguish a pigment from a filler. Fillers are white or neutral substances that are added to paints, coatings, and masses to increase volume, improve texture, or reduce cost—but do not provide strong color or good hiding power on their own. Typical fillers include calcium carbonate (chalk, CaCO₃), calcium sulfate (gypsum, CaSO₄), barium sulfate, and similar materials. The difference between a true pigment and a filler is not just in color—it lies in a physical property called the index of refraction.

    2. Refractive index and opacity

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    The refractive index (IR) describes how much light is refracted and scattered when it passes through a substance or encounters its surface. The higher it is, the more the particle scatters light — and thus appears more opaque, "opaque". A few comparative values:

    • • Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) — IR around 2.7 → excellent coverage, strongest white pigment
    • • Zinc oxide (ZnO) — IR around 2.0 → good coverage
    • • Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) — IR around 1.59 → poor coverage, filler
    • • Calcium sulfate / gypsum (CaSO₄) — IR around 1.52 → almost transparent in a binder, filler

    This means that gypsum and chalk, although white as a powder, become almost transparent in the formulation of a coating or mass. They do not compete with the pigment — they are subordinate to it. That's why a small amount of pigment easily and evenly colors a gypsum or chalk-based mass, while the same amount of pigment in a mass containing TiO₂ would be barely visible.

    3. Agglomeration — the enemy of even color

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    Pigment powders do not exist as perfectly separate particles. Due to electrostatic attractive forces and surface tension, the particles spontaneously group into clusters called agglomerates or aggregates. Agglomeration is particularly pronounced in: fine particles (the smaller the particle, the higher the surface area to volume ratio, so the attractive forces are relatively stronger) pigments with a high specific surface area, such as carbon black high temperature or humidity conditions When pigment powder is mixed with filler or binder powder, the agglomerates do not break down—they remain as compact clusters. The visual result is an uneven color: dark spots where pigment particles have accumulated, and pale areas where they are absent. The user then concludes that "more pigment is needed"—but this is not true. The problem is not a lack of pigment, but its poor distribution.

    4. Dispersion — meaning properly dispersed pigment

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    Dispersion is the process of breaking up agglomerates and evenly distributing individual pigment particles throughout a medium (water, oil, binder). A well-dispersed pigment means that the particles are as evenly distributed as possible — each filler or binder particle "sees" the pigment, not just the neighborhood of the agglomerate. Dispersion is achieved by mechanical and chemical means:

    • • Mechanical: mixing with high shear forces (mixers, mill aggregates, ultrasound). Mixing with a spoon or spatula is not sufficient to break up agglomerates.
    • • Chemical: the use of dispersants and surfactants that adsorb to the surface of the particle and prevent it from re-adhering to neighboring particles.

    5. Why liquid colorant works better than powdered pigment

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    Liquid colorants are not just pigment dissolved in water. They are ready-made systems that contain: Pigment — already dispersed to the level of individual particles or very small clusters Dispersants and surfactants — which keep the particles separated and prevent re-agglomeration Liquid medium — which allows the pigment to be evenly distributed throughout the material being colored before that material begins to set or dry When a liquid colorant is added to the mixing water (e.g. in gypsum, concrete, mortar), the pigment is already in an ideal state of dispersion. The same amount of pigment is evenly delivered to each part of the mixture. The color effect is therefore much more intense than with dry-mixed pigment — with a significantly lower total amount of pigment. The same logic applies to paints and varnishes: pigment pastes and dispersed pigments provide better coverage and color uniformity than pigments that have not undergone the dispersion process.

    6. Practical application — gypsum example

    Gypsum is a good example because it illustrates all the above principles at once. Because it has a low refractive index (~1.52), it is not a true white pigment — it does not resist staining when mixed with a binder. This means that a small amount of black pigment can easily and evenly color the gypsum mass. Why then does it happen to many people that they have to add a large proportion of pigment in relation to the mass of plaster? Because they mix the pigment in powder form directly into the gypsum powder. Pigment agglomerates (especially Fe₃O₄ or carbon black) remain intact, the distribution is uneven, and the result is disappointing. The conclusion "we need more" is wrong — we need better.

    Correct procedure:

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    Add the colorant (or pigment dispersed in water) to the mixing water Mix the water with the colorant well Only then add the gypsum and mix until a homogeneous mixture This way, the pigment is distributed throughout the entire mass before the gypsum begins to set. The result is an even, intense color with a much smaller amount of pigment than with dry mixing. For those who do not have access to professional colorants, a good alternative are liquid pigment additives available in building paint stores — usually in the form of small bottles intended for tinting wall paints. It is the same principle: the pigment is already dispersed in a liquid medium with additives that prevent agglomeration. Added to the mixing water, they give a more even result than powdered pigment with a significantly smaller amount.

    Conclusion

    The intensity and uniformity of color in a mass depend not only on the amount of pigment — they depend on how well the pigment is dispersed. A pigment powder mixed with a powder of another material almost always gives worse results than a pigment that has been previously dispersed in a liquid medium, in the presence of dispersants. When you encounter the problem of "the pigment does not color enough," it is worth asking yourself: is the problem not in the way it was added — and not in the amount.

    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(9431) "

    Ovaj tekst nastao je nakon druženja srijedom na kojem se razvila rasprava o pigmentaciji gipsa. Kako nisam uspjela sve objasniti na licu mjesta, odlučila sam to složiti na papir — a principi o kojima je riječ ionako vrijede šire od samog gipsa.

    1. Što je pigment — i što nije

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    Pigment je tvar koja daje boju tako što selektivno apsorbira određene valne duljine vidljivog svjetla i reflektira ostale. Crni pigment apsorbira gotovo sve valne duljine; crveni apsorbira plavu i zelenu, a reflektira crvenu. Važno je razlikovati pigment od punila. Punila su bijele ili neutralne tvari koje se dodaju u boje, premaze i mase kako bi povećala volumen, poboljšala teksturu ili snizila cijenu — ali same po sebi ne daju snažnu boju ni dobru pokrivnost. Tipična punila su kalcijev karbonat (kreda, CaCO₃), kalcijev sulfat (gips, CaSO₄), barijev sulfat i slični materijali. Razlika između pravog pigmenta i punila nije samo u boji — leži u fizikalnom svojstvu koje se zove indeks refrakcije.

    2. Indeks refrakcije i pokrivnost

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    Indeks refrakcije (IR) opisuje koliko se svjetlost lomi i raspršuje kada prolazi kroz neku tvar ili nailazi na njezinu površinu. Što je veći, to čestica jače raspršuje svjetlost — i time djeluje neprozirnije, "pokrivnije". Nekoliko usporednih vrijednosti:

    • • Titanijev dioksid (TiO₂) — IR oko 2,7 → izvanredna pokrivnost, najjači bijeli pigment
    • • Cinkov oksid (ZnO) — IR oko 2,0 → dobra pokrivnost
    • • Kalcijev karbonat (CaCO₃) — IR oko 1,59 → slaba pokrivnost, punilo
    • • Kalcijev sulfat / gips (CaSO₄) — IR oko 1,52 → gotovo transparentno u vezivu, punilo

    Ovo znači da gips i kreda, premda su bijeli kao prah, u formulaciji premaza ili mase postaju gotovo prozirni. Ne natječu se s pigmentom — podređuju mu se. Zato mala količina pigmenta lako i ravnomjerno oboji masu na bazi gipsa ili krede, dok bi ista količina pigmenta u masi koja sadrži TiO₂ jedva bila vidljiva.

    3. Aglomeracija — neprijatelj ravnomjerne boje

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    Pigmenti u prahu ne postoje kao savršeno odvojene čestice. Zbog elektrostatičkih privlačnih sila i površinske napetosti, čestice se spontano grupiraju u nakupine koje se zovu aglomerati ili agregati. Aglomeracija je posebno izražena kod: sitnih čestica (što je čestica manja, veći je omjer površine i volumena, pa su privlačne sile relativno jače) pigmenata visoke specifične površine, poput carbon blacka (čađe) uvjeta visokih temperatura ili vlage Kada se prah pigmenta umiješa u prah punila ili veziva, aglomerati se ne raspadaju — ostaju kao kompaktne nakupine. Vizualni rezultat je neujednačena boja: tamne mrlje tamo gdje su se nakupile čestice pigmenta, i blijeda područja tamo gdje ih nema. Korisnik tada zaključuje da "treba više pigmenta" — ali to nije točno. Problem nije nedostatak pigmenta, nego njegova loša raspodjela.

    4. Disperzija — što znači pravilno dispergiran pigment

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    Disperzija je proces razbijanja aglomerata i ravnomjernog raspoređivanja pojedinačnih čestica pigmenta kroz medij (vodu, ulje, vezivo). Dobro dispergiran pigment znači da su čestice što ravnomjernije raspoređene — svaka čestica punila ili veziva "vidi" pigment, a ne samo susjedstvo aglomerata. Disperzija se postiže mehaničkim i kemijskim putem:

    • • Mehanički: miješanje s visokim smičnim silama (mikseri, mlinski agregati, ultrazuk). Miješanje žlicom ili lopaticom nije dovoljno za razbijanje aglomerata.
    • • Kemijski: upotreba dispergirnih sredstava (dispergatora) i surfaktanata koji se adsorbiraju na površinu čestice i sprječavaju njezino ponovno lijepljenje za susjedne čestice.

    5. Zašto tekući kolorant radi bolje od pigmenta u prahu

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    Tekući koloranti nisu samo pigment otopljen u vodi. To su gotovi sustavi koji sadrže: Pigment — već dispergiran do razine pojedinačnih čestica ili vrlo malih klastera Dispergatore i surfaktante — koji drže čestice razdvojenima i sprječavaju ponovnu aglomeraciju Tekući medij — koji omogućuje da se pigment ravnomjerno rasporedi kroz materijal koji se boji još prije nego što taj materijal počne vezati ili sušiti Kada se tekući kolorant doda u vodu za miješanje (npr. kod gipsa, betona, žbuke), pigment je već u idealnom stanju disperzije. Svakom dijelu smjese ravnomjerno se isporučuje ista količina pigmenta. Efekt boje je stoga mnogo intenzivniji nego kod suho miješanog pigmenta — uz znatno manju ukupnu količinu pigmenta. Ista logika vrijedi za boje i lakove: pigmentne paste i disperzirani pigmenti daju bolju pokrivnost i ravnomjernost boje od pigmenata koji nisu prošli proces disperzije.

    6. Praktična primjena — primjer gipsa

    Gips je zahvalan primjer jer ilustrira sve navedene principe odjednom. Budući da ima nizak indeks refrakcije (~1,52), nije pravi bijeli pigment — u smjesi s vezivom ne pruža otpor bojanju. To znači da mala količina crnog pigmenta može lako i ravnomjerno obojiti gipsanu masu. Zašto se onda mnogima događa da moraju dodati veliki udio pigmenta u odnosu na masu gipsa? Jer pigment miješaju u obliku praha direktno u prah gipsa. Aglomerati pigmenta (posebno Fe₃O₄ ili carbon black) ostaju netaknuti, raspodjela je neujednačena, i rezultat je razočaravajući. Zaključak "treba više" je pogrešan — treba bolje.

    Ispravni postupak:

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    Kolorant (ili pigment dispergiran u vodi) dodati u vodu za miješanje Dobro promiješati vodu s kolorantom Tek tada dodati gips i miješati do homogene smjese Na taj način pigment bude raspoređen kroz cijelu masu još prije nego gips počne vezati. Rezultat je ravnomjerna, intenzivna boja uz višestruko manju količinu pigmenta nego pri suhom miješanju. Za one koji nemaju pristup profesionalnim kolorantima, dobra alternativa su tekući pigmentni dodaci dostupni u trgovinama građevinskih boja — najčešće u obliku malih bočica namijenjenih nijansiranju zidnih boja. Radi se o istom principu: pigment je već dispergiran u tekućem mediju s aditivima koji sprječavaju aglomeraciju. Dodani u vodu za miješanje, daju ravnomjerniji rezultat od pigmenta u prahu uz znatno manju količinu.

    Zaključak

    Intenzitet i ravnomjernost boje u nekoj masi ne ovise samo o količini pigmenta — ovise o tome koliko je taj pigment dobro dispergiran. Prah pigmenta miješan u prah drugog materijala gotovo uvijek daje lošije rezultate od pigmenta koji je prethodno dispergiran u tekućem mediju, uz prisustvo dispergirnih sredstava. Kada se susretnete s problemom "pigment ne boji dovoljno", vrijedi si postaviti pitanje: nije li problem u načinu na koji je dodan — a ne u količini.

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    Dunja Singer, 4th May 2026
  • We visited: Warhammer World – pt.3
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    For any Warhammer hobbyist, a visit to Warhammer World in Nottingham is a pilgrimage of sorts. It is the epicenter of the entire Games Workshop culture - a combination of global corporate headquarters, visitor center, exhibition space, gaming hall, specialty store and themed bar, all gathered in one location. It should also be taken into account that the large gaming hall hosts Grand Tournaments for all games published by Games Workshop, and since our Ivan found himself in WHW on 18.4.2026. there was a WH40k tournament on the schedule, so the experience of the exhibition, Bugman Bar, WHW store, workshops, and gaming hall was also enhanced by the grand tournament that took place that day. This series follows his adventures…

    2.5. Exhibition Centre

    The Exhibition Centre is the central attraction of Warhammer World and the only part of the complex that requires an entrance fee. It consists of four main areas, which together represent the largest collection of painted Warhammer miniatures in the world.

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    The lineup includes: • Classic figurines, books and dioramas from the past thirty years of the hobby, in regularly rotating exhibitions.

    • Thousands of expertly painted figurines, the work of the renowned 'Eavy Metal team and Army/Battlefield Painter, as seen on codex covers and in White Dwarf.

    • Over 25 purpose-built dioramas with more than 20,000 models, plus numerous smaller vignettes.

    • "The Battle for Angelus Prime" - the largest exhibition board that Games Workshop has ever created, on which, according to information from the exhibition, an assassin is hidden that visitors can try to find.

    • Regularly changing Guest Displays - works by talented painters from the wider Warhammer community.

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    The 'Eavy Metal team consists of 6 members who paint figures and dioramas full time, and the whole exhibition is terribly fascinating because the figures are painted to the highest standard, and they are quite large.

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    3. General Impressions and Recommendations

    It is recommended that you set aside a whole day for the trip because visiting the WHW itself takes 4-5 hours with activities. If you are flying from Zagreb, RyanAir has cheap tickets, but it flies to Stansted so you need to go from London, a direct line is not a good idea. RyanAir is quite cheap, 20 to 30 GBP per person per way. From London, there are two options that are the fastest, and that is FlixBus for 5 GBP per person per way, and the national rail which is about 50 GBP per person per way. The bus from London stops at the first station in the south of Nottingham, from which there are a couple of stops by tram to WHW. From the center, there are several ways to get to the WHW itself, from walking along the canal for 20 minutes, to the bus and tram. If you want to play, you have to book a table, and if the tournament is in progress, you also have to pay an entry fee to play in the tournament.

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    All in all, a great recommendation for a visit to Warhammer World itself, which is a kind of pilgrimage for every miniaturist. The employees are extremely friendly and informative, there is a lot of content, there is something to see. With the note that in WHW itself you can buy explosives, but also do activities like in other official Warhammer stores, such as the first figures, assembling and painting, collecting figures of the month, buying White Dwarf, Combat Patrol, or starting the Battle Honors program. Definitely a warm recommendation.

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    You can find more photos on our social networks.

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    Za svakog hobista koji se bavi Warhammerom, posjet Warhammer Worldu u Nottinghamu predstavlja svojevrsno hodočašće. Riječ je o središnjem mjestu cjelokupne Games Workshop kulture - kombinaciji globalnog korporativnog sjedišta, posjetiteljskog centra, izložbenog prostora, igračke dvorane, specijalizirane trgovine i tematskog bara, sve okupljeno na jednoj lokaciji. Također treba uzeti u obzir da se u velikoj igraćoj dvorani održavaju Grand Turniri za sve igre koje izdaje Games Workshop, a budući da se naš Ivan našao u WHW 18.4.2026. na rasporedu je bio WH40k turnir, pa je samom doživljaju izložbe, Bugman Bara, WHW dućana, radionica, i igraće hale doprinio i veliki turnir koji se odvijao taj dan. Ovaj serijal prati njegove dogodovštine…

    2.5. Exhibition Centre (Izložbeni centar)

    Exhibition Centre je središnja atrakcija Warhammer Worlda i jedini dio kompleksa za koji se plaća ulaznica. Sastoji se od četiri glavna područja, koja zajedno predstavljaju najveću zbirku oslikanih Warhammer figurica na svijetu.

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    Postav uključuje: • Klasične figurice, knjige i diorame iz posljednjih trideset godina hobbyja, u redovno rotirajućim izložbama.

    • Tisuće ekspertno oslikanih figurica, rad renomiranog 'Eavy Metal tima i Army/Battlefield Paintera, kakve se viđaju na koricama codexa i u White Dwarfu.

    • Preko 25 namjenski izrađenih diorama s više od 20.000 modela, plus brojne manje vinjete.

    • "The Battle for Angelus Prime" - najveću izložbenu ploču koju je Games Workshop ikada izradio, na kojoj je, prema podatku iz izložbe, skriven jedan attentat (assassin) kojeg posjetitelji mogu pokušati pronaći.

    • Redovito izmjenjive Guest Displays - radove talentiranih slikara iz šire Warhammer zajednice.

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    'Eavy Metal tim se sastoji od 6 članova koji full time farbaju figure i diorame, i cijela izložba je užasno fascinantna jer su figure obojane na najvišem standardu, a i poprilično su velike.

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    3. Opći dojmovi i preporuke

    Preprouka je da za izlet izdvojite cijeli dan jer je z posjet samom WHW potrebno sigurno 4-5 sati sa aktivnostima. Ukoliko letite iz Zagreba RyanAir ima jeftine karte, ali leti na Stantsted pa je potrebno ići iz Londona, direktna linija nije neka sreća. RyanAir je poprilično jeftin, 20 do 30 GBP po osobi po smjeru. Iz Londona postoje dvije opcije koje su najbrže, a to je FlixBus za 5 GBP po osobi po smjeru, i nacionalna željeznica koja je cca 50 GBP po osobi po smjeru. Bus iz Londona staje na prvoj stanici na jugu Nottinghama, s koje ima par stanica tramvajem do WHW. Iz centra ima više načina da doći do samog WHW, pješke uz kanal 20 minuta hoda, pa do autobusa i tramvaja. Ukoliko želite igrati morate rezervirati stol, a ako je turnir u tijeku i platiti upad za igranje na turniru.

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    Sve u svemu velika preporuka za posjet samom Warhammer Worldu, koji je za svakog minijaturista određena vrsta hodočašća. Djelatnici su izrazito ljubazni i informativni, sadržaja je izuzetno puno, ima se kaj vidjeti. Uz napomenu da je u samom WHW-u mogu kupiti ekspluzive, ali i odraditi aktivnosti kao i u ostalim službenim Warhammer trgovinama, poput prvih figura, slaganja i farbanja, skupljanja figura mjeseca, kupnje Wite Dwarfa, Combat patrolea, ili početak Battle Honors programa. Svakako topla preporuka.

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    Više fotografija možete naći na našim socijalnim mrežama.

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    Ivan Vedak, 4th May 2026
  • We visited: Warhammer World – pt.2
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    For any Warhammer hobbyist, a visit to Warhammer World in Nottingham is a pilgrimage of sorts. It is the epicenter of the entire Games Workshop culture - a combination of global corporate headquarters, visitor center, exhibition space, gaming hall, specialty store and themed bar, all gathered in one location. It should also be taken into account that the large gaming hall hosts Grand Tournaments for all games published by Games Workshop, and since our Ivan found himself in WHW on 18.4.2026. there was a WH40k tournament on the schedule, so the experience of the exhibition, Bugman Bar, WHW store, workshops, and gaming hall was also enhanced by the grand tournament that took place that day. This series follows his adventures…

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    2. Warhammer World

    2.1. General Info

    Warhammer World first opened its doors to the public in 1999. Over the years, it has been expanded and renovated several times, and today it functions as Games Workshop's global visitor center - a place where collectors, gamers, painters and fans from all over the world gather. The location is at Willow Road, Lenton, Nottingham NG7 2WS, and the complex itself shares space with Games Workshop's main headquarters.

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    It is important to note right away: entry to Warhammer World, the retail store, the Events Hall and Bugman's Bar is free. The only part of the complex that charges an entrance fee is the Exhibition Centre, which costs around GBP 8.50 (approx. EUR 9.80) for an adult. Opening hours are generally 10:00 - 18:00, with extended opening hours on Thursdays and Fridays (until 22:00) and Saturdays (until 20:00). The complex itself consists of four main parts.

    2.2. Bugman's Bar

    Bugman's Bar is a themed bar and restaurant named after Joseph Bugman, the famous dwarven brewer from the Warhammer: The Old World setting. The interior is consistently designed in the style of a dwarven fortress - stone elements, heavy wood, an anvil by the hearth, an Orc head mounted on the wall, and consistently themed lighting. It's a real "in-universe" experience that goes beyond the average shopping theme.

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    The food and drink offer is designed in the style of an English pub, with thematic names of dishes. The bar is a popular place to rest between games, socialize with other players and meet friends who gather in Warhammer World from different parts of the world. Food is served from morning until 18:00, while the bar is also open after that.

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    They have their own beers and spirits named after names from Games Workshop's own lore, and they also have an exclusive, which is a chicken drumstick eating contest with jalapeño sauce, and if you succeed in that, you get a title and a little pin badge. At the time we visited, it was unavailable due to a menu change, so that's another reason for us to visit again.

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    2.3. Retail Store

    The Warhammer World store is significantly larger than the standard Warhammer stores found in European cities. The space is divided into two main units: one covers the complete range of Games Workshop figurines (Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, Middle-earth, Horus Heresy), while the other is dedicated to Forge World and its resin products. Special value is provided by the so-called "Warhammer World Exclusives" - models that can be purchased exclusively at this location or via their online shop. The offer also includes web-exclusive and event-exclusive models and limited editions that are sold out elsewhere. The store also has a Black Library department with books, as well as a corner for Warhammer Underworlds and other specialist products.

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    In the shop itself there is a wall with all the available Warhammer colors, as they are called after the last recent rebrand. Next to that wall there is a table with about 10 seats where, with guidance, they can be assembled and painted before the figures. These are usually figures of the month, two from each game. In the store itself I bought Space Marine HQ Command tanks, Space Marine HQ Command Tanks are a Warhammer World exclusive boxed set that contains two special vehicle variants - Land Raider Excelsior and Rhino Primaris - intended for a commanding role within the Space Marine Chapter. The set comes with an exclusive Command sprue and transfer sheet. Slightly tweaked two vehicles, with a different box, and will fit perfectly into the Ultramarine army I started.

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    2.4. Events Hall

    The Events Hall is the heart of the social life of the Warhammer World. It is a large hall themed as the Empire castle (The Empire from the Warhammer Fantasy / The Old World setting), with an impressive number of gaming tables. Some of the tables are standard tables equipped with excellently painted Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40k terrain, while others are special, purpose-built tables for certain scenarios - e.g. a large table for Apocalypse games, themed tables for special campaigns, Necromunda areas and the like. The hall hosts many official Games Workshop events: competitive tournaments such as Throne of Skulls, narrative events, Forge World and Black Library Open Days, and various workshops. When there are no official events, visitors can reserve a table and play a game for free with prior notice.

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    On the Saturday when we visited, the hall itself was the venue for the Warhammer 40k Grand Tournament, so that added to the excitement because the armies themselves were beautifully decorated, and the tournament was also very exciting.

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    You can find more photos on our social networks.

    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(13784) "

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    Za svakog hobista koji se bavi Warhammerom, posjet Warhammer Worldu u Nottinghamu predstavlja svojevrsno hodočašće. Riječ je o središnjem mjestu cjelokupne Games Workshop kulture - kombinaciji globalnog korporativnog sjedišta, posjetiteljskog centra, izložbenog prostora, igračke dvorane, specijalizirane trgovine i tematskog bara, sve okupljeno na jednoj lokaciji. Također treba uzeti u obzir da se u velikoj igraćoj dvorani održavaju Grand Turniri za sve igre koje izdaje Games Workshop, a budući da se naš Ivan našao u WHW 18.4.2026. na rasporedu je bio WH40k turnir, pa je samom doživljaju izložbe, Bugman Bara, WHW dućana, radionica, i igraće hale doprinio i veliki turnir koji se odvijao taj dan. Ovaj serijal prati njegove dogodovštine…

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    2. Warhammer World

    2.1. Općenito

    Warhammer World javnosti je prvi put otvorio vrata 1999. godine. Kroz godine je više puta proširivan i renoviran, a danas funkcionira kao globalni posjetiteljski centar Games Workshopa - mjesto na kojem se okupljaju kolekcionari, igrači, slikari i obožavatelji iz cijelog svijeta. Lokacija je na adresi Willow Road, Lenton, Nottingham NG7 2WS, a sam kompleks dijeli prostor s glavnim sjedištem Games Workshopa.

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    Važno je odmah napomenuti: ulaz u Warhammer World, retail trgovinu, Events Hall i Bugman's Bar je besplatan. Jedini dio kompleksa za koji se naplaćuje ulaznica je Exhibition Centre, a cijena je oko 8,50 GBP (cca. 9,80 EUR) za odraslu osobu. Radno vrijeme je u pravilu 10:00 - 18:00, uz produženo radno vrijeme četvrtkom i petkom (do 22:00) te subotom (do 20:00). Sam kompleks sastoji se od četiri glavne cjeline.

    2.2. Bugman's Bar

    Bugman's Bar tematski je bar i restoran nazvan po Josephu Bugmanu, slavnom patuljskom pivaru iz Warhammer: The Old World setting-a. Interijer je dosljedno izveden u stilu patuljaste utvrde - kameni elementi, teško drvo, nakovanj uz ognjište, glava Orka montirana na zidu, te dosljedno tematizirana rasvjeta. Pravi je "in-universe" doživljaj koji nadilazi prosječnu trgovačku tematizaciju.

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    Ponuda hrane i pića osmišljena je u stilu engleskog pub-a, s tematskim nazivima jela. Bar je popularno mjesto za odmor između partija, druženje s drugim igračima i susrete s prijateljima koji se u Warhammer Worldu okupljaju iz raznih dijelova svijeta. Hrana se poslužuje od jutarnjih sati do 18:00, dok bar radi i nakon toga.

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    Imaju svoje pive i žestice koje su nazvane po imenima iz samog lorea igara Games Worskopa, a također imaju eksluzivu, a to je natjecanje u jedenju pilećih bataka s jalapenjo umakom, pa ukoliko uspiješ u tome dobije titulu i mali pin bedž. U trenutku kada smo ih mi posjetili nije bilo dostupno zbog promjene menija, pa nam je to još jedan razlog za ponovni posjet.

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    2.3. Retail Store (Trgovina)

    Trgovina Warhammer Worlda znatno je veća od standardnih Warhammer trgovina koje se mogu naći u europskim gradovima. Prostor je podijeljen u dvije glavne cjeline: jedna pokriva kompletan asortiman Games Workshop figurica (Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, Middle-earth, Horus Heresy), dok je druga posvećena Forge Worldu i njegovim resin proizvodima. Posebnu vrijednost daju takozvani "Warhammer World Exclusives" - modeli koji se mogu kupiti isključivo na ovoj lokaciji ili putem njihovog online shopa. U ponudi su također web-ekskluzive i event-ekskluzive modeli te limitirana izdanja koja su drugdje rasprodana. U sklopu trgovine nalazi se i Black Library odjel s knjigama, te kutak za Warhammer Underworlds i ostale specijalističke proizvode.

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    U samom dućanu se nalazi zid sa svim dostupnim Warhammer bojama, kako se nazivaju nakon zadnjeg nedavnog rebranda. Pored tog zida nalaze se I stol sa 10ak mjesta gdje uz vodstvo se mogu sastaviti i obojati pre figure. Obično su to figure mjeseca, po dvije iz svake igre. U samom dućanu sam kupio Space Marine HQ Command tanks, Space Marine HQ Command Tanks su Warhammer World ekskluzivni boxed set koji sadrži dva specijalna varijanta vozila - Land Raider Excelsior i Rhino Primaris - namijenjena zapovjednoj ulozi unutar Space Marine Chaptera. Set dolazi s ekskluzivnim Command sprueom i transfer sheetom. Malo nakinđurena dva vozila, sa drugačijom kutijom, a odlično će se uklapati u Ultramarine vojsku koju sam startao.

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    2.4. Events Hall (Dvorana za događanja)

    Events Hall predstavlja srž društvenog života Warhammer Worlda. Riječ je o velikoj dvorani tematiziranoj kao dvorac Imperija (The Empire iz Warhammer Fantasy / The Old World setting-a), s impresivnim brojem igraćih stolova. Dio stolova su standardni stolovi opremljeni odlično oslikanim Age of Sigmar i Warhammer 40k terenom, dok su drugi posebni, namjenski izrađeni stolovi za određene scenarije - npr. veliki stol za Apocalypse igre, tematski stolovi za posebne kampanje, površine Necromunde i slično. Dvorana je domaćin mnogim službenim Games Workshop događanjima: kompetitivnim turnirima poput Throne of Skulls, narativnim eventima, Forge World i Black Library Open Days, te različitim radionicama. Kada nema službenih događanja, posjetitelji uz prethodnu najavu mogu rezervirati stol i besplatno odigrati partiju.

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    U subotu kada smo mi bili u posjeti je sama dvorana bilo mjesto održavanja Grand Torunamenta za Warhammer 40k pa je to dalo dodatnu zaniljivost jer su i same vojske bile dodatno lijepo uređenje, a i na turniru je bilo napeto.

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    Više fotografija možete naći na našim socijalnim mrežama.

    " ["created"]=> string(19) "2026-05-04 12:21:08" ["modified"]=> string(19) "2026-05-04 12:21:08" } ["Member"]=> array(10) { ["id"]=> string(3) "106" ["group_id"]=> string(1) "2" ["first_name"]=> string(4) "Ivan" ["last_name"]=> string(5) "Vedak" ["first_name_mask"]=> string(4) "ivan" ["last_name_mask"]=> string(5) "vedak" ["username"]=> string(10) "djrofellos" ["password"]=> string(40) "da5a4d9105d666439cd393d7a22997badd8203f8" ["born"]=> string(19) "2006-01-01 00:00:00" ["created"]=> NULL } }
    Ivan Vedak, 4th May 2026
  • We visited: Warhammer World - pt.1
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    For any Warhammer hobbyist, a visit to Warhammer World in Nottingham is a pilgrimage of sorts. It is the epicenter of the entire Games Workshop culture - a combination of global corporate headquarters, visitor center, exhibition space, gaming hall, specialty store and themed bar, all gathered in one location. It should also be taken into account that the large gaming hall hosts Grand Tournaments for all games published by Games Workshop, and since our Ivan found himself in WHW on 18.4.2026. there was a WH40k tournament on the schedule, so the experience of the exhibition, Bugman Bar, WHW store, workshops, and gaming hall was also enhanced by the grand tournament that took place that day. This series follows his adventures…

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    1. Historical Context

    1.1. The Founding of Games Workshop

    Games Workshop was founded in 1975 in London, at 15 Bolingbroke Road. The founders were John Peake, Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson (not to be confused with the American game designer of the same name). Initially, the company was not at all related to miniatures - they produced wooden boards for traditional games such as backgammon, manchala, mill and go. The same year, the Owl and Weasel newsletter was launched, which would later, in June 1977, evolve into the now legendary White Dwarf magazine. During the second half of the 1970s, Games Workshop became the main European distributor of the American role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and by the end of the decade it had also started publishing its own titles. A key turning point came in 1978/1979, when Games Workshop financed the establishment of Citadel Miniatures in Newark-on-Trent (Nottinghamshire). Citadel produced metal figurines used in GW's games, and the "Citadel" brand remains synonymous with Games Workshop miniatures to this day.

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    1.2. The Move to Nottingham and "Lead Belt"

    The move of Games Workshop from London to Nottingham was not a one-off, but a gradual process linked to the person of Bryan Ansell. Ansell became director of Games Workshop in 1985, bought the company from Jackson and Livingstone in the late 1980s, and refocused it from role-playing games to tabletop strategy products. It was he who physically moved the company from London to Nottinghamshire to bring it closer to Citadel Miniatures. The final consolidation took place in October 1997, when all of Games Workshop's UK operations were moved to their current headquarters in Lenton, a suburb of Nottingham. This location still houses the corporate headquarters, design studio, White Dwarf magazine editorial office, European distribution centre and online sales centre. The concentration of miniatures manufacturers in the wider Nottinghamshire area has led to the area now being referred to in hobby circles as the "Lead Belt". Most of the companies that make up that belt today - Warlord Games, Mantic Games, Perry Miniatures, Wargames Foundry and others - were founded by former Games Workshop employees, which speaks of an ecosystem that has developed around one company for decades.

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    1.3. Warhammer as a product

    Warhammer Fantasy Battle was first published in 1983 by Bryan Ansell, Rick Priestley and Richard Halliwell. The game literally saved Citadel from stagnation and launched the expansion of ranges of fantasy miniatures.

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    Warhammer 40,000 (40k) was launched in 1987 under the original title Rogue Trader, with Rick Priestley as the main author. Over six generations of rules, the game has become the leading sci-fi wargaming franchise in the world and is now the core product of Games Workshop. The 10th edition of the rules is currently in circulation.

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    You can find more photos on our social networks.

    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(7416) "

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    Za svakog hobista koji se bavi Warhammerom, posjet Warhammer Worldu u Nottinghamu predstavlja svojevrsno hodočašće. Riječ je o središnjem mjestu cjelokupne Games Workshop kulture - kombinaciji globalnog korporativnog sjedišta, posjetiteljskog centra, izložbenog prostora, igračke dvorane, specijalizirane trgovine i tematskog bara, sve okupljeno na jednoj lokaciji. Također treba uzeti u obzir da se u velikoj igraćoj dvorani održavaju Grand Turniri za sve igre koje izdaje Games Workshop, a budući da se naš Ivan našao u WHW 18.4.2026. na rasporedu je bio WH40k turnir, pa je samom doživljaju izložbe, Bugman Bara, WHW dućana, radionica, i igraće hale doprinio i veliki turnir koji se odvijao taj dan. Ovaj serijal prati njegove dogodovštine…

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    1. Povijesni kontekst

    1.1. Osnutak Games Workshopa

    Games Workshop osnovan je 1975. godine u Londonu, na adresi 15 Bolingbroke Road. Osnivači su bili John Peake, Ian Livingstone i Steve Jackson (ne treba ga miješati s istoimenim američkim game dizajnerom). U početku tvrtka uopće nije bila vezana uz minijature - proizvodili su drvene ploče za tradicionalne igre poput backgammona, manchale, mlina i goa. Iste godine pokrenut je i newsletter Owl and Weasel, koji će kasnije, u lipnju 1977., evoluirati u danas legendarni časopis White Dwarf. Tijekom druge polovice 1970-ih Games Workshop postaje glavni europski distributer američke role-playing igre Dungeons & Dragons, da bi krajem desetljeća počeo izdavati i vlastite naslove. Ključna prekretnica dogodila se 1978./1979. godine, kada Games Workshop financira osnivanje Citadel Miniatures u mjestu Newark-on-Trent (Nottinghamshire). Citadel je proizvodio metalne figurice koje su se koristile u GW-ovim igrama, a brand "Citadel" do danas je ostao sinonim za Games Workshop minijature.

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    1.2. Preseljenje u Nottingham i "Lead Belt"

    Preseljenje Games Workshopa iz Londona u Nottingham nije bilo jednokratno, već postupan proces vezan uz osobu Bryana Ansella. Ansell je 1985. godine postao direktor Games Workshopa, otkupio je tvrtku od Jacksona i Livingstonea krajem 1980-ih, te je preusmjerio s role-playing igara prema proizvodima za stolne strateške igre. Upravo on je tvrtku fizički preselio iz Londona u Nottinghamshire kako bi je približio Citadel Miniatures. Konačna konsolidacija dogodila se u listopadu 1997. godine, kada su sve britanske operacije Games Workshopa premještene u današnje sjedište u Lentonu, predgrađu Nottinghama. Na toj se lokaciji i danas nalaze korporativno sjedište, dizajn studio, redakcija časopisa White Dwarf, distribucijski centar za Europu te online prodajni centar. Koncentracija proizvođača minijatura u širem području Nottinghamshirea dovela je do toga da se čitav kraj danas u hobi krugovima naziva "Lead Belt" (Olovni pojas). Većina tvrtki koje danas čine taj pojas - Warlord Games, Mantic Games, Perry Miniatures, Wargames Foundry i druge - osnovana je od strane bivših zaposlenika Games Workshopa, što govori o ekosustavu koji se desetljećima razvijao oko jedne tvrtke.

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    1.3. Warhammer kao proizvod

    Warhammer Fantasy Battle prvi je put objavljen 1983. godine, a autori su Bryan Ansell, Rick Priestley i Richard Halliwell. Igra je doslovno spasila Citadel od stagnacije i pokrenula širenje fantasy linija figurica.

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    Warhammer 40,000 (40k) lansiran je 1987. godine pod izvornim nazivom Rogue Trader, a glavni autor bio je Rick Priestley. Tijekom šest generacija pravila, igra je postala vodeća sci-fi wargaming franchise na svijetu i danas predstavlja središnji proizvod Games Workshopa. Trenutno je u opticaju 10. izdanje pravila.

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    Više fotografija možete naći na našim socijalnim mrežama.

    " ["created"]=> string(19) "2026-04-27 11:05:27" ["modified"]=> string(19) "2026-05-04 06:31:25" } ["Member"]=> array(10) { ["id"]=> string(3) "106" ["group_id"]=> string(1) "2" ["first_name"]=> string(4) "Ivan" ["last_name"]=> string(5) "Vedak" ["first_name_mask"]=> string(4) "ivan" ["last_name_mask"]=> string(5) "vedak" ["username"]=> string(10) "djrofellos" ["password"]=> string(40) "da5a4d9105d666439cd393d7a22997badd8203f8" ["born"]=> string(19) "2006-01-01 00:00:00" ["created"]=> NULL } }
    Ivan Vedak, 27th April 2026

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