40K BIG Game Models For Games Day
The Games Day 2009 Warhammer 40,000 “Big Game” is based around the new Shadowsword and Stompa kits. This event will be run at North American Games Days as well as UK Games Day. Some of the models you’ll be seeing at this event were actually built and painted by Games Workshop customers at the GW Battle Bunker-HQ in Maryland. The theme for the Imperial Forces is Lucky 13’s, hence the Charadon Granite, Scorched Brown and various shades of grey color scheme. To make it easier to distinguish one model from another during the Big Game, painters were allowed to individualize the models with a flare of personal creativity. The pictures below show just a small sampling of some of the models you’ll see at the 40K Big Game this year if you’re lucky enough to attend the aforementioned Games Day 2009 events. While some of the models that will be used in the 40K Big Game have been built and painted by GW staff, all of the models featured in this article were painted by customers.
This hobbyist used Mechrite Red and Kommando Khaki for his distinguishing marks. Notice how the stripes on the barrel echo the pattern on both sides of hull. The Lucky 13’s badges were painted on small plastic card rectangles and glued to the hull. The rivets on the Lucky 13’s plates are made from steel ball bearings!
This hobbyist used a “D-Day stripe” type pattern near the root of the main gun to add a unique touch to his vehicle. Note how the existing shape of the two small panels on top of the tank were utilized for a distinguishing blue and red marking and how the large-blue-with-small-red stripes painted there are mimicked in the side stripes with the addition of a third grey stripe, grey being a standard color in the Lucky 13’s color scheme. The Lucky 13’s badges painted on the top and sides of the vehicle were hand painted directly over top of the base colors.
Along with free-hand painting of stripes and Lucky 13’s markings, this hobbyist used decals from the Baneblade transfer sheet to personalize his tank.
This model has a large Lucky 13’s marking painted right on the front armor near the root of the main gun. Notice how the eagles on this tank and the three models shown above are painted two different types of gold and two different types of grey, yet in each case the chosen color accents the base colors behind it.
Imperial forces will also have air support in the 40K Big Game. These Lightning models were individualized with different color stripes and unique kill markings.
As well as getting a few of you excited about the 40K Big Game at the Games Day 2009 events listed above, hopefully this article provided some of you out there with ideas for painting and customizing your models. If anyone would like to know more about the Lucky 13’s color scheme, everything you need to know about getting started with it can be found on the Games Workshop US website events pages. If you have questions beyond that about the models featured in this article, please leave them here in the comments area for this hobby topic page and I’ll try to answer them if possible.
The models featured in this article will be used in Games Day North America and UK events. Games Day Baltimore is now less than three weeks away. For more information on all the 40K Big Game and other great activities, product previews, Golden Demon painting competition and more at Games Day, please visit the GW website.
And on another topic, thanks to everyone who came out to the brand new GW Hobby Center in Fair Oaks, Virginia over the past few days. At the time of this writing, the store has only been open for four days, but already it looks like it’s up and running with a great hobby community of its own. Also, thanks to those of you who came by for my vehicle assembly clinic there on Sunday. I hope it was helpful to you. Good luck with all your hobby projects.
