Armies on Parade, here I come!

Ok, the "first round" of Armies on Parade judging took place in the North American Hobby Centers yesterday. I decided to take my army to White Marsh as it has really been my default store since the closure of the Glen Burnie Battle Bunker.

When I arrived, Scott (the manager) let me know that there were only one or two others who had expressed an interest in entering. This was a little disappointing, so I headed across the street to grab a quick beer with a friend and former colleague, until the set-up time arrived. When it did, I hustled back over and set up my army across from a young guy fresh home from his first hectic year at college, Daniel.

I will admit it felt a bit like I was, as they say in the tournament scene, clubbing a baby seal.

Unlike my six months of on-and-off work on this army (of almost 150 models) and my 20 years of painting experience, I discovered Daniel had only started his army two weeks ago, upon returning home for the summer. Even with only two weeks on the force (and about three years of hobby experience) Daniel put in great showing, with some fun conversions and a really cool looking display board. Here are some shots of his board and army.

After we'd laid out our armies, Daniel and I had a great chat, exchanging information about various aspects of our armies and boards (both lamenting the drying time of Water Effects). He's a really nice guy, and it certainly made me feel old when he asked me how long I've been in the hobby. I realized it's been 20 years (give or take a month). Crazy.

In the end, I was victorious. Thank you to GW for running the event, to Daniel for his valiant effort, to Brien for the use of his airbrush, to all of you who gave me encouragement along the way, and to my secret weapon...my Powder Monkey t-shirt. Looks like I'll be wearing this one to Games Day Chicago!

Cheers

Dave