Tale of Painters

Khazalite Holds wave 2 unboxed: Clangunners, Valayan Guardians, and High Kyng Valankrom

Stahly — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The Kromdron are marching out in force. In part 1 of our Khazalite Holds roundup, we unbox the Clangunners, the all-female Valayan Guardians, and the mighty High Kyng Valankrom on his War Throne. You’ll find high-res sprue images for every kit and a full breakdown of all build options, so you know exactly what you’re getting before you commit.

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Celebrating the best Golden Demon Essen 2026 entries (that didn’t win a trophy)

Stahly — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 16:00:00 +0000

At a competition as prestigious as the Golden Demon, all eyes are on the winners. The standard rises every year, and walking along the packed cabinets to take in all that talent on display is incredible. And yet only three trophies can be awarded per...

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Tutorial: How to paint grimdark Raven Guard Infiltrators

Stahly — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:00:00 +0000

In this free tutorial, I show you step-by step-how to paint Raven Guard in a moody, grimdark way. Whether for the 30th or 40th Millennium, this colour scheme works for all models of the 19th Legion, whether infantry or large vehicles. And since effective techniques like oil washes and chipping do the heavy lifting, it is even faster than you might think.

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Desert Oasis, Jungle, and Plants’n’Tufts: the Squidmar basing range review

Stahly — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Palm trees, tree stumps, Aztec temple ruins, and rocks that finally look like they belong next to your minis: Squidmar Miniatures is moving into basing. Together with Archon Studio and Gamers Grass, Emil and Lukas have put together two themed hard plastic base decoration sets: Desert Oasis and Jungle, plus matching Plants’n’Tufts boxes to finish the job. In this post, I unbox everything, show you what’s on the sprues, and share an example base for my Aeldari Vyper, so you can decide whether your next army might become Squidmar-based.

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The best of Tale of Painters: September & October 2026

Topsy — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000

The wargaming and miniature painting industry has been completely wild over the last two months: we've unboxed new Space Marines, Tomb Kings, and Custodes, plus welcomed the brand-new Age of Sigmar faction, the Khazalite Holds. Stahly has put the new Warhammer Tone Pro paints through their paces, along with Ionic Real Heavy Metal and GSW's airbrush range, plus we've had painting and photography tutorials, and painted a load of minis too. You definitely don't want to miss this!

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Golden Demon, Squidmar Color, and Crimson Chalice: our Spiel Essen 2026 report

Stahly — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000

81,200 square metres, 8 halls, and an endless array of Golden Demon cabinets that never failed to amaze. I spent two days at the Spiel in Essen, and barely scratched the surface. The world’s biggest board game fair has become a serious destination for miniature painters and wargamers too, with Games Workshop, Vallejo, Archon, and Trench Crusade all showing up in force. In this report, I take you the Squidmar Color launch and a quick lap through the board game halls, plus a few tips so you can plan your own visit next year.

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Best value box in years: Host of Nehekhara Army Reinforcement Set unboxing

Stahly — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000

78 brand-new models in a single army box. That’s not something you get from GW every day, and it even includes 6 extra-large chariots! The Host of Nehekhara Army Reinforcement Set finally drags the Tomb Kings’ ancient skeletons into the modern age, with 36 Skeleton Warriors, 36 Skeleton Archers, and 6 Skeleton Chariots. In this review, we unbox the whole lot in a 4K video, show you high-res sprue images for every kit, and walk through all the build options.

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My Dwarf Lord and Warriors: red and green should never be seen… or should they?

Dunk — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Hi folks, as we move into autumn and winter, it feels fitting that I’ve been working on my Old World Dwarves. The snowy mountain bases and classic GW painting style suit this traditional, old-school range. I don’t need to spend time on battle damage or lighting effects after the main paint job, so the models move along at a nice pace and you see results in short sessions.

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Warhammer Tone Pro: the review nobody else is giving you

Stahly — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

A lot has already been said about Warhammer Tone Pro, but I think it's time for a more nuanced review that really gets to the bottom of GW's newest paint range. A review for painters of every level, with no agenda to please anyone. I've tested every hobby paint brand in the industry over the last few years, and in this video I'll put Tone Pro's performance against the competition into proper context.

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Khazalite Holds army set unboxed: 15 new models and a Fyreslayers shake-up

Stahly — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Deep beneath the Mortal Realms, a new Duardin faction has been stirring. The Kromdron march out of their mountain strongholds with a brand-new model range and a Battletome that also takes the Fyreslayers under its wing. In this review of the Khazalite Holds army set, we unbox all 15 models, from the dwarf queen Hjulda Drakkblud and the Oathkeeper Cannon to the Clanshields and the monstrous Gholems. You’ll find high-res sprue images for every kit, a rundown of all build options, and a look inside the new Battletome, so you know exactly what you’re getting before the hold gates open.

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