Elf Light Infantry

Elf Light Infantry, whether bow-armed Rangers or the swordsmen of the Pathguard, are tough and versatile troops, as likely to be tasked with scouting and setting up ambushes ahead of the army, as with defending supply lines or key objectives from enemy raids. This boxed set offers enough parts to build 30 Elf Light Infantry for the Oathmark armies.

This set comes with lots of extra parts and square bases, allowing you to assemble the single figures together for any battle or weapons stance. The bows, arrows, shields and other accessories make it easy to make each Elf individual. We even popped a a spare head on one of the spears as trophy kill!

We painted the infantry in complementary greens and blues, and used a white wash on the shields to create the weathered look.

We used Revell Contacta Professional Liquid Glue for assembly. Then, we did a quick spray with primer using Expo Light Grey and White too.

Moonhopper – Games paints used here were:

Sword silver
Base flesh
Base white
Base black
Base brown
Khaki dream
Base grey
Base brown
Base red paint
Base green
Base Indigo

Other materials we used were Sandy Grass tufts and DIY woody bark for basing cover.

Show us your works in progress!

So, the weekend is here again, and what better way to pass away the time than to plough through the pile of shame you have built up mercilessly over the last god-knows-how-long. In the time honoured tradition of show-and-tell, post a picture here of what you’re working on at the moment. You never know, someone else on this feed may have some handy tips or words of encouragement.

Show us what you got!

#wip #wipsaturday #scratchbuild #kitbashing #warhammer #miniaturepainting #wargaming

PoorHammer – our guide to castle dioramas on a budget

We’re big fans of doing stuff on a budget. And by using some of the materials we supply, as well as some well chosen pieces of junk offcuts, packaging and other gubbins you can get from builders merchants, you too can create epic set pieces for your tabletop. Our PaintPixie has been very busy building a castle. Follow this simple guide, and you too can build an awesome terrain piece.

Recommended materials:

• Extruded polystyrene 5mm thick – For walls and individual walls, bricks and ground decor.
• Mounting board for bases.
• Cylindrical tubing x 6.
• A single larger and possibly taller cylindrical tube.
• A rectangular box.
• Recycled board game counter cut outs (for use in the portcullis).
• Sand.
• All-purpose filler (for rendering).
• PVA glue.
• Spray adhesive.
• Matte decoupage adhesive and water (mixed to a 1:1 ratio).
• Terrain (Our very own Dammit Granite terrain and Moss Acre flock pots ).
• Technical paints (Digger Yellow, Khaki Dream, Base Black, Base White, Castle Grey, Quagmire Brown, Pastoral Green and Sword Silver)
• Primers- Expo Light Grey or Dark Grey spray primer.

Step 1:


Cut small brick sized shapes from extruded polystyrene for use on the castle and guardhouse wall sections and indent with balled up foil and blunt pencil to create the stone texture. You can also draw in cracked lines onto these walls sections by using a pencil or black biro. Follow a similar process to construct the castle base and gatehouse. Note that the castle walls have been made with double thickness polystyrene.

The walls and towers then need to be assembled and glued to the base of the castle. Use cocktail sticks to align the walls to the base – this also helps to strengthen the overall brickwork structure. Join up the walls and towers in the same way, and then once they are assembled, grout them together with filler.

Step 2:

The all-purpose filler can be used to fill in any gaps, as well as creating further texture and strength. Once dried, mark out any cracks with a scalpel to create a weakened and decayed effect on the walls. Terrain rocks can then be placed in the top of the turrets, across the castle entrance base, and around the guard house door to fill any random gaps.

Glue bricks to the corner turrets as well, adding circular polystyrene turret platforms to the very tops of them, for your figures to stand on.

You can then cover a small box with a portcullis using old game counter cutouts. Entrance bridges walls and side walls can be created using the same polystyrene wall detailing method.

Step 3:

Base the towers platforms, castle floor and entrance with PVA, sprinkle with sand and once dried, cover with a light layer of Base Black paint to produce a weathered look, and to seal in the ‘dirt and grime’. Prime the model with Expo Dark Grey and/or Light Grey primers for any highlights – but please do this in a well ventilated area, preferably outdoors because of the fumes. Above all, use very delicate sprays, as this primer actually reacts with the foam, which helps to create further texture, enhancing the aged, distressed castle aesthetic). Then brown, white and grey paint is used to decorate the castle base.

Paint the black, white and grey stones in a random array across the structure of the model. You can vary the detail with a mixture of sponge painting, brush strokes and dry brushing, or you can apply detail to individual stones and across the walls. The Base Black and Castle Grey paints can then be used to create shadows and a damp look in all the right places. Highlight the turrets and edges of the stonework with Base White mixed with Khaki Dream. Mix small volumes of these paints to create new tones – these help to enhance details and add depth. Add flock (Moss Acre) to the castle corners and grassy surrounding areas.

For this castle, the keep, guardhouse and entrance floor are modular, allowing for flexibility in gameplay scenarios, as well as allowing for extending and enhancing the layout later on. Because these are separate, they will also be easy to store. Whilst we here have chosen not to, we would recommend that you seal the model with a matte sealant that is suitable for use with extruded polystyrene. Should you need to preserve the finish, we suggest a water based primer as an alternative.

We threw in some of our own extra marsh-like pieces of terrain and fire pit that we had made earlier, and our 3D printed castle tiles (also shown here) are compatible with the guards house created.

If you are interested in our whole castle bundle then check out our WB0001 – Castle Bundle download, an absolute steal for 31 download print models for just £39.99

Our castle dimensions (of course, the size and scale you choose is completely up to you):

Dimensions: Entrance base: 300mm x 300mm
Castle base: 450mm x 300mm
4 smaller towers: 150mm x 90mm
Larger tower: 300mm x 100mm
Gatehouse: 900mm x 100mm x 110mm
Keep: 240mm x 170mm x 50mm

Have fun and good luck!

Nail it with our range of technical paints

Our standard technical paints have been formulated to flow smoothly and not to dry too quickly as regular acrylic paints, allowing you to complete designs without needing to rush your work. As you can see from this blog, these paints are incredibly versatile and will work on other craft projects too. Moonhopper technical paints are also excellent for painting miniature dolls house scenery, painting onto polymer clay, dioramas, general arts and crafts…not just useful for tabletop models and figures.

We noticed our very own Paint Pixie had been doing her nails with them. So we asked her what else she could do with our paints and nails. So she showed us. Not only are Moonhopper paints and glazes perfect for intricate free hand work for detailing, they can make your hands look amazing.

We offer a large range of colours for these paints, including Forged Gold, Bloodbath, and Imperial Indigo among others. All of our paints are compatible with regular nail polish, and can be used with LED or ultraviolet gels and craft resins to produce great results.

And to top it all, Pixie used Moonhopper Detailing Brushes, which can be also be found in our store. Tip…a wet palate can be useful when manicuring the Moonhopper way.

When using our brand paints, allow them to fully dry before adding a matt or (for better results), a gloss topcoat. Alternative options include using dotting tools or craft sponges to blend the colours in any way you like.

Here are a selected group of paints the Pixie has suggested for nail art and detailing – these paints have no added texturing, hence these are ideal for creating a smooth perfect finish.

#nailart #paintingminis #miniatures #miniartist #miniarmy #hobbypainter #hobbyist #moonhoppergames #wargames #wargaming #hobbypainting #hobbypainter #paintingminis #ukartist #hobby #atlantisminiatures #paintingpractice #paintingwarhammer #warhammer #nails #nailsoftheday #nailsofinstagram @paintpixie3 @moonhoppergames

Our 3D download library is now live

Wow. Been a little while happening in the background, but the first few sets of Moonhopper 3D downloads in our library are now live. We have over 200 downloadable files at excellent prices ready to buy online, most of which are at pocket money prices. No joke.

Check out our Battlecruiser, Space Station, Outpost and Castle collections. We’re adding to these all the time, and there will be many more uploads of all sorts of gubbins before the year is out. Everything from custom bases for figures to vehicle bits and bobs, weird alien stuff and other useful paraphernalia – for all other things, you can always have a nose around our Miscellaneous 3D downloads area.

We know how expensive this hobby can be sometimes, so we’ve made our downloads affordable. Some even, are an absolute steal. And so you can have a play to see if our simple system works for you, you can download our freebie set of printables, available for seven days until Friday 17th September 2021.

We’re always eager to share knowledge, so if you have any useful tips, share them to our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages. As always, please check out the obligatory terms and conditions for using and downloading Moonhopper 3D printables; it’s the usual butt covering legal stuff…but then we’ve put a lot of love into these models and we hope you enjoy printing them.

So, above all, enjoy, have a nose and see what grabs your fancy. More fun stuff is on the way, and this is only the beginning.