War Gaming is an all in hobby and isn't just about the gaming. There's a whole background of tasks that need to be completed before you can actually physically start gaming which ranges from learning the rules, to putting your models together and creating your army list. After that, there's logistics to think of in where you are going to play, you will need scenery, what will you play on and how will you transport your miniatures? And then there's making your miniatures look incredible by painting them. For many gamers, painting and modifying their miniatures are the most exciting part, some don't even play but simply enjoy that side of the hobby. As part of our Start Collecting series for Infinity and Warhammer 40k, we're also going to look at some of the accessories, from paint and brushes, to cases for transporting your models, to scenery and other items that will make your life easier.
If there's something you would like us to cover, let us know in the comments.
In this article, we're going to look at the Hobby Holder from GameEnvy. As you can see in the images, the Hobby Holder is a painting accessory that allows you to hold your model in a comfortable position, whilst still being able to move and rotate it to paint it. Beginner painters usually just hold the base while they paint, and upgrade to a cork or other makeshift platform to hold attached to the base. The Hobby Holder offers the best of both, in giving you the option of a platform under the base, but also a side grip to find the most comfortable position for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goycyeD_vIA
The Hobby Holder retails for $20 and comes with a grip and a base. The base allows you to attach bottle-caps which your miniatures attach to. The bottle-caps screw onto the base, which means you can attach and detach them without touching the miniature itself, to allow it to dry while you paint your next miniature. The base also rotates on the handle, allowing you to access all sides of the miniature.
Game Envy kindly sent the TechRaptor tabletop team our colour choice of Hobby Holder, which you can see below. We've been using it to paint all of our Warhammer 40K Raven Guard as well as our yet to be announced Infinity force. We can't show you pictures of these miniatures yet, as we're still working on them and will reveal them in coming articles. We can say however that the Hobby Holder is an excellent piece of kit. We received 5 bottle-caps, that allowed us to rotate through our Raven Guard Space Marine squads one at a time without ever having to touch the miniatures until they were dry. Also included was the tack that attaches the miniatures to the bottlecaps.
Our Warhammer 40K and Infinity armies consists of models on a variety of bases and heights, the Hobby Holder was able to accommodate all of these and really did make our lives easier. We've been using it beyond the review period as our standard accessory for holding our miniatures while we paint.
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Game Envy also have a variety of accessories available, from bottle cap stands, to grip handles. We got hold of the Grip / Mod Handle #1 which screws onto the bottom of the base. It's hollow, so doesn't add any additional weight, but allows a greater range of holding positions if required. We keep ours attached, even if we're not using it to hold as it adds extra height when its attached and also allows for very easy rotation of the miniature. There are several other grip mods available, so you are able to chose one that suits your style and grip.
The Hobby Holder handle and stands are available in several different colors, and the several different grips are currently available in 11 different colors via the Game Envy store.
Game Envy are currently running a competition to win a Hobby Holder, it's running until the 22 June 18, so be quick if you want to be in with a chance of winning. Full details are here.
The Hobby Holder used in the feature was provided by Game Envy.
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Adam is a Tabletop Specialist for TechRaptor. He started writing for TechRaptor in 2017 and took over as Tabletop Editor in 2019 and has since stood down… More about Adam
