Why hardcore wargamers are suddenly way into nail art

Two well-known creators in the miniatures gaming space are suddenly getting way into nail art — you know, the other painting hobby enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Brent Amberger of Goobertown Hobbies fame and Casey, the creator of eBay Miniatures Rescue, showed up at this year’s AdeptiCon convention with a clever new way to paint your miniatures — and it could make one of the hobby’s most hated features a thing of the past.

The hated feature in question is the humble waterslide decal, which hobbyists across dozens of different franchises have come to loathe over the years. Done well, using something like Microscale Industries’ Micro Sol and Micro Set, decals can look great. But it can be incredibly challenging to get a decal to lay flat on a curved surface — you know, stuff like shields and the shoulder pauldrons on Space Marines. Even if you’ve mastered the process, which is ably described in the Winterdyne Commission Modeling Blog guide to Waterslide Decals (included as part of our larger miniatures painting guide), it can still go pear-shaped on you if your surface isn’t properly prepared. The result? A ghostly white outline surrounding the art on the decal itself.

Brent and Casey, partners in the newly formed Goblin Hobbies, recently discovered nail art stamping plates. These chemically etched metal plates can be made to feature any kind of two-dimensional art that you like. Drop a little paint on the plate, wipe it smooth, and you can pick the image up off the plate with a silicone pad. Just gently press the pad onto your miniature, and Bob’s your uncle. Their silicone pads are even transparent, so you can see your model through the handle to line things up perfectly.

The technology to do this kind of thing with ink and paint has been around for centuries. I’m sure my grandfather had something similar for his basement printing business in the 1940s. But its application to nail art is relatively new. Goblin Hobbies hopes to bring it even further, into the mainstream of hobby miniatures gaming. They even have dreams of licensed kits for your favorite factions from universes like BattleTech and Warhammer 40,000.

The first batch of starter kits recently showed up at their distribution hub. They include compatible paint and two plates filled with useful designs — including that notoriously challenging checkerboard pattern common on many miniatures. Sets start at $50.