My Section 8 Story

A Quick Backstory Early 2016 was not a good time for me. The first few mouths was nothing but bad thoughts and self-hatred, as well as a complete unwillingness to be around my fellow humans. So how did this I get past such a difficult time? Well among various relaxation techniques and opening myself to new ideas, I found a great new hobby.

The mighty Section 8 Club Logo

 As much as I loved (and still love) the models of games workshop, I wanted to try something new, something I have had a fondness of since I was young; historical models. History is my main passion, an obsessive love I have always carried since I was a child. In august of 2016 I bought a box of Perry Miniatures’ American Civil War cavalry. Now while they were not my finest work, I still enjoyed this great little experiment. When I was at the store where I bought these models, I noticed a flyer for an event- Border Reiver. I was intrigued by this event so a few weeks later in September I went to it along with my Father and a friend. There I met Daveco, whom I'd met before at our local GW. He told me of this great place, a club named “Section 8” that he helped run. Meanwhile at my college course, one of my lecturers told me about a great game called Bolt Action. A game set in WWII, which interested me a lot, so taking the plunge, I got the Russian 500pts army deal that Warlord offered on their site and got to work building and painting a brand new army.

Ordering my SS to stage an ambush behind the farmhouse

 It was my experiences at section 8 I credit with making me a more socially aware person and helped me improve my skills at painting. I shall now list the advantages of this club has well as give some of my own personal insight The advantages The hobby side-This is probably one of the more obvious advantages of going to a club like Section 8. When I first went to the club I was decent at painting sure, but compared to many at the club I wasn’t very good. So how did I improve? Well that was thanks to Stonedrose who is also a very skilled painter. I have started to use Vallejo paints as well as Citadel’s range to diversify my colours. I also became better at painting skin, adding shadow effects to lines within the face. It helped me steady my hand, which is great for any painter to learn (while my hand does still shake, I know better ways to control it). While I could go on all day about the techniques I've learnt I shall list just one more, and that is basing. I never really used to bother with putting sand, paint and grass (among other things) on my bases but now, I do, putting a lot of work into making them look good (even if they can be overly tedious at times). 

 The social aspect

So what makes a good club? Well honestly I would say that the answer would be the community built around said club. Autistic people like myself are often stereotyped as being socially unaware and being bad around their peers. While this stereotype does not always apply to everyone who is autistic, it almost certainly applied to pre-club me. I was often scared off by adult conversations due to my own strongly held values. And yet thanks to the club my tolerance levels for things I once saw as “annoying” or “uncivilized” have increased drastically. While of course the therapy I have received helped with this but what really helped was the club. I love the people at the club for while they can sometimes act the fool they do it in a comedic context and well getting used to such humour is an important part of growing up. Heck, I feel that it has helped me get ready to eventually enter the world of work once my college studies are over. Wargames including myself can be eccentric at times but they are like a second family for me, and they are all good people. 

Membership

One of the problem the North East has is money. In our current society, money, an artificial price that has no basis in nature, faith or evolution, dictates how we live our lives. Yeah it is pretty sad but why does it matter to the club? Well that is because with membership a whole afternoon and most of an evening of fun could be yours for just £2.50. What more could you want? After all the cinema is £10 for 2-3 hours... 

Terrain

What is the advantage of playing at a club compared to say doing something at home or going to a local store? Well at home you may not have all of the things you need to make a convincing battle (after all there’s not a lot of buildings that are shaped like coke cans!) while at a store, well you might end up spending money that you previously had no intention of buying, for that is a major peril hobbyists must deal with. Meanwhile at Section 8 we have a ton of terrain you can use; whole boxes in fact! Everything from 40k ruins to Northern European homesteads as well as the general stuff like hills and trenches. All fully based and painted with matching gaming mats. 

The Games

We play a lot of things at the club including games such as Horus Heresy, 40k, Bolt Action, Blitzkrieg Commander, Warmachine and so much more. The game I currently play at the club is Bolt Action, for which I have a large and ever expanding collection of soldiers from the Soviet Red Army and the German Waffen SS, with a whole number of ideas for secondary armies to eventually get my hands on. One great advantage of playing here is the lack of “powergamers”. While there is one or two people who swing that way, most here build armies that are more about exploring historical/loreful events or just to have fun. And if these games do not tickle your fancy? Well we have plenty of board games you can try your hand at to, games that I think my peers are likely to share with you in other articles on this great blog.

This is a contributory article from a Section 8 member, pseudonym TBA

Japanese Attack!

The Imperial Japanese Army, ready for war.

Here is a quick painting guide for the Japanese Infantry.

Step A
1: Primer - Halfords brand Grey primer
2: Vallejo Japanese Army Uniform - Tunic and Trousers
3: Vallejo Violet-Brown - Putties
4: Vallejo German Cammo Beige - Webbing
5: Vallejo Flat Brown - Boots, Ammo Pouches and Canteens
6: GW Ungore Flesh - Faces and Hands
7: Vallejo Air Dunkelgrau - all weapon metal parts (muzzels, bolts, bayonet handles/scabbards LMGs MMGs and triggers)
8: GW Mounfang Brown - Wooden parts of weapons
9: GW Ironbreaker - Bayonets and Katanas

Then a All over Wash of Agrax Earthshade with about 40% Airbrush thinner (to tie it all together)
Once the Wash is dry.

Step B
1: Vallejo Stone Grey - Drybrush on Helmets with netting on (you can use this colour [see step A2]  if any of your soldiers are not wearing their tunics as it make for a good undershirt colour).
2: GW Rhinox Hide - Helmet straps and Rifle Slings
3: Vallejo Black - Glasses and Binoculars
4: Make sure to go back over the water canteens with German Cammo Beige (they have straps on them)
5: 40/40/20 Mix GW Ungore Flesh/Cadian Flesh Tone/Ulthuan Grey - Face and Hand Highlights
6: GW Fenrisian Grey - Glasses lenses

Basing

1: PVA and Sand
2: Vallejo Primer - Isreali Defence Sand
3: Vallejo Stone Grey - Drybrush
4: Little tufts of grass hear and there (I have used the GW ones but you will find plenty on the market)
5: Edge the base with Black

Thats it! You have a Japanese Soldier/Squad/Company ready for war! 

Panting the Tanks

Step A
1: Trim and wash the resin thouroghly
2: Primer Black Spray (plenty on the market but I use UPOLL)
3: GW Gretchin Green all over. (this is a discontinued GW paint. but it will have some kind replacement)
4: Vallejo - Flat brown in irregular large stripes over the whole vehicle.
5: GW Tallern Sand - Paint a irregular thin cross from above, but make sure to continue it down the sides front and rear of the vehicle
6: Vallejo Air Dunkelgrau - MMGs, exhausts and tracks.
7: Same Brown Wash is Infantry!

Let it dry out - when waiting for this maybe paint more Infantry (you will need them!)

Step B
1: Go over the Green on the tank with the original colour. to make the paint look older and worn you can deliberately miss ends and other parts
2: Same for the Brown but I used a more watered down then normal GW Monrefnag brown.
3: Same again for the Yellow cross.
Ok. Almost done
Apply transfers. Clear Gloss the area, Then add the transfer, the clear gloss when transfer is dry. to finish it off a Clear matt coat.
Then GW Rhinox Hide on a sponge and dabbed all over the edges. (Take care dab a little on first than you can always add more)
GW Leadbelcher - Edge high light the sponged areas and dry brush the tracks, MMGs and exhaust.
GW Baneblade Brown - Dry brush the entire of the tracks and hull between the tracks. The hull front and rear. As you move higher up the vehicle the dry brushing should get lighter. This will add the effect of dust covering the bottom of the vehicle more than the tops.

Then I use Army painter Anti-Shine on both tanks and men to give them a protective covering of matt Varnish