My classic HeroQuest has been fully painted (and it only took 34 years)

Classic HeroQuest, now there's a project that has been terrorising my various shelves, windows sills and piles of shame over the years. No more, I say, because I've finally finished all the models needed to play the game. Here's a quick group shot of some beloved classics.

Here they are, the full cast of the first HeroQuest box set, published (in Dutch) in 1989, painted (by a Dutchman) in 2023.

If copyright information is to be believed (and given the fear +1 GW's legal department causes, it should be) the Dutch version of HeroQuest was published way back in 1989. What a year: the Berlin wall fell, someone named Exxon Valdez spilled the first pot of Nuln Oil and nothing happened on Tiananmen Square. I must've gotten this box as a present for my 14th birthday (or perhaps a year later turning 15). 

The lack of detail on older models would make them easier to paint if it wasn't for the more rounded edges and missing bits (compared to modern models). I especially struggled with the wizard's (lack of) face and the venerable White Dwarf's lack of clear signs where his armor ends and his clothing/skin begins. Also: striped pants on the elf (it is still the year of striped pants).

The Dutch version of HeroQuest appeared in stores after GW published Advanced HeroQuest. As I was fully into playing these 'weird' British (and American) games I was already fully invested in playing Advanced HeroQuest when I got my copy of the previous iteration of the game. I think that's the reason I can't recall ever actually playing it. I did however take the box with me every time I moved, so it was always there...staring at me...featuring an atrociously painted Chaos Warlock as the only model with colors on it....

I painted this lot quite a while back. I think they will do for the collection.

That is until about a decade ago, when someone pointed out the box was actually quite valuable. I offered it up for sale and quickly discovered the promised mountain of money HeroQuest was worth actually amounted to about two cases of beer. Luckily I kept it, because quite shortly after almost selling this box of nostalgia I chanced upon the fledgling Oldhammer movement (don't correct if I'm wrong about its age and get off my lawn!!!!). 

It was hard to resist the temptation to paint the Gargoyle like a Bloodthirster, but the GM screen in the box clearly shows it as a creature of stone. I don't want to confuse the players, so stone it is.

I kept the box around, meaning to paint it some day, but getting turned off the idea when I took out the models. In all honesty: it requires a lot of nostalgia to love these sculpts. 

I hate this model with a great and enduring passion. These four have been painted and dipped at least six times in the past two years. I decided to give them a vague pantheon-like color each and keep them as is. But to be honest, I still don't like the paint job I did here. 

Finally, two years ago I think, I decided it was now or never to paint these models. My son was five back then, meaning he was about ready to learn how to read and write. How cool would it be to have  'one of dad's overcomplicated games' ready, so he could actually play it. 

I dream of a day when Fimir rise above the billows to fill my paint station. I'll paint them and they'll drag down in their reeking talons the remnants of puny, war-exhausted mankind. Unfortunately the old metal models are extremely rare and way beyond my means, whilst there seem to be practically no useful STL's or knock-offs available. Ah well, perhaps one day I'll hear a noise at the door, as of some immense slippery body lumbering against it and I'll find a boxful of the creatures to my joyful surprise.

As nice as the idea was, I admit I got stuck when it came to execution. I started with the undead. The skeletons were easy, the mummies took a bit of extra attention (there's bits of skin showing after all) and the zombies turned out to be rather hard to get right, but they turned out okay (I think). Then I moved on to the greenskins.

So many orcs, only one pose. It took a while before I got around to painting them. 

There's a lot of Orcs in the box (well eight, but it felt like a lot) and I burned out on them. In the end I stuffed all the models in a closet so I would only occasionally hear the soft ticktocking of the clock. This project had to be finished before the kids got too old to enjoy it. 

I think HeroQuest was the first and the last box that had more Goblins than Orcs in it.

Skip forward to about four weeks ago. I decided to put this project on the main burner as a 'summer holiday job'. I had three weeks off, and only one week was planned as a family vacation (off to Germany of course). The first week had a few bumps (I'm self-employed so I secretly worked despite marking my time as 'vacation'). But I finished all the greenskins. Yes!

I'm chuffed enough about my blending and layering on this guy to post a second close-up.

Getting back from our friendly eastern neighbors I spent all the hobby time I had in my last week working on the main protagonists, the Chaos Warriors and Warlock and the Gargoyle. I used a lot of websites for reference to draw inspiration from and I should make special mention of DarthTom's Gaming. I liberally borrowed from him when it came to both the Chaos Warlock and the Gargoyle (I'm not quite near the same skill level, I fear, but I learned a lot). 

Looks like the gang's all here.

With the entire band of misfits and heroes ready, all that was left to do, was paint the bits of plastic that hold the cardboard furniture together. I wanted to color match my wood colors to the colors on the cardboard and (being lazy) I scoured the internet for hints and tips. That instantly led me to the conclusion I'd be better off ditching the old plastic (yes, yes, it's heresy, I know) and 3D-printing full on models for the furniture. After a bit of searching I decided to splurge on paid for STL's because they just looked too damn good. 

I'll print and paint the furniture this weekend I thought...once more I severely misjudged how long things take .

I got this set of Monstrous Encounters and after the first print run, I re-printed the torture table and the sarcophagus (scaled up to 120% if I recall correctly). As awesome as the finished set looks I have to admit it took me a bit longer to paint than I had originally anticipated. 

Oh no a bendy table, will we have to live through a second Brexit now?

Long story short, I spent most of the hobby hours I had this weekend and last weekend carefully painting wood grain in different shades. 

I started my career as a wood grain painter with the cabinet. It took a hell of a lot of time, but I think it was worth every minute.

It also took about an entire Saturday to paint the books in the bookcases and the flasks on the alchemist's table. 

The joys of firing up the laser printer to add some character to terrain. 

I had a bit of a blast selecting a proper painting to hang above the pretty fireplace. I briefly entertained going for Rembrandt's 'Portret van Gerard Andriesz Bicker', remembering seeing it in the Rijksmuseum and thinking he looked like the epitome of an evil aristo's son (actually son of a regent and trader of course, we had a republic back then). I was a bit worried it wouldn't quite work so I chickened out. My second option was the rather famed portrait of one of our great admirals Michiel de Ruyter by Ferdinand Bol. It looks stark, but printed to 10x15 mm it was mostly black. In the end I decided to go for 'De Vrolijke Drinker' (The Joyful Drinker/Drunk) by Frans Hals (actual title for completeness sake: 'een schutter die een berkenmeier vasthoudt' which translates to 'a musketeer holding a large drinking glass'*). It adds just that bit of extra color to the fireplace and a guy offering you a glass of wine halfway through a dungeon crawl may be just what you need. 

* They weren't called the Dutch Masters for their expertise in thinking up names for their paintings ;).

Another bendy table...best not make more jokes about a certain political event.

On to the next. I decided to keep the weapon rack looking nice and clean and new. It has a fleur-de-lis, so GW will not be making any more models of it any time soon (couldn't resist that old joke). I'm rather chuffed at the extreme redness of the seat of the throne. Couldn't make myself age it a day after seeing that. I'm also not quite sure why both my tables warped after printing, but I decided to just go with it. 

I like this tomb. I'm also rather amused at how dusty the floor of my Maisontaal model has gotten over the years.

Painting the sarcophagus mostly consisted of playing around with the new Deep Shades by AK and Black contrast paint by GW over a zenithal(ish) basecoat. It all came to life when I sat down for an hour to apply a lot of light grey and white edge highlights. 

I usually don't build or print torture and execution devices (at some level it feels rather tasteless), but that rack is needed for the game and boy does it look evil in this picture (or is it just me?)

The final two pieces to be painted where the rack (I kept the blood subtle (I think) and the magician's altar. I had a ton of fun painting that marble effect on it and (to be honest) it wasn't hard at all. I made full use of the fact that I speak German (poorly) to follow along with this tutorial and applied a variant of the technique on the model. I think it works quite well. Thank you Gini from Paintomancy.

Here's the entire lot set up as if the monks are having a garage sale. Might be needed to restore the damage the Skaven did.

And with that I can safely declare my HeroQuest set finished after all these years. I suspect I'll be playing a first game with the family quite soon. Can't wait. As a final thought: no I haven't quite figured out what to do with the bases, so I left them in a boring layer of German Grey. Just to be very clear: I will not cut the models off to rebase them (probably).