Kings of War Slow Grow Challenge Episode 4: Painting Begins
5th Mar 2026
Alex Gordon
Hobby Update: The First Splash of Colour
Another week of the Slow Grow Challenge means another check-in with the four challengers.
We’re now well into the first stage of the challenge, and our Team Mantic participants are moving forward at different speeds. Some models have their first splashes of colour, some are close to finished, and others are just being primed. One unfortunate soul has spent the week surrounded by moving boxes rather than miniatures!
Here’s where we’re at.
Tobias – The Hobby Dynamo (Xirkaali)
I’ve been lucky enough to have a decent bit of hobby time these past few weeks, so I’ve been cracking on with painting. I’m getting a feel for how the bright orange scheme is going to look across a whole army, and I’m pretty happy with it!
In terms of the process, starting with an orange primer has already paid off. It gives me a strong base colour immediately and saves me some time at the base coating stage. Not the most conventional starting point perhaps, but it seems to be working quite nicely.
The models you see in these pictures are close to finished, and seeing a few painted units together on the table is exciting! It’s all looking quite cohesive and I’m keen to get more done.
Who knows, my Xirkaali might even be ready for battle sooner than expected. So far so good!
Dan – The Lore-Led General (Xirkaali)
I’m pleased to report that my Xirkaali also now have some colour on them, though they’re still very much a work in progress.
As mentioned last week, I’m using a slapchop-esque approach – so starting with a black primer, followed by grey and white drybrushing, then speed-paints for the main colours. It’s a method that strikes a nice balance between speed and control; the Xirkaali kits have loads of crisp detail, so this approach should help to bring that out without slowing the whole project down.
The overall look is a bit more muted and earthy compared to Tobias’s vibrant orange army, but that’s exactly the direction I was aiming for.
There’s still plenty to do, but I feel like I have the beginnings of a proper fighting force.
Ross – The Fresh Recruit (Ogres)
I must admit that I’ve not started painting yet. Being a complete beginner, I don’t have an existing stash of paints and hobby supplies at home, and I’ve had a little bit of analysis paralysis about choosing a colour scheme for my Ogres – plus the small but important step of actually buying some paints!
So I've been having to do most of my hobbying at Mantic HQ so far, fitting it in on lunchbreaks and after work. I have at least hit an important milestone this week though: getting a coat of primer on.
Tobias suggested that I use a metallic primer for the Ogre Warriors and Boomers - since they're wearing a lot of armour, this should hopefully save me a fair bit of time at subsequent stages.
Not every model in the Arokamorra Champions Company is covered in armour though, so I've used a brown primer on some of the minis. It's been interesting to use a couple of different coloured primers and see that they behave slightly differently, with different consistencies etc. A bit of a learning curve for sure - I feel like I probably sprayed it on a bit too thick in places, to be honest. Not the end of the world though, and I'll know for next time!
Having a good chunk of models assembled and primed now feels like real progress. It’s also made the next step – actually putting paint on them – feel a lot less daunting.
I’m still spending a bit of time watching tutorials and figuring out exactly how I want to approach the painting stage. The goal right now is to take that first step – at some point you have to cross the threshold and start learning by doing, right?
Alex – The Reformed Perfectionist (Trident Realms)
My update this week is short, sweet and a little bit sad. I’ve made no progress at all.
I do have a fairly solid excuse though – I’ve just moved house from Germany to the UK. Not only have all my miniatures and hobby supplies been packed up in boxes, but house-move tasks have pretty much dominated my every waking hour in recent weeks. I’ve been suffering from a bad case of “real world responsibilities getting in the way of me painting my toy soldiers” – a terrible predicament, as I’m sure you’ll all agree!
The good news is that everything has arrived safely, and I should be able to get back on track very soon. Excitingly, my new house will have space for a dedicated hobby area – something I didn’t have the luxury of in my old apartment. So I’m a little bit behind as of now, but I’m confident that I’ll be able to make up for it in the coming weeks.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
One of the things we always wanted to show with this Slow Grow blog is that, for most of us, building an army for a game like Kings of War isn’t something that happens effortlessly, or on a perfect schedule. As Alex has discovered this past week, sometimes real life gets in the way – and that’s okay. When you’re working on a longer-term project like this, progress rarely follows a straight line. What counts is taking the ups and downs in your stride, and staying the course in the long run. It’s all part of the challenge!
Next time, we’ll check back in and see how these armies are developing – we’ll hopefully be able to show a few more painted units on the table.
We’ve also been really happy to see how many of you are taking part in the Slow Grow Challenge along with us, and we’re looking forward to showcasing some of your armies in the coming weeks and months. Keep the updates coming!
