Community Showcase: Gwion’s Terrain Journey

Recently, the Warlord Games HQ Store hosted a meet and greet event with renowned wargaming terrain maker, Mel Bose – AKA the Terrain Tutor, as well as Tommie Soule, a celebrated figure painter. They were on hand throughout the day to offer hobby advice, lead some activities and generally engage with our local community of hobbyists.

One of our attendees was fourteen-year-old Gwion, who, despite his relative youth, was no stranger to a little terrain building himself. Such was his unbridled enthusiasm that we asked for a few photos of his own terrain and miniatures, which don’t disappoint. Gwion’s father, Tim, was also kind enough to recount Gwion’s hobby journey up to now:

Tim: ‘As a boy Gwion loved LEGO, but as time wore on the inevitable lure of computer games enticed him from the more creative pastimes of his youth. After a few years, however, Call of Duty opened the door to Warlord Games. The intensity of WWII combat this game portrayed kickstarted our shared passion for the subject. This led to other media, and after watching Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers he was hooked. Luckily, we have an excellent FLGS (friendly local gaming store) and we purchased our first Bolt Action starter set. 

He loved the painting and designing aspects of the hobby from the go and would watch YouTube videos to refine such techniques as zenithal highlighting. Our armies expanded. He started being more creative with poses and basing. It was Mel Bose’s Terrain Tutor videos that captured Gwion’s attention most of all and firmly entrenched him into the wargaming hobby. With the help of Mel’s videos he created hedges, fields, bunkers and buildings, and magnetised woodlands, craters and haystacks for the whole of the summer. Gwion has even begun to create commission pieces for local gamers, and is a real perfectionist when it comes to producing them.

By the time of our visit to the last Warlord Games Open Day, we were both hooked; we avidly watched models being cast and were able to walk away with a few fresh out of the mould, and revelled in some of the armies on display. Full of inspiration following that visit, Gwion went on to convert a Panzer III into a SU-76i (aping the real-world Soviet practice), magnetise a LEGO bowser to his Sherman, and convert his plastic Daleks into Konflikt ’47 British Automatons. He even sat one night and recreated all the walking wounded from Saving Private Ryan!

Through his immersion in the hobby, he has gone on to learn about the real-life history of his US and Finnish armies; visiting museums and living history events, reading a number of Osprey’s books (he wasn’t fond of books – but now particularly enjoys rulebooks), and generally undertaking research he would never have been inclined to do without the hobby. He has also gotten quite good at both Bolt Action and Konflikt ‘47, playing regularly in what was an all-adult gaming club, which has helped to usher in nine new younger members to the group.

Finally, he managed to meet his hero, Mel Bose, at Warlord HQ’s meet and greet and get his copy of Terrain Essentials signed. Mel was lovely and spent the whole day with us. Gwion helped in repairing the D-Day display board, had the opportunity to show Mel a sample of his own scenery, and even teamed up with Mel in a game of Bolt Action, using some of his Chindits on the Burma-themed board he’d brought with him on the day.

On the way home, Gwion turned to me and proclaimed it the “Best day ever!” I couldn’t agree more.’

Our thanks to Gwion and Tim for sharing their hobby journey with us. Long may it continue! If you’d like to share your own hobby journey, we’d love to hear it. Get in touch via articles@warlordgames.com or join the conversation over on the Warlord Games social channels!