Battle Masters – 1990 Warhammer Board Game Gets Painted
The Warhammer board game Battle Masters could be recalled back to the early 1990s, but you probably haven’t seen it painted as professionally as miniature artist Michael Schott painted the miniatures in the box over a seven-month period.
Battle Masters was a joint venture between Games Workshop and Milton Bradley Games, which produced board games based on the Warhammer universe for children. Among them is HeroQuest, Schott’s discovery of miniature gaming through its sci-fi sibling StarQuest.
In 1992, he discovered Battle Masters, known in Germany as Claymore Saga. The game includes a 4 12.6-by-5-foot battle mat with 100 miniatures representing the forces of chaos and the Imperial army.
Painting The Warhammer Board Game Battle Masters
Having sold his original copy in 1996, Schott has “increasingly regretted” the decision. Finding another copy has long been a dream of his, and he eventually acquired two used copies from eBay to rebuild a complete set.
The artist originally envisioned Battle Masters as a speed painting project. However, he says that “my inner monk wanted me to paint the miniatures on a different level”. He applied his full painting skills to the models.
As a conceptual project, the first big challenge was to find a color scheme for the army that “on one hand makes it recognizable as an army, but on the other hand also highlights its individuality”
Another challenge was adding icons to unit banners and shields – painting each one freehand was not feasible. Schott says he spent about 3 weeks creating signs for all the units in Photoshop and printing decals.
A simple piece of advice Schott has is to “stick with it and don’t give up” if you want to try something similar with a massive board game you remember from your childhood
In his view, it’s essential to motivate yourself with small goals. He worked mainly on Battle Masters for seven months – every unit he completed gave him the boost he needed to move on.