Hobby Holder Kickstarter Campaign by Game envy Creations is almost over, enter and read to know why you want to back it before it’s over.
For most people tools are basic instruments that fulfill specific functions to facilitate a task, hammers obviously hammer, pliers obviously grasp. But when one is involved in handiwork , the universe of tools grows considerably, and their diversity can become an overwhelming obsession.
Miniature painting is not exempt of this, every year we can see how the oofering of brushes, adhesives, paints, textures, files, lamps, airbrushes and all sorts of technological wonders grows and diversifies, letting us see the depth of this hobby, and how can we adjust our immersion in it.
One of these tools recently came to my hands, the Hobby Holder by Game Envy Creations. This plays on a concept that I’ve known since I started in the hobby decades ago, but with a much more precise and cerebral application.
Hobby Holder builds upon a simple fact, when painting a miniature we need a way to hold it, without touching them directly to avoid scratches and unnecessary splotches on the model. We are also seeking a stable platform so we can use our brushes and airbrushes with greater precision. This has myriad possible solutions and painters around the world have always found ways to make this, with cork, bottle-caps, Tupperware, paint pots and droppers and many other solutions that would take way too much space to name here. The beauty of this product is how it solves an apparently simple problem, in an elegant and ergonomic manner.
In its basic configuration, the hobby holder is composed of two parts, the base and the Stability Bar, and frankly seeing them come out of the packaging is not very impressive. However, careful observation allows us to understand the excellent design concept that was applied here. The base is of a semi-flexible material, upon which you can wedge a standard cork (a popular option), but it is also grooved to receive a standard soda bottle twist cap. This diversity of options allows us to use the Hobby Holder in several projects simultaneously , and pick and chose different option on how to take on the work. The base is heavy enough to stabilize 30-50mm miniatures easily, allowing us to place them on the table without fear of them wobbling or tumbling and chipping our work in the process.
Of course, to use corks you will have to apply pins to your project, and for soda bottle-caps theres a couple of options, the most popular being re usable flexible adhesives (like Blu Tack or similar products), or simply just using gluing temporarily.
The Stability Bar is where the tool’s design really shines, its tall enough to accommodate minis of up to 40mm (depending on how tall the cork is, or how you fixated them to the cap), and it attaches itself to the base through a clamp around its neck across its circumference. Far from just being just a gripping point, the Stability Bar is loaded with ergonomic curves that permit diverse and comfortable holding positions, so painters can each find the one that is more suited to them or the task at hand, this prevents damaging the model by accidentally rubbing or scratching it, as well as hand pinching and the frequent cramping, significantly reducing hand fatigue. The design also allows the base to turn on its own axis if necessary, allowing us to reach all areas of the miniature without switching our grip, all of this works in conjunction for a comfortable and efficient painting.
Hobby Holder is the kind of tool everybody thinks they don’t need. But like many others, its use can significantly diminish much discomfort, allowing us to gain small advantages that ultimately reflect on our technique, and we all want to paint longer and better!
We want to invite you to take a look at our gallery and visit Hobby Holder Kickstarter page before it ends, we hope you like it.
