The Army Painter has many partnerships and sponsorships amongst the hobby community, and one of our most cherished is the Build Paint Play podcast by Dave and Jake. Not only are they both stalwarts of the community with a highly entertaining podcast, but they're often frequent collaborators with us at events.
We recently caught up with them to find out a bit more about what they have going on, their hobby legacies, and what to expect from them in the future.
The Build Paint Play podcast is now in its fifth season, for those who are unaware, can you tell us a bit about what type of topics you cover and how it all got started?
Dave: I spent just over four years co-hosting a weekly livestream called "Painting Happy Lil Minis" (that streamed on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook Live). This was for Alliance Game Distributors. We'd spend a couple of hours each week painting minis, talking about various hobby and pop culture topics and sharing thoughts on how to paint and reviewing products that Alliance carried. In early 2022, my co-host and our producer decided that it was time for them to take a break. Shortly after that, Jake asked on social media if anyone might be interested in starting a lore podcast. I put up my hand and suggested something that was a little broader: talking about gaming, painting, art, lore, and community involvement. So, in July 2022 we fumbled our way through our first episodes of Build Paint Play.
Jake: Dave isn't kidding, we are the example of "Doing it LIVE". I love the unpredictability of a live show. We initially went into this with the mindset of spending time talking about things we like, love, and are passionate about. There is always so much negativity and hating on stuff out there that we wanted to very deliberately NOT do that. If it ended up just being Dave and I catching up for a couple of hours a week alone, well, there's worse ways to spend a Tuesday night than hanging out with Dave.
Dave, for any Warhammer veterans out there, your name may seem a bit familiar from your many unique and famous armies and your frequent appearances in the pages of White Dwarf. Can you tell us a bit about your hobby journey?
Dave: Oh wow, well I started playing D&D with my neighbour in 1983 and continued that all through high school. In my first year at college, I discovered Games Workshop, Rogue Trader, and painting minis for wargaming. I was hooked. Since then I've worked for Games Workshop and Wargames Illustrated, and I've run my own business for the last decade. Over that time, I've had the opportunity to work on more than 200 issues of hobby magazines and publish 15 books under my own brand - Dave Taylor Miniatures. I've painted more than 12,000 miniatures in my 30+ years in the hobby, and I met Jake almost 20 years ago at Games Workshop!
Your wildly successful THE ART OF… books, each showcasing an individual miniature painter of renown, are now up to 12 volumes, including Factory Team member Sam Lenz. Can you tell us a bit about this series, how it came about, and what the future may hold?
Dave: My dream/ultimate vision for THE ART OF... series is to create an incredibly inspiring library of fantastic miniatures art. Each year I work with three artists to create a new set of books about their art, the how and why they do what they do. I've been working with artists whose work I have been following for years, and Sam is one of those guys. I first met Sam during Golden Demon competitions that I used to run for GW US back in the day. Sam is incredibly skilled and wonderfully imaginative. Each new piece is a marvellous experiment that launches a thousand new ideas. But back to THE ART OF..., at three new books a year, imagine where we'll be in 30 years time, with more than 100 books in the series!
Jake, you not only co-host the podcast with Dave, but you also own and run your own hobby store in Massachusetts, Alpha Omega Hobby. Can you tell us a bit about your store and its history?
Jake: Sure! So Alpha Omega Hobby has had its doors open for over seven years now. We opened up in June of 2017 just in time for Warhammer 40K 8th edition and the Dark Imperium box. We wanted to open a shop that carried everything and catered to every type of gamer and hobbyist, complete with playing space. I've worked in the corporate sector for a long time but was fortunate enough to spend years in the gaming space. I've been a hobbyist since I was around 12, starting with D&D, board games, Magic, etc. Years later I got into Warhammer 40K and after college ended up working for Games Workshop for more than 6 years. That's how I met Dave in the first place. I was one of the Bunker managers and spent a fair amount of time at the old North American HQ in Maryland. Years later when I decided to open Alpha Omega Hobby, I was very fortunate to have friends spread out over the gaming world, they were invaluable. I always try to pay that forward.
You’ve also spent quite a bit of time at several events and conventions lately with our events team duo of Kat and Caleb helping us out in our booths. How has that experience been?
Dave: We both LOVE going to conventions. There are so many great people at shows, friends old and new. Kat and Caleb (and the Factory Team) are always wonderful to hang out with and we've been friends for years. When you're in an environment like a gaming convention and at The Army Painter booth, conversations can range all over the place, but we regularly come back to excitedly sharing ideas on how we can help others on their hobby journeys.
Jake: One Hundred percent. Kat and Caleb have been fixtures in our industry for years. They taught a couple of classes at my shop when we first opened. The two of them are the best. I've known Uncle Atom for years, and it was great to meet some of the other team members in person. It was great working with all of them, Phil is hilarious, we hit it off immediately. Seeing people and spending time talking about all the hobbies we love and comparing notes is one of the best parts of our hobby, in my opinion. Plus who doesn't enjoy hanging out having a good time with good people? I would also be remiss if I didn't mention Adam Abramowicz, he and I hit it off a couple of years ago at GAMA, and if we hadn't kindled a friendship I don’t know that this would have ever happened.
On top of all these amazing ventures between the two of you - the podcast, the book series, and the store - you’re also avid painters and hobbyists. What is your favourite paint range, individual paint, or tool from The Army Painter and why? How does it speak to how you approach the hobby and painting?
Dave: I love the Warpaints Fanatic range. I love painting armies. My armies can range from 30 models up to 100+ and I love to keep a relatively consistent look/colour scheme across them all. The Fanatic range helps me to quickly decide on a scheme and settle on my base tones and highlights very easily. Thanks to the consistency across the range, and its widespread availability, I know I can always pick up replacement paints for my schemes, regardless of where in the world I'm painting.
Jake: I think the Speedpaints have really caught my attention. I used a bunch of them at Granite State Comic Con last weekend. I think it's such a great way to knock out large projects and get some amazing results. The Speedpaint Metallics are a game changer, it's unreal how easy they make things. I'm also a fan of the effects paints. These are so underrated, I think lots of folks get nervous or feel like they need a specialized technique, but that's just the thing, anyone can use them. It's hard to pick out a favourite colour, maybe Warpaints Fanatic Death Metal?
What can viewers and listeners expect to see in the coming months from Build Paint Play?
Dave: We have a LOT of great guests planned for the coming months. We'll be talking about games celebrating their 25th anniversary (Mordheim) and those about to be crowdfunded (Sunshard: Embren), and we'll be talking about hobby activity at major conventions, miniature photography, and hopefully even chatting with a Black Library author!
Jake: I think we're trying to keep lining up great guests and prepping for more events. I know we will both be at Pax Unplugged later this year. Then it all starts over again next year with more conventions and two more seasons in 2025.
What’s the best way for people to stay up to date with both the podcast, and your other ventures?
Dave: Facebook is typically the best for everything. You can check out the Build Paint Play page, the Dave Taylor Miniatures page, and the Alpha Omega Hobby page for all the latest info!
Jake: Plus, if folks do all the algorithm stuff, subscribe, hit the notification bell, comment, and share it. We always try to answer as many questions as we can too. It's been a blast, and we look forward to more.
