The 2027 Hobby Progress Challenge

The Sixth World War on Grey Plastic

Welcome to the 2027 Independent Characters Hobby Progress Challenge (aka the HPC).

This year-long event is all about turning your pile of unpainted plastic into a glorious, fully painted force. The goal is simple: paint one unit each month and earn an entry into our prize drawing, with awesome giveaways from some of our fantastic sponsors. Starting is easy, but staying on target for twelve months? That’s the real challenge.

Still, we believe in you! Whether you’re fueled by the Emperor’s divine purpose or the dark whispers of the Chaos Gods, we think you’ve got what it takes to see this through to the end.

The challenge officially begins on October 1st, 2026, and runs until September 30th, 2027. By the end, if all goes to plan, you’ll not only have a collection you’re proud of, but you’ll also have racked up chances to win some great prizes. Ready to take the plunge? Read on to learn how it works and how you can get started!

The Goal

Paint one unit a month for entry.
- A “Unit” is defined as a Character (individual or HQ unit), a unit that is deployable in a game (a squad, a gang, etc.), a vehicle, monstrous creature, or dreadnought type unit.
- This can also include terrain (remember, the Third Army on the table!) though it should be a significant piece or set of pieces to qualify.
- The aim is to paint something meaningful toward a playable force – not just a single small model. This challenge is system agnostic, so feel free to paint models for any miniature wargame you enjoy!

Submission Guidelines

Step 1 – Start of the Month:

By Midnight PST/PDT on the 10th of each month, post a photo of your unpainted unit in your personal challenge thread on The Independent Characters Discord.
The model can be unprimed, primed, or have a basecoat.
Include a name/date card in front of the model in the photo.

Step 2 – End of the Month:

By midnight PST/PDT on the last day of the month, post a second photo in your thread showing the completed and fully painted unit.
Again, include a name/date card in the photo for validation.

Step 3 – Get Credit:

After posting your finished unit, tag @mksu1dr in your thread to ensure your entry is counted (our admin thanks you in advance!).

How to create your thread in the Hobby Progress Challenge Discord Channel:

Log into the Independent Characters Discord Server.
Go to the 2027-hobby-progress-challenge channel.
In the upper right corner, click the “Threads” icon.
Click on the “Create” button
IMPORTANT: Name your Thread with your [Name] HPC. So a thread created by Carl would look like this “Carl Tuttle’s HPC”. If you would rather use your Discord Handle, feel free to do so.
1. NOTE: Do NOT check the “Only people you invite and moderators can see” box.
Start your posting!

Tracking Progress

Every month we will tally and track all participants in a Google Spreadsheet, viewable here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12qTt_uXMagzmuOdFFw0mpi-rEzADNAUYk6LEWr_cWFc/edit?usp=sharing

Prizes and Completion

We are working with sponsors now to provide a host of great prizes! We had some fantastic contributors for last year’s event, and we hope to make this year’s even better. We’ll reveal more prizes as the contest progresses.

For every month completed, you’ll earn one entry into the drawing for a prize. Each person can win only one prize, regardless of how many entries they’ve accumulated. However, if you complete the entire Hobby Progress Challenge (all 12 months), you’ll be entered into a special pool for additional prizes.

This challenge is open worldwide! We’ll cover up to $25 of shipping toward delivering your prize to you – anything beyond that cost will need to be covered by you. (Note that as much as we love our listeners in Australia and New Zealand, shipping there is very pricey. If you win, we’ll work with you to come up with another solution for your prize.)

Bonus Entries

This year there are a whopping 14 chances to earn up to 6 additional entries into the prize draw! Every month, you have the opportunity to earn an extra entry by completing one of the following challenges. Each challenge is unique and can only be completed once, for credit, during the HPC:

Vehicle, Behemoth, or Cavalry Type Unit – Since not all games have vehicles like Warhammer 40,000, you can paint a Behemoth-sized unit or a full unit of Cavalry as the equivalent.
Battleline Unit (basic unit of troops for any system) – This is your basic line of troops from whatever army you’re painting: Space Marines, Hormagaunts, Dire Avengers, etc. Note that this could be an entire warband in a skirmish-type game.
Character (single model, HQ-level character) – Any character model will do! Is it the HQ for your army, or just a specific model with a name? That works!
Monstrous Creature/Dreadnought – A monstrous creature such as a Greater Daemon or a Carnifex, for example. Or maybe you want to paint a Dreadnought or Tau Riptide – those qualify under this heading.
Titanic Month (Knight-sized) – Not every army has access to this size of model, but those that do can claim a bonus entry here. If you want to paint an actual 28mm Titan from Games Workshop, this applies as well!
Flyer Unit – Any aircraft counts for this: a plane, a transport like the Arvus Lighter, a flying beast like a Tyranid, or maybe one of the Grand Cathay Sky Lanterns for Old World. Either way, it must be classified as a flyer – not just have the ability to fly.
Terrain Set – This needs to be a significant-sized terrain piece, or a bunch of terrain, to qualify. In Warhammer 40k terms, think about enough terrain to cover a quarter of a table.
Display Board – Every great army deserves to be displayed in equally glorious fashion. Create and paint a display board for that tournament you’re attending, or build one just to display your models at home as a diorama. Either option applies!
Double Up! – Paint an additional unit this month! Get credit for TWO entries in one month. Your “Double Up!” bonus unit does not have to be submitted by the 10th and can be completed any time during the month. However, we do require a before-and-after picture of your “Double Up!” unit (you can post it any time during the month).
Reset the Mechanism – Show us before-and-after pictures of your hobby and workspace environment. Everyone needs to reset now and then to “clear the mechanism” and get a fresh start – now you can earn an entry for doing so. This is ONLY one bonus entry; something else must be done to earn your month’s entry.
Just Get It Done! – Finish any two units you’ve previously started. Each unit must be no more than 75% complete at the time you begin working on it for this challenge. You’ll need to take a “before” and “after” photo for both units. The units don’t have to be finished in the same month, but wait to post your completion until both are done.
You’re in the Army Now! (New) – Over the course of the challenge, paint enough units to make a fully playable, 2000-point force for Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer: The Old World, Age of Sigmar, or Horus Heresy. This does not apply to other games.
Hobby Jam (New) – Hang out with at least one other friend or member of the ICs community while you assemble or paint miniatures toward your goal. This can be virtual (Zoom, Teams, Discord, etc.) – just take a screenshot of you and your friends holding up the models they’re working on that session!
Ebay Rescue (New) – You take an older, already painted model, strip it down, maybe even modify it, and repaint it with your now superior painting skills! Although the title is “ebay Rescue!” the model can be one you already own OR acquire.

Each of these should be considered “Or equivalent” for the game system you are painting for! If you have any questions on eligibility of a unit you want to paint, please check with our admin.

You can only ever earn SIX extra entries, even though there are 14 options to choose from. We think this offers plenty of flexibility to decide what method works best for you. You also can’t “double dip” – you can only ever earn ONE bonus entry in any given month. For example: if you paint a Space Marine Storm Talon, you cannot claim credit for both the Vehicle and Flyer bonuses – you have to pick one. If you then painted a second Storm Talon, you could claim the other bonus at that point.

At the end of the event, the goal here is that you walk away with a fully completed army, gang, Warband, or maybe just a plethora of models that were previously grey! We wish you the best of success in your War on Grey Plastic!

FAQ

Q: What if I paint MORE than what I planned to do in a given month?

A: No problem. Just make a “Before card” (with name & date on it) and take a picture. Then make an “End card” when you finish it. We will track additional entries up to a maximum of 12 entries for the challenge.

Q: Is there a maximum number of points I can earn for the 2027 HPC?

A: Yes. If you achieved success in all 12 months AND got the maximum amount of bonus entries you can get (remember that is capped at 6) – you can walk away with a maximum total of 18 entries into the prize drawing.

Q: What happens if I don’t complete my committed model in the month I attempted to?

A: You can complete it the following month – but you do miss out on an entry for the initial month you started the model in! For example: Carl says he is going to paint 10 Sisters of Battle in March, but fails to complete it. In April he does complete it and posts the “after” picture. Carl does not get credit for the March commitment, but does get credit for April.

Q: Does the model need to be based? I tend to base everything all at once.

A: The model does not need to be based if you are planning to do everything all at once. We get it. Reach out to the admin when you are going to complete your bases and they will work out with you what qualifies as an entry.

Q: I want to paint Legions Imperialis for the vehicle month. Does one tank qualify?

A: Not a single Legions Imperialis vehicle! How about a UNIT of tanks (a box of them). That would qualify! also a Titan (Warhound to Warlord) would qualify. We will reserve the Warmaster Titan for the Titanic bonus.

Q: Do I have to start the 2027 HPC in October? What if I didn’t know about it until after that?

A: You can join at ANY time. Remember though if you aren’t around for all 12 months of the challenge, you will not be able to achieve full entries for all 12 months. You can still make up some ground by completing bonus tasks though!

Q: If I Choose the “Double Up!” Bonus one month and then paint a Flyer as my extra model, can I then also claim the “Flyer” bonus point?

A: No. You can only ever get ONE bonus point in a given month.

Q: Can I do any of the challenge bonus entries more than once?

A: No, each challenge bonus entry is intended to be completed only once. You can only receive credit for each unique challenge one time. (To a maximum of 6)