Happy New Year — and in true Painting Phase fashion, we come back with complete chaos. In this first chat of the year (filmed pre-LVO), I’m catching up with Jeff and Bella, talking hobby headspace, what we actually want out of 2026, and how we stop painting turning into a “job”. We also share a proper, practical New Year hobby resolution: a squad (or a character) a month — and I’m holding myself accountable by bringing it in, finished or not, to get roasted on the turntable. We also talk about getting better the right way: focused practice, not just winging it and wondering why it looks bad. I go into what’s genuinely helped my airbrushing — I finally admitted defeat and upgraded my Harder & Steenbeck Ultra with an Evolution conversion kit, dropping down to a 0.2 needle. For me, that was the difference between fighting the airbrush and actually finding “the zone”, getting closer to the model, and controlling blends (especially for things like Space Marine shoulder pads and basic OSL). And yes, I also ramble about Kill Team being the gateway drug (it is), plus why I’m obsessed with Brutal and Cunning — the Ratlings are tiny, but the sculpting is outrageously good, full of modern infantry nods, and even has the all-important dog.