The 40k 2nd Edition Challenge – Mark VII – The Rules!

WELCOME TO THE 40k 2nd Ed Army Challenge!

Welcome, painters, collectors, and long-suffering owners of unpainted 2nd edition miniatures. If you are here, you have probably decided that now is finally the time to stop moving boxes around and start painting what is inside them.

This challenge exists for one reason: projects are easier to finish when you are not doing them alone. Over the next six months, we aim for steady, manageable progress rather than perfection, competition, or burnout. The goal is simple. Finish something.

This year, the challenge is hosted not by a single guiding hand, but by a carefully balanced triumvirate, or trifecta, or possibly an unholy alliance. The honour falls jointly to Dr. The Viking, Wachtmeister, and Pygmy Hippo. Three hosts, one shared belief: the best hobby progress comes from structure, deadlines, and just enough public accountability to keep everyone honest.

The philosophy should feel familiar. We are reusing what works and ignoring what does not. Work smart, not hard.

With that established, let us move on to the rules.

THE RULES

The aim of the challenge is to paint 1,000 points of Warhammer 40,000 2nd edition models over six months. Participants should plan to complete roughly 200 points per month, with one built-in buffer month to account for real life getting in the way. Each participant is allowed one mulligan month.

The challenge is rooted in 2nd edition aesthetics and nostalgia, but flexibility applies. Using era-appropriate models is encouraged, not enforced, and no one will be judged for their choice of miniatures or bases. The point is progress, not purity.

Participants must submit a short introduction with a 1,000-point army list and a starting photo showing how the project is divided into monthly chunks. Monthly progress updates are required, including one photo, a brief description of what was painted, and how many points it represents. Updates must be submitted by the last day of each month.

To successfully complete the challenge, participants must submit updates for at least five out of the six months. The spirit of the rules is best described as “loose but tight”: the structure matters, but the goal is always to help you finish something, not to catch you out.

TO ENTER – EACH PARTICIPANT MUST

1. Submit an introduction that includes a 1,000-point Warhammer 40,000 2nd edition army list.
   
2. Submit a single starting photo showing the full project and how it is planned to be split across the months.
   
3. Send both the introduction and starting photo to the EMAIL no later than January 7, 2024. The subject of the email must read name to be used on the blog, army, country of origin, and the label starting point.
   Example: “Dr. The Viking, Dark Angels, Swaziland, Starting point”

HOW IT WORKS

Monthly digests will be shared on Facebook, the blog, and other platforms. Participants are welcome to blog or post independently as well. Introductions and army lists will be published on February 1st, 2026, which is also when painting officially begins. The first compiled progress summary will be posted during the first week of March.

Monthly submissions

Musts:

At the end of every month an entry sheet is sent to all participants. By the last day of every month, each participant must fill out and return the sheet (email) with their monthly update that adheres to the following:

1. The email subject line must include name, army, and month. For example: “Wachtmeister, Dark Angels, Month 1”. This is required for sorting and processing.
2. Each submission must include one photo showing progress for the month. The models may be photographed on terrain, a neutral background, or the workbench. Presentation is up to you, but please limit submissions to a single image.
3. The attached stats sheet must be submitted each month, listing model count and accumulated points.

IMPORTANT: If you fail to label your email correctly, or include all necessary information you will be added to the monthly “goof”-list. People who goofed it will get an email after deadline and be allowed a second attempt. If you botch the second attempt you use a mulligan… and if this happens twice – you’re dead! So please don’t. We really want you to succeed… we just don’t want you to create extra work for us out of laziness. 

Mays:

Along with the image, participants must describe what was painted and how it fits into the army, including model type, equipment, and total points.

If a participant maintains a blog or page with additional material about the project, a direct link should be included. NOTE: If you choose to share your entry on social media or a personal blog please link cowabungajournal.com and wachtmeisterspatrol.com so we can spread the Challenge as far as possible!

During the first week of each month, a summary post will be published showing participant progress, including images, descriptions, and links.

If posting on Instagram or similar platforms, please use the hashtag #40k2ndAC.

THE HOBBY BINGO BOARD

This year, the challenge includes an optional but strongly encouraged side game: the Hobby Bingo Board.

Tracking 24 individual bingo cards would be madness, so instead we use a shared board. Every time a participant completes a hobby bingo goal, their marker advances a fixed number of spaces on the board. Simple, visible, and mildly addictive.

The Bingo Board exists to remove excuses. It exists to make you do the thing you have been meaning to do for years and still haven’t. It is not about variety or creativity for its own sake! It is about momentum! The Bingo turns “one day” into “this month”. The Bingo cares for you and your hobby! Trust the Bingo!

Each bingo objective is worth a set number of spaces, depending on effort and scope. Small creative acts move you a little. Big, time-consuming projects move you a lot. Stuff that we love move you even more!

At the end of the challenge, the participant furthest along the Hobby Bingo Board is declared the Bingo Champion and will be rewarded with eternal glory, a Cowabunga Patrol T-shirt, and a Cowabunga Patrol mug. No tie-breakers, no judges’ deliberations — just cold, hard hobby momentum.

The Bingo Board does not replace the core requirement of painting 1,000 points over six months. It runs alongside the main challenge as an extra layer of motivation, variety, and communal nonsense.

Note: There is no penalty for ignoring the Bingo entirely, but those who engage with it will find themselves progressing faster and probably having more fun along the way. And look cooler in sunglasses.

A full list of Bingo objectives and their values can be found below:

HOBBY BINGO OBJECTIVES

5 spaces
Use a new technique
Paint a freehand banner
Play a game
Make game tokens (wounds, hiding, run, etc.)
Paint leopard print on a model
Hand-sculpted details with green stuff
Make objective markers
Update a model after a feat in battle

10 spaces
Give a unit scenic bases
Include OSL on a model
Rogue Trader or early 2nd edition colour scheme
Restore or repaint an old, badly painted model
Play a full 2nd edition game
Play a game with fully painted units only
Replay a remembered scenario from the past
Campaign veteran markings on a unit

15 spaces
Make a backdrop for your army
Paint models owned for 10+ years
Metal model squad
Paint 3 vehicles in one month
Make a piece of astroturf terrain

20 spaces
Make your own character and describe it with a full page entry
Make a diorama base for your army
Make a piece of faction/setting terrain
Convert every model in an entire squad
Paint 30 infantry models in one month
Play a game in the Uluru campaign setting

T-shirt and mug prizes as imagined by an artificial unintelligence. Actual results will vary. Greatly. 

A bit of Q&A:

Will the rules be enforced with fervour?
With regards to the “rules” I think we should go like Led Zeppelin and do it “loose but tight”: The army list should be 1000 points but doesn’t have to adhere to the percentage requirements (we are all going to expand it inevitably).

Can I enter a half-painted army???
Yes, that army is eligible. It is not the starting point that is important, but rather it is the drive and motivation to finish something… whether it start from 0% done or 80%. Just remember the starting picture so people can appreciate the work you put in at the end.

Can I use this or that model that isn’t specifically 2nd ed.??? I say why not? If you only have latest edition plastic GW models, maybe it is a bit of barking up the wrong tree – to me the nostalgia is definitely part of it, and I will use 2nd ed. exclusive models. But if you feel it is worth your time participating, don’t let me decide for you.

When creating my list should I count wargear and other upgrades?
Sort of.  If a character is mandated wargear include that in your points value.  If they are mandated some wargear plus extra cards of your choosing don’t include the optional cards.  Don’t include things like veteran upgrades, or Exarch powers, or optional wargear cards.  Do include weapon options you have included on your models.  For example, if you upgrade your Assault Marines to have jet packs and hand flamers add in those points. 

Can I paint up all my models in a month or two and call it quits?  If you are that motivated then maybe you don’t need this challenge, but crazier things have happened.  Still, you need to enter something five out of six months to complete the challenge so if you do finish everything quick you better dig around for some bonus material!