This month has seen the celebration of another year that I have managed to avoid deaths warm embrace, and as such my better half has gifted me the above mentioned painting station made by the very talented people at Westwood Wordworks.
In all honesty I think this was for her sanity a little more than for my painting, but a thoughtful gift is still a thoughtful gift no matter what the sneaky upsides are. So now all my painting equipment can be contained to one tidy, smart looking space.
When the box arrived through the post I was instantly impressed by the careful packaging (lots of bubblewrap, that kept Carla happy!). The paint station is definitely a smart option for those that are looking for an adaptable and easy to use self contained painting area. The Redwood Pine which is stained black is a very striking and handsome thing that is for sure!
As you can see from the above pictures that heavy duty handle and clasps on the top of the box give both a professional finish and a very secure feeling when moving the station. Plus the piano hinges on the front make for a smooth opening and secure front.
First among the key features to note are the adjustable shelves that are really easy to move around. There is a small two draw removable box which is the perfect size to hold all my brushes in the top one, and then all my files and pinning equipment in the lower (slightly larger) drawer.
Now I know that one of the most annoying things that comes up often when painting is the lack of a suitable light source. Luckily Westwood have provided a truly brilliant adjustable strip light that not only uses super bright LEDs, but also has 3 brightness settings. This is awesome when you're painting in a room with some natural light - as the light moves you can adjust not only angle but brightness as well.
One of the many smart design features that I found on the piece is the manner in which the power to the light connects. As you can see in the picture below the connection is pretty heavy duty and should easily protect from the odd splash of paint or spilled water/ink/other random substance. The way that the light folds down is really neat, so the front can be closed and latched securely without having to find somewhere else to store the light - this is another big plus point, especially for those whom space is a premium.
Speaking of smart design features, before I forget I should mention the magnetized painting board that holds the light, as well as a some recessed spaces that are perfect for either some models or paints. This is going to be great for when you have a whole unit that you want to work on in a production line style.
Having now painted my first model on this masterpiece of engineering. I am finding it difficult to explain how much this is going to help me in both keeping on top of an ever expanding list of projects and giving me a dedicated area (in our tiny flat) that I can have just for painting that gives me all I need in a small space. Without the need to keep taking out and putting paints/brushes/other equipment in draws, it means I can just drop the front plug in the light and I'm away. I can just close up the front and the stylish brief case style box looks cool and tidy at the end of a painting session.
Now for the bad bits... erm... there just aren't any!!! I can't recommend this product highly enough. I'm so impressed. In a few months I will give a follow up to let you know how its going and if I have had any issues, but to be honest having had a little look at the joints and method of construction this product is extremely well put together and I feel that if I look after it a bit (ie not throw it down the stairs), I will not need to buy another paint station for a long, long time. Now this may not be the best business model for Westwood, I can imagine the only part that may fail after some time would be the light, but something tells me that this would be easily replaced.
The one thing that I have found is that being lefthanded the light could get in the way of my hand a bit, but to be honest the light is set far enough back into the board that all I really have found is that the light stand has stopped me from spilling my drink twice! I think Westwood are missing a small market in custom water cups for their paint stations... maybe these are coming soon *hint*
As far as room for paints as you can see from the picture below I have managed to fit all the paints I regularly use, plus quite a few more (there are quite a few double, I use a lot of white and earthshade!). There is also a lot of room for more paints as most all the model specific brand paints that I have could be doubled up on each shelf.
As mentioned a the beginning of the article, this is a present from my partner for my Birthday, so I had nothing to do with the ordering of this. I have been told by Carla that Andrew & Jenny at Westwood were both very helpful and friendly to deal with. They kept very close to their delivery date.
Carla is not a gamer, has never been a gamer and has no interest in gaming! Yet when she ordered me a custom carry tray for tournaments through Westwood Woodworks they were more than able to guide her through what I needed and provided great advice and customer support. So if you do have a loved one wondering what to get you for a birthday/Christmas/special occasion I would point them in the direction of Westwood. If not, then do yourself a favour and get on over and order yourself one. I seriously doubt you will regret it any time soon...well the amount of time you spend painting might increase as you will have a kick-ass paintstation to get your paint on!
For more information contact the good people at Westwood Woodwork at their Facebook page
I have just finished a Khador Behemoth using this, which I will be posting up the painting piece of in the next few days as well, so keep an eye out.
Thanks for reading,
Stay Classy
Double Epic Tom
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