Badger Games and Old Guard Offer Free GUND Fishmen Contest Kit

Badger Games has launched its annual AdeptiCon painting contest in partnership with Old Guard Games and is sending the contest miniature free to painters anywhere in the world. The kit is a hero miniature from the forthcoming Gund: Fishmen from the Crab Nebula range; painters request the model from Badger Games, receive official rules, must paint the model exactly as provided with no conversions or additions, and return the finished entry for public display at AdeptiCon in Milwaukee.

The contest is listed on MiniCal as running January 28 - March 20, 2026, and Badger’s social announcement summarized the offer bluntly: “Badger Games is pleased to announce their annual AdeptiCon Painting Contest. This year’s offering? A fantastic soon-to-be-released GUND (fishmen from the Crab Nebula) miniature. Contact Badger Games via email ((/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection)), agree to paint it, send it back and we will send this mini anywhere in the world. FREE!” MiniCal frames the format as “painter-first and pressure-free,” saying the partnership with Old Guard Games “removes the biggest barrier by sending the miniature free of charge.”

Finished entries will be on display for the entire AdeptiCon weekend. Voting is blind and conducted by attendees, and a panel of expert judges will contribute to final results; winners are selected using a combined scoring system that rewards both popular appeal and technical skill. MiniCal notes winners will be announced during the second week of April 2026.

For painters this is a notable opportunity: free supply of a forthcoming release removes cost and availability hurdles for those who want to compete or gain convention exposure. Painting the same supplied model levels the field, emphasizing color theory, technique, and presentation rather than conversion creativity. Having entries physically displayed at AdeptiCon gives painters visibility in front of attendees and judges, and combined scoring means you must impress both the crowd and technical judges.

AdeptiCon itself is scaling up. Organizers report “Just a little over a week into registration, AdeptiCon 2026 attendance is already outpacing last year's numbers. As we enter our second year in Milwaukee, AdeptiCon 2026 is on track to become our largest event yet, with over 1,700 game sessions, events, and classes scheduled.” The convention will host expanded events including a Warhammer 40,000 Championship increased to 400 seats, and new demos such as Atomic Mass Games’ Oasis project with miniatures from Death Ray Designs and terrain by Tabletop Terrain.

A few practical details remain unclear in the public notices: exact deadlines for requesting and returning kits, whether entrants must pay return shipping on painted models, entry limits, category breakdowns, and what prizes will be awarded. Organizers have provided the basic entry flow and timeline; painters interested in participating should request the kit directly from Badger Games via the contest page or by emailing Badger Games as directed in the social announcement, and expect to return the completed miniature for display at AdeptiCon. This contest removes a major access barrier and puts a new, upcoming release in front of a broad convention audience, an easy, low-cost way to test techniques, earn visibility, and compete under a combined crowd-and-judge scoring system.