Making Sense of Projects - Rulebook Rampage

Hi!

So I've got an absolute ton of stuff painted but not had the chance to take photos of them yet! I've also been going through my rulebooks, both physical and PDF and sorting through my frankly staggering collection of rules.

I've posted quite a bit about my love of collecting old rulebooks over the years so I don't think I need to wax lyrical about the joys of delving into old games that nobody plays anymore but my new method of constructing tiny troops, I've got a really good chance of actually trying some of them out!

Thus far, I've been concentrating on making stuff for long running projects that I've wanted to have a bash at for ages, such as my Farpoint Salvage company for Star Mogul:

Farpoint Salvage

I've also been working away at my Orks and Imperial Guard for Rogue Trader and 2nd Edition of 40k:

But I also have a fair amount of 6mm built now as well as my somewhat neglected Monty Python themed army for Dragon Rampant which I really need to get back to...

Imperial Patrol

As I'm now half way through the year and only a single game played, I need to look to remedying the situation now I'm starting to get towards having decent playable forces. Sadly my perusal of my wargame collection has got me thinking of making more and more different bits and bobs with the intention of trying out games I've not played in decades so I'm in a bit of a bind.

Do I tamp down the enthusiasm to keep making stuff for existing projects or do I embrace the ADHD and just go mental, making whatever catches my eye? Both have their pro's and con's but I do worry that if I embrace the modelling madness too much, I'll end up with a plethora of unfinished projects like I usually do...

With this in mind, I'm trying to keep some sort of focus and build enough to keep me on the right track while knocking out projects at a reasonable pace, hopefully without losing interest or hobby mojo. Thus far it seems to be working and I've restrained my over-enthusiasm enough to complete one project, namely Star Mogul (build two forces and play at least one game using them) and my Rogue Trader/2nd edition project is nearing 500 points a side of Imperial Guard and Badmoon Orks.

Once they're at that level, I think I can tick off another box but keep going with them with an aim of reaching 1000 points worth of each before the end of the year and then focus on getting my Dragon Rampant army up to spec...

Mindful of not getting bored, I do think that I'll be adding in a few mini projects along the way as I know from bitter experience that I can get easily frustrated and bored with a project that drags on too long so I'm hoping to use these small projects as palette cleansers between my main projects which will allow me to keep forging forward without the danger of burning out.

With this thought, I have been looking through my collection to see what mini projects I can delve into and have a few up my sleeve that I'm really looking forward to trying out but I also realise that quite a few of my rulesets are generic enough that my figure collection will do the job in several with only minor tinkering.

Hopefully as the nights start drawing in and I slow down with making stuff, I'll be able to try out several different games and post some mini reviews of my ponderings on them.

Anyhoo... Enough of my rambling! I've got to head out to work so until then, All the best!

Leviathan meets Land Ironclads

 Hi!

It's been a while since I've had chance to post anything so I thought it was high time for an update!

While work has been massively busy, I have actually had a rather productive hobby time with lots of stuff built and an amount painted too but its not quite ready to show yet. While construction and painting has been proceeding at pace, I've completely failed to play any games. 

While in the past, this lack of gaming would be stressing me out, I'm not worrying about it too much as I've been making so much stuff for assorted projects that I'm hoping to keep the momentum going on completing models while the sun shines and get lots finished before the gloom of autumn where I'm planning on getting some games in with my newly completed armies!

Now onto the meat of the post; namely delving back into some Leviathan themed shenanigans!

Several years ago now, I made a Dwarven land fleet for Leviathan ported into Land Ironclads and the project kind of fizzled out and got shelved.

Now skip forward to 2026 and I find myself drawn back to the project and have been thinking of restarting it but using some of the techniques that I've been using in my recent small scale work.

I think I've learned to make the most of the cheap materials I have access to and am planning on taking another swing at the lands of Aeroth as I think I could make a fairly reasonable swing at it. It's not going to be purely based on the original Leviathan setting, more of a steampunk one with gigantic clanking, steam bellowing warengines and a smidge of magic...

Hopefully I'll be able to get some test pieces put together this weekend for the assorted races and I'll post progress here once I've got them done.

I'm also hoping to finish off a couple of Orky boys so I'll be able to show them too but I seem to be getting rather obsessed with making stuff at present so they may be shelved until I get the tiny Land Ironclads made but we'll see how we get on!

In the meantime, All the best!

Tanks Aplenty

 Hi!

I've been rather taken with making tiny tanks over the last few days so I thought I'd share some pics!

Copperhead Class Tanks

The Copperhead class tank was created on Farpoint by Vosk Industries having gained the contract for a cheap and reliable tank suited for frontier duty. Unfortunately, due to Baron Vosk's rampant corruption, the project went massively over budget, late and the final result was less than satisfactory to say the least.

Under armoured, with poor speed and manoeuvrability and lacklustre armaments, the Copperhead is better known as the Coprolite by its unwilling crews as it is, quote ''a fossil and a bit shit''. Prone to brewing up when hit, the Copperhead is a very unwelcome addition to frontier garrisons. 

Word has it that von Dorn has personally sent some of his trusted advisors to Vosk Industries to twist arms and get a MK2 that actually lives up to the standards specified and quietly investigate where all the money went.

Copperhead Detail

I really enjoyed making some tracked vehicles and suspect I'll have a few more done over the coming months and ended up getting carried away and made a massive behemoth as well!

Super Heavy Sighted!

Surveillance footage obtained from a drone overpass of Vosk's estates sighted this monstrosity. Dubbed the Annihilator Vosk used much of the money from the Copperhead contract to sink into creating a massive super heavy tank he called the Annihilator.

The vehicle weighs in at well over 150 tonnes and uses all the most modern technologies including a grav propulsion system, composite Adamantium armour and a Plasma cannon so powerful that it can core even the heaviest Imperial vehicle or walker with ease.

The Annihilator Grav Tank

Thus far Vosk has tried to keep the vehicle under wraps but the suspicion is that he plans to use the monster against the forces of von Dorn if he moves against Vosk's estates.

Quite why Vosk decided to paint the thing in such eyewateringly lurid colours is unknown...

Annihilator detail

As with all my vehicles, the tanks are made from a core of EVA foam with thin cardboard, rhinestones and some other bits and bobs and have been great fun to make!

Annihilator detail

Alongside the massive tank, I made some tiny ones too! I envisioned these tiny tanks much like the British Vickers cavalry tanks from WW2. Hopelessly outgunned by the monster but relying on speed and manoeuvrability to keep their two man crews from being blown to atoms, they're handy for frontier forces needing light, fast armoured forces and more suited to colonial actions than facing any serious opposition...

Little and Large

I'm waiting on some more bases from Warbases (excellent company by the way!) so I can get these painted up and ready for action but I thought I'd share some pictures of what the vehicles look like before painting so folks can see some of the construction process.

Vickers class cavalry tanks

Simple shapes and nothing fancy. Its amazing what a coat of paint and some bold highlighting can do for simple sculpts!

I've also got a backwater infantry force awaiting paint but got carried away with all the vehicle manufacturing which will hopefully give me enough to play a game or two once it's finished but until then, All the best!

Making Sense of Projects - Farpoint

 Hi!

While work has been busy, and at times needlessly and inexplicably stressful of late, I thought I'd spend a bit of time looking at my evolving Farpoint setting and try to make some sense of where its going and what I could do with developing...

The Farpoint Sector is located at the north western rim of Imperial space in my own re-imagined Imperium. Chaos and the Warp isn't a thing and instead of being stuck in a technological dark age and beset by foes on all fronts, there is no GRIMDARK in my setting (not that I don't appreciate it but my painting style and figures just don't lend themselves to it). 

Space travel is much more secure these days with the discovery of the Tannhauser Gate, a gigantic space station that opens wormholes between far flung planets that does away with the warp and all the chaotic madness that can be found within. Ships also have FTL drives which will allow for interplanetary travel too but the Tannhauser network is at the core of the system with the core worlds having one in each system and each frontier sector having one located in the sector capitol world.

The Imperium is in a Renaissance of sorts with lost technology and ideas being rediscovered, new and long forgotten planets, clusters and secrets long lost being explored by a new wave of Imperial might. Brave expeditions are being launched out from the core systems and humanity is going back into the dark wilds beyond the frontier!

Similarly, the obsession with the Emperor isn't there, the Golden Throne doesn't have a corpse sat on it on ancient Terra. There is currently an Empress, Lionstone who is a force to be reckoned with and decidedly mercurial and Machiavellian but a generally just ruler.

Instead of the cult of the Emperor (or in this case Empress), the Greek Gods are still worshipped. These iconic manifestations of some of humanity's oldest creeds are very real and as with the gods of old, love to meddle in human affairs. They have their heroes and demi-gods, avatars of faith and all manner of other interesting manifestations can be found in the galaxy at large. It will also give me the excuse to integrate some of the mythological characters, locations and monsters into things.

Imagine Ulysses 31 meets 40k with a bit of British Empire thrown into the mix...

Farpoint itself is a frontier sector and as such, there is lawlessness and opportunity to be found in equal parts. The sectors previous Governor was Baron Alexandr Vosk, a venal and corrupt individual who made himself immensely wealthy by shamelessly taking bribes, theft and essentially running the place like a personal fiefdom. 

Unfortunately for Vosk but fortunately for the rest of the sector, the Empress has got word of his injustices, and the reduced revenues from Imperial tithes has seen her unseat Vosk and replace him with Laars von Dorn, a loyalist and rather incorruptible sort who she's tasked with bringing the sector to heel and profitability.

While Vosk has lost his position, he has enough clout and blackmail amongst the levers of power within the Imperium that by greasing quite a few palms with bribes, he's avoided official sanction and has retreated to his expansive estates to plot and intrigue to dispose of von Dorn and reclaim his lucrative position.

As such there is a secret war taking place across the sector as von Dorn and loyal Imperial units fight shadowy skirmishes with Vosk operatives, criminal organisations and various alien warlords who want to use the upheaval to settle scores or reclaim lost territories.

There's a patchwork of alliances, rivalries and vendettas forming between the assorted lesser houses of the sector with sides being chosen and old grudges being settled. Be it the Longmyres siding with von Dorn or the crimelord Lucius Goldberg supporting Vosk from the shadows.

It's proving to be an interesting mash up of a setting and slightly a somewhat bewildering prospect to try and shape and navigate!

A few years ago I put together some articles on different elements of the reimagined Imperium and I think I need to re-investigate it as well as making some dossiers on my assorted characters and their backgrounds and exploits as it gets a bit confusing (I've at various times called Laars von Dorn and van Dorn for example!).

As such, I think that I'm going to begin by trying to dig into the background and setting to give my characters and factions something to stick to and take a bit of a look at the systems within the sector and begin trying to stitch it all together into a more unified whole.

I've been influenced by all sorts over the years so do expect to see some elements pulled from all over as its my setting and I want to make it a fun experience!

Expect to see all sorts of random posts over the coming months as I try to integrate and flesh out all the elements I've got in my head ranging from the Space Marines being normal humans for the most part, not superhuman psychos, droids and AI being a thing in the Imperium, slightly civilised Orks, resurgent Eldar, sinister cults of the Titans and so much more!

Hopefully I'll have some more stuff to post over the next few days and will keep you updated but in the meantime, All the best!

Imperial Reinforcements and Orkish Scum!

 Hi!

I'd actually finished these guys before I went off on holiday a couple of weeks back but hadn't managed to get any photos of them yet so here we are!

First up, there's a squad of power armoured troopers from a currently unknown unit:

Imperial Power Armour

As per usual with my tiny troops, they're made from a mixture of wooden beads, EVA foam and some plastic rhinestones for detailing. I've also made them a bit bigger than usual with an extra layer of EVA foam to their legs as well as adding little feet to give them some real bulk and heft.

Trooper Squad

I've really enjoyed making the little guys and while they're maybe not Space Marine armour classes, they will be making an appearance in my Imperial Guard force to give me some heavy hitters for an otherwise rather light platoon.

Power Armour Detail

I'll need to add another five to give me a full squad but they'll do for the moment!

Next up, here's the first ten Badmoon Boyz for my Orky army:

Badmoon Orks

I went for very bright colours inkeeping with classic Orkish style and while they're pretty cartoony, I quite like how they turned out too. I need to make a ton more of the little fellows as they're going to be the first opponents for my Imperial forces to clash with while trying to bring some order to the wild frontier of the Farpoint sector!

Orks and Imperials Clash somewhere on the frontier

I've been having a blast with making stuff this year and while I've not had any chance to play games, I've been building towards it with my assorted shenanigans. 

The next stage will be to try and start pulling the disparate elements together into something that will allow me to play skirmish games in tiny troop SD scale and platoon to company level actions using my SD Epic scale stuff. This is going to require some work but I'm finding it a really rewarding ongoing project that seems to be taking on a bit of a life of its own...

Hopefully I'll have more stuff to showcase soon but in the meantime, All the best!

Von Dorn Rapid Reaction Force

 Hi!

It's been a while since I've posted here but I've been pretty constructive but just not getting chance to post progress here.

To remedy this, here's what I've been working on:

von Dorn Rapid Reaction Force

While Inquisitor Fisher is off in pursuit of the Armour of Hathor and Murdoch Foyle, things are hotting up on Farpoint as the new Governor General, Laars von Dorn struggles to bring law and order to the frontier sector, exacerbated by the machinations of his predecessor, Baron Alexandr Vosk.

von Dorn has responded with a show of force and has begun despatching rapid reaction forces made of house troops transported in light armoured vehicles to outlying settlements to try and crush the rapidly spiralling disorder that Vosk has been fermenting.

Stinger class Armoured Car

I've been having so much fun making stuff recently that I decided to have a bash at making some 6mm scale sci-fi and ended up with a slightly understrength Imperial Guard platoon backed up with transports and some light armour.

Bumblebee class APC

The vehicles are made from EVA foam and strips of thin cardboard while the wheels are made from beads. Turrets are made from plastic rhinestones and I'm really pleased with how they've turned out. Yes they're a bit blocky and stylised but on the table, they look absolutely ace, especially emblazoned with the bold yellow and black livery of House von Dorn!

Infantry squad

The Infantry are literally small pieces of EVA foam, glued to some small popsicle sticks with a little piece of EVA foam for guns and a backpack then painted. Again close up, they're pretty simplistic but on the tabletop, they're pretty indistinguishable from other epic scale figures and cost me nothing which is even better!

The Force thus far

I've got a command squad made and will need to add another few APC's and heavy weapons to the mix and have plans for some Sentinels and even a tank squadron to back them up and then I'll be starting on their opposition!

Hopefully I'll be able to get started on some villains for the von Dorns to mix it up with over the coming weeks and I have a similar force in 6mm for black powder nearly finished which I'll be showing soon too but until then, All the best!

The Hathor Campaign Part 3: In Pursuit of Foyle

 Hi!

As promised, here's my follow up to the events of the Pacification of Bore IV!

Following the pacification of the prison outpost of Bore IV, Inquisitor Fisher has discovered that her arch nemesis, Murdoch Foyle has used the mayhem to escape the prison and is now actively seeking the Archeotech artefact known as the Armour of Hathor.

The lowest level of Bore IV had been abandoned, the horde of demented convicts had been used and discarded mere pawns in Foyle's twisted game. Seemingly the prisons warden, John Parliament has also been a coconspirator of Foyle as how else would the have managed to not only escape custody but also ferment such rebellion that the Imperium had needed her assistance in cleaning up the mess

The renegades escape was clearly rushed but despite a thorough search, the only clue Fisher had discovered in the dark and cramped engineering level of the prison were some suspicious dark stains, hinting at unspeakable deeds or heretical rituals. Who knows what Foyle and his acolyte are up to?

Fortunately, the erstwhile governor, John Parliament has been less successful in covering their tracks as Vash performed a final sweep through the prisons frazzled and fragmentary computer banks revealed that Foyle had been researching a planet called Scarab 

Summoning the Imperial Corvette Shrike, Fisher and company have departed in pursuit.

ISS Shrike: Hunter class Corvette

The Shrike is a converted Imperial corvette measuring 1.5 Imperial Kilometres from stem to stern, upgraded Parallax engines give the ship surprising speed and agility, even for a ship of it's size.

Armaments include six broadside macro cannon arrays, a volcano class heavy laser turret and two light lances, one mounted on the prow, the second underslung on the ships sail.

For close defence, the Shrike has multiple lascannon, autocannon and heavy bolter turrets dotting the hull as well as a pair of battlecannon turrets mounted on turrets aft.

The ship is well armoured with multi-layered Ceramite and Adamantium plating giving the ship exceptional armour for such a light vessel without affecting it's speed or handling. 

The crew consists of 2000 men and women of all ranks and is commanded by Commander Arthur Longmyre, a veteran of over a dozen campaigns on the frontier. 

-From Janes Imperial Ship Registry 45M, 045C 

Planetary Report: Scarab

Scarab is a sandy and desolate world somewhat in the back of beyond located just outside Imperial Space. It is covered in shifting desert seas, shattered basalt mountains and a few scattered ruins of some long dead civilisation.

Imperial Xeno Biologists and Archaeologists have picked over the world over the course of almost a century and declared it worthless for further exploration (Inquisitor's Note: This was the report submitted by Farpoint's previous Governor, Alexandr Vosk so the above report may not be wholly truthful...) Fisher }I{

Now the planet is largely abandoned once again, nothing but Scarab beetles which gave the planet it's not so imaginative name, and the odd prospector trying to scrape a living amongst the abandoned tombs.

The only settlement of note on the planet is the partially abandoned city of Sandsea built into the black basalt of the Dadeon Mountains located in the planets northern polar regions where the worst of the great sandstorms that roil over the planets surface are lighter.

Upon arriving on Scarab, Fisher's party lands at the rather decrepit starport that lies to the east of Sandsea. Intent on tracing Foyle and his renegades, Fisher immediately departs with a small retinue towards the city.

Unfortunately the skiff they are travelling in suddenly develops a serious case of engine trouble and glides to a halt near some ancient ruins. While Vash attempts to perform repairs on the skiff, Fisher decides to explore the nearby ruin and parasol in hand with Geralt the Wolfbane and Glitterberry the Eldar trudging behind her she sets of to take a peek. Suddenly shots ring out and the party dives for cover. 

The ruins are apparently occupied and the occupants are none too friendly. Geralt, risks a glance from behind the skiff and sees ragged figures moving in the distance. 

"Urgh, smugglers. I hate those guys", and rips off a shot with his bolt pistol forcing the smugglers to hanker down.

A large calibre bullet zings past his ear and punches a neat hole in the skiff's supposedly armoured hull causing Vash to squawk with outrage. 

"Up and at it Geralt!" Fisher enthuses and draws her own pistol before vaulting over the skiff and beginning to run towards the ruins, firing as she goes.

Geralt, sighs deeply and glances at Glitterberry, "We'd best go otherwise she'll end up in more trouble".

"I suppose so" Glitterberry nods sadly and hefts his shuriken catapult before unleashing a volley of screaming shuriken in the general direction of their foe.

Unbeknownst to the Inquisitors party, the ruin is a smugglers cache site and guarded so if they want to get out of the sun and begin their investigations proper, they're going to have to clear out the gang before moving off...

So here we go! As per usual Fisher and co have found themselves in the thick of it as soon as they hit planetside. 

Once I get back, I'll assemble the warbands, show the scenario and see how the Inquisitorial agents fare against a rabble of scum and villainy...

Until then, All the best

Off on Holiday!

 Hi!

I've got a much needed holiday and we've headed down south for the week so blogging is going to be rather sparse until our return next week.

On the plus side, I've got a load of stuff to share when I get back with new Tiny Troops, Tiny Tiny Troops and some other odds and ends I've been working on.

I'm also hoping to actually get some games in upon my return with the newly restored gaming table in the spare room (if I can persuade the cat to get off it long enough!) and will be focussing on some Planet 28 skirmishes using my Inquisitor Fisher warband to pick up the quest to track down Murdoch Foyle and the Hathor campaign.

Farpoint's Tannhauser Gate

I'm also hoping to play some games using my assorted Tiny Troops which I'll be playing larger scale skirmishes than Planet 28 as well as adding to the collection of warbands and even plan on trying out a small game of 2nd edition 40k with my Imperial Guard with a small squad of Space Marine allies against a troublesome Badmoon Ork warlord who seeks to seize upon the unrest caused by the arrival of Governor General von Dorn.

 The Governor is currently trying to quell a rebellion from the traitorous and venal Baron Alexandr Vosk, the previous governor of Farpoint who has allowed such corruption and lawlessness in the sector that von Dorn is going to struggle to bring back law and order.

I'm hoping to delve into some more sculpting too for Planet 28 as I've got quite a few ideas I'd like to turn into miniature form!

It's looking like campaign season is gearing up and Farpoint is going to be an interesting place for the next few months!

Further Thoughts on a Hobby with (almost) No Budget

 Hi!

I've been giving my prospect of an almost no budget hobby some further thoughts and decided to post some additional rumination to my original post.

As a quick recap, its becoming increasingly clear that my hobby budget has been squeezed by Real Life and the general cost of living so I've been casting around for cheaper but still satisfying wargaming/sculpting projects that still give me the option to enjoy my hobby and the much needed tranquility and satisfaction it brings while not breaking the bank.

In my previous blog post, i rambled a great deal about my Tiny Troops which have breathed new life into so many stalled projects and have been giving me some real inspiration for taking it further and making stuff I'd wanted to collect and paint for decades but didn't either due to cost, availability or whatever.

 A small part of the Rule Horde

With this in mind, I thought I'd take a peek at some of the esoteric projects that never got off the ground and how they are suddenly achievable!

First up, I've been blogging for 18 years now, which is mildly terrifying and looking back, there are several projects I've wanted to do which either stalled or never got started:

Leviathan, a game I've been obsessed with for thirty plus years but never managed to get an actual warband painted, let alone fully fleshed out armies! The closest I've managed was back in 2011 when I had the bits for an Orc horde but Uni got in the way and the project died. Over the next decade or so I tried to revitalise it and get myself moving but it's never been doable. 

Saying that, with my new approach to making my own miniatures cheaply and quickly, I suspect I could make a decent stab at it if I tried. I may need to do a bit of experimentation basing wise but it may be something to put on the backburner for later in the year as the prospect of actually having enough painted miniatures to play a game of my holy grail of hobbying is awfully tempting!

40k 2nd edition is another perennial temptation for me as I have really fond memories of playing it back in the 90's and my ragtag Imperial Guard getting hammered by my friends Space Marines, Eldar or Chaos. He got pretty much every single new 40k release from GW from 91-97 while my pocket money would only stretch to whatever hodgepodge of figures I could afford but it didn't matter, the games were fun and my Guard fought bravely!

The Oldhammer movement has sadly moved collecting my dream army well beyond my meagre budget these days and my assorted attempts to paint forces have been fairly desultory to be honest.

Saying that, I've already made a start to a new Guard regiment and have a small platoon worth of them made and have been beavering away with some Orky boys to face them in classic 90's battle but without the cheese power gaming of my erstwhile opponent who I've not spoken to now for almost 30 years!

This project will keep ticking over but I'm keen to not bore myself which results in nothing at all getting done so have been swapping out what I'm working on regularly.

Rusty Robots is another small project that I've pootled about with since uni but i's never really taken off but with a simplified approach to making robots, I think I can make a fresh stab at it!

I made the little blue tribe robots using a simplified approach to making and while they're a bit smaller and simpler, they're rather fun and I want to sit and make more of them, hopefully getting the five core warbands made, painted and some games done too!

While simplified and hyper stylised figures are giving me a much better grip on my hobby, I also want to go back to my Somewhere on the Border project as I have a genuine soft spot for all the work that went into the sculpts, and want to see if I can challenge myself with some more sculpting in a similar style as it's great fun, just as long as there's not the added stress of having the intention of getting them cast and up for sale...

The exploits of the Boar Company and their dreaded rival Marik Goldhelm has made for a brilliant ongoing gaming narrative over the years and I want to delve back into it as I've so many ideas for similar quirky and fun stuff and I'm hoping that my rediscovered joy of making things will help me reengage with making more fun sculpts.

Finally I've got a few bits and bobs that I've got on the backburner in the form of my imagination games in 6mm and 2mm scale. These will be my only outgoing in hobby expense for the foreseeable future and I'm planning on using Rebels and Patriots, Lion Rampant and Land Ironclads for some mixed era shenanigans once I get round to it.

I'm finding it rather refreshing to get the hobby mojo back and with a vengeance and I'l try to keep it going throughout the year. The only side of things that needs work is the fact that I've only managed to play a single game thus far in 2026 but with the assorted little forces I've made thus far and my gaming table finally being back in use, I suspect that's going to change soon!

I suspect I'll post more on this as I go through the year and I'm sure there will be triumphs and tragedies ahead in the hobbying year but if I can keep up the level of enthusiasm that I've had in the last six months, I think I could be onto a bit of an epic year!

In the meantime, All the best and thanks for everyone who still reads my ramblings and offers support as it's most appreciated!

The Hobby With (almost) No Budget

 Hi!

We're into June already and I thought I'd spend a bit of time rambling about my hobby choices for 2026 and on.

A lone adventurer in Stump

Sadly my budget is being increasingly squeezed by the cost of living and the dreaded Real Life and one of the cuts I've had to make is my hobby budget. In years gone by, I'd have £25-£40 a month to pick up new figures and whatnot which led to an ever increasing number of projects I'd want to try out but thats now being spent on necessities and I was faced with the real prospect of having to just abandon any hobby stuff until things improved.

My hobby is really important to me though as its my way of relaxing and de-stressing from said Real Life shenanigans so I started rummaging round for ideas for wargaming on not only a micro budget but also with limited amounts of space as our spare room, my mancave is pretty packed with books (the perils of being a bibliophile and working in a bookshop for 20+ years!) so my gaming board is 3'x3' and I'm never going to be able to get anything bigger, let alone the gold standard of a 6'x4' board.

My ramblings initially brought me to the solo RPG option and I've played quite a few now and really enjoy them but its not quite wargaming so I migrated onto combining the two, as can be seen with my Inquisitor Fisher campaigns which combined small numbers of figures into a narrative driven campaign with a lot of RPG lite additions and its been great fun. 

Stump Art Scribbles

The increase of cost of living and a bad case of loss of gaming mojo last year saw even this outlet curtailed as I found myself completely de-motivated and everything I tried just seemed to go nowhere.

I'd considered moving scale for my figures but 15mm and even 6mm figures are ramping up price wise to a point I realised that I couldn't really justify.

Things were looking a bit grim until January this year when I decided to do something completely different and just make some tiny figures that would quickly tick a box for a project I'd wanted to do for years and I made my Star Mogul Farpoint Salvage crew over the course of a week between work, quickly followed by Bossman Salvage, their sworn rivals.

Farpoint Salvage

For the first time in quite a while now, I felt the return of my hobby mojo, I was enjoying making, painting and creating entire narratives about these tiny, blocky guys and I realised that I'd found the answer to the malaise that had been effectively ruining my hobby for so long and answering the question of how do I keep the hobby that I've been immersed in for the last 30+ years going.

Bossman Salvage

While the Tiny Troops aren't too detailed, they do have a certain charm to them and with miniatures being so expensive these days, they'll do the job!

Men at Arms

Now I'd love to be able to collect and paint armies of old school figures, or pick up new games and whatnot but I just cannot afford to do so and my tiny figures have enough of a feel of wargaming miniatures to do the job.

I've used about £5 worth of materials and constructed and painted 108 figures in five months which is pretty good going covering fantasy and sci-fi. I've got the beginnings of entire armies that I never thought I'd get round to done for the fraction of the cost of doing it with actual miniatures.

While they may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I seem to have found real pleasure and a sense of achievement working on them and suspect I'm going to be making a lot more of them as time goes on. Handily I've now got my gaming board back up so I expect to be able to play some actual games in the not too distant future too.

I must admit that I've been seeing quite a few folks branching out into a more crafty hobby approach either making their own or kitbashing everything from pebbles to army soldiers and its been fascinating.

Hopefully I'll get chance to post some more pics of my next batch of stuff soon but in the meantime, All the best!

Imperial Guard Platoon

 Hi!

I've been working away on making some tiny troops for a 40k 1st/2nd edition project that I've been humming and hahing over for years and making my own tiny figures seemed to be the perfect way of making my mad ponderings a reality!

Imperial Platoon

I've pained them up in classic 1st edition Imperial Guard colours of black flack jacket and helmet, grey uniforms and red visors (which got several coats of gloss varnish to give them a real bit of a reflection).

Command Squad

The command squad consists of a Leutenant with bolt pistol, power sword and carapace armour, a melta gun and a flamer for special weapons and a pair of troops with lasguns to provide security. 

I know that it's not really codex compliant for either 1st or 2nd but I've gone for a more fluff filled method of building as it just doesn't feel right to give them all special weapons or even two heavy weapons. Game wise, they're short ranged fire support should help stem the tide if baddies get close to Imperial lines!

1st Squad

1st squad has troopers supported by a heavy bolter and a grenade launcher while the sergeant has a chainsword.

I figure this is pretty likely to be standard kit for my Imperials giving them a decent level of long range firepower to hopefully whittle down foes before they get too close.

2nd Squad

2nd squad is supported by an auto cannon and a plasma gun giving them a bit more anti-armour capability and will give my small force some decent stopping power.

I still need to make a heavy weapon squad and possibly another basic squad but I'm really pleased with how they've turned out and am now contemplating making some vehicles for them too and it's been really pleasing to make and paint the little guys as it's been a bit of a dream to collect an Imperial Guard army for years but I just don't have the time, money, space or patience for a 28mm version so this has been a satisfying little project that is achievable!

I've got a couple of days worth of holiday left so I'll see what I can get done but in the meantime, All the best!

Sir Bedevere's Bunbury Siege Tower

 Hi!

I've been working away on my Monty Python and the Holy Grail themed warband and have finished a new unit in the form of Sir Bedevere's Bunbury Siege Tower!

Sir Bedevere's Mighty Siege Tower!

Made entirely from EVA foam, the siege tower is based on the Trojan rabbit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail but with a few alterations and will be forming a suitable centrepiece to the army.

I'm planning on using it as a greater warbeast or possibly a chariot for Dragon Rampant but am not sure which suits the model best yet but it was pleasing to make such a silly model and I really enjoyed making the wooden monstrosity.

My next unit is going to be more infantry and possibly some archers to give my slowly forming army some ranged firepower and I'm thinking on making them up like the guards for the wedding guests but we'll see what I can come up with.

Trev and Simon the beasts crew

I've also got a squad of Imperial Guard done but I'll post them up as part of my next update as I've got a second squad mostly built and will see what other whimsical bits and bobs I can get finished over the next week.

Until then, All the best!