Vlogs

The power of purple

Currently on the work bench

Old school sand bases

Bellwoken: A New Whimsical Army Set for Your Wargames

A look at the Bellwoken Kickstarter — a whimsical new army set for your wargames.

Mail day and what’s coming next

May 26, 2026

I finished the infinity models

May 24, 2026

Almost done

Painting blue and planning the next couple of projects.

Coffee cup

Finishing up the NMM

40 minute painting tutorial

Hobbinomicon.com

The site is live with every vlog cleaned up and searchable, plus the start of an indie games directory. Also: cracking open a fresh Steamforged Warmachine box to see how the new peg-and-hole sprues actually fit together.

Orc bases and flesh

Coffee Cup Part 1

Pre-shading the 3D-printed coffee cup energy counter for Monster Friends. Stabbed an old X-Acto blade into the base, hit it with diorama thick mud, and worked a fast zenithal up from the bottom.

Spicing up some relic blade tokens.

Finishing the Relic Blade cardboard tokens with a black paint marker around the edges and a dome of Mod Podge Dimensional Magic on each face.

One of my new favorites.

Just finished David Lindsay's A Voyage to Arcturus and it's an instant favorite. Going back through it now with a chapter-by-chapter read-along and literary analysis.

Taking a look at Inquisitor Kroyle

Quick unboxing of the Inquisitor Kroyle sprue from a kit-bashing perspective, plus action-figure prop counters for Monster Friends and a stack of Ex Obscuris appliance prints.

Super fast OSL

Quick airbrush OSL pass on yesterday's model: Warlord Purple, Squid Pink, and a watered-down white blend wet-on-wet. Two minutes, first finished model of 2026.

Another easy way to paint faces

Yesterday's face was underpaint and glaze. Today's face is Sunny Skin Tone, one Army Painter Dark Tone wash, and a couple of dots for eyes — about ten minutes start to finish.

How to speed paint faces

Speed-painting an uncanny vampire face for tabletop: Sunny Skin Tone sketched over a Bad Bruise undertone, one watered-down glaze to blend it together, and dot eyes for the creepy stare.

I can paint and ramble again.

Back from a long illness and back behind the brush. Where the Infinity commission stands, why airbrushing single models isn't worth it, and the math that makes paint commissions barely worth doing.

Kal Arath Episode 4

Storm finally breaks. A hidden shrine reveals a rival cult, an angry giant ambushes the campfire, and the battle barge wreckage turns up at last.

Wanted! Reward: CC 10000 Appliances on the Print Bed

3D printed some appliances from Ex Obscuris' Wanted! Reward: CC 10000 Appliance Pack. Planning to copy the artist's Miller High Life-style paint scheme.

Kal Arath Live Play Episode 3

Looting the cultists, getting attacked by six wolves at night, and using Castle Grief's Twin Sun Sutra cult generator to find out exactly which sect we just pissed off.

Kal Arath Episode 2

Putting Man Alone's Prima Materia dice to work — Garen and the praying mantis bond, get caught in a thunderstorm, find a desecrated giant skull, and fight off two cultists in a hand-drawn cave.

Prima Materia Dice, Orc the Brand, and a Foam Haul

30 seconds of talking before I have to stop and breathe — but I'm still excited about Man Alone's Prima Materia dice, Orc the Brand's new game, and a stack of foam I just turned into terrain boards.

Next Episode of Kal Arath is Almost Ready

Quick teaser — next episode of Kal Arath is coming soon, with a (hopefully) waterproof pen for better hex maps and the Man Alone Prima Materia dice I've fallen in love with.

Tips for Batch Painting Unique Models

How to batch-paint a commission where every model is different — group by paint and material, not by armor panel. Plus a teaser of the Man Alone Prima Materia stone dice.

No making the same mistakes as I usually do

Found two Death Watch sprues and an Imperial Agents Combat Patrol in the pile — laying down ground rules for coming back to 40k for 11th edition without falling into the same FOMO traps as last time.

Some Late Night Reading After This Came in the Mail Today

A quick late-night mail-day check-in — short on words, just enjoying what came in the post.

Mail day

Old Mage Knight metal activation tokens finally landed for $5 — opening up the box and figuring out what to do with them.

Infernal diaries two - quick channel update.

Career changes pulled all my game days, so the Pillage and Midgard projects are officially shelved — letting go of trying to play and refocusing on painting and solo games.

Painting some infinity models

Crunch week on the Infinity commission — building, priming, and base-coating the whole force in a day. Airbrush over zenithal for the alien centerpiece, then a hard pivot to contrast paints for the troopers.

Failed attempt at NMM tutorial

Recorded a full non-metal metallic tutorial, lost the footage, and laid in highlight passes anyway to keep the streak alive — plus calling time on a model I've got a hundred hours into.

Wtf is a rectifier.

Cracking open a dead heat gun to figure out what fried — turns out it was the rectifier. A small electronics autopsy instead of a painting night.

GW got me again

Breaking a three-year no-new-GW streak at my old local store, plus why the daily hobby vlog is winding down so I can start building 40k my way for 11th edition.

Daily Hobby Vlog Update — April 21

A quick daily check-in — no usable transcript captured, watch the video above for the day's update.

RIP to my heat gun

Painting a glowing gemstone with fluorescent orange glazes — and losing the heat gun I inherited from my grandfather in the process.

Highlighting black

Glazing up from Tenebris Gray to pearl gray for the dark panels — plus a sink ripping off the wall, another bout of sickness, and thoughts on a new Army Painter wet palette.

Daily Hobby Vlog Update — April 18

A quick daily check-in — no usable transcript captured, watch the video above for the day's update.

Kal Arath Live Play Session 1

A full solo RPG session in Kal Arath — rolling up Garen Vosque, a decommissioned soldier stranded in the desert, and stumbling into a wrecked battle barge and a very profane giant praying mantis.

My minimal solo rpg kit

Why are 3d sculpted models so overly detailed?

Highlighting red

NMM Blue Steel Scales and an Existential Crisis

Painting non-metallic blue steel scales with Scale Color Artist paints while having a late-night breakdown about the hobby, commissions, and what I'm even doing.

Using Speed Paints as a Wash

The better red wash solution—mixing Slaughter Red speed paint with Army Painter Quick Shade medium gives deeper detail pickout without killing vibrance.

SmashBash Build Begins

Kicking off a new build for SmashBash.

How to Wash Bright Red

Don't wash red with black. Using Army Painter mid brown quick shade to bring out details on bright red Dusk armor without killing the vibrance.

How to Get Better by Playing Yourself

A complete guide to solo Warmachine practice—why it works, how to deploy against yourself without cheating, and how to get months of improvement in a week.

Ceiling Fan Wisdom

Some days picking up the paintbrush seems impossible, but even a single brushstroke is more paint than this model had at the start of the day.

Infernal Diaries Day 1

Starting the Infernals journey—basing a fresh 3D-printed army, building a 30-point learning list with Agathon, and figuring out essence management.

New Warmachine Caster — Infernals Complete

The newest Infernal Master is fresh off the 3D printer, marking the completion of printing the entire Infernals faction.

Quick Hobby Update

Castle Grief mail day, Infernals printing wrapped up, and laying out plans for a busy April—live stream on Monday to finish Maximus and the Dusk test model.

Building Terrain in the Sun

Taking the hobby outside for some terrain building in the sunlight.

How to Paint White Robes

Painting white cloth over a purple and red base coat using buff and vanilla white glazes—fast results for infantry-level models.

How to Start Commission Painting and Why You Maybe Shouldn't

Real talk on getting into commission painting—how to find clients, how to price your work, and why turning your hobby into a business might not be what you think.

I Cleaned My Workbench

Turning the hobby room into a real studio—clean workbench, weekly live stream plans, and laying out the next 60 days of massive projects.

More Progress on the Normans

Painting leather, chainmail highlights, gold buckles, blue fabric, and skin tones on a Norman foot soldier—getting close to a finished test model.

Building Sunrot, Miscast, and Gardens of Hecate Minis

There's something meditative about building miniatures—scraping mold lines, filling gaps, and zoning out for a couple hours after a hectic week.

Final Mail Day for a While

Unboxing the Gardens of Hecate Kickstarter from Meridian Miniatures—some of my all-time favorite sculpts—plus a Relic Blade Maximus update and thoughts on falling out of love with Warhammer.

Sick Q&A

Answering viewer questions while fighting a cold—covering where to find cool indie miniatures, what happened to Kingdom Death, laser engraving experiments, and discovering Castle Grief's solo RPG Calarrath.

I’m late but this is so good.

Keeping the hobby streak alive.

Working on the purple highlights for Maximus with layered glazes and edge highlights to push the brightness.

Hobby Vlog and Terrain Inspiration

Comparing chainmail painting steps—is the extra work worth it at tabletop distance? Plus nature shots as terrain inspiration for your next build.

Painting and Ranting about Game Design

Glazing purples on Maximus while rambling about designing a solo Mordheim-style skirmish game—thoughts on HP alternatives, attrition systems, and what makes games tick.

Hobby Hang Out Clips

Locking back in on Maximus with purple glazes, white highlighting, and working through the tedious but rewarding process of building up layers.

Relic Blade Launch Day and Glazing Maximus

Ordering the new Relic Blade plastic kits on launch day, locking in on Infinity commission painting with purple glazing and white panel work on Maximus.

A Surprise Laser Engraver (and Near-Toxic Gas)

A random hobby day—base coating a miniature, unboxing a surprise laser engraver from my dad, and learning the hard way about cutting mat safety with lasers.

More Progress on the Children of Gomb Entry

Playing Pillage for the first time, learning that cavalry is overpriced, picking up new miniatures, and painting the rusty chain on my competition entry.

Finishing Up the D&D Cards

Finally pulling Dark Sun cards from the 1992 AD&D box, plus mail day with a laser engraver, lathe, table saw, and picking up Sunrot at the LGS.

Lego D&D Prep

Prepping to DM for my kids using the Lego D&D set—building the first scene, reviewing the Red Dragon's Tale adventure, and reminiscing about my history with every edition of D&D.

Paint and Ramble Night

A late-night painting session working on purple blending for an Infinity commission model while base coating a second miniature with plans for pale green and pink Nurgle-inspired skin.

Iso Alcohol Mud Texture, a Studio Cleanup, and a Giveaway

A day of wrapping up 3D printing projects, texturing the game board with isopropyl alcohol mud, cleaning the hobby room, and a surprise giveaway for subscribers.

Salvaging an Old Shelf Into a 16x16 Game Board

Day 161 of the daily hobby streak—dealing with mold curing issues, salvaging an old shelf for a game board, and planning the next terrain project.

Channel Update

A personal channel update at day 154—talking about the future of Hobby Nomicon, launching dedicated channels for KDM and Warmachine, and some real talk about life, sobriety, and finding purpose through art.

3D Printing KDM Terrain

A quick update on 3D printing Kingdom Death Monster terrain pieces, including a custom butcher base and encounter terrain.

Hobby Vlog Day 148

Day 148 of the hobby streak—3D printing KDM terrain, building the Butcher, unboxing Lego hauls for DnD bases, and a big family day.

I Took Two Days to Paint a Candy Cane

Keeping the hobby streak alive post-vasectomy, plus tips on buying bulk Lego through Whatnot and progress on the Lego D&D system.

Keeping the Hobby Streak Alive

Painting through recovery - if I can hobby through RSV, bronchitis, pneumonia, and an ER trip, I can hobby through a vasectomy.

I'm Not a Competitive Wargamer Anymore

Coming to terms with the reality that with kids and limited gaming time, competitive wargaming isn't realistic—and embracing being a hobbyist instead.

How Not to Paint Yellow / Surprise Warmachine Update Thoughts

Painting yellow robes on a Breggle mini the wrong way (on purpose), plus my hot takes on the new Warmachine patch notes.

Giveaway Winner!

Pulling the 100 subscriber giveaway winner using YouTube API, plus cleaning the hobby space, opening Mage Knight boosters, and finishing the Ultimate Dungeon Terrain tile.

Pushing Through Maximus's White and Purple Armor

A hobby vlog about pushing through tough days, organizing the hobby room, and finishing up some Crucible Guard and Dolmenwood miniatures.

My First One Piece TCG Event

Jumping into competitive One Piece TCG, learning the rules the hard way, and why this game might fill the void that Magic left behind.

If You Can Make It Through Today You Can Make It Through Tomorrow

Day 120—the hardest day since starting the channel. Five minutes of paint on a model to keep the streak alive and the reminder we all need sometimes.

Bald Man Rants About AI

Thoughts on generative AI, the creative process, and what it means to be human when machines start making our art.

Basing and Life Tips

Finishing up a base with traditional flock, testing cherry blossom tufts, and a reminder to take a breath when life gets hectic.

Hobby Vlog Day 117

Rolling for the next Dolmenwood monster, unboxing a Dusk mini crate, flocking bases, and a warning about mistaking planning for doing.

100 Sub Giveaway and 2026 Goals

Announcing a giveaway for hitting 100 subscribers, plus a deep dive into hobby goals and project planning for the new year.

Almost Done with the First Mini of 2026

Day 112 hobby vlog finishing up a Crucible Guard Toro with custom washes, edge highlighting techniques, and lessons learned about not letting perfect be the enemy of good.

Mage Knight Dungeons Solo

A full solo playthrough of Mage Knight Dungeons using custom rules, exploring mechanics for potential game design inspiration.

Paint and Ramble Vlog

A late-night painting session working on Crucible Guard warjacks, experimenting with Army Painter speed paints, and rambling about life with kids while sick.

Opening 20 Year Old Mage Knight Boosters

Cracking open vintage Mage Knight booster packs to build a party for solo dungeon crawling using official rules—and pulling a unique!

Building and Paint Prep Day

Back in the hobby dungeon after being sick, prepping Trench Crusade and Crucible Guard models for the new year's painting projects.

Finishing a Mossy Terrain Board With an Oil Wash

Quick update showing off the terrain board after the oil wash dried—rich earth tones ready for gaming.

A Christmas Oil Wash

Sneaking in some hobby time on Christmas to apply an oil wash to the terrain board while the family naps.

ASMR Drybrushing

A relaxing drybrushing session on a terrain board using Scale Color and Citadel paints, preparing for an oil wash.

Merging STL Files Has Me Feeling Like a God!

A quick update on getting 3D printing to work despite being sick enough to need an emergency room visit.

Will I See Another Summer Again

Day 101 pushing through extreme sickness—at least the bases printed successfully.

Painting Dirt - Hobby Vlog 99

Day 99 of hobby vlogging—painting a terrain board with craft paints and inks, plus a mail day surprise with Mage Knight boosters.

Sealing the Terrain Board and Printing a Vulcan

Final glue layer on the terrain board, successfully printing a Vulcan colossal, and then getting hit by sudden sickness.

Hobby Vlog Day 95

Finishing up Dolmenwood character sheets and discovering the Langston Mastiff rules for the hunter's animal companion.

Mail Day - Rare Ral Partha and Mage Knight Metals

Unboxing some incredibly rare Mage Knight metal limited edition miniatures and Ral Partha sculpts that most people don't even know exist.

Dolmenwood official figures. #dolmenwood #miniature #dungeonsanddragons

Thoughts On 90 Days of Hobby Vlogging

Reflecting on 90 days of daily uploads—how it transformed my life, announcing a second channel, and revealing my plan to build a miniatures company.

Warmachine Winter Wonderland Event Photos

Photos and recap from a 3v3 Warmachine Winter Wonderland event—featuring the Love Shack, Butcher Klaus, and the most fun game in a long time.

The First Miniatures I Ever Painted

A nostalgic trip through my Mage Knight collection—from my very first painted miniature to the meta armies I played in tournaments.

Started on the Loincloth

A quick glazing session on Silena's tabard using Scale Color paints while the kids are sick—working my way up through the palette.

Hobby Vlog Day 79

Support removal day, organizing the hobby dungeon, and exploring the Book of Antithesis for incorporating occult practices into solo RPG play.

More Progress on Everything I'm Working On

Morning coffee, belt buckle progress, 3D printer test prints, and planning which Trench Crusade armies to print. Happy Thanksgiving!

Loose Ends and Crown & Skull Session 0

Creating characters in Crown & Skull for a solo campaign, making pixel art, and getting the airbrush working again for the painting journey ahead.

Finishing Up Random Projects Before Starting the Next One

Framing Middle-earth maps, priming my 50-point Warmachine list, and maybe fixing my 3D printer—knocking out small projects before the big painting push.

More Cleaning Vlog

Finally cleared the gaming table and still riding that Trench Crusade high—plus the massive time savings from knowing where your tools are.

Two Minute Trench Crusade Battle Recap

The worst battle report you'll ever watch—a 3v3 dragon hunt where my Communicant got the final kill shot from his perch in the ruins.

Building More Figures for Trench Crusade

With the 3D printer down, building nuns and pilgrims the hard way—plus finally committing to paint my metal Mage Knight and Chainmail collections.

Self Reflection & Story Time

Getting real about how I ended up with a hoarder's dungeon, the storage shed incident, and committing to change—plus laying out my hobby goals for the year.

Solo Roleplaying Session 0 Part 1: Intro to the System

Crown and Skull intro—Newtonian solids only, Runehammer quality, player-facing rolls, and why this system is perfect for solo play.

Building and Cleaning Today

A productive day of hobby work—building models and continuing the never-ending quest to organize the hobby space.

Hobby Queue Check-In: What's Next on the Bench

A quick update on current projects and what's coming up next in the hobby queue.

It's Ok to Not Paint Your Miniatures

Realizing the 'everything must be painted to play' rule was holding me back. Giving myself permission to have fun with my toys without the pressure.

3D Printing Kind of Sucks

Real talk about whether resin 3D printing is worth the time investment—after 2-3 years of daily printing, I'm not sure it is.

Toad Giveaway

Cleaning up the hobby space, organizing the pile of shame, setting limits—plus giving away two recast toads to say thanks.

Just Vloggin

Painting mangler squigs, finishing up the goblin army, and discovering the Gardens of Hecati Kickstarter—plus committing to finish goblins by Friday no matter what.

Mail Day

Unboxing a secondhand Warmachine model and the Steamforge Fantasm—finding out what survived the postal service and going all in on Dusk.

Halloween Channel Update

Happy Halloween! Finished the goblin robes, committing to Warmachine as my main game, and planning to practice deployment and turn sequences daily.

Paint & Ramble: Hobby Pressure

Deep thoughts on hobby pressure, the pile of shame spiral, and why this hobby is more than just painting—it's a spiritual practice that keeps us sane.

Warmachine Event Photos

Team narrative event recap—escorting a cart, fighting through zombies and Orgoth, and watching the Butcher become an unkillable Armor 29 monster.

Showing Off Some Warmachine Minis

Goblin robe progress, contrast paint woes, and showing off my Menoth collection—including an insane deal from Frontline Gaming's commission studio.

Vlogging Hobby Struggles to Hopefully Motivate Everyone Else

Fighting a virus, finding green I don't hate, and shamelessly stealing Quantic Color Studio's night goblin scheme. Who pins tiny arms but doesn't trim mold lines?

Finally Primed the Orcs & Goblins

New airbrush unboxing, priming 90+ models, and a secret project reveal—the Creos 771 is definitely the nicest airbrush I've ever used.

Fixing My 3D Printer by Reflashing the Firmware

Day 38, kids getting sick, almost didn't make a video—but I fixed my 3D printer by just showing up and doing the work. Reflashed the firmware and we're back in business.

Rebasing 60 Goblins and Pouring a Base Mold

Rebasing 60+ goblins, casting base molds, glazing tongues for 2 hours, and all the tedious progress that doesn't make for exciting video but gets the job done.

Goblins Off Bases, Bad Casts, and Homemade Music

Goblins popping off bases, demon prince mold floating to the top, making my own music from a whistle and belly gut smacks. Tomorrow we finally paint.

Re-Cutting a Toad Mold and Gluing Goblins Wrong

Sleep-deprived dad energy: fixing toad molds, learning that participation isn't consumption, and discovering I glued figures to basing material instead of the actual bases.

Slowly Going Insane Removing Mould Lines

15 hours later, all 90 goblins are mold line free. I've dulled the back side of an X-Acto blade. This has been brutal.

What 20 Days of Daily Vlogging Taught Me About Creativity

Mental, physical, and financial—how do you actually create the space to sit down and make something? Lessons from 20 days of daily vlogging and The War of Art.

When the Airbrush Breaks, Paint a 20-Year-Old Goblin

When the airbrush is broken and you're stuck, pull out that 20-year-old goblin from storage. Don't let setbacks stop you from moving forward.

First Live Stream

Just testing everything out and getting some models primed.

My 12-Year-Old Airbrush Died Mid-Priming

After 12 years, the airbrush finally died. But I pulled the needle out, blasted paint through, and primed the army anyway. Livestream Wednesday!

A Game Board Turned Into Its Own World

Seven days in and I've found something I didn't realize I'd lost. The board started telling its own story, and for the first time in years, I'm truly back in the hobby.

Magnetizing Bases and Fixing a Foam Board Disaster

Magnetizing bases, the mystery foam problem, and yes I printed off YouTube comments and framed them—that's where we're at.

Fixing a Bad Speed Paint Job

Day two—no plan, just making videos. Don't run from the robe you messed up. Sit back down, grab some blues, and make it look like Vivi from Final Fantasy.