Wargaming Wednesday: A Shout-Out to Tabletop Minions

As you get older, you find your hobby priorities changing. You might have more money (might being the operative word here), but you are often more careful on where that leisure/hobby spending goes, because you often have less time and energy than you did when you were younger. I haven't had a chance to play a game of Warhammer 40K or Bolt Action in a couple of years, and while I would enjoy doing so more regularly, I'm still happy to spend my leisure time buying, building, and painting miniatures, not with the goal of creating the most "competitive" army (whatever that even means), but building an army that I like, one that feels right to me.

Along the way, I often turn to YouTube for tips on painting and converting and general gaming/hobby ideas. A couple of months ago, someone recommended I check out a video put out by the Tabletop Minions channel, regarding a way to strip paint off of old / used miniatures. I liked the video and checked out some more of the work on that channel, and it really resonated with me. TM's primary person is a guy who goes by the handle "Atom Smasher", a fellow in his late forties who is extremely relatable if you enjoy miniature gaming as a hobby, but you're not a win-at-all-costs fanatic who is obsessed with extremely competitive games, or a painting snob who shuns anyone who hasn't mastered the arts of wet blending or edge highlighting. For example:

Another recent video that I thought was really pertinent to middle-aged wargame and miniature hobbyists was this one:

Full disclosure, I have a pair of those dorky-looking magnifying glasses, and they work great. I also have a miniature holder, and it makes a huge difference. Another really good video for us filthy "casuals" who keep putting things off:

Anyway, you get the picture. "Uncle Atom" has a lot of great advice, and his videos are very well-done and informative. He comes across as that very helpful older mentor who isn't there to drive you in one particular hobby direction, but instead, offers good advice for people who just don't know what to do or where to turn. If you want some quality tabletop wargaming YouTube content, please check him out and subscribe to his channel.