Which tools genuinely make miniature wargaming easier?

In Episode 16 of The Meelas, Simon and Ibrahim are joined by Andrew to pool the group’s collective hobby knowledge. We cover the tools, products and little discoveries that have changed how we buy, build, paint, play and store our miniatures.

That includes buying second-hand models, stripping paint, GodHand clippers, Tamiya cement, metal primer, pinning, wet palettes, brush care, weathering, Micro Set and Micro Sol, basing products, New Recruit, AI-assisted army ideas, deployment markers, gaming apps, magnetic storage and transport cases.

Before the main topic, we congratulate Team GCC on their performance at the 2026 Warhammer 40,000 World Team Championship, investigate an Infinity murder mystery, try Black Seas and catch up with everything on the Meelas hobby table, including Chaos Marauders, a Storm Eagle and plenty of retro Warhammer.

What tool, product or unexpected household item changed your hobby? Add your recommendations in the comments so we can expand the Meelas collective knowledge.

The Meelas is an Abu Dhabi wargaming podcast covering Warhammer, Infinity and miniature gaming across the UAE and beyond.

What makes a good Warhammer homebrew, and when does something you've created start to take on a life of its own?

This episode, Simon and Ibrahim discuss our Warhammer 40,000 Second Edition campaign, The Hollow Star of Kadavah, beginning in a place you might not expect.

We also return to the homebrew discussion from our previous episode after the Warhammer community gave us plenty of ideas of their own. That leads us to try it live: four completely unrelated inspirations and one new Ork army created on the spot. From there, we ask what actually makes homebrew feel like it belongs in Warhammer?

Elsewhere at the Meelas, an Infinity game falls victim to Nala the cat, what's on the hobby table, plus classic sci-fi TV and not-so-classic movie day.

Let us know in the comments: what makes a good Warhammer homebrew for you?

#Warhammer40K #Warhammer #Homebrew

This episode, Simon and Ibrahim explore the many places hobby inspiration can come from, including miniatures, faction lore, box art, painting techniques, real-world history, music and other hobbyists’ armies.

We discuss how those influences become a coherent force, when inspiration turns into imitation and what happens when an ambitious painting scheme does not work as planned.

Then we put the idea to the test by creating a new Space Marine force live from four unlikely prompts: the Fall of Constantinople, a System of a Down album, the colour brown and revenge. Somehow, it works? Have a listen and let us know what you'd call this chapter!

Elsewhere in the episode, Ibrahim reports back from Infinity’s global campaign and a game of Maladum, we catch up on the Meelas hobby tables and Simon shares the finished Version 1.0 of The Hollow Star of Kadavah, a campaign for 40k 2nd Edition, complete with its new campaign map and battle-report hub.

Download The Hollow Star of Kadavah:

In Episode 13 of The Meelas, Ibrahim has committed to a Warriors of Chaos army for Warhammer: The Old World despite never having played a rank-and-flank game. We discuss what makes a new army feel like a viable project, why local players matter and when excitement risks becoming another box left on the shelf.

We also talk about introducing people to niche systems such as Infinity and Dropfleet Commander, turning the dreaded pile of shame into a Library of Future Joy and how to keep a large army project moving until it finally reaches the table.

Elsewhere, we catch up on an massive 4-player Horus Heresy battle, the response to our Hollow Star 40k Second Edition campaign and the creation of Ibrahim’s new Warriors of Chaos force, the Ashen Wolves.

In Episode 12 of The Meelas Podcast, we launch our new narrative campaign for Warhammer 40,000 Second Edition: The Hollow Star of Kadavah.

Once an Aeldari Maiden World, Kadavah is now an unremarkable Imperial colony. When an archaeological expedition uncovers a sealed chamber beneath its surface, a mysterious signal is broadcast across the galaxy. Different factions receive different visions of the Hollow Star, drawing them towards Kadavah with their own objectives, suspicions and ambitions.

Ibrahim interviews Simon about the campaign, including why Second Edition is ideal for narrative gaming, how players can shape the unfolding story, how battles will affect future games and whether Simon already knows how it will all end.

The campaign is designed as a flexible, mechanics-light framework. Any official Second Edition army can take part, modern models and proxies are welcome and players outside Abu Dhabi are invited to download the campaign pack, play their own battles and send us their stories.

Before that, we catch up on games of Legions Imperialis, Infinity and Horus Heresy, alongside Chaos Marauders, Angels Sanguine and Vampire Counts on the hobby table.

Download The Hollow Star campaign pack:

How do you stay connected to the Warhammer hobby when you are away from your models, gaming table and regular group?

With Simon away and Ibrahim holding the fort at the Meelas, Episode 11 is a shorter virtual edition exploring all the ways we keep hobbying when we cannot actually play. From army lists, lore and campaign planning to podcasts, social media inspiration and resisting the temptation to start yet another army, there is far more to the hobby than brushes and dice.

We also catch up on recent games of Legions Imperialis and Halo: Flashpoint, check in on the Custodes, Death Korps of Krieg, Iron Hands and Lamenters, and consider whether time away gives us valuable perspective on our sprawling project lists.

Recorded virtually from two different countries, this is a shorter episode than usual, though there is still plenty of hobby discussion, questionable project discipline and encouragement to start new armies.

Subscribe for more from The Meelas, an Abu Dhabi wargaming podcast covering Warhammer, Horus Heresy, tabletop games, miniature painting and the local hobby community.

The Meelas reaches Episode 10! This week, Simon and Ibrahim ask what makes a great starter box. Is it the models, the rules, the discount or what the box gives you next?

We compare the latest Warhammer 40,000, Old World and Necromunda releases with Dark Imperium, classic Warhammer Fantasy boxes, Blood Bowl, Infinity and more. We debate push-fit miniatures, whether one faction can sell an entire box, how useful the contents need to be as your army grows and what our own ideal starter sets would contain.

Before that, there is plenty happening at the Meelas, including Necromunda, Blood Bowl and Halo: Flashpoint, alongside an exceptionally busy weekend around the hobby table.

What was your first starter box, and which one do you think did it best?

Simon and Ibrahim play their first game of Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition, pitting the Death Guard Maggot Lords against Amenhotekh’s Necron Guard in Combat Patrol.

How easy was the new edition to learn? Did the armies feel distinctive? Did the missions, terrain and combat create an engaging battle? Most importantly, did playing 11th Edition make us want to play it again?

This is our honest first experience rather than a definitive review. We may not have loved this particular game, but we want to understand what we are missing and plan to try again at a larger scale.

Experienced 40K players, tell us what you think. What did we misunderstand, what changes at 1,000 or 2,000 points and what makes 11th Edition work for you?

After a week filled with Necromunda and Blood Bowl, Simon and Ibrahim ask whether smaller games offer more fun and memorable moments than their mass-battle counterparts.

Do fewer models create more meaningful decisions and stronger attachments to individual miniatures? Are skirmish games really cheaper and easier to start? How important are painted terrain, great opponents and the community surrounding a game?

We discuss Necromunda, Blood Bowl, Halo: Flashpoint, Infinity, Horus Heresy and second edition Warhammer 40,000 before inevitably talking ourselves into creating even more campaigns.

Tell us in the comments: do you prefer smaller skirmish games or enormous battles?

This week on The Meelas, Simon and Ibrahim talk hobby burnout: what it is, how to spot it and how to keep wargaming fun when painting, playing, buying and keeping up all start to feel like homework.

Plus the usual updates from the Meelas table, what’s being painted, what’s being played and how community can help keep us connected to the hobby we love.