If someone you love spends their evenings hunched over tiny plastic soldiers with a brush the width of an eyelash, and you have no idea what to buy them — this guide is for you. No jargon, no assumed knowledge, just safe choices that will land well.
The hobby in 60 seconds
Miniature wargaming is really three hobbies in one. People build and paint small, highly detailed models; they play tabletop battles with them; and they collect and display the finished results. A single painted model can represent five, ten or twenty hours of careful work. To put the scale in perspective, a Goonhammer reader survey put the English-speaking Warhammer 40,000® player base at roughly 2.4 million people — and only about 0.6% play competitively, so the overwhelming majority are painting and collecting rather than chasing tournaments. That last point is the key to good gift-buying: the painting is the achievement, and most hobbyists are quietly proud of it.
The golden rule: don't buy the models themselves
It feels intuitive to buy them a new model kit, and it is almost always a mistake. Hobbyists collect specific armies from specific game systems, in specific factions, often planned months ahead. Buying the wrong box is like buying a stamp collector a random stamp. Unless they have sent you a link to the exact kit, leave model-buying to them.
The same caution applies to paints (they have a system and strong brand preferences) and brushes (intensely personal). So what does that leave? Quite a lot, as it happens — and the safest category of all is the one most hobbyists never buy for themselves.
Why display gear is the safest gift in the hobby
Here's the open secret: most painters finish a model they're proud of, photograph it once, and then put it back in a foam-lined carry case where nobody ever sees it. Display products — stands, risers and cabinets — are the classic “would love one, would never buy one for myself” purchase. They work for any army, any game system and any faction, so you cannot buy the wrong one the way you can with a model kit.
A tiered display stand lifts each row of models above the one in front — think stadium seating — so a whole squad is visible on a bookshelf or in a glass cabinet. WarSplay® modular stands are a UK-made example designed exactly for this, and they're compatible with Warhammer 40,000® miniatures and other popular 28mm–40mm tabletop systems, so they suit virtually any collection.
Gift ideas by budget
Under £15 — reliable stocking fillers
- A tiered display stand — entry-level modular stands start around £11.95 and display a full squad.
- Hobby consumables — superglue, PVA, cutting mat, cork-handled hobby knife blades. Unglamorous, always welcome.
- A daylight bulb for their painting lamp — painters care a lot about colour-accurate light.
£15–£50 — the sweet spot
- A multi-stand display set so a whole army can finally come out of its case.
- A desk organiser or paint rack — see our guide to space-saving hobby desk organisers.
- An LED display light strip — our lighting guide explains what works without glare.
- A magnifying lamp or painting handle — comfort upgrades they'll use daily.
£50+ — the showstoppers
- A glass display cabinet — standard glass cabinets from major furniture retailers are the hobby's worst-kept secret, and tiered risers make every shelf hold two to three times more visible models. See our cabinet riser guide.
- A premium acrylic display case for a single centrepiece model — best when you know which model is their pride and joy.
- A voucher from their preferred hobby store. Not a cop-out in this hobby — genuinely appreciated.
Three questions to ask before buying (without spoiling the surprise)
- “Where do you keep your finished models?” If the answer involves a carry case or a drawer, display gear is your gift.
- “What size are the bases on your models?” Most rank-and-file models sit on 25mm–40mm bases; good display stands list the base sizes they support, so this one number makes any stand a safe buy.
- “Is there a kit you've been putting off buying?” If they name one exactly, screenshot it and buy precisely that.
What to avoid
- Random model kits — wrong army, wrong game, wrong scale. The risk is too high.
- “Starter” paint sets — they're past that stage, and duplicates are wasted money.
- Novelty merchandise — mugs and t-shirts are fine, but they'd rather have something that serves the hobby itself.
Frequently asked questions
What do you buy a wargamer who has everything?
Display capacity. However big their collection, the proportion of it actually on display is usually tiny — the 2023 Great Wargaming Survey found almost 41% of hobbyists own between 100 and 500 unpainted miniatures and around 18% own more than 1,000, so “has everything” usually means “has nowhere to put it all”. Stands, risers, cabinet lighting and dust-care kits extend what they can show off, and modular systems mean you can never buy “too much”.
Do display stands fit all miniatures?
Check the supported base sizes. WarSplay® stands support 25mm–100mm bases and are compatible with Warhammer 40,000®, Age of Sigmar® and other popular tabletop miniature systems — full details in our compatibility FAQ.
Is it safe to order display gear close to Christmas?
Check dispatch times. Made-to-order acrylic cases can take weeks; WarSplay stands are manufactured in-house in the UK and dispatched in 2 business days.
WarSplay® is an independent UK brand of Blubbercove Ltd. Trademarks are used for compatibility description only; see the disclaimer in our site footer.