Buying for someone deep in this hobby feels impossible from the outside. The shelf is full of things you can't name, everything has a faction and a colour scheme attached, and the one thing you're sure of is that getting it wrong is easy. Here is the shortcut: almost every collector has more painted models than places to put them. That gap is where the good gifts live.
Why Buying Models Is the Risky Option
The instinct is to buy more miniatures. It is usually the wrong call, and for a specific reason: a collector is loyal to an army. Someone who has been painting for a while has almost certainly committed to one or two factions, a colour scheme they mix themselves, and a to-do pile they already feel guilty about. A box from the wrong faction is a lovely gesture that sits unopened for three years. Paints are the same problem in miniature — they mix their own, and they already own the ones they use.
Accessories are different. They apply to every faction, every scheme and every edition. Nobody has ever opened a display stand and thought ‘wrong army’.
The Quick Answer
Buy something that works with whatever they already collect rather than something faction-specific. Display stands, cabinet lighting, brushes, storage and transport cases are all safe because they apply to any army. Avoid buying miniatures or paints unless you have been given an exact name — collectors are committed to specific factions and mix their own colours. A tiered display stand sized for standard 28–32mm round bases is the most reliable option under £25, because every painter has finished models with nowhere good to stand them.
Gift Ideas by Budget
Under £20
- A tiered display stand. The single most useful thing you can give someone with a finished squad and a flat shelf. WarSplay stands are independently designed and manufactured in our UK workshop, and are compatible with Warhammer 40,000 miniatures that use 28–32mm round bases, along with most other tabletop systems on those base sizes.
- A good synthetic brush set. Everyone's brushes are worse than they admit, and nobody replaces them often enough.
- A battery puck light or USB LED strip for the cabinet or shelf they already use. Cheap, immediately noticeable, and covered in our guide to lighting a cabinet without DIY wiring.
- Neodymium magnets and steel tape. Unromantic, genuinely wanted — see our magnet size guide for what to get.
WarSplay is an independent UK manufacturer. We are not affiliated with, authorised by, endorsed by, sponsored by or licensed by Games Workshop Limited or Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Third-party names are used here only to describe which miniatures and furniture our own products fit.
£20–£40
- A magnetic display rack. Models lock onto a steel surface rather than balancing on it. The right choice if there are children or pets in the house — more in our guide to displaying with kids or pets.
- Shelf inserts for the furniture they already own. The IKEA Kallax is in more hobby rooms than any other piece of furniture on earth, and almost nobody uses one properly — our Kallax display guide explains why a cube makes a better showcase than most cabinets.
- A transport case or foam-free carry solution if they play at a club or attend events.
£40 and up
- A glass display cabinet. The upgrade almost every collector wants and almost none buy for themselves. Our UK cabinet buyer's guide covers what to look for, including what changed when the IKEA Detolf was discontinued.
- A full display setup — stand, lighting and a cabinet shelf, given together. This is the gift people remember, because it changes how the whole collection looks in one afternoon.
The One Question That Guarantees a Hit
If you can ask anything at all without spoiling the surprise, ask this: ‘where do you keep the ones you've finished?’ The answer tells you everything. ‘In a box’ or ‘in a foam case’ means display is the obvious gift and will be genuinely appreciated. ‘On the shelf’ means ask a follow-up about dust or lighting. ‘In a cabinet’ means they are already sorted and you should look at brushes, magnets or transport instead.
If you can't ask, display is still the safest bet, because the failure mode is mild — an unused stand is a small disappointment, where a wrong-faction box is an awkward one.
What to Avoid
Skip anything faction-specific, edition-specific or scheme-specific unless you have a written list. That rules out miniatures, codex books, transfer sheets and paints. Skip ‘novelty’ hobby gifts — mugs, socks, signs — unless you know they enjoy that sort of thing, because keen hobbyists tend to already have a drawer of them. And be careful with anything that needs assembly as a gift for a beginner; the barrier to entry in this hobby is time, not enthusiasm.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you buy someone who collects tabletop miniatures?
Buy accessories rather than models — display stands, cabinet lighting, brushes, magnets or storage all work regardless of which army they collect. Miniatures and paints are the risky choices, because collectors commit to specific factions and mix their own colours.
What is a good gift for a miniature painter under £20?
A tiered display stand, a decent synthetic brush set, or a battery-powered cabinet light. All three are used immediately and none depend on knowing their army or colour scheme.
Should I buy miniatures as a gift?
Only if you have been given an exact name or a wishlist. A box from the wrong faction is the most common unwanted gift in this hobby, and it is impossible to guess correctly from the outside.
Are display stands a good gift for a wargamer?
They are one of the safest options, because almost every painter has finished models sitting in a box for want of somewhere to put them. Look for a stand that takes standard 28–32mm round bases so it fits whatever they collect.
What do you get someone who already owns everything for the hobby?
Look at display and presentation rather than more hobby supplies — lighting, a cabinet, or a proper showcase for the models they are proudest of. Painters buy tools for themselves and almost never buy display for themselves.
Is a display stand suitable for a teenager just starting out?
Yes, and arguably more so than for a veteran — seeing finished models displayed properly is what keeps new painters going. A smaller entry-size stand costs little and grows with the collection.
Trademark attribution: WARHAMMER 40,000 is a trade mark of Games Workshop Limited. IKEA, KALLAX and DETOLF are trade marks of Inter IKEA Systems B.V. WarSplay is an independent manufacturer and is not affiliated with, authorised, sponsored or endorsed by either company.
Disclaimer: WarSplay products are independently designed and manufactured in the UK by Blubbercove Ltd. All WarSplay designs are the intellectual property of Blubbercove Ltd.