Miniature models…

[ChilliPB]

My husband has fairly recently (last year or so) got into painting miniatures for board games (like Warhammer and that sort of thing). I don’t share this interest, it’s obviously healthy to have your own hobbies, but my god is it boring and it’s become an obsession.

He has free time during the week so does it then - it doesn’t take away from us spending time together or anything (he does shift work) so its not that he doesn’t have the time for it, but he spends so much time on it it just feels a bit excessive. It takes up a lot of space as he has various models on the go at different stages and to be honest I’m sick of staring at the fugly items all over the place. Today we went to look at a property - we’re looking to move - and he was talking about taking over a room to set up with a table and stuff. This would be at the expense of a guest/spare bedroom.

I have hobbies but I don’t talk about them much (other than a bit of a chat about a lesson or something) and they don’t take up any space in our home! I find it all just a bit excessive.

Anyone else? Am I being totally unreasonable? Should I just let him get on with it?

I’m not sure I’d be happy to sacrifice the potential guest room but other than that, I think you’re a bit unreasonable. Lots of posters will be along to say it’s a puerile hobby that would give them the ‘ick’, but I just think there are far worse things he could be interested in. It’s creative, artistic, not too expensive, it’s not harming anyone and he’s not out of the house for hours. My DH doesn’t really have any hobbies except for reading, but I wouldn’t mind if he was doing this.

Can't u persuade him to get a man cave in the garden? That way you would not have to see them.

Bit odd DH just paints about 20 at a time using his desk. Paints have their own shelf on the wall.

Mine does this. It doesn't bother me. He's actually really good at it, the detail on the models he makes is amazing. He finds it relaxing and doesn't bore me by talking about it, so it's all good.

I wouldn't like to lose a bedroom for it though. I've lost a corner of my dining room but we don't use it much so I tolerate it.

My ex does this. He became absolutely obsessed with it and like your DH wanted a whole fucking room in the house dedicated to it, he didn't get this as we ended up buying a smaller house and then whinged about it like it was some sort of god given right. It's the only thing he's interested in, he's constantly on forums and group chats about it, if not that then he's out for 6 hours playing a game. As a hobby I didn't think it was so bad and quite cool to see some of the paint effects but it really affected our relationship and definitely contributed to it ending because he just had no time for or interest in me and DD.

As someone who collects all kinds of stuff for still life photography, and other stuff for writing, and other things for sewing, I think that Yab a bit u. I'd love a whole room to keep my stuff and to me, who never has overnight guests, a spare room sounds like a waste of space.

I'd love a room just for my hobby! That's what 'spare' rooms are for, isn't it? I wouldn't have a guest room because I don't have people over to stop the night.

I'd have a music room because, at the moment, I have several instruments tucked into corners in the living room, on a shelf in the kitchen, a couple in the cupboard under the stairs... the living room furniture is actually arranged around the instruments.

I don't watch TV so my instruments are what I do during my spare time both in and out of the house.

I'd just let him get on with it.

Is there room in your garden for a small summerhouse or something that he could set up as a studio? I know a man who has a similar type of hobby and he's set up a workstation in the garage. I have friends who've turned one of their children's bedrooms into craft rooms after they left home, and know a man who converted their summerhouse into a practice room/recording studio and another who had a loft conversion done to accommodate the same. Both as hobbies

I think a spare room can function as both. He can have a bench/desk, wall shelves for completed figures and drawers for all his bits. Buy a decent sofa bed and the room can double up. Surely there's a benefit in that the figures are all in one place if this is the case and not spread around the house.

Poor bloke let him have his tiddly models , I do not share his love but do know a couple of people that do this. They are lovely gentle nerds.

How often would the spare room be needed for guests?

YABU, let him enjoy his new found hobby. If he's talking about it too much for you then say something like "I'm happy you have found a new interest but it makes no sense to me".

As for the space, all hobbies take up space. Realistically how often do you use a guest room in your house? If it's not frequent then could it not be turned into a hobby room with a spare bed in it for the occasion you need a bed?

That's what we have with our hobby room. It's half his, half mine but we have a day bed in it too, and with some jiggling around it's a comfortable space for visitors for a few days.

to be honest...yes, you are a bit unreasonable. You're complaining about his stuff being on display but also won't allow him a spare room to keep it contained - so now it seems like he can't have his stuff in his own house

you also sound downright mean about it all for no other reason then being not interested in it and finding these figurines ugly

Thanks everyone! I am being unreasonable. I think it’s all just been a bit of a recent thing, he’s got suddenly very into it and it’s just a bit of an adjustment. I am being mean. But completely agree it’s harmless, it’s good for him to have a hobby/interest. We do need a spare room as we tend to have someone visiting most months (we don’t live near either of our families and have family/friends visiting often). But having a desk set up in a spare room he can use, seems like a good option. It gives him a bit of space for his hobby and we can still have a spare room for guests.

Here is DHs kit when not in use. Plus one tall display unit and another low wide one.

When he has armies rather than blood bowl teams which are only 20 each the armies lives in cases.