Hi my name is Rich Kibble

I’m the Author author here at TableTopDash. I thought I would put a bit of my background in here to let people know what my experience has been with Tabletop wargaming, miniature painting, D&D, airbrushes, 3D printing and all that.

When it comes to Tabletop games, D&D is where I got my start. I was probably 11 or 12 and some friends introduced me to it. If you’ve ever watched the 2019 Documentary “Eye of the Beholder” that really covers why I loved the game so much. The visuals were like nothing I had ever seen before. Monsters, heroes, landscapes, all brought to life by the artists.

So if the art, books and game of D&D was the start, miniatures followed quickly behind. Here were tiny physical representations of those heroes and monsters. The hobby shop in Princeton NJ near my Dad’s office was where I first saw them. Big giant glass cases filled with minis. It was glorious. I am getting huge nostalgia just thinking about it now.

The paints at the time were limited. Enamel paints were what I used. I think Testors was the big brand in the hobby shops. This was the 80’s and 90’s and I struggled to get them to work well on my miniatures. That said, I didn’t know what I was doing then. There wasn’t much in the way of tutorials. No YouTube to watch. Nothing I was really aware of to learn from. But I tried and I got my miniatures painted to the level I was capable of.

Like a lot of people I drifted from D&D as I got a bit older. I loved reading the books but I didn’t play as much. I migrated to paying more attention to video games, sports, and girls. I continued to pay attention to D&D, but it was more along the lines of playing Baldur’s Gate the video game and similar titles.

Then in 2019, on June 3rd as a matter of fact (I just went and looked) I saw a post in a forum I belong to that’s related to Everquest. The post title was simply: “Miniature Painting”. Inside people were posting their painted minis. Kingdom Death stuff, Warhammer (a LOT of Warhammer but more on that soon), Reaper minis, Gundams, DC miniatures (I remember a Batman specifically), Malifaux, Necromunda, and eventually stuff like Marvel Crisis Protocol minis and Star Wars Legion stuff.

I. Was. Hooked.

Instantly, I dove head first into the Miniature Painting hobby. I set up a hobby desk, got myself all geared up. Miniatures, paints, brushes, hobby knife, lights, magnifiers, mats. From the basics I graduated quickly to an airbrush set up. Then a 3D printer to make my own minis. All of that went into my miniatures. I look back at how many I’ve painted over the past 4+ years and I’m so proud of them!

Starting this site I have been looking back at all the pictures I’ve taken of my miniatures. It’s really great to have these images and a place to now share them with you all. I wanted to lend my voice to the people who are where I was when I started. Excited, enthusiastic, pumped up! But also a bit overwhelmed with how and where to start.

So what I intend to do here is share my years of experience in Miniature Painting. What gear I use, what painting techniques I’ve learned, what has been really impactful and what hasn’t. It’s a hobby, it’s art, and it’s a ton of fun. I personally find a lot of peace, camaraderie and satisfaction in the hobby and I hope you will too.

Rich