Painting during 2025 - Going for the 500?

What a painting year!

This year has seen me painting couple of whole new armies: Brotherhood without Banners and House Greyjoy for ASOIAF, as well as many historical miniatures for Napoleonic, WW2 and Age of Chivalry, for example. As I'm writing this I have finished 404 new miniatures and finished 44 miniatures I have started painting earlier (before 2025). As I have quite few more started miniatures, I was thinking to reach 500, but as we decided to go for a last minute holiday for the rest of the year, it's not likely to happen. Oh well, more miniatures to complete 2026.

Armies on Parade: House Greyjoy for ASOIAF

We do not sow!

First model I painted was of course Balon...

Heroes

Qarl, the Crab and Asha

3D printed Balon (NCU) and the Drowned God

Units

With this hobby project I wanted to really make an effort in making the army stand out, this meant making the movement trays and bases special with water effects etc.

This was my first time using resin for water in a large scale like this. I'm still learning, but I'm quite happy with the results... and it worked as my army was nominated and rewarded as the best army in the Realms of Battle 2025 in Warsaw.

These landing boats also make the units stand out 

I'm really happy with the cloaks of these Ironmakers

Still need to work on foam effect in the water though.

This longboat really caught the eye of other players and I guess the judges too

Victarion's pet Kraken is another eye catcher. If it would be an upgrade or an attachment the ruls should be -3 vicious and Disrupt, at least!

2nd unit of Iron Victory crew

My army in the Realms of Battle, Warsaw 2025

Making of...

In action

I have won most of my games with Greyjoys and at least now I know them quite well. I’ve. O

ASOIAF: REALMS OF BATTLE 2025 in Warsaw

Had once again great time in the largest Song-tournament of the year with some 160 players in Warsaw. This time my tournament success was just awful, but luckily the games were pretty good and tight: two ties (victory through points on the table), 2 x 1 point defeat, 1 x 2 point defeat (also one crushing victory and one crushing defeat). Even better was to meet with old friends from the Song community and to get a couple of new ones - special mention to Andras from Romania, whom hanged out with Team Finland (aka Monsters from the North) on Sunday evening and on Monday. One highlight of this trip was also to visit Wargamer HQ, where we mostly buy our toys for Song and other wargames. Thanks for hosting us Michal and Tomasz!

Some of the pictures are by Warfactory (source Facebook) and some by Antti (Rivarama).

Wargamer's Summer - WIP

 We wargamers see the world in a different way, don't we?

This is what I did this Summer.

Sitting in my castle in the edge of Peak District, England

ASOIAF: Game with Grant from Yecats MIniatures

 Great to meet and play F2F

If you're into ASOIAF and have an internet connection, you probably know Yecats Miniatures and their YouTube channel. I've visited the channel as a guest a couple of times and as I was on a holiday in UK, we agreed to have a game at his house, near London.

Read on to find out how it all went down!

First half of 2025 on the painting desk - Updated 12.5.

Miscellaneous stuff painted 

Finishing the Brotherhood without Banners for Song

Lady Stoneheart

Beric Dondarrion, the Lightning Lord

Thoros

ASOIAF - THE INVITATIONALS 2025 in Stockport UK - Updated 21.4.2025

Best of the best gathered at The Invitational

From left: Seppo (Geelot), Jaakko (Corpmake), Johannes (Forestpond), Antti (Rivarama) and me (Kujala). Photo by Doug

Team Finland joined both the Team event on Friday with 5 players and with 6 players on the actual event. Our team was truly the best players from Finland, at the time of writing this all Team event players are at top 6 in Finnish ranking with an average Elo of 1907 (probably was even higher when we entered the tournament)

Several pictures in this blogpost are by the awesome Doug Gordon, see more of his photos of the event here 

NOTE: my most recent update (last games and conclusions) seem to not have been saved, darn. now re-written.